Diversity and Inclusion

The French Department’s Standing Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion advises the Department on policies and practices and proposes initiatives to promote diversity and inclusiveness. It includes representation from the professorial faculty, lecturers and PhD and MA student bodies.

2021-2022 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee members are: Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Madeleine Dobie (ex officio), Yixuan Huang, Laurence Marie, Eric Matheis, and André Pettman.

Statement on Diversity and Inclusion

The Department of French is committed to providing a learning, living, and working environment that is free from bias and discrimination. We seek to foster a community that is inclusive and respectful of diversity, consistent with the broader values of Columbia University.

Our understanding of diversity is ample: it includes but is not confined to considerations of race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic background, family history of higher-educational opportunity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, life experience or age, and veteran status.

Our admissions and recruitment practices are guided by a concern with promoting equity and increasing the representation of groups that have been historically under-represented in higher education. We encourage undergraduate and graduate students from all backgrounds to enroll in our courses and to apply to our programs. Our faculty strives to create classroom environments that are supportive and inclusive, and we seek to provide each student with the resources they need to thrive.

As a Department of French, our scholarship, teaching, and programming engages in particular with the rich diversity and pluralism of the francophone world in which what is held in common—the French language—supports a vibrant intellectual community.

Connect with the GSAS Diversity and Inclusion Community.