Southwestern Magazine | Spring 2019

Illustrations by Caitlin Alexander Ever wonder what Southwestern professors think about or do in their spare time? In interviews with Francis Mathieu and Erin Crockett, we learn that their talents and passions extend well beyond the classroom. the ProfessorChronicles FrancisMathieu Associate Professor of French Mathieu was born in Besançon, France, a small city on the border of Switzerland. Studying abroad for a full year in Ireland during college gave him a lifelong passion for travel and experiencing foreign cultures. He has lived in France, Ireland, the U.S., and Japan, and he spent a full year traveling in Southeast Asia. How long have you been teaching? I started teaching college French in the previous century, back in 1998, as a graduate student at Ohio University. At the time, IhadjustarrivedfromFrance.AsIwrite,Ihavesuddenlyrealized this is my 20th year of teaching! Is there any Champagne in my fridge? How long have you been at Southwestern? Since fall 2007, so this is my 11th year at SU. I cannot believe it has been more than 10 years already. I think it went by so fast because it has been such a wonderful experience for me. Thanks to the students here, I particularly love going to work every single day. What inspired you to become a professor? Asaboy,Ididnotdreamofbecomingapoliceofficerorafirefighter. Iwanted tobe either amarine archaeologist (thank you, Jacques Cousteau) or a teacher. But I grewup in a subalpinemountain range near Switzerland, so I quickly realized that spending long periods underwater was not for me. Fortunately, when I startedmy undergraduate studies, I fell instantly in lovewith the university’s heightened level of intellectual engagement. Then, I realized that not only could I be a teacher, but I could be a college professor—I would never have to leave the university setting even after graduation! What is something your students would be surprised to know about you? I apply my intercultural and teaching skills to guiding American tourists for a few weeks in France each summer to support my wife’s recently launched boutique tour company, Sojourner Tours. This is pro bono work on my part, but I love going to the beautiful cobblestone villages and fancy restaurants on her itineraries. When not working, you can findme … Cooking! I love taking the time to make tasty, nutritious food that ishomemade fromscratch. Of course, French cuisine is a staple in my kitchen, but I also make a mean, authentic Thai curry, and I prepare my fair share of Tex-Mex cuisine. Describe your dream vacation. A small, pedestrian-friendly town located in beautiful natural surroundings with a lot of history, character, and charm, from whichIcantakeinterestingdaytrips.Theavailabilityofexcellent restaurants and tasty food is also a must! If you could have a drink at the Cove with anyone in the world, living or dead, whowould the person be, andwhy? The Marquis de La Fayette. I am a history buff with a strong interest in theEnlightenment, its aftermath, and its revolutions. La Fayette was a protagonist of the American Revolution and the French Revolutions of 1789 and 1830. His long life was extremely eventful, and he rubbed elbows with the likes of GeorgeWashington, BenFranklin, Thomas Jefferson, LouisXVI, andNapoleon. I’d love tohearwhat itwas like to be aFrenchman living in the colonial United States. If you could choose one superpower, what would it be? Time travel. As a history buff, I often try to picture cities and societies in past centuries and millennia. I would also love to visit the future to see howOldTownGeorgetown ormy favorite places in theworld, like Paris, will change. Howwill people live, and what will have happened one, five, or eight hundred years from now? Wouldn’t it be amazing to visit ancient Egyptian society—or find out what becomes of the place we live in in the 23rd century? 16 SOUTHWESTERN