Margaret Robinson
Visiting Instructor of French
Degrees
Ph.D. in Medieval French Literature, UMass Amherst
MA in French, UMass Amherst
BA in French and Secondary Education, State University of New York at Oswego
Certificat de Cours de Civilisation Francaise, Universite de Paris-La Sorbonne
Main Interests
Medieval French Literature
French Studies
Research Interests
Dissertation Title: "A Match Made In Heaven: Medieval Women and Purgatory" Beginning with Marie de France's late 12th century translation of the Tractatus Purgatorio Sancti Patricii and spanning the mysticism of the 13th and 14th centuries associated with the Beguine movement in Northern France and Flanders, I will examine the particular way in which women relate and contribute to the evolving theology of Purgatory.
Teaching Interests
Introductory and Intermediate French Courses stressing the four major skill areas of language acquisition
Other Interests
Languages: French (near-native fluency)
Italian (advanced proficiency)
Latin (reading knowledge)
Publications
"Mesdire e(s)t Mesfaire: The Poetics of 'envie' in Christine de Pisan's Cent Ballades", Eighteenth Medieval Forum, Plymouth State College, Plymouth, NH
"The Concretization of Narrative in Marie de France's Espurgatoire", 30th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan
"Melusine: Martyr or Sinner?" Sixteenth Medieval Forum, Plymouth State College, Plymouth, NH
"Putting the Action back into French in Action," Foreign Language Day, University of Massachusetts: A demonstration for Secondary School language teachers on maximizing student participation when using a video-based padagogy such as the Capretz Method.
Selected Publications, Creative Work or Performances
Honors:
1995 Micheline Dufau Award for Distinguished Teaching, UMass Amherst
1985 Alliance Francaise Award, State University of New York at Oswego