La Fete de la Recherche is an annual conference that showcases our students’ research projects. It is an opportunity for students to present to their professors and peers the research they are doing for an honor thesis, courses, internships or, projects completed during the summer program in Montpellier. Presenters explain their motivations, research process, discoveries, and also the challenges of pursuing research.
Presentations are either in French or English and cover a variety of topics and different aspects of French and Francophone cultures including literature, public spaces, museums and monuments, films, music and more.
La Fête de la Recherche is also the opportunity to meet your French professors and your peers, ask questions about courses, study abroad programs, scholarships, research opportunities, and the Francophone community on campus.
This year’s Fête de la Recherche on September 30 included many great speakers, including a round table discussion on French beyond William and Mary featuring successful alumni Catherine Kang (Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology student at Harvard), Katie Gehron (Country Desk Officer, Peace Corp, Washington DC), Kevin Lonabaugh (Second-year pharmacy resident in family medicine and pediatrics,University of Oklahoma, OK), and Christian Bale (White House legislative analyst, Washington, DC).
Sean Schofield from W&M’s Career Center shared some great information about the value of cultural literacy and critical thinking.
Attendees heard about some very exciting Undergraduate Research from students who participated in the IFE and Montpelier programs:
Zarine Kharazian – « Une exception technoculturelle: France’s Approach to the Problem of Digital Eternity. »
Lorraine Pettit – « Le tramway: une traversée de la ville et de la culture »
Paul Naanou – « War, Memory, and Trauma: Lebanese Francophone Literature. »
Last but not least, Lydia Funk and Rosie Vita spoke about their experiences in Montpellier!
For more information about this event visit our website: