Reynolds College Blog

French cultural ensemble celebrates Francophone music

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French Honor Society students and Alain Gbenouga, a graduate student in French, have collaborated with Dr. Antoinette Barffour to create the first ever French Cultural Ensemble.

The ensemble is open to all interested students, regardless of their ability to speak French. Participants can expect to enjoy Francophone music and culture while building community through song, Barffour said.

“The French Cultural Ensemble is designed to bring students together through the joy of singing French and Francophone music,” she continued. “This is the first ongoing French music ensemble open to the broader university community. It offers a creative space where students from all backgrounds—whether or not they speak French—can participate.”

Barffour is an associate professor of French in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR).

The ensemble meets on Thursdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Plaster Student Union 317A. Contact Barffour to confirm dates.

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MSU’s Spring 2025 Francophone film festival begins Jan. 24

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The Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions at Missouri State University announces its annual Albertine Cinémathèque Francophone film festival, opening Jan. 24, 2025.

Organized by Dr. Antoinette Barffour, associate professor of French and Applied Linguistics, this year’s festival selections reflect a wide range of cinematic styles, including fiction, documentary, repertory and animation.

“The LCR department invites all MSU students to participate in our festival to enrich their language, cultural and historical knowledge through the viewing and discussion of diverse and dynamic French and Francophone films,” Barffour said.

MSU earns festival host honors again

MSU has hosted the festival multiple times and was selected to host the 2025 program as well.

“Once again, MSU was selected from among a competitive field and awarded a grant to host the festival,” Barffour said.

The festival is sponsored by a cooperative partnership between the Albertine Cinémathèque film festival, the Franco-American Cultural Fund, and the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) – an agency of the French Ministry of Culture.

One goal of this partnership is promote French-American Cultural Exchange (FACE) in Education and the Arts by showcasing French and Francophone cinema for American colleges and university campuses.

The festival is open to the entire MSU community: students, faculty and staff. Those interested can sign up to participate in an online discussion of each film.

[Read more…] about MSU’s Spring 2025 Francophone film festival begins Jan. 24

Linguistics program hosts Dr. Michael Marlo for 2024-25 colloquium series

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Photo of Dr. Michael Marlo
Dr. Michael R. Marlo

Missouri State University’s linguistics program will host Dr. Michael R. Marlo for MSU’s Fall 2024 Linguistics Colloquium event 12-1 p.m. (CT) Nov. 14, 2024, via Zoom.

Marlo is an associate professor of English at the University of Missouri and editor of the Contemporary African Linguistics series of Language Science Press.

His presentation is titled “Meru tonal dialectology: a new collaborative project in African linguistics.”

According to event coordinator Dr. Antoinette Barffour, Marlo’s presentation will focus on the tonal systems of Bantu languages, specifically the Luyia language, which is spoken in western Kenya and eastern Uganda. 

“In this session of the colloquium, we are honored to have as speaker Dr. Marlo, whose research centers on under-studied African languages,” said Barffour, associate professor of French and applied linguistics at MSU.

“Several indigenous African languages are endangered, and this problem is in part attributable to the fact that these languages are grossly under-studied,” Barffour explained. “We strongly encourage all students to join our colloquium, as it offers an opportunity for them to gain insights into the structures and use of human languages. Participants will appreciate the cultural value in learning about a lesser known language and its speakers.”

This virtual event is open to all students, faculty, staff and anyone interested in these areas of study.

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Linguistics Colloquium Series continues for spring 2024

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Man facing camera in portrait pose
Dr. Eduardo Faingold

Missouri State University’s linguistics program has announced Dr. Eduardo D. Faingold, professor of Spanish and linguistics at the University of Tulsa, will headline MSU’s spring 2024 Linguistics Colloquium Series.

Faingold will discuss a chapter from his book, “Language rights and the law in Scandinavia: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.”

“This semester we are privileged to have Dr. Faingold share with us some of his recent work on language rights and the law in Iceland in the context of immigrants’ education,” said Dr. Antoinette Barffour, associate professor of French and applied linguistics.

The virtual event will take place 12-1 p.m. Feb. 21, 2024 via Zoom. It is open to all students, faculty, staff and anyone interested in these areas of study. [Read more…] about Linguistics Colloquium Series continues for spring 2024

Linguistics program hosts 2023 Linguistics Colloquium Series

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The linguistics program at Missouri State University has announced its Linguistics Colloquium Series for fall 2023, which will focus on examining words in educational contexts.

The virtual event will take place at noon Oct. 24 via Zoom. The colloquium is open to all students, faculty, staff and anyone interested in these areas of study.

Guest speaker Dr. Vicente Iranzo, assistant professor of Spanish at the University of Texas at Arlington, will present “What’s in a Name? The Erasure of the Valencian Language in Spanish Education.” [Read more…] about Linguistics program hosts 2023 Linguistics Colloquium Series