Dr. JMG’s #GradHub

Welcome! I am glad you made it to this page!

You will find plenty of useful information and advice about your M.A. experience as a graduate student in my classes or as my mentee. I cherish this experience very much (this is the best part of the job for me!) and it is very important to me that you find exactly what you need immediately on your path to getting your M.A..

Happy navigation, and let me know what else you’d like to see on here!

In-Depth Guidelines to Working with Me

Here are just important reads in blog form for you to do before you to make sure this is the right fit. Please read all of those carefully before contacting me about chairing your project or being part of your committee or co-publishing. These guidelines are essential to effectively communicate, and make sure that you and I maximize the time that we have to get some work done on your project!

Happy reading!

Am I the right person for the job (aka to be your chair)?

My expectations when it comes to chairing your project. 

My research interests.

Whether or not I can provide an independent study. 

Recommended timeline of your M.A.

See my detailed recommended academic break down: how you should spend your semesters, what you should research, when to worry about your C.P. etc…

Download (PDF, 348KB)

Note Taking: Software and Systems

See all of my tips on what softwares I used to maximize retention and keep organized!

Download (PDF, 388KB)

Writing and Productivity Tips

See my last of recommendations on how to hack your schedule to be more productive, write more and meet your deadlines!

Download (PDF, 188KB)

CPR FAQ

See all of my tips on what to expect during your C.P.R., Culminating Projet! This goes in great details into the “how-tos”.

Download (PDF, 315KB)

Begin and Finish Strong

See all of my tips on what constitutes the great anatomy of efficient introductions and conclusions (Written en français!)

Download (PDF, 93KB)

Favorite Citation Management System

See all of my tips on what constitutes the great anatomy of efficient introductions and conclusions (Written en français!)

Download (PDF, 622KB)

Does it fit? Decoding Scholarly Text for Appropriateness

See all of my tips on how to read scholarly texts to see if they fit into your research topic.

Download (PDF, 231KB)

Other Ressources

Love all of these tips! If you end up using  any of them, do let me know and make sure to share widely with your fellow graduate students.

Writing ressources ranging from abstract to writing sample etc. from NCSU Graduate Writing Center.

Need help writing? Consider getting in touch with the Writing Support programs at the Graduate School.

FAQ

Are there programs in France I can apply to?

Our students have been successful in applying to these programs:

What are publishing avenues post-M.A.?

For a first time publication, The French Review is a really great avenue. You will learn a lot through their peer-review process. Depending on your focus, you may want to consider: The WIF Graduate Essay award which leads to a publication, Contemporary French Civilization and Contemporary French and Francophone Studies.

Do I publish with graduate students?

I can work on publishing a scholarly article, and co-author it with you. I also like to publish either teaching/pedagogical pieces or artist/author interviews with my grad students. Ask me about potential co-publications!

Are there grants I can apply to as a French M.A. student?

Short answer: YES! Here are a few for French students in particular:

Not a fellowship, but an award if you’re working on gender issues:

What types of conferences do I recommend as an M.A. student?

We are lucky in the triangle to have many opportunities to present your work. In our department: take advantage of the Brown Bag Talks! On campus: the Gender and Equity Research Symposium, the Graduate Student Research Symposium. In the triangle, check out the Carolina Conference for Romance Studies biennially.

How can you practice your French over the summer?

There are many good programs for summer immersion, but here are two great ones:

Former students did one or the other and were extremely pleased with the outcomes!

What kinds of projects do I supervise?

I supervise projects that are in line with my research interests, which you can find here. In the past, I supervised projects entitled “Empowering Women through Self-Sex Education: A Literary Analysis of French Graphic Novels” and “Regard Personnel de Mabanckou sur la Françafrique et Projet d’Indépendance des États Francophone d’Afrique Subsaharienne dans Lumières de Pointe-Noire et Petit Piment d’Alain Mabanckou”

Download (PDF, 2.52MB)