Graduate Students 2023-2025

Anoosheh Ghaderi, Literature. Major Professor: Professor Rosemary Peters-Hill (Graduated with PhD in Summer 2024.)

Native of Iran, Anoosheh Ghaderi has developed a broad academic interest encompassing Francophone literature and cinema, literature of diaspora, postcolonial studies, and gender and women’s studies. Her dissertation explores the complex subjects of intertextuality, posttraumatic subjectivities, and narratives, investigating national identity within the realms of contemporary autofiction and memoirs of exile. Beyond her primary focuses, Anoosheh also harbors interests in religious and queer studies, graphic novels, and fairy tales.

Anoosheh first accomplished her MA in French Studies at the University of Tehran in 2014, focusing her master’s dissertation on societal representation in the films of Agnès Varda and Tahmineh Milani. She further expanded her academic horizons by attaining a second MA, with a major in French Studies and a minor in Cinema Studies, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Presently, Anoosheh is immersed in her studies as a Ph.D. candidate in French, with an additional focus on Gender and Women Studies at Louisiana State University. In the spirit of fostering academic dialogue and knowledge sharing, she co-founded the peer-reviewed journal Tête-À-Tête, serving as its editor-in-chief since 2021. Her scholarly contributions also include multiple book reviews penned for The French Review and several scholarly articles, adding valuable perspectives to her fields of study. 

Publications:

“Luminous Pioneers: Unveiling the Enigmatic Odyssey of Iran’s First Female Actress”, Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, Vol. 6, No. 1, Summer (2023)

“Bovarique Bodies”, Tête-à-Tête, Vol.1, Issue 1, Spring (2022)

“Sensible body of the female reader”, Tête-à-Tête, Vol.1, Issue 1, Spring (2022)

“The Notion of Comics in Iran.” Comics - Bilder, Stories und Sequenzen in Religiösen Deutungskulturen. Wiesbaden, Germany: Springer, (2015)

Modification of Iranian Female Identity Represented in Cinema after 1980.” Review of Social Studies, Law, and Psychology 5.3 (2013)

Trans. with Anoosheh Ghaderi, “A Non-Published Interview with Foucault about the Iranian Revolution.” Iran Namag 3.2 (2018). Web. Special Issue on Foucault in Iran.

“Letter from Marcel Proust to Daniel Halevy [19 July 1919]”, Online Exhibition of Proust and the Great War, USA (2017)

Book Reviews

• Intertextualités Francophones
• Reimagining the Family, Lesbian Mothering in Contemporary French Literature
• Exile, Non-Belonging and Statelessness in Grangaud, Jabès, Lubin and Luca
• Françoise de Graffigny (1695-1758), femme de lettres des Lumières
• Persian Mirrors
• Perec en Amérique 

Farida Guechoud-Orwin, Literature. Major Professor: Professor Rosemary Peters-Hill. (Graduated with PhD in summer 2024.)

Born in Algeria, of Amazigh (Berber) origin. Farida holds a Masters in Philosophy of science from the University of Algiers and Second Master degree in Theories of Science from University Paris 8. She has taught philosophy to high school students for seven year. Since arriving in the United States, she has taught Arabic and French in Chicago, Boston and Baton Rouge, where she worked for the public schools. In her research, she examines theories of language and literature in the history of philosophy, including Aristotle on Greek literature, Al-Farabi on Islamic literature, and now Rousseau of French literature.

Phuong Nguyen, Linguistics. Major Professor: Professor Sylvie Dubois 

Phuong comes from Vietnam, an Asian country. She received a Master degree in French linguistics in France in 2011. After graduation, she came back to Vietnam to teach French for Vietnamese students in the National University of Vietnam. At this time, her interest is in linguistics and sociolinguistics.

 Khadim Doumouya, Literature. Major Professor: TBD  

Khadim Doumouya is a native of Dakar in Senegal. He has completed his Bachelor's and his Masters in British and African Literature and Civilization at the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar in Senegal. He also earned a Master in French and Francophone studies at Mississippi State University. He is currently working on a PhD in Francophone Literature. Research interests: African literary movements and their evolution through the history, their challenges and their place in the world literary circle.

LIZ MAIONE, Language & Society. Major Professor: Professor Rosemary Peters-Hill

Originally from Maryland, Liz holds a BA in French and a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an MA in French from Middlebury College. Before coming to LSU, she taught French and English for 12 years in Montgomery County Public Schools. Her research interests include North American varieties of French, second language learning, critical pedagogy, teaching languages for social justice, and sociolinguistics. She is active in several organizations at LSU, including the DFS GSA, Le Cercle français, and Feminists in Action.

JULIUS YAW OSEI, Literature. Major Professor: TBD

Julius is a Ph.D. Candidate in Francophone literature. He had his masters in French and Francophone literature at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He earned his BA. French at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (knust), Ghana and his Diploma in Basic Education (D.B.E) at Wesley College of Education (Wesco). His area of interests are: Contemporary francophone literature, Caribbean literature, comparative literature, contemporary US civilization and religion, racism and immigration, gender and feminist studies.

S. Trent Dunkin, Language and Society. Major Professor: Professor Greg Stone

Trent, a native of Denham Springs, Louisiana, currently holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees from LSU in French (2010) and in English (2011). After completing his undergraduate education, he continued his studies by obtaining a Master of Arts in Romance Languages from the University of New Orleans (2019) and a Master of Library and Information Science from LSU (2021). Presently, Trent is engaged in dissertation research, his topic focusing on the origins and evolution of French identity during the medieval period.                                                                                                                        Not only is Trent a doctoral candidate in the Department of French Studies, but he also serves as the Institutional Repository Librarian for LSU Libraries. Before becoming a librarian, Trent worked as a Resource Sharing Specialist for LSU Libraries’ Interlibrary Loan Services and as a Learner Specialist for LSU Continuing Education. He also serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of Tête-à-Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies.                                    Trent's specific research interests are comprehensive, encompassing areas from Academic Librarianship and Digital Libraries to Historical French Linguistics and Medieval French Civilization. He has a particular interest in Old French and the relations between Capetian France and Angevin England.

Alicia Hilaire. Major Professor: Professor Adelaide Russo

Alicia Hilaire received a BA in French, Oregon State University and a BA in Fashion Marketing Management, Art Institute of Atlanta. She earned a MA in French Studies and Master of Business Administration, Georgia State University. Awardee of the Édouard Glissant Fellowship at LSU, she is working towards a PhD in French and francophone studies. Areas of research interest include post-colonial studies, Caribbean and African literature, francophone cinema, French fashion and pop culture. Other interests include writing fiction and nonfiction novels.

    Taiwo Ogundeyi. Major Professor: TBD

    Taiwo Ogundeyi is from the Southwestern part of Nigeria. He holds a bachelor's degree in French Studies from the University of Benin, Nigeria. In 

    Summer 2024, he completed his Masters in French and Francophone Studies with a minor in Mass Communication at Louisiana State University.

     He is currently a PhD student at LSU. Prior to his arrival at LSU, he had taught French language at both junior and senior high  for 5 years. Taiwo

     is interested in Atlantic history of nostalgia, its intersection with memory and trauma, as well as their contextual representation in Francophone

     literature, specifically in Sub-Saharan and Caribbean francophone studies. He is also interested in how contemporary Francophone literature

      grapples with how modern technology shapes identity and culture.

 

    

    

Rachel Overley. Literature. Major Professor: TBD

A Louisiana native from Baton Rouge, Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from LSU in French (2008). She has participated in several immersion programs at Université Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia. Through LSU she studied abroad in Limoges, France and experienced LSU in Paris. Rachel has taught Elementary French in the public school system for 4 years and began teaching in 2021 at LSU's University Laboratory School where she is currently an Elementary French and Spanish Instructor. Her interests include: Teaching foreign language, Francophone literature, French Poetry, Linguistics, Culture, Civilization, Literature, and Language.

Rachel Kirk. Major Professor: Professor Bastien Craipain

Rachel is from Baltimore, Maryland and has a BA in Political Science and French from Virginia Tech and an MA in International Education Development from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her master’s thesis was on the history and representation of Arabic language instruction in French public schools. She has taught high school French in New Orleans and was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Rabat, Morocco. She has led several high school and university intercultural education programs in metropolitan France, Spain, Martinique, and Morocco. Prior to coming to LSU, she worked as a program manager at AC4, a research center at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. She is interested in environmental and digital humanities, and how the relationship between colonialism and anti-colonial resistance has shaped culture, institutions, and cultural production in the Francophone world. 

Zull-Kifuly Moumouni 

Zull-Kifuly is a Ph.D. student in French Literature, with a Minor in Political Science at Louisiana State University. He is interested in the representation of political violence and human rights violation in contemporary francophone literature of sub-Saharan Africa. He is also interested in the dynamics of immigration in Afropéa francophone literature. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in African studies from the English Department at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, and a Master’s degree in Applied Second Language Acquisition from Missouri State University, United States.

Zull-Kifuly taught English as a Foreign Language in secondary schools of Benin for 7 years. He also worked with the American Peace Corps as Counterpart of Peace Corps Volunteers (CPCV) for two years before being selected for the Fulbright- Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program in 2018. During his Master’s program, he taught French at undergraduate level as Graduate Teaching Assistant and won the Outstanding Teaching Graduate Assistant Award of Spring 2023. He is currently teaching FREN 1001-1002 at LSU as part of his Graduate Assistant responsibilities. 

Wolé Olúgúnlè

Wolé Olúgúnlè is a Yorùbá man, native of Oka Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria. He is currently on a Ph.D. program in the Department of French, Francophone Studies, and Comparative Literature at Louisiana State University, US. His research interests span Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean works of literature. He is passionate about exploring the diverse and complex theatrical experiences of Afro-Caribbean communities in literature and culture.

He had his Master's degree in French Studies and Comparative Literature from the University of Ibadan, and his Bachelor's degree in French Language and Literature from the University of Benin, both from Nigeria. With over seventeen years of work experience as a French teacher and tutor, he applied my skills in academic research, academic writing, and diaspora studies to create engaging and inclusive learning environments for students of diverse backgrounds and levels, he is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of French, Francophone Studies. He has taken some pedagogical courses that would enable him to teach World Literature soon. His core competencies include diaspora drama, academic research and writing, French language and literature, and intercultural communication. His mission is to contribute to advancing knowledge and understanding of the Afro-Caribbean world's diverse rich cultures and histories.

Currently, he is researching the phenomenology of Black Aesthetics in the Afro-Caribbean Theater of the nineteenth through twenty-first centuries. 

Tajudeen Salaudeen

Tajudeen is from Nigeria. He obtained his bachelor's degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria in 2012. In 2018, he earned his master’s degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.  He is currently in the Ph.D. program in the Department of French Studies, with interests in Francophone Studies and Comparative Literature at LSU. Having taught French as a foreign language to students of different levels and backgrounds, he is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the DFS. His areas of interest include postcolonial studies, African, and Caribbean literature.                       

KAREN AMARTEIFIO

Karen Amarteifio is a Ghanaian who holds an undergraduate degree in French and Francophone Studies from the University of Cape Coast,            Ghana. She is a graduate student in the department of French studies at LSU. She is currently completing her master's program in French                Studies with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, after which she will advance into the PhD program. She is a beneficiary of the        generous  scholarships offered by the department. During the summer of 2024, she attended the Institut d'études françaises de Touraine,              France, for a month-long language immersion program. Her research Interests include : Francophone Literature and  Women studies. 

 

ONOMEJOH PRINCEWILL
Onomejoh Princewill is a seasoned researcher and PhD student in the Department of French Studies at LSU. His interests include comparative literature, world literature, francophone and caribbean studies. He holds a bachelor's degree in Foreign Languages from  the University of Benin (First Class Honors), where he graduated as the all-time best student from the Faculty of Arts and the Department of Foreign Languages. He also earned a masters degree in translation from the same university with distinction. Princewill has taught french extensively at different levels. Before joining LSU, He was an adjunct lecturer at the University of Benin as well as the head of French Department, Boiling Point Academy, Benin City, Nigeria.

  Avril Akogun                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Avril Akogun is a Ghanian who graduated from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana with an undergraduate degree in French and                               Francophone  studies. She is currently a graduate student in LSU's Department of French Studies. She is working on completing her                             Masters in French Studies with a minor in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She will proceed for her PhD in French Stuides after her                   Masters program. Avril's research  interest is French and Francophone women writers. Avril is a recipient of the French Department's generous         scholarship program. She  participated in a one-month language immersion program at the Institut d'Etudes Françaises de Touraine, France,             during the summer of 2024.

 

  Mawuli Ankou

   Mawuli Ankou is a PhD student and Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of French and Francophone Studies at Louisiana State                 University, where he is also a recipient of the prestigious Édouard Glissant Tout-Monde Fellowship.Originally from the Volta Region of                           Ghana ,Mawuli holds a Master’s degree in Global French Studies with focus on Second Language Acquisition from the University of Cincinnati in       Ohio, USA as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Winneba and a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and                        Information Studies from the University of Ghana.

    His research explores contemporary Francophone literature and culture from 20th to 21st centuries, with a particular emphasis on West African        Francophone narratives, gender and sexuality studies, and a postcolonial migration. Currently, his work investigates not only themes of hope and      disillusionment in the experiences of Sub-Saharan African youth who engaged in perilous coastal migration journeys towards Europe, but also          interrogates the complex socio-political realities that drive these movements.