Bio
Dr. Matu is an active member of ACTFL, American Association of Teachers of French and Women in French. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Conseil International d’Etudes Francophones and as a reviewer for the Canadian publication Les Cahiers du GRELCEF.
Education
Ph.D., French. The University of Alabama (2012).
Professional Experience
Associate Professor of French, Department of Languages and Cultures, U.S. Air Force Academy (June 2024-present)
Assistant Professor of French, Department of Languages and Cultures, U.S. Air Force Academy (June 2020-June 2024)
Associate Professor of French, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, St. Edward’s University, Austin TX, (2019-2020).
Assistant Professor of French, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, St. Edward’s University, Austin TX, (2014-2019).
Instructor of French, Department of World Languages and Literatures, The University of Memphis (2012-2014)
Honors & Awards
Audience-voted poster award for the Project with Potential to make the greatest impact at USAFA (co-presented with Dr. Calli Holaway). Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Forum. 29 November 2023.
3rd quarter 2023 – Civilian Cat III – USAFA Division of Humanities Winner.
2023 Outstanding Academy Educator
4th quarter 2022 – Civilian Cat III – USAFA Dean of Faculty Winner
Department of Foreign Languages Spotlight Award-U.S. Air Force Academy – May 2022
Department of Foreign Languages Outstanding First-year Instructor-U.S. Air Force Academy – May 2021
Research and Scholarly Interests
Contemporary Francophone African Literature and Culture
French for the Professions
Students as Partners
Publications
« Confessions coupables dans Puisque mon cœur est mort (2010) et Nulle autre voix (2018) de Maïssa Bey ». (final revisions accepted, forthcoming in Summer 2024). Women in French Studies.
Slate, S.,…Matu, F., …& al. « How Can Students-As-Partners Work Address Challenges to Student, Faculty, and Staff Mental Health and Well-Being? » International Journal for Students As Partners, vol. 7, no. 2, Oct. 2023, pp. 221-40, doi:10.15173/ijsap.v7i2.5597.
« Identités corporelles dans les romans de Leïla Slimani ». Acta Iassyensia Comparationis, (Vol. 1, nr. 31, 2023: 143-152).
« Inclusive Teaching Practices in a French for Professional Purposes Course at the U.S. Air Force Academy, » Global Advances in Business Communication: (Vol. 10: Iss. 2, 2022, Article 3, pp. 1-8).
« Teaching Algeria through the Lens of Feminism ». Rethinking the French Classroom: New Approaches to Teaching Contemporary French and Francophone Women. Eds. Joyce Johnston, Nicole Meyer. Abingdon: Routledge, 2018: 103-111.
« From Daughter to Mother, from Sister to Brother : Building Identities in Faïza Guène’s Novels ». Reimagining North African Immigration Identities in Flux in French Literature, Television and Film. Eds. Véronique Machelidon, Patrick Saveau. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2018: 49-62.
« Oser la métamorphose, arracher le voile dans Nulle part dans la maison de mon père » Etudes Francophones (Vol. 28, nr. 1-2, 2015: 73-86).
« Fabriquer le bonheur conjugal: sur l’argent et l’impuissance chez Tahar Ben Jelloun ». Voix Plurielles (Vol. 12, nr. 1, 2015: 153-163).
« La honte et la culpabilité : expressions de la crise identitaire au féminin ? » (Acta Iassyensia Comparationis, Vol. 1, nr. 13, 2014: 29-36).
« Comme de l’eau dans l’huile: L’éducation et le mariage dans les récits algériens écrits par des femmes » (MIFLC Review, Vol. 15, Fall 2013:13-22).
« Les enfants dans Germinal, L’Assommoir et Nana: fruits pourris de la dégénérescence ». Romance Notes, Vol. 49, nr. 2, 2009: 239-46).