Hi, I’m Saadia El Karfi Azzarone
I am PhD candidate and a fifth-year graduate student in the Department of French and Italian. I was born and raised in Rabat, Morocco, and I graduated with a BA in French and Francophone studies from Mount Holyoke College in 2017. My research focuses on the representation of sexuality and gender in North Africa, more specifically Morocco. However, my larger research interest also involves the representation of sexuality and gender in the rest of Africa. In my research project, I am examining how feminist and queer Moroccan writers deploy sexuality in their work and for this I investigate the many ways in which they stage the interconnections between sexuality and the “technologies of power.” My other research interests include comics, film theory, biopower, madness as they relate to Francophone literature and film in Africa
I am also very passionate bout pedagogy and mentoring. I have taught various courses at Mount Holyoke College and Princeton University, and worked as an educational consultant with the McGraw Center of Teaching and Learning at different capacities.
If you are interested to learn more about my academic journey, my research, or my teaching experiences, please feel free to connect with me. Additionally, mentoring and coaching students achieve academic success is one of my life’s missions, so if you think we can build a mentor-mentee relationship, do not hesitate to reach out to me. To get to where I am today, many mentors have lifted me up, and I have made the promise to myself that I would pay it forward by doing the same.
My teaching Philosophy
As a teacher of the French language, as well as French and Francophone cultures, my primary objectives are to not only communicate fundamental language material and knowledge of the French language and French and Francophone culture to students creatively and effectively, but to also do so in an environment in which students’ intellect and critical thinking skills are valued and encouraged. In my classroom, I aim to foster students’ understanding of and appreciation for the French language French and Francophone culture, which extends beyond the geographical borders of France. For this, I insist on informing students of the importance of the Francophone world and the language and cultural variations of the French language and the richness of the Francophone culture all around the world
How my background shaped my approach to teaching
As a native of Morocco, I aim to use my own background and language acquisition experiences to relate to student’s second language acquisition experience, in order to develop the most useful and adequate tools to aid in their learning. Additionally, in my teaching, I aim to facilitate students’ ownership of their education by expecting excellence, encouraging active participation, providing individual consultations, and mentoring students inside and outside the class to help remediate any demonstrated lacunas.
Peer to peer Mentorship and support
As a student observer and consultant with McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning at Princeton University, my goal is to provide students support and feedback as it related to their teaching and preparedness for the job market. In this role, I aim to not only be a supportive peer, but also a safe and familiar figure that can offer them honest and individualized feedback to be the best teachers and the best candidates for the university or department to which they seek to be admitted.