French Language Program | Faculty

Full-Time Faculty

Pascale De Souza, MA, DEA and Agrégation in English (France) ; Ph.D in French (USA)
Coordinator of the French Program
Born and raised in Paris, Dr. De Souza first specialized in English, obtaining an MA in American Studies and a DEA (=ABD status) in Commonwealth Studies. She spent a year at Wesleyan University, CT on a research grant and two years teaching French in Australia. After passing the Agrégation d’Anglais (competitive state exam for senior high school and university positions), she taught English at high school and university levels in France. Following a move to the USA, she obtained a Ph.D in Francophone Studies at the University of Maryland and taught at various universities in the Washington DC area. Since joining SAIS, she has developed an extensive website to provide information and teaching material to SAIS students. In 2005, she was awarded a Fulbright Research Grant to work at the Institut d’Ecoles Politiques, Lille, France during her sabbatical leave and a JHU Technology Award. She initiated and led the FRAN-SAIS project to provide SAIS students in DC and Bologna with SAIS-generated material at  all levels. 
Dr. De Souza maintains a solid edition and publication record in French Caribbean and South Pacific studies. She recently co-edited two special issues of the International Journal of Francophone Studies,“Oceanic Dialogues: From the Black Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific” and "Oceanic Routes: migrations and metissages in South Pacific literature and travelogues". 

Sophie Russelburg, MA and CAPES in Modern French (France), ABD in French Studies (USA)
Lecturer,
After being raised in France and Africa, Prof. Russelburg studied at Université de la Sorbonne-Paris IV and Université Nancy II where she obtained her MA in French. She passed the CAPES (Certificat d'Aptitude à l'Enseignement Secondaire) and taught French literature at high school level, where she prepared students for the French baccalaureate. Since moving to Washington DC, she has completed all course work for her Ph.D in French Studies at University of Maryland and is currently working on her thesis, focusing on early 17th century French theater. She has taught various levels of French ranging from introductory to advanced courses including courses on France today and French history as well as a seminar on 18th century French literature.She has worked both at l'Alliance Francaise and at the University of Maryland where she received the Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award.

Adjunct Faculty

Nezha Erradi, MA in Sociology, 
Prof. Nezha Erradi received her MA in sociology from Toulouse-le-Mirail University, France.  She is currently  teaching French at George Washington University, where she regularly attends conferences and seminars on technology and foreign languages.  She has worked as a Language and Cultural Consultant in Virginia and Texas.  She was also an Assistant Professor in Rabat, Morocco, where she taught French language and literature.  While working in Rabat, she helped many women's organizations with issues related to girls' education and health.  Prof. Nezha Erradi is interested in the teaching of French language with the use of technology and women's social roles in Francophone countries, particularly Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

Saida Erradi, Ph.D in American Studies, 
Dr. Erradi received her MA in American Studies from Toulouse Le Mirail University, France and her Ph.D from George Washington University.  Before joining the John Hopkins University and George Washington University adjunct faculty, she served as an Associate Professor in French and English at Hassan II University in Casablanca. In this capacity, she taught French and English courses, supervised theses on Francophone Studies and the teaching of foreign languages in Moroccan universities, directed the Studies Abroad Program and developed workshops on cross-cultural communication. She was a Fulbright scholar at George Washington University and Temple University.  Professor Erradi's research and teaching interests focus on French language and culture, European art, new teaching technologies, francophone countries and international affairs.

Céline Guisset, MA in American Studies, CAPES in English (France)
Born and raised in the South of France, Celine Guisset received her MA in American Studies from the University of Montpellier, France and passed the CAPES (Certificat d'Aptitude à l'Enseignement Secondaire) in English to prepare for a career at high school level. She spent a year teaching and studying French on a research grant at the University of Washington, Seattle. She moved to the USA 10 years ago and started teaching French and Spanish at various levels and for diverse audiences, including World Bank employees. Her focus of interest is the use of technology and other pedagogical tools to improve students’ language acquisition. She is currently  teaching Spanish at the George Washington University, where she regularly attends conferences and seminars on technology and foreign languages.

Laurence Lenaghan, ABD in French (USA)
Prof. Lenaghan was born and raised in the Massif Central region in France and studied French Literature at the Université Blaise Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand from which  she received her DEA (= ABD status) degree in 1983.  She moved to the USA in 1987, working as a Professor at the French School of Detroit, as an adjunct lecturer in French at the University of Michigan and in various universities in the Washington DC area, including the University of Maryland where she studied French literature and applied linguistics before reaching ABD status in 1997.  Since then, she has worked mainly as an instructor in French as a second language programs for more than six years at the Institut Français in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and for a semester at the Institut Français in Rabat, Morocco.  Her professional experience also includes serving as a pedagogic counsellor in secondary school level programs in French for the Agence Française de la Francophonie in Haiti.

Jeanne Tonelson, MA in North American Studies (France)
Prof. Tonelson was raised in a bilingual Franco-American family. She  obtained her MA in North American studies at Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris III and is currently completing her PhD with a thesis on the Continuing French Cultural Influence in Native North American Populations. She has worked as a French teacher, translator and interpreter for a variety of academic institutions, international organizations and businesses in Washington DC, including Montgomery College and the Foreign Service Institute as well as a broadcaster for Voice of America.