DEPARTMENT OF MODERN AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGES, LITERATURES AND CULTURES

Newsletter 2026

AnchorAnchorWelcome Note from the Department Chair

Jacqueline Couti Department Chair
Jacqueline Couti
Department Chair

In this fourth issue of the MCLLC newsletter, I find myself reflecting once again on change. Perhaps it is because I often go by the sea to think, listening to the rhythm of the waves and the constant movement of the water. Academic life feels much the same: always evolving, shaped by arrivals, departures, challenges, and new possibilities.

This year has certainly brought many transitions to our department. We welcomed new colleagues whose energy, ideas, and expertise are already enriching our programs, helping us rethink curricula, strengthen our offerings, and create exciting opportunities for students. At the same time, retirements have transformed the face of the department, reminding us of the generations of work and commitment that built the intellectual community we inherit and continue to shape.

We also experienced a profound loss with the passing of Debbie Nelson-Campbell, who for nearly fifty years was a pillar of the French program, back when it was still the Department of French and Italian. Her dedication to students, colleagues, and the life of the department left a lasting mark on all of us. Moments like these remind us that institutions are ultimately sustained by people, relationships, generosity, and shared purpose.

Yet if change teaches us anything, it is that even during moments of transition, our community continues to grow, adapt, and move forward. What remains constant is our commitment to our students and to creating spaces where they can learn, thrive, and become fuller versions of themselves.

This issue is therefore above all a celebration of the remarkable work taking place across the department. Our colleagues have published an impressive range of books and articles, presented innovative research at conferences around the world, received awards and distinctions, and continued advancing important conversations across disciplines. Our students, too, have much to celebrate: research presentations, academic achievements, fellowships, creative projects, and well-deserved recognition for their hard work and talent.

We have also continued improving our internal structures and procedures so that we can better support both faculty and students in a changing academic environment. These efforts would not be possible without the extraordinary dedication of our administrative team — our “A-Team” — whose daily work keeps the department running and helps transform ideas into realities.

What I appreciate most this year is not simply what we accomplished individually, but what we achieved collectively. Even amid uncertainty and change, our department has remained active, creative, collaborative, and deeply committed to intellectual and human engagement.

This fourth issue invites us to celebrate those achievements while also recognizing the importance of continuity, memory, and community. The future is built not by forgetting the past, but by carrying forward the traditions, values, and relationships that sustain us while remaining open to new ideas and new directions.

So let us celebrate all that we have accomplished together and look toward the future with optimism and confidence. Whatever changes may come, we continue moving forward together — and that shared commitment remains one of our greatest strengths.

AnchorNew Staff

Cindy Pereira Department Administrator
Cindy Pereira
Department Administrator

Cindy graduated from Houston Baptist University in 2018 with a Bachelor's in Music Education (BME). After working as a music educator, she transitioned into bookkeeping and administrative roles, currently serving as the Department Administrator for the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures. When not at Rice, she enjoys catching shows and concerts in Houston's Theater District and spending quality time with her husband and pets.

AnchorRetiring Staff and Faculty

Leticia Gonzales, who retired in March 2026 after more than 27 years at Rice University, has been an essential and deeply valued member of the Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures (MCLLC) department. Her career has been defined by exceptional responsibility, integrity, community engagement, and excellence in academic administration.

Leticia Gonzales Department Administrator
Leticia Gonzales
Department Administrator

During a period of major institutional transformation, including the expansion of the department from 22 to 40 faculty members, Gonzales provided steady and principled leadership. She guided the department through complex restructuring processes, extensive curriculum revisions, and increased faculty collaboration, ensuring continuity and stability throughout.

Her work included coordinating guest lectures and academic events across multiple programs, supporting faculty recruitment and onboarding, and managing key administrative processes such as promotion and tenure cases. She also played a central role in supporting student initiatives, travel awards, and departmental programming, ensuring consistent and effective support for both faculty and students.

Gonzales is also recognized for her careful stewardship of departmental finances, maintaining transparency, accuracy, and alignment with institutional policies. As a mentor and supervisor, she supported staff development, including training new administrative colleagues with patience and clarity.

Her retirement marks the conclusion of a remarkable career of service. Leticia Gonzales leaves behind a legacy of stability, care, and excellence that has profoundly shaped the MCLLC department.

Philip Wood
Philip Wood
Associate Professor

Philip Wood, who retires on June 30, has had a distinguished and wide-ranging career spanning ancient and modern philosophy, French literature and cinema, and comparative work on North and West African and Caribbean cultural production, alongside major works of the European canon from Homer to Dante. Educated at the University of Cape Town, the University of York, and Yale, his intellectual trajectory reflects a sustained interdisciplinary engagement across literature, philosophy, and cognitive inquiry.

Wood is the author of Understanding Sartre (1990) and a former fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies. His current research explores forms of conscious experience that suspend conventional notions of self and identity, drawing on aesthetic theory, mysticism, phenomenology, post-structuralism, and contemporary neuroscience, and contributing to broader debates on universalism and the future of the humanities.

At Rice, he served as Program Advisor for European Studies and was a core faculty member in Cinema and Media Studies.

AnchorAnchorAnchorAnchorFaculty News

Claire Branigan
Lecturer & Program Advisor for Spanish and Portuguese

Claire Branigan, in collaboration with three students, developed the research initiative Archiving Our Stories: Digital Archive against Femicide and Patriarchal Violence. Drawing on La Red Interamericana Anti-Femicidio, the project brings together activists, artists, academics, and survivors of gender-based violence to create a communal digital archive of anti-femicide activism across the Americas. The initiative culminated in an online encuentro on April 25 with participants from North, Central, and South America.

More information can be found here.

Publications:

  • "We Don’t Have that Freedom”: Labor, Stress, and the Racial Capitalism of Agriculture at the Advent of COVID,” co-authored with Jessica F. Brinkworth, Korinta Maldonado, Ellen Moodie, and Gilberto Rosas, in A Revelatory Pandemic? Social Science and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latin America (Berghahn Books, 2026).
  • “Una ley contra el femicidio en los EEUU: Posibilidades y Límites,” en Acciones colectivas para enfrentar la violencia contra las mujeres: experiencias desde distintas voces (Colegio de Etnólogos y Antropólogos Sociales A.C., 2026).

Azucena Castro
Assistant Professor

Azucena Castro continued her work in environmental humanities, ecocriticism, and Latin American cultural studies through publications, invited talks, and collaborative projects addressing climate change, multispecies futures, and ecological poetics.

Awards and Honors:

  • Elected Co-Chair of the Southern Cone Permanent Section of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) for the 2025–2028 term.

Books and Edited Volumes:

  • Posnaturalezas poéticas. Pensamiento ecológico y políticas de la extrañeza en la poesía latinoamericana contemporánea (De Gruyter).
  • Co-editor, with Gianfranco Selgas and Ken Benson, of Contesting the Unthinkable from the Margins: Cultural Responses to Climate Change and Environmental Catastrophes in Latin America and the Caribbean (University Press of Florida, forthcoming 2025). Book information: https://floridapress.org/9781683405528/contesting-the-climate-unthinkable/

Articles and Chapters:

  • “Tu aliento de bauxita. Tus brazos de amianto: Geological Subjectivities, Labor and Extractivism in Latin American Poetics of the Mine.” Chapter in edited book The Routledge Companion to Twenty-First Century Latin American Poetry, eds. Ben Bollig and Jorge J. Locane. Routledge, 2026
  • “Learning to Dwell in Multispecies Futures,” in Climate Imagination: Dispatches from Hopeful Futures (MIT Press, forthcoming 2025).
  • “Beyond Tipping Points: Risks, Equity, and the Ethics of Intervention,” Earth System Dynamics 16 (2025). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-1267-2025
  • “Introduction. Geological Groundings: Earthly Memories and Inhuman Becomings in Latin American Cultures.” Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies (in press, forthcoming Fall 2025). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13569325.2025.2520485
  • “Toxic Transits: Double-Gaze, Slow Violence and North-South Ecologies of Inequalities in the Environmental Films Sealed Cargo (Bolivia) and Arica (Chile and Sweden).” Contesting the Climate Unthinkable: Latin American Cultural Responses to a Warming World, eds. Azucena Castro, Gianfranco Selgas and Ken Benson. University Press of Florida (in press, publication date December 2, 2025).\

Talks:

  • Keynote speaker at the international seminar Postnatures and More-Than-Human Territories at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
  • Invited speaker at Cornell University and the University of Buenos Aires.

Student Achievements:

Service:

  • Professor Castro received a Superior Associate Faculty mention from students for her service to Hanszen College in April 2026.

José Negroni Cicerchia
Lecturer

In Fall 2025, José Negroni Cicerchia organized and moderated a public discussion with writers Peter Andreas and Frida Berrigan on exile, parenthood, radicalism, and childhood trauma, titled “Postmemory & Rebel Childhood: A Comparative Look at the Literary Output of Children ‘On the Run’ in Dictatorial Argentina and Vietnam War-era U.S.” The event was attended by students and members of the Rice community.


Publications:

  • “The Undermining of the Social Fabric in Rodrigo Hasbún’s Oeuvre,” Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas Magazine.
  • “Musical Forms & Creolization in Alejo Carpentier’s Concierto Barroco,” Review: Literature and Arts of Americas Magazine.

Conference Presentations:

  • Presented papers at the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association Convention and the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference on postmemory, authoritarianism, and gender in Latin American literature.

Jacqueline Couti
Laurence H. Favrot Professor & Department Chair

Jacqueline Couti published work on Francophone Caribbean studies, performance, and transoceanic feminisms while co-organizing an international conference hosted at Rice.

Books and Edited Volumes:

Publications:

  • “Bals Nègres, Sites of Performance or Spectacle: From Kalenda to Biguine, Marronage or Commodification?” in The Oxford Handbook of Black Dance Studies (Oxford University Press, 2026).
  • “Érotisme solaire et le corps masculin comme lieu de mémoire queer”, Interculturel Francophonie (June 2025).

Reference Works:

Conferences:

Luis Duno-Gottberg
Lee Hage Jamail Professor of Latin American Studies

Luis Duno-Gottberg received the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching in 2026 and continued his public engagement through publications, interviews, and media commentary on Venezuela and contemporary politics.

Publications:

Media and Interviews:

Featured in interviews with Texas Observer, KTVU FOX 2, KPRC Channel 2, ABC13 News, Telemundo Houston, and CBC/Radio-Canada discussing Venezuelan political developments and international implications.

Selected Links:

Valentin Duquet
Lecturer

Valentin Duquet published work on Islamophobia, settler colonialism, and nineteenth-century French literature while mentoring student research on memory and architecture.

Publications:

  • “Remembering Algeria’s Future: Islamophobic Imaginations in ‘Algerianist’ Settler-Colonial Literature and its Legacies,” in Global Histories and Practices of Islamophobia (Georgetown University Press in Qatar, forthcoming 2026).
  • “Zola et la révolte contre la violence nihiliste,” in Manifestations de la révolte dans le romanesque français du second XIXe siècle (Brill, 2025).

Mentorship:

  • Supervised student Yassmine Boualam, recipient of the Bull Fellowship, through the FREN 499 Summer Internship course. Her project, “Reclaiming Memory in Architecture: Decolonial Approaches to Preservation and Commemoration,” examined architecture, colonial memory, and heritage in Morocco and France.

Sophie Esch
Associate Professor

Sophie Esch received a Vice President for Research Fellowship for Associate Professors from Rice University’s Humanities Research Center and continued her work on animal studies, violence, and Global South methodologies.

Publications:

Invited Talks:

  • “The Animal Turn in Latin America”, Indian Animal Studies Collective.
  • “War as a Multispecies Contact Zone”, University of Victoria.
  • “Pensar las armas desde un marco político-cultural”, Guatemala.

Christian J. Emden
Frances Moody Newman Professor

Christian Emden continues to publish important scholarship in political theory and intellectual history, including her recent book:

New Book:

Caroline Fache
Associate Professor

Caroline Fache presented invited talks and conference papers on contemporary Francophone studies, satire, and diasporic sound.

Talks and Conferences:

  • “We aren’t supposed to be here!” Indiana University Bloomington, March 2026.
  • “En Place: Satire, Diasporic Sound, and Sonic Counterpoint in Jean-Pascal Zadi and Chassol’s Collaborations,” University of Notre Dame, March 2026.

Conference Organization:

  • Co-organized, with Jacqueline Couti, the international conference The World at Play: The Beautiful Game at Rice University.
  • Participated in the 40th Congress of the International Council for Francophone Studies in Alcalá de Henares, Spain.

Publications:

  • Co-editor of Justice I and Justice II edited volume in Contemporary French and Francophone Studies (April 2026): https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/gsit20/30/2
  • Published and forthcoming articles on justice, cultural sovereignty, Blackness, comedy, and political discomfor

Julie Fette
Associate Professor

Julie Fette’s MOOC, “America Through Foreign Eyes,” created with four humanities faculty members, celebrated its 20,000th student registration in April 2026.

Talks and Recognition:

  • Delivered invited talks on her 2025 book Gender by the Book in France, Italy, New York, and through online podcasts.
  • Promoted to Full Professor in May 2026.

Tabea Linhard
Joseph and Joanna Nazro Mullen Professor in Humanities

Professor Tabea Linhard published “The Solitude of Exile” in Espe Pons’s photobook Maybe Never Again (2026).

Keynote Lectures:

  • “Soledades entrelazadas: hermosas amistades y amargas traiciones,” UNAM, Mexico City.
  • “Imagining and Shaping Shared Futures: One Story at a Time,” Lifelong Civic Leadership Forum, May 2026.

Scott McGill
Deedee McMurtry Professor in Humanities

Scott McGill published a new verse translation of Virgil’s Aeneid with Susannah Wright and participated in numerous public talks and interviews.

Publications:

  • Virgil: The Aeneid (W.W. Norton/Liveright, 2025), with an introduction by Emily Wilson.

Jessica Morones
Lecturer

Grants and Awards:

  • Recipient of a 2026 Brown Teaching Grant.
  • Awarded funding through Rice’s Accelerating Responsible AI for Education initiative for the proposal “AI-Driven Clinical Simulations.”

Paula Park
Associate Professor

Paula Park published work on Asian Latinx literature, Latinidad, and transpacific cultural studies.

Publications:

  • “José Garcia Villa’s Sojourn in New Mexico: Rethinking the Geographies of Latinidad,” in Latinx Literature in Transition, 1848–1992 (Cambridge University Press, 2025).
  • “Diamela Eltit, Federico Licsi Espino, Jr., and the Long Criminalization of Vagrancy,” Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies.

Invited Talks:

  • Delivered invited lectures in Chile, Ithaca College, and UC San Diego on Asian diasporas and Asian Latinx literature.

Student Achievement:

Linsey Sainte-Claire
Assistant Professor

Linsey Sainte-Claire published work on madness, trauma, and decolonial praxis in Francophone Caribbean literature.

Publications:

  • “Postpartum Psychosis and the Transoceanic Decolonial Praxis of Radical Self-Care,” in Women, Theory, Praxis, and Performativities (Liverpool University Press, 2025).
  • “Marronnage merveilleux et folie antillaise”, Nouvelles Études Francophones.

Edited Volume:

  • Editor of Littératures et arts francophones à l’épreuve de la folie, Nouvelles Études Francophones (2025).

Talks and Conference Presentations:

  • Presented invited talks at Rice University, Villa Albertine Houston, and the Night of Ideas 2026, as well as conference papers at NeMLA and SAMLA.

Rafael Salaberry
Mary Gibbs Jones Professor

Rafael Salaberry received recognition for his work in second language acquisition, multilingualism, and AI-mediated pedagogy.

Awards and Grants:

  • Nominated for the Sage/ILTA Book Award for Ethics and Context in Second Language Testing.
  • Received funding through Rice’s Accelerating Responsible AI for Education initiative.

Books and Publications:

  • Editor of Second Language Learning and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Case Studies of Innovation and Resilience (de Gruyter-Mouton, 2026).
  • Published chapters and encyclopedia entries on aspect acquisition, technology integration, and language teaching.

Keynotes and Conferences:

  • Delivered the keynote address at the 7th International Symposium on Language and Communication Research in Riyadh and presented papers internationally on multilingual acquisition, translanguaging, and decolonizing sociolinguistics.

Lujan Stasevicius
Director of Language Instruction

Lujan Stasevicius will be promoted to Associate Teaching Professor, effective July 2026.

Luziris Pineda Turi
Associate Teaching Professor

Luziris Pineda Turi participated in the Academic Leadership Institute Residential Program in Summer 2025.

Awards and Recognition:

  • Faculty Research Mentor, Medical Humanities Research Institute Fellow.
  • Recipient of the Strongest Curricular/Pedagogical Project Award from the National Association for Medical Spanish for “After Medical Spanish: The Case for Literature Courses in Developing Culturally Concordant Care.”
  • Promoted to Full Teaching Professor, effective July 2026.

Marcus Valadares
Lecturer

Publications:

Awards and Grants:

  • Received funding through Rice’s Accelerating Responsible AI for Education initiative for the projects “AI-Assisted Writing” and “Rethinking Pedagogies with AI in Humanities and Arts.”

Susannah Wright
Assistant Professor

Susannah Wright published a new verse translation of Virgil’s Aeneid with Scott McGill and participated in numerous public talks and interviews.

Publications:

  • Virgil: The Aeneid (W.W. Norton/Liveright, 2025), with an introduction by Emily Wilson.
  • “Troy Translated, Troy Transformed,” in Enchanted Reception: Religion and the Supernatural in Medieval Troy Narratives.

Talks and Public Events:

  • Participated in public conversations and book events at University College London, the 92nd Street Y, Harvard Book Store, Brazos Bookstore, Politics & Prose, and other venues.

Media and Podcasts:

  • Featured on “The Writer’s Voice,” “Epic City,” The John Batchelor Show, and “Converging Dialogues.”

Harvey Yunis
Andrew W. Mellon Professor

Harvey Yunis continues to publish influential work in classical studies and ancient political thought.

New Book:

  • The Soldier’s Choice: City and Soul in the Life of Classical Athens (Cornell University Press, 2025), co-edited with H. Pelliccia and C. Brittain.

Publications:

  • “Character, Constitutions, and Epideictic Rhetoric in Thucydides, Plato, and Beyond,” in The Soldier’s Choice.

AnchorAnchorAnchorAnchorGraduating Seniors

Mia Baumann
Mia Baumann
Majored in Spanish and Portuguese
Minored in Latin American and Latinx Studies

I am a Spanish major with minors in Latin American Studies, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and Medical Humanities. Some of my favorite experiences at Rice have been studying abroad in Pamplona through the Rice in Spain program and volunteering as a medical Spanish interpreter at the San José Clinic. During my four years at Rice, I've developed a deep interest in Latin American literature and history, with a particular focus on the Southern Cone and Central America, thanks to my courses with Dr. Castro, Dr. Park, Dr. Negroni Cicerchia, and Dr. Esch. I am very grateful for the support and encouragement of my wonderful Spanish and LALX professors.

After graduating from Rice, I will attend McGovern Medical School in Houston. I plan to continue studying medical Spanish and global health in medical school. My goal as a future physician is to serve Spanish-speaking patients, drawing upon the cultural knowledge and linguistic skills that I have gained as an MCLLC student.

Maddie Jeffrey
Maddie Jeffrey
Majored in French Studies
French Language Certificate Recipient

Majoring in French Studies has impacted my life in the best ways imaginable. What began as a simple desire to master another language in my freshman year quickly grew into a transformative intellectual and personal journey. I learned to ask critical questions, engage deeply with diverse texts, and pursue ideas across cultures and disciplines. Each class encouraged me to follow what genuinely excited me rather than a formulaic path, allowing curiosity to guide my learning and joy to emerge from my work. Through this, I developed a strong interest in the postcolonial francophone world, expanding my perspective and grounding global issues in lived experiences beyond my own.

The mentorship and encouragement I received from my professors opened doors to study abroad in France and Madagascar, where I combined language immersion with biodiversity research. These experiences profoundly shaped both my academic trajectory and personal growth. Inspired by the relationships I built and the historical contexts I encountered, I designed and conducted independent research in French on ecofeminism in Madagascar. Some of my most meaningful memories stem from this work, and I am deeply grateful for the support and community within the department that led me to pursue the major.

French Studies has given me not only lasting memories, but also the confidence to explore interdisciplinary questions and global challenges. After graduation, I will spend the summer working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on conservation projects in South Dakota before taking a gap year to write and engage in environmental work in francophone regions, with the goal of pursuing graduate studies abroad.

Brad Joiner
Brad Joiner
Majored in Classical Studies

My experience studying modern and classical languages and cultures has been a crucial part of my Rice education and will prepare me well for the next steps in my journey. Ever since I translated my first Latin sentence, I have been fascinated by the ability of Latin authors to convey core human emotions such as love, humor, and loss in ways that still resonate thousands of years later. I learned how to critically analyze these passages, their word choice, and how they applied to the broader themes of Roman society. Classical Studies has also instilled in me the values of hard work and independence. I’ve found my classes in the department to be very rewarding for honing my critical thinking skills, writing ability, and resilience in the face of adversity. By spending such a significant portion of my academic career studying Latin, I have developed a multifaceted perspective on the world that will pay dividends in my future in medicine.

I’d also like to add that through the Rice in Country program, I spent the summer of 2023 studying abroad in Rome. This was an incredible opportunity for me, not only to see the places I had learned so much about in my classes on Latin and Ancient Rome, but also to learn about other cultures and to adapt to a place far from home.

After graduation, as part of Rice’s medical humanities partnership with McGovern Medical School, I will attend McGovern this fall with the goal of bringing my unique experience as a humanities scholar to the field of medicine. Thank you to the wonderful professors I’ve learned from in this department, such as Dr. McGill, Professoressa Giliberti, and Professor Wright, for helping me achieve my dream at Rice of applying my love of modern and classical languages and cultures to a fulfilling career path.

Marga Lee
Marga Lee
Majored in Classical Studies

Through my time as a student in the Classical Studies program, I sharpened not only my translation skills but also the way I read and think. Moving through texts line by line taught me to slow down and attend to nuance. I learned to appreciate the subtlety of literature and to notice details that are often overlooked. Latin has trained me to read closely, think carefully, and approach both texts and the world with patience and precision.

Some of my most meaningful experiences took place in the Latin classroom, where I found both intellectual challenge and a close-knit community. I am especially grateful for the mentorship and encouragement of Dr. McGill, Dr. Wright, Dr. Somerville, and Dr. Mackie. Their guidance shaped how I approach texts and modeled the kind of thoughtful, generous scholarship I hope to emulate. I’m equally thankful for my fellow Latinists who made our classroom abound in both insights and inside jokes.

I hold a special place in my heart for Ovid, whose works appeared in many of my courses. Returning to him again and again revealed how layered and playful Latin poetry can be, and how myth and voice intertwine in ways that reward careful observation. Engaging deeply with one author across multiple contexts has been one of the most formative parts of my education.

As I look ahead to medical school, I carry with me the habits of mind that Latin has instilled: attentiveness, analytical rigor, and sensitivity to language. I hope to continue studying Latin alongside my medical training and to bring the same care and precision to both fields.

Paige Matthys-Pearce
Paige Matthys-Pearce
Majored in French Studies

I am so grateful for my experiences in the MCLLC department as a French Studies major, learner of German and Spanish, and student ambassador. No words in any language can adequately convey the value of this education, but I will try. 

My MCLLC & French Studies education has opened the door to a greater sense of confidence and courage to face down the world’s many challenges with care and creativity. Through my studies, I’ve especially loved learning how individuals in various francophone communities and beyond have responded to deep adversity with hope, art, and action. When resources seem scarce, when one’s value is questioned, when existential uncertainty seems constant, all is not lost. The very existence of much of the literature and art I've studied here demonstrates that these difficult moments can catalyze an abundance of creativity and ingenuity, rooted in a living, loving hope that refuses to bend in fear to discourses of discouragement and decline. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry says in Le Petit Prince, “On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” It is only with the heart that one sees rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eyes. As I have come to understand it, the essentiel is indestructibly abundant. This fills my heart with hope and inspires me to not just study and research literature and culture, but to create it from the heart. 

My languages, literatures, and cultures education at Rice has also taught me the importance of staying curious, questioning assumptions, and learning constantly, everywhere. As a multilingual learner, I have been drawn to the themes of belonging, love, and freedom that many of my French Studies courses have brought out. What does it mean to belong? What does it mean to love? What does it mean to be free? My answers to these questions continue to expand as I learn from various historical and contemporary perspectives across francophone communities and beyond. These perspectives have allowed me to draw connections between the past and the present, between various notions of “here” and “there”, “us” and “them”, and to think beyond cold, conventional frameworks to reimagine—and rebuild—a more loving world. 

Following graduation, I plan to continue working as an independent educator, guiding learning experiences that emphasize creativity, value multilingual and multicultural experiences, and promote supportive educational relationships. 

I am thankful to all the professors, colleagues, administrators, and fellow students on my path for their mentorship and support. Much love to all!

Nelson Mills
Nelson Mills
Majored in Spanish and Portuguese
Minored in Latin American and Latinx Studies
Spanish Language Certificate Recipient

Studying Spanish & Portuguese has been one of the most formative parts of my time at Rice. From Cuban literature and film to eugenic history to medical accessibility, my degree has allowed me to study many areas that are important to me and my career goals. Working with Rice faculty mentors (including Dr. Fabiola López-Durán and Prof. Thais Díaz Montalvo), I have had the unique opportunity to conduct research on these topics in Cuba and Spain and present my findings to the greater Rice community.

I am starting medical school in the fall of this year. I plan to pursue a career in academic medicine, with a focus on community health and providing care to Spanish and Portuguese-speaking patients in my community.

Daniel Peinado
Daniel Peinado
Majored in Spanish and Portuguese

During my time with the Rice Spanish program, I had the opportunity to complete a medically-focused study abroad program in Spain and also was able to take an internship course where I volunteered as a medical interpreter. These experiences strengthened my language skills and will ultimately support my goal of becoming a doctor in a predominantly Spanish-speaking community.

I plan to attend medical school at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.

George Tataris
George Tataris
Majored in Spanish and Portuguese

I chose to pursue a major in Spanish because I knew it would broaden my horizons. The highlights of my time as a Spanish major were the opportunities to study abroad and to complete a project for the Parish Fellowship in Pamplona, Spain. Volunteering at a public trauma center in Houston, I used the skills my studies provided to better connect with patients navigating the complex healthcare system. After Rice, I will be attending the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School!

AnchorAnchorAnchorAnchorAlumni News

Carolin Tolentino
Carolin Tolentino
Double-majored in German Studies and Environmental Policy

While at Rice, I double majored in Environmental Policy and German Studies. During my senior year, I secured an internship with the German Bundestag through the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), an opportunity that would've allowed me to observe firsthand Germany’s political landscape from within, particularly the development of climate and energy policy, both topics which I had studied (more or less separately) over the better part of 3 years. Although the internship was initially postponed to spring 2020 and ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains a defining moment in my path and a testament to how German Studies opened and continues to open incredible doors for me.

Pairing German with Environmental Policy may have seemed unconventional at first glance, but it was Germany’s approach to sustainability that first drew me in. When I participated in a sustainability program in Germany the summer before starting at Rice, I had no intention of learning German, let alone majoring in it. What stayed with me was how deeply environmental consciousness was embedded in everyday life compared to what I had experienced in the United States. While I find that no country's climate and energy policy goes far enough, Germany's seemed like a promising model to emulate. That realization ultimately shaped both my academic focus and still informs my professional trajectory.

Around that same time I was slated to intern at the Bundestag, I spent time living in India, where I immersed myself in Hindi and gained another cross-cultural perspective. I was also selected for a fellowship supporting young professionals of color in clean energy and conservation, which led to a role at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). There, I focused on building electrification and energy efficiency research.

Today, I work as a program manager at VEIC, implementing gas-to-electric upgrades that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower utility costs for low-income households, and improve indoor air quality. Looking ahead, I am considering pursuing a master’s degree (potentially in Germany through the DAAD Study Scholarship!) to continue building on this interdisciplinary foundation that began at Rice.

Event Highlights and Community Outreach

Sounds of Switzerland

Sounds of Switzerland: Dominic Oppliger reads from his award-winning novel giftland

On September 15, 2025, Dominic Oppliger read from his award-winning novel giftland (2023).

In his poetic novel giftland, the Swiss author and musician Dominic Oppliger sends a Swiss band on tour across the U.S. A literary road movie written in Swiss German dialect, giftland creates a sound that stays in your ears for a long time.

This event was brought together by Nicole Suetterlin and Jacqueline Couti, and co-sponsored with the department and the Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta.

Undergrad Symposium

Third Annual Undergraduate Student Research Symposium

On November 7, 2025, a group of 5 students showcased their research in the department’s 3rd-annual Undergraduate Student Research Symposium. Each of the department’s programs had one student representing them.

The representatives were: Landry Wood - Classical Studies, Paige Matthys-Pearce - French Studies, Hazel Landers - German Studies, and Nelson Mills - Spanish and Portuguese Studies. The representative for Latin American and Latinx Studies would like to remain nameless.

Especially Pons

Espe Pons: Maybe Never Again

On January 27, 2026, Espe Pons came to campus to discuss her latest project, Maybe Never Again.

Maybe Never Again examines the often-overlooked role of foreign women who made extraordinary personal sacrifices in support of the Republican struggle against fascism during the Spanish Civil War. These women served on the front lines, worked in improvised hospitals, and provided care for wounded members of the International Brigades. Alongside well-known figures such as Italian-Mexican photographer Tina Modotti, French philosopher and activist Simone Weil, and Swiss journalist Clara Thalmann, the project also restores visibility to many lesser-known women whose vital contributions have long remained in the shadows.

This event was brought together by Tabea Linhard, and sponsored by the department and CELAS.

Alliance France Houston

Alliance France Houston Notre-Dame

On January 29, Jacqueline Couti and Susannah Wright were delighted to host Christophe Besnier in collaboration with the Alliance Française, followed by a lively Q&A session. The audience—particularly students—asked thoughtful, engaging questions, making for a rich and dynamic discussion.

Besnier shared insights from his groundbreaking archaeological work at Notre-Dame de Paris, including the discovery of over 1,000 painted sculptural fragments from the cathedral’s medieval choir screen, tombs of high-ranking dignitaries, and structural remains predating the Gothic cathedral. The presentation highlighted both the extraordinary richness of medieval architecture and the meticulous efforts involved in preserving Notre-Dame’s history.

World at Play conference

The World at Play: The Beautiful Game in 2026

Organized by Jacqueline Couti and Caroline Fache, The World at Play: The Beautiful Game in 2026 transformed soccer into a space for connection and critical conversation ahead of the World Cup. Bringing together athletes, scholars, physicians, writers, and fans, the conference prioritized dialogue over formal presentations, exploring the game’s global histories, embodied realities, and political stakes. From Briana Scurry’s powerful reflections on triumph, injury, and survival to Laurent Dubois’ keynote on soccer’s connective histories, the event demonstrated how the beautiful game can create rare spaces where expertise and lived experience, disagreement and empathy, meaningfully coexist. For more, see here.

Lost in Translation

New Award: “Lost (and Found) in Translation” Undergraduate Translation Prize

Translation is more than the transfer of words. It is an act of interpretation, creativity, and connection across cultures, disciplines, and communities. We are delighted to share information about Rice's newest undergraduate student award, “Lost (and Found) in Translation: An Undergraduate Translation Prize." This new undergraduate award celebrates students who engage thoughtfully and innovatively with translation in all its forms — literary, cultural, scientific, artistic, and beyond.

The award is supported by the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures, the Department of English and Creative Writing, the Humanities Research Center, and the Department of Transnational Asian Studies. All undergraduates may apply.

Pascal Rambert
Pascal Rambert Visits Rice University
On March 11, internationally known French playwright Pascal Rambert sat down with Rice students for a Q&A about French theatre. Rambert offered to read scripts written by French and theatre students. Julie Fette made sure to make this an unforgettable event for the students! Photo credit to our student photographer, Eric Chen.
Huma Hangout
Humanities Hangouts
On March 24 and 25, the School of Humanities and Arts hosted its Humanities Hangouts events. Our faculty spoke with students about their programs and the courses they plan to teach in Fall 2026. Photo credit to our student photographer, Eric Chen.
Medical Spanish Speaker Series
Medical Spanish Speaker Series     
On March 25 and April 1, Thais Diaz Montalvo and Aymara Boggiano hosted their Medical Speaker Series. This is the second year that they had the “Medical Dilemma" format with the collaboration of the “Centro de Rescursos Educativos” from the Spanish Consulate. These events are co-sponsored with the department and the Spanish Consulate. Photo credit to our student photographer, Eric Chen.
Lety's retirement
Leticia Gonzales’s Retirement Party 
On April 3, the department hosted Leticia’s retirement party. She worked at Rice for 28 years. It has been an honor having her as our Department Administrator for 20 of those years. We hope that she enjoys this next phase in her life!
Philip Wood's retirement
Philip Wood’s Retirement Dinner
On April 28, the department hosted an intimate dinner in honor of Philip’s retirement. We are excited for what he has in store next! 
Senior Reception
Senior Reception
On May 8, we celebrated our graduating seniors before they walked the big stage! In total, we had 47 Language Certificate recipients, 23 Program Majors, and 46 Program Minors graduate. We hope our students move on to do big things!

AnchorAnchorAnchorAnchorStudy Abroad

The Rice-Madrid Program

This summer, students are visiting Madrid, through Rice in Country, with Professor Luis Duno-Gottberg. The provided pictures are courtesy of Professor Duno-Gottberg.

Students got exclusive access to an archaeological site in the most important historical site of Spain: the Alhambra. The head of preservation showed the latest discoveries, revealing layers dating back from the Muslim period into the early Christian period.

Madridmore Madrid photos

AnchorAnchorAnchorAnchorAwards and Fellowships

French Studies - Clyde Ferguson Bull Fellowship for Study Abroad in a French-Speaking Country

Summer 2026:

  • Anna Chen: Rice in France program in Toulouse
  • Isabelle Fleischmann: “Organometallic Catalysis for Optimization of CO2 Revalorisation” in coordination with the University of Lille and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
  • Julia Nichols: IES Abroad program in Nantes, France (Internship in Health and Medical track)
  • Poema Sumrow: “Migration and Corder Externalization” at the Universite Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah in the Social Sciences Lab (Fes Morocco)

German Studies - The Leipzig Summer Fellowship

Summer 2026:

  • Emma Kaiser: Herder Institute, interDaf in Leipzig, Germany
  • Richard Li: Herder Institute, interDaf in Leipzig, Germany
  • Max Menchaca: Herder Institute, interDaf in Leipzig, Germany

Spanish and Portuguese: The Rice-Madrid Program

Summer 2026:

  • Addie Witter
  • Dylan Vinson
  • Kayla Adkins
  • Marcus Bewtra
  • Emmy Bruno
  • Jocelyn Chen
  • Chloe Graepel
  • Alivia-Rae Green
  • Hannah Guo
  • Marian Gutierrez-Salazar
  • Alex Hernandez-Garcia
  • Karlianna Kapche
  • Izzy Leyton
  • Mauricio Mendez
  • Sofie Rose Payne
  • Nina Yu

Lost (and Found) in Translation Undergraduate Translation Prize

The Departments of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures, English and Creative Writing, Transnational Asian Studies, the Humanities Research Center, and Fondren Library are delighted to announce the winners of the 2026 Lost (and Found) in Translation Undergraduate Translation Prize.

Hazel Landers
Hazel Landers
Wiess College

For the translation of excerpts from L’homme machine by Georg Katzer (1997), in the performance category. Hazel received a B.M. in Music History and a B.A. in German Studies in 2026.

“Translation, to me, constitutes meaningful work in a number of ways. Firstly, it allows a wider audience to begin engaging with the unique cultural perspectives that are held in the raw information in question (which might not otherwise be accessible), but that are also encoded in the language itself through idiom and style. That being said, translation is also meaningful to me insofar as it is itself creative work: far from producing a one-to-one reproduction, translation requires us to think creatively about the interrelationships of linguistic idiom and style, recognizing that these connections are rarely linear or straightforward. As such, translation engages the subjectivity, nuance, and vibrance of language in profoundly meaningful and unique ways.”

Bianca Ramos
Bianca Ramos
Will Rice College

For the translation of “Prismas” and “Flores Aritméticas” by Manuel Maples Arce (Andamios interiores, 1922), in the poetry category. Bianca is a rising senior majoring in English and Political Science.

"As a Mexican-American, translation is the space where my identity lives. It reflects the in-betweenness I carry every day: the coexistence of two cultures, two histories, and two ways of seeing the world that have shaped who I am. Translation reminds me that my identity is not something divided, but rather something layered and enduring that continuously serves as a bridge between generations and a way of honoring where I come from while making space for those who come after me.”


Steven Zhang
Steven Zhang
McMurtry College

For the translation of excerpts from Hao Shaogong’s 2017 essay “When Robots Form a Writers’ Association” (2017) in the prose category. Steven is a rising junior studying Computer Science and Biosciences.

“Translation means making communication less dependent on where someone was born or what language they grew up speaking. It broadens access to research, literature, and public discourse. To a person, it creates possibilities that did not previously exist.”

AnchorAnchorAnchorAnchorAcknowledgements

Dear Student Ambassadors and Program Advisors,

Thank you all for your dedication, energy, and commitment to promoting everything that makes MCLLC such a vibrant and supportive community. To our Student Ambassadors — Paige Matthys-Pearce, Daniel Peinado, Hazel Landers, Suzette Mejia, and Kaira Sheth — thank you for sharing your ideas, advice, enthusiasm, and leadership throughout the year. Your voices and engagement have helped strengthen our program and support fellow students in meaningful ways.

To our Program Advisors– Claire Branigan, Paula Park, Astrid Oesmann, Linsey Sainte-Claire, and Hilary Mackie – thank you for the incredible work you do every day to support both students and faculty. Your guidance, care, and commitment are essential to the success of our community.

MCLLC is stronger and better because of each of you. Thank you for all that you do.

In Memoriam

Dr. Deborah Nelson-Campbell
Dr. Deborah Nelson-Campbell
Professor Emerita of French Studies

How does one summarize nearly half a century devoted to teaching, service, and research? Inevitably, something falls through the cracks. Who will remember that Deborah Nelson-Campbell—known as Debbie Nelson Campbell, or “DNC” to some students—served as co-chair of Rice’s Affirmative Action Committee in 1991, working to combat sexual and racial discrimination and to foster a more inclusive university workplace? Who will recall her leadership as chair of the Department of French and Italian? When a life is so rich—and lived with humility rather than self-promotion—many contributions risk fading from view.

And yet, some things endure.

It is with deep appreciation that we remember Debbie Nelson-Campbell, who devoted nearly fifty years to Rice University as a beloved professor of French and Francophone Studies. A scholar of remarkable breadth, she specialized in medieval and French literature, with expertise spanning the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries.

An accomplished translator, editor, and bibliographer, she made significant contributions to the study of Old French and Occitan literature. Her work includes critical editions of the thirteenth-century poets Adam de la Halle and Andrieu Contredit d’Arras, as well as an English translation of Franck Collard’s Le Crime de Poison au Moyen Âge (2003). She also produced an analytical bibliography of Charles d’Orléans and numerous influential articles on authors such as Marie de France, Chrétien de Troyes, Christine de Pizan, and the troubadour Marcabru. Throughout her scholarship, she returned to questions of women’s roles in medieval literature and the cultural significance of courtly love (amour courtois, fin’amors).

Professor Nelson-Campbell was equally distinguished as a teacher. Widely admired for her popularity with students, she received both the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching and the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award—recognition of her lasting impact in the classroom. She organized student trips to France for many years, creating formative intellectual and cultural experiences beyond the classroom, and she was known for her willingness to take on the most demanding administrative responsibilities related to the undergraduate program. She also served as Program Advisor for French Studies and was a steady and profuse presence in the intellectual life of the department.

Her contributions extended beyond Rice: she served as a consultant for National Geographic and, in 1987, was named Chevalier in the Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French Republic.

Above all, she will be remembered for her generosity, her intellectual rigor, and her quiet but profound commitment to her students and colleagues. In the end, it is through her teaching and the lives she shaped that her legacy will endure.

For more: https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/generations-rice-students-nelson-campbell-was-heart-french-studies

AnchorAnchorAnchorAnchorStay in Touch

Do not hesitate to contact us to let us know what you have been doing since you graduated from Rice.

General Inquiry Email: cultures@rice.edu
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