Prof awarded French embassy grant to promote interest in French language and culture

Kelly Kidder’s innovative approach to teaching language and culture earns the competitive French in Higher Education grant.

Keely Hagan | 615-966-6491 | 04/04/2024

Kelly Kidder, associate professor in the French program in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences has been honored with the competitive French in Higher Education grant, awarded by the Albertine Foundation in collaboration with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in America. 

Kidder’s project, which involves developing a course titled To Be or To Do: Comparing French and American Cultural Attitudes, seeks to engage students from various academic backgrounds in exploring French culture and language. By focusing on practical applications and the benefits of bilingualism, Kidder is working towards making language learning more accessible and relevant to today’s students.

“Language learning doesn’t have to be scary,” Kidder says, explaining her commitment to making language education accessible and enjoyable for all students. 

The French Embassy provides grants such as these to help American universities promote language study in a culture where bilingualism is not historically valued. “American students don’t always understand the practical benefits of language learning for their future careers,” Kidder says. The proposed course is designed to offer students an opportunity to explore French culture and language without traveling abroad. The course’s unique approach is anticipated to broaden students’ understanding of cultural nuances, challenging them to compare the ‘to be’ mindset prevalent in French culture with the ‘to do’ orientation of American attitudes. Her goal is to have the course ready to offer starting in spring 2025.

Kidder says the course is particularly aimed at student athletes, who often miss out on study abroad opportunities due to rigorous training schedules. The course will provide them, as well as others who are unable or choose not to travel abroad, with a global perspective that transcends the traditional classroom environment. 

Her vision is supported by the proven popularity of the similarly designed course first offered in 2018, How Language Works, which quickly became a highly demanded offering within the university’s honors program. Starting with only six students, the class now fills to capacity quickly, with students often added to a wait list for additional seats.

“My goal is to ensure that the French major gets the attention it deserves,” Kidder says, “and that students recognize that language learning does not have to be intimidating, impractical or boring! In fact, students get very practical skills from it and often learn something about themselves. They gain empathy and confidence as they become more skilled at communicating with people who are different from them, even those in the Nashville community who have a different cultural context from which they operate.”

Kidder’s personal story of collaboration with businesses in different industries demonstrates the practical benefits of bilingualism. “I collaborate in lots of ways with people in different businesses using the French that I speak,” Kidder shares. “For instance, one of my friends is a music producer here; once, when he was working with artists in Montreal, he needed help with a song. I took a couple of students with me, and we went up to his studio and sang the backup vocals. Those kinds of things happen because of French.”

Kidder’s dedication to language education extends beyond Lipscomb’s campus. Her leadership in the university’s study abroad program in Angers, France, has been transformative for students, many of whom describe the experience as life changing. Additionally, Kidder is in the process of authoring a modern, literary-based textbook for introductory French courses, aimed at making language learning accessible and relevant to a broad audience, including those in non-traditional learning environments such as Tennessee’s women’s prison where Lipscomb operates a higher education program.

Through her dedicated work and innovative grant-funded project, Kidder is not only shaping the future of French education at Lipscomb but also exemplifying the profound impact of language learning on personal growth and cross-cultural communication.