Stephanie Doyle‑Lerat

 

[...] the diversity within the French Department opened my eyes to the fact that French extends far beyond Canada and France.    

BA (Honours) '05, MA '11

As an undergraduate student, my original intention was just to take a class or two to keep up my language skills. At that time, I was vaguely aware of la Francophonie, however the diversity within the French department opened my eyes to the fact that French extends far beyond Canada and France. In a very welcoming environment, I enjoyed many different classes in grammar, culture and literature taught by professors well-versed in their fields, but the decisive moment for me was taking Introduction à la linguistique which is where I discovered my true passion: linguistics.

Following an education degree and experience teaching French and English, I wanted to deepen my knowledge in linguistics by pursuing a master’s degree. It was obvious to me that the Dal French department would be the ideal place to receive the education I was looking for and I was not disappointed. My positive experience as an undergraduate student was confirmed as a graduate student. I appreciated the close-knit department where I was constantly challenged and provided with the support and encouragement needed to succeed.

Now living in France and working on a PhD at the Université de Nantes, I continue to draw on the lessons I learned at Dalhousie and am very thankful I decided to take a class or two in French.