Students in French 631 recently attended a blues concert in France without leaving the classroom. With the support of a Digital Union Learning Technology Grant and funds from the Department of French and Italian and the Foreign Language Center, they had front row seats.

“It was not simply watching a movie of two Frenchmen playing music; we could interact with them as if they were in the same room. I felt like French culture became more tangible,” said French minor Maggie Neola.

Professor Danielle Marx-Scouras has been a pioneer both in the use of multimedia in her classroom and in developing cutting-edge curriculum in undergraduate and graduate courses in the Department of French and Italian. In early February, Marx-Scouras received the grant from the Digital Union to set up an international videoconference with the French blues group, Moussu T e lei Jovents.

“What better way to have our students gain a study abroad experience without leaving campus and bring to life the content of the French 631 course,” said Diane Birckbichler, department chair, and director, Foreign Language Center. “Professor Marx-Scouras is one of a very few American professors of French who is doing such innovative outreach.”

“I was not only excited to hear great music, but also excited to speak with musicians who understand the importance of regional identity within France. The video conference greatly exceeded my expectations and I am extremely grateful to everyone who worked to put it together,” said Andrew Anderson, doctoral student in French and Italian.

The videoconference on April 8, at Ohio State’s World Media and Culture Center provided students a unique opportunity to watch a mini-concert and to engage with the musicians and ask them questions about their work. Two dozen students and several faculty members participated in the event; posing questions, in French, and engaging in vigorous dialogue with the musicians about issues of nationalism and multiculturalism in contemporary France.

“The idea that we could exchange questions and answers in real time through the video was absolutely mind blowing to me, given the fact that they were thousands of miles away at the time of our exchange,” said Douglas Roberts, French master’s student and teaching assistant. “This was an incredibly creative and innovative way to end the course. I have never had an experience like this; it was literally—at least for me—a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Moussu T e lei Jovents

Translated from Occitan means Mr. T and the Youngsters. “Occitan is the regional language of south and southwest France, not French,” said Marx-Scouras. “In 2008, the French government finally recognized, after two centuries, that regional languages are an integral part of the French heritage. Until then, only the French language was recognized.”