Our department thrives on both its unity and diversity. We are comprised of three primary research areas:
- French/Francophone Studies
- French Linguistics
- Italian Studies
Research
These broad areas of scholarly expertise make our department one of the most diverse and strongest in the country and allow us to fulfill our core mission, as part of a Research I public institution grounded in the liberal arts. We conduct cutting-edge research, providing rigorous training and generous mentoring to graduate students, teach the French and Italian languages, as well as the riches of French/francophone and Italian cultures to our undergraduate students, and participate in the pedagogical mission and curricular initiatives of the College of Arts and Sciences and the university as a whole.
A wide range of research fields
In French Linguistics, our faculty study language acquisition, syntax, semantics, phonology, sociolinguistics, lexicography, and varieties of French—such as Haitian Creole, Picard, and Quebec French. Among our French/Francophone Studies faculty, research specializations include (but are not limited to) clandestine literature in 19th-century France, intermediality in 20th-century and contemporary francophone cultures, and the use of mechanical props in early modern French theater.
Our Italian faculty have published in all major fields of Italian Studies with specific strengths in the literature of migration, humor in early modern Italian culture, the influence and cultural reflection in comic books, and Italian pedagogy through theater. In both French and Italian, our graduate programs are known for their rigorous teacher-preparation, including online and technology-enhanced language teaching.
Areas of research
Research in the College of Arts + Sciences
As part of the College of Arts and Sciences, our students benefit from an array of resources to aid in research and creative activities, including archives, libraries, institutes, galleries, equipment, and more.
Learn about research in the CollegeResearch spotlight: Lino Mioni
Italy is known worldwide for its cuisine, but when were the recipes for sauces, breads, and risottos first written and attributed to an author? This is the topic doctoral student Lino Mioni explores in his research.
Faculty spotlight: Elizabeth Hebbard
Specialist in medieval manuscripts joins French faculty
Elizabeth K. Hebbard has joined the tenure-track faculty of the Department of French and Italian as assistant professor of French starting in August 2018. As announced previously on these pages, she served as visiting assistant professor here in 2017-18 and came to Indiana University after two years at the University of New Hampshire and a successful Ph.D. completion at Yale University.
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College of Arts & Sciences
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