Dr. Lucie Viakinnou-Brinson is originally from Benin (West Africa), where she obtained her B.A. She holds masters degrees in French and in English literature and recently obtained her Ph.D from Emory University, Atlanta, GA. The title of her dissertation was: "To Teach or not to Teach in the Target Language only? The Effect of Target Language Only and Code-Switching on the Grammatical Performance of Elementary Level French Students: Co-chairs: Dr Carol Herron and Dr. Robert Jensen." She is committed to teaching, research and service.
Prior to embarking on her career as an Assistant Professor at KSU, she taught French at the Berlitz School of Languages in New Jersey, Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL. She envisions the classroom as a learning community where students are encouraged to learn from each other’s experiences, language acquisition is facilitated in a cooperative, nurturing and supportive environment, and where students are challenged and given the means to thrive and blossom linguistically and cognitively. Her areas of research include: Second Language Acquisition, Caribbean and Francophone Literature and African American Foreign Language Scholars in the segregated south. Her areas of service include but are not limited to: Giving cultural francophone presentations in Middle and High Schools and volunteering in educational non profit organizations. She loves to walk, read, cook and entertain.
