LLRC Faculty Spotlight

Language Learning is about Learning the Humanities

Prof. Madeline Turan is the Advisor of the French Program at Stony Brook University (SBU). She teaches not only French but also Francophone cinema and teacher education courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Starting in Fall 2024, she will also supervise student teaching for teacher candidates in French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Before joining Stony Brook, she taught French at the middle and high school levels for over 30 years.

Prof. Turan says, “Language learning is not about grammar and vocabulary but about learning the humanities.” She feels greatly rewarded when her students’ eyes light up upon discovering new cultural, social, and historical concepts through the study of French and Francophone cinema. Her Francophone cinema class typically includes both her French language students and those with no knowledge of French. However, students in this class raise many questions and engage in stimulating and enlightening discussions as they hear the French language, observe characters’ facial expressions, gestures, and surrounding contexts, and glance at English translations. They learn abstract cultural concepts but also learn very basic historical facts. For instance, some students learn about the Nazis for
the first time through a French movie shown in her class and understand its implications through classroom discussions. Prof. Turan says that learning history in a relevant sociocultural context with the very language used in that context is particularly important, especially because history tends to repeat itself, as seen in today’s polarization in the U.S. and other countries.

Prof. Turan believes that her students can gain significant knowledge and an understanding of the humanities even through one or two years of learning the French language and its diverse cultures. She integrates the study of literature, cinema, music, art, history, and society into her French language classrooms by providing careful scaffolding and encouraging students to utilize all available resources. Thus, her students learn about culture through the language that they are learning, rather than through someone else’s smooth English translation. She says: “I urge students to speak in my FRN 111. Regardless of whether they speak Français, Anglais, or Franglais, whatever comes out of their mouth is fine. If it’s not right, we’ll make it better. We have to let them use what they can and have them build on it.”

Prof. Turan’s passion lies in supporting students from all backgrounds, regardless of culture, race, or ability. Her warmth has made a significant impact on many people. Some of her former students have become experts in education and now teach teacher candidates at SBU alongside her. Given the current teacher shortage, she finds it necessary to have a Doctor of Arts (D.A.) program for world language education at SBU. For this, we need more tenured and tenure-track faculty in language studies, according to her.

Her message to the public is: “Humanities are important, and language can play a crucial role in your life. If you haven’t learned an additional language, you should because it will broaden your perspectives and teach you about other people. Languages are the most profound cultural expressions people can have. If someone takes over your country, what’s the first thing they will do? They’ll take away your language.”

Prof. Turan has been very active. She currently serves as the Scholarship Chair of the American Society of French Academic Palms (ASFAP) and leads and supports many other national and regional educational organizations (e.g., AATF, NYSAFLT, NECTFL, and LILT). On campus, she also serves as a leader in many programs, including the Accelerated College Education (ACE) Program, which she co-directs.

Interviewed and written by Eriko Sato

August 8, 2024