Sandra DescourtisAssistant Teaching ProfessorFrench

Sandra Descourtis (she/elle) is an interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner. She received her M.A from the University of Arizona and her Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She teaches all levels of French language as well as a pedagogy seminar for graduate teaching assistants (LING 505). 

Her research focuses on French language variations (especially argot and verlan), raciolinguistics and teaching practices. She also works on multilingual language awareness and translanguaging in K-5 education. More broadly, her research interests include sociolinguistics, plurilingualism, and language ideologies.  

Professor Descourtis has presented at various national and international academic conferences and recently co-authored a chapter entitled "Utilisation du photocollage comme méthode réflexive sociales des enfants plurilingues" (2022, EME Editions). Her forthcoming chapter entitled “French Variations and Language Weaponization in US Higher Education” will be published in the International Journal of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education.