
Contact Prof. Motard-Noar
Language learning is about human connection. Learning foreign languages has helped me communicate with others by enhancing my ability to take different perspectives. Trust me – I, of all people, badly needed multilingual exposure! I still remember my 7th grade five-day school trip to England when a bunch of us, leaving France for the first time, piled up at the window of a local bakery, stunned and horrified by the colors and look of the icing on the cakes as well as the speed with which regular-looking folks walking in and out of the store could speak that foreign language called English! Surely, language learning and perspective shifting are a must in a fiercely competitive world and it is hard work, but I can assure you that it is also incredibly rewarding! That’s the goal and reward I try to make obvious in all of my French classes, whether they are language, culture, or literature-based courses.
My Ph.D. studies focused on Hélène Cixous and her fictional writing from the 1960s to the 1980s, and her more recently published texts continue to be a source of inspiration in my publications. She too could teach anyone lessons on perspective shifting and multilingualism, all aspects very much present in her narratives!
Education
- 1987
- Ph.D. in French, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
- 1982
- Maîtrise (M.A.) de littérature française moderne, Université de la Sorbonne-Paris IV
- 1982
- Licence (B.A.) d'anglais, Université de la Sorbonne-Paris IV
- 1982
- Certificat de Didactique des Moyens Audio-Visuels, Université de la Sorbonne-Paris III
- 1981
- Licence (B.A.) de littérature française moderne, Université de la Sorbonne-Paris IV
Research Interests
-
Contemporary French literature
- Francophone bandes dessinées
-
Theory of literature
-
Literary experimentalism
Recent Courses
-
FRE 2511: Bandes dessinées/French comic books
-
FRE 3320: French/English translation
-
IDS 2037: The intercultural workplace
Selected Publications
-
Résistance au/du personnage dans les fictions de l'extrême contemporain. Repenser l’insignifiance. Eds. F. Horchani & J. Zaïdi. Tunis, Tunisia : ISSH Médenine et Sahar Éditions, 2021.
-
Intermédialité et rétro-médialité : le journal facebookien de Sylvie Gracia. Intermédialité. Perspectives théoriques et pratiques actuelles. Eds. A. Jiatsa Jokeng, R. Fopa Kuete & F. Guiyoba. Nîmes, France: Lucie Éditions, 2019. Pp. 104-116.
-
Les couches sédimentées de la mémoire chez Marguerite Duras et Hélène Cixous. Elseneur. 33 (2018). Pp. 45-56.
-
Best-sellers et littérature 'légitime': la place de l'interdiscursivité. Comparaisons-la revue des Cultures et des Médiums. 1.1 (déc. 2017). Pp. 86-94. (https://www.comparaisons.uha.fr/index.php/CCM)
-
Toujours faire du continu avec du discontinu: un entretien avec Olivia Rosenthal. The French Review. 90.4 (March 2017). Pp. 186-195.
-
Hybridité et voix auctoriale. Quêtes Littéraires: Hybride(s). Eds. E. Kociubińska & J. Niedokos. 6 (2016). Pp. 168-176.
Clubs and community involvement
- Faculty Advisor, Le Cercle Français
-
Faculty Advisor, La Maison Française
Awards and Honors
-
Faculty Scholarly Publications Award, Mcdaniel College. August 2017
-
Dorothy S. Ludwig Excellence in Teaching French Award, Post-Secondary level, National Award (US & Canada), American Association of Teachers of French, award presented at the AATF National Convention, New Orleans. July 2014
-
Ira G. Zepp Distinguished Teaching Award, Mcdaniel College. May 2014
-
Distinguished Scholar Award, Faculty Development Grant, McDaniel College. Spring 2012
-
Faculty Grants Award, French Film Festival, McDaniel College. August 2012

Contact Prof. Motard-Noar
"Madame Motard-Noar is a wonderful professor! She is very passionate about her courses and her students. Her classes are so much fun!"