About the Authors
- Page ID
- 164210
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Viola V. Green
Prof. Green received an M.A. in Language Pedagogy from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in French Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. She has taught French and Linguistics at various schools in the U.S. and abroad. She joined the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Houston as an Instructional Assistant Professor of French in 2021.
Dr. Green’s research interests include: psycholinguistics, bilingualism, cognitive science, translation and second language acquisition. Her teaching interests are: materials development, language testing, student engagement, and promotion of a life-long education. Designing a dynamic, modern and a student-centered textbook has been her professional dream for a number of years. Her contributions to the series Improvisations include: materials design (vocabulary, grammar, phonetics), materials editing and proofreading, project managing and serving as a liaison person between the French team and various entities involved in the project. She is excited about teaching French with Improvisations and is committed to a continuous improvement of the French program at the University of Houston.
Dr. Green is originally from Minsk, Belarus. She learned French mostly in a classroom, in a non-native environment and she is a firm believer that others can do it too! In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, reading, playing chess and riding her electric scooter in the hot streets of Houston.
Céline M. Wilson
Prof. Wilson received an M.A. in English and French as a Second Language at the University of Avignon (France) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Strathclyde University in Glasgow (Scotland UK).
She is a certified educator, professional translator/interpreter and relocation agent with over 20 years of international experience in the professional sports, education and business industries in both Europe and North America. She has a true passion for cultural immersion and teaching methodology.
She is currently working at the University of Houston as instructional lecturer in French Language. Her research and teaching center on the mechanics of the language, the cultural diversity and the translating and interpreting challenges. She previously held teaching appointments in French colleges and in Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities in Scotland where she started her Ph.D on current cultural movements in France. She is also regularly called for during international conferences. She has substantial expertise in the creation and delivery of language programs in both traditional and online formats. Céline Wilson is the author of numerous papers, state programs in the UK and publications on language teaching methods.
Her contributions to the series Improvisations include: research of cultural materials, creation of student-friendly PowerPoint presentations, editing and proofreading, recording of vocabulary, research of authentic materials to design research projects for the students, liaising with the cartoon designer and general project management.
Prof. Wilson is originally from Nancy, France. She is a native French speaker and learned English and Russian at school when she found her passion for international travel and communication. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, swimming, yoga and spending time with her 4 sons !
Julie-Françoise Kruidenier Tolliver
Prof. Tolliver earned her PhD in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the University of Pennsylvania. She has taught French and francophone literature and cinema at Hamilton College and the University of Houston; as of fall 2022, she is teaching comparative literature at the University of Oklahoma.
Dr. Tolliver’s research interests include francophone anticolonial solidarity movements, North American francophone cultures, and environmental literature/film studies. Her contributions to the series Improvisations include materials design (vocabulary, phonetics, culture) and serving as a liaison person between the French team and a few entities involved in the project. She wishes students the best as they embark on or continue their French studies.
Raymond G. Hounfodji
Dr. Raymond G. Hounfodji holds a PhD in French with a concentration in Francophone Literature from the University of Arizona. He is currently a lecturer of French at the University of Houston. He is a polyglot and has a great interest for languages because they can transcend differences and bring people together. Learning new languages led him to his passion for teaching both French and literature, and his scholarship reflects the breadth of his interests.
His research interests include new trends and politics in African literature to colonial, postcolonial literature, and theater. He also follows and reflects on African diaspora writers, francophone literature and cinema in addition to poetry, fiction, and oral literature.
Originally from the Republic of Benin in West Africa, he is a globe-trotter and enjoys traveling to discover new places, cultures, peoples, and their ways of life. When he is not teaching, he likes to read, write, and garden.