I am associate professor of French with a long-standing interest in teaching and in African and francophone literary and cultural studies. My appreciation for and enjoyment of other cultures and languages began at the age of 8 when I lived and went to school in Ibadan, Nigeria. I am currently involved in a research project focused on the Cameroonian playwright, novelist, singer, filmmaker and cultural animatrice, Werewere Liking. In this work, I explore how Liking’s aesthetic practices challenge received ideas and subvert dominant paradigms, and as such, call forth other interpretations and other “truths” about humanity’s potential. At present, I am serving as Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.
Professor Wright′s CV (PDF)
Ph.D. Indiana University, Bloomington, French Literature
M.A. University of Florida, Gainesville, French Literature
B.A. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, French
French 101-102 Elementary French
French 154 African Literatures in Translation
French 201 Intermediate French
French 202 French Connections
French 324 Survey of Post-Revolutionary French Literature
French 335 Readings in French Fiction
French 336 Contemporary French Literature
French 354 African Literatures of French Expression
French 485 Senior Paper
French 486 Senior Review
“Extending Generic Boundaries: Werewere Liking′s L′Amour-cent-vies.” Research in African Literatures 33.2 (2002): 46-60.
“Werewere Liking: From Chaos to Cosmos.” World Literature Today 69.1 (1995): 56-62.
“Patrick Modiano.” The Contemporary Novel in France. Ed. William Thompson. Gainesville: U. of Florida Press, 1995. 264-278.
“Satire and Censorship in Tchicaya u Tam′Si′s Le Destin glorieux du Maréchal Nnikon Nniku Prince qu′on sort. Ufahamu. ” 19.3 (1992): 80-95.