What sets my teaching philosophy apart is that in each area that I teach, I try to center marginalized voices. Be it in French, where I pay particular emphasis to Black Francophone diasporic communities, particularly Les Antilles-Guyane (French Caribbean), or in Black Studies and Gender studies, where I center black voices including Black indigenous, queer/trans and non-binary Caribbean folks.
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Teaching Philosophy
Georgia State University
University of Virginia
University of California Davis
Students' Comments
Caribbean Studies
RL conducts discussion sections very effectively and provides prompt and helpful feedback on assignments. They have done a great job in guiding my discussion section on our end-of-term presentations.
French
She was very patient which made me feel like I could participate without being criticized. The class had a really good environment and made
learning fun.
Black Caribbean Francophone Literature
It can be a hard subject to talk about, especially when it is about the Black experience and none of the students talking about it are Black themselves. Lydner was supportive of us and would ask us what we understood or did not and would explain it to the class. She made sure that students were able to ask questions and give answers to
questions without criticizing us if we were wrong. It was a gentle push and correction
Black France Musicscape
This class expanded my conception of la Francophonie to the Caribbean in our weeks on reggae, zouk, and dancehall, since I typically associate this with West Africa. Additionally, I learned a lot about the legacy of colonialism in language and fluency in French during weeks 3 and 4
Black Caribbean Francophone Literature
I learned so much about Afro-Caribbean culture, the Négritude movement, and Black francophone culture, but in learning a lot I learned how little I know and that there is a
major gap in our education for Black culture, even though it is inherently tied to our nation and the francophone world. This course has opened a door for me, and I want to continue to pursue this gap in knowledge. I wish I had been taught about this missing history earlier. It is so neglected in our education system.
Black Caribbean Francophone Literature
Professor Lydner encourages all students to participate even if they are unsure about what they are saying or how they are saying it. Additionally, the course in itself emphasizes the importance of diverse perspectives as we engaged in readings and
performances from a variety of different places and voices from across the
Francophone world
Black France Musicscape
Before this course, I knew very little bout the francophone world. After learning everything we did, I now consider the broad scope and diversity of the francophone world. It's cool to see where different genres drew influence from...it shed light on some of the issues that marginalized communities are facing and how they express grievances through music.
French
I loved having Rashana. She was so cool, showed us really great French music from different francophone countries (other than France) and engaged in questions unrelated to the stuff we were learning along with course material. It was such an enjoyable time when I did go to class.