APSU professor selected for Fulbright Group Project in West Africa

By: Ethan Steinquest January 6, 2025

Dr. Karen Sorenson, a professor in Austin Peay State University’s Department of Languages and Literature. | Photo by Taylor Slifko

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - When many Americans think of French culture, they imagine the Eiffel Tower and Parisian cafés, but Dr. Karen Sorenson is preparing to challenge that perception through a Fulbright Group Project in Sub-Saharan Africa, where French speakers outnumber the population of France nearly 3-to-1.

Sorenson, a professor of French at Austin Peay State University, was among 14 educators selected by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) for a Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad this summer. The team will spend four weeks at the University of San Pedro in Côte d'Ivoire to create free educational resources for French teachers across the U.S.

“When I started teaching French, like most people, I was focused on what the French call the hexagon - France itself,” Sorenson said. “[But] there are millions of French speakers around the world on every continent, and we need to change the way the language is taught in this country so that it embraces all the different cultures of the Francophone world.”

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to one of the world’s fastest-growing populations of French speakers, making it an ideal focus area for teachers. Sorenson and her teammates will develop materials on topics from arts and cuisine to sustainable business practices and women’s entrepreneurship.

“We’ll be working in teams to explore and encounter the culture, learn new things, and create curriculum,” she said. “It will be in different formats like audio, video, or text, and it will all be available free of charge to members of the AATF.”

Expert instructors will also travel with the team to contribute insights, including APSU’s Dr. Christophe Konkobo, professor of French and Francophone studies.

“Dr. Konkobo brings a rich firsthand knowledge of the Francophone cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa,” Sorenson said. “He is a native of Burkina Faso and also spent a lot of time in Côte d’Ivoire growing up. He’ll be doing a program on culture through cinema.”

A major benefit of the project is cultural immersion, and the competitive selection process drew approximately 90 applicants. Sorenson is excited to represent Austin Peay while learning new ways to advance French education.

“For a couple of decades, I was focused on sending students to another part of the Francophone world, Quebec, for intensive immersion study abroad,” she said. “This is an opportunity for me to be the person doing the learning and spend time with people who do what I do and care about the same things.”

Sorenson said APSU’s participation in the program will also have long-term benefits for students in the Department of Languages and Literature and the potential to impact other areas on campus.

“It’s wonderful because I can bring this back to my students and I’ll have things to share with them that I never would have before,” she said. “I would also love if we could create opportunities for our ROTC students to learn about the cultures in French-speaking countries of Africa.”

Given the evolving geopolitical landscape in Francophone Africa, Sorenson said regional expertise could be invaluable for future military officers.

“There are people looking with concern at Francophone Africa and making sure that if there is an American presence there, we know how to be there in a way that’s respectful of the culture,” she said. “Learning a language is important, but immersing yourself in a culture and experiencing it firsthand is what allows us to understand each other.”

Sorenson plans to do just that during her time in Côte d'Ivoire and looks forward to continuing her educational journey abroad.

“We should never stop learning - that’s the most important thing,” she said. “My undergraduate and graduate education led me in one direction, and now at this point in my life I’m headed in another that’s very exciting … I’m going to be able to speak with people I’d never come in contact with any other way, and French makes it all possible.”