It was Eric Prieto’s fascination with French culture, sparked by his first trip to Paris, that led him to his current position in the Department of French and Italian. He teaches courses in French literature and in the French-language literatures of Africa and the Caribbean.

In the classroom, Prieto’s first objective is to help students gain familiarity with the culture they’re studying. "But beyond this," he adds, "I want students to use this knowledge to gain new perspectives on their own culture. I try to get them to explore the different points of view we run across and experiment with applying them to situations here at home."

Prieto’s classes are usually small, with an average of fifteen or twenty students. Some are taught entirely in French, and others, such as the African and Caribbean courses, are taught in translation. "Much of class time is taken up by discussion," he says. "Rather than lecturing all the time, I try to create a space where students can think independently, explore new ideas, and help each other to learn."

Back to Profiles

UCSB Home | Office of the Registrar | No Frames Version
Catalog Introduction | Past Catalogs | Other UC Catalogs

0