Notable Achievements

Every year, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry awards Sam Taylor Fellowships to full-time faculty members at United Methodist–affiliated colleges and universities in Texas. This year, eight Southwestern University faculty members won grants up to $2,000:

  • Associate Professor of French Aaron Prevots, “Esther Tellermann: Enigma, Prayer, Identity”
  • Associate Professor of Spanish María de los Ángeles Rodriguez Cadena, “Cultural Memory and Historical Fiction: Women of the Past on Television and Film by Four Contemporary Mexican Women Directors”
  • Associate Professor of Computer Science Barbara Anthony, “The Social Welfare of Human Behavior in Doodle Polls”
  • Associate Professor of Psychology Bryan Neighbors, “Central Texas Treatment Center Aftercare Assessment”
  • Associate Professor of German Erika Berroth, “Minimalism and Restraint”
  • Professor of Psychology Fay Guarraci, “Poverty: Understanding the Long-Term Effects of Poverty Using an Animal Model”
  • Assistant Professor of History Joseph Hower, “The Life and Career of Author–Activist Ralph de Toledano”
  • Associate Professor of Communication Studies Valerie Renegar, “Contemporary Modes of Parenting: Disrupting the Representation of Stepmothers in Popular Culture”

Learn more about this prestigious grant here.

MORE

Aaron Prevots

Professor of French

Expertise

All levels of French language, literature, and culture. Film; feminisms; poetry; novels; translation. Interdisciplinary coursework including through International Studies.

Aaron Prevots, Professor of French, holds a PhD in French Studies from Brown University. He specializes in 19th-21st century French literature and culture and has published articles on Arthur Rimbaud, Walt Whitman, Pierre Jean Jouve, Eugene Guillevic, Jacques Reda, Philippe Jaccottet, Yves Bonnefoy, Heather Dohollau, Bernard Vargaftig, Esther Tellermann, and Jean-Paul Michel. He has translated three volumes of Jacques Reda’s poetry and prose–Return to Calm (Host, 2007), Thirteen Songs of Dark Love (VVV, 2008), and Europes (Host, 2009)–as well as At the Water’s Edge by Jean-Claude Pinson (VVV, 2017), Silences by Bernard Vargaftig (VVV, 2019), The Day’s Light by Heather Dohollau (VVV, 2022), and Middle of Nowhere by Laurent Mulot (Loco, 2024). His scholarly research, which focuses on how writers reflect and shape identity, emphasizes poets who connect readers to each other and to the outside world. His research also addresses ecocriticism, feminist perspectives, and musical forms (pop, jazz, chanson).

Prevots’ teaching has three main goals.

1. To create an energetic, active, student-centered classroom environment
2. To foster empathy, awareness of cultural differences, and methodological skills
3. To empower students to act as agents of social change 

What he enjoys about teaching at Southwestern University is inspiring students to challenge themselves and learn more than they expected to learn. He designs courses where students expand their interdisciplinary knowledge, discover other cultures in depth, and intensively practice their speaking and writing skills. Seeing them make new connections within and across disciplines encourages him to vary classroom activities and make new materials.

As a teacher and mentor, he balances academic rigor with a relaxed atmosphere. He sharpens students’ intercultural knowledge, ensures job or graduate school placements, and instills global citizenship skills including the ability to grasp worldviews. He supervises Capstone projects on culture, film, literature, and art, helping students grow as critical thinkers and prepare for productive careers.

  • Biography

    Aaron Prevots, Professor of French, holds a PhD in French Studies from Brown University. He specializes in 19th-21st century French literature and culture and has published articles on Arthur Rimbaud, Walt Whitman, Pierre Jean Jouve, Eugene Guillevic, Jacques Reda, Philippe Jaccottet, Yves Bonnefoy, Heather Dohollau, Bernard Vargaftig, Esther Tellermann, and Jean-Paul Michel. He has translated three volumes of Jacques Reda’s poetry and prose–Return to Calm (Host, 2007), Thirteen Songs of Dark Love (VVV, 2008), and Europes (Host, 2009)–as well as At the Water’s Edge by Jean-Claude Pinson (VVV, 2017), Silences by Bernard Vargaftig (VVV, 2019), The Day’s Light by Heather Dohollau (VVV, 2022), and Middle of Nowhere by Laurent Mulot (Loco, 2024). His scholarly research, which focuses on how writers reflect and shape identity, emphasizes poets who connect readers to each other and to the outside world. His research also addresses ecocriticism, feminist perspectives, and musical forms (pop, jazz, chanson).

    Prevots’ teaching has three main goals.

    1. To create an energetic, active, student-centered classroom environment
    2. To foster empathy, awareness of cultural differences, and methodological skills
    3. To empower students to act as agents of social change 

    What he enjoys about teaching at Southwestern University is inspiring students to challenge themselves and learn more than they expected to learn. He designs courses where students expand their interdisciplinary knowledge, discover other cultures in depth, and intensively practice their speaking and writing skills. Seeing them make new connections within and across disciplines encourages him to vary classroom activities and make new materials.

    As a teacher and mentor, he balances academic rigor with a relaxed atmosphere. He sharpens students’ intercultural knowledge, ensures job or graduate school placements, and instills global citizenship skills including the ability to grasp worldviews. He supervises Capstone projects on culture, film, literature, and art, helping students grow as critical thinkers and prepare for productive careers.

  • Publications

    PEER-REVIEWED BOOKS

    Esther Tellermann: enigme, priere, identite. Brill, 2022.

    Bernard Vargaftig: Gestures toward the Sacred. Peter Lang, 2019.

    Jacques Reda: Being There, Almost. Brill Rodopi, 2016.

In the News

  • Southwestern University
    Eight Southwestern Faculty Members Awarded Prestigious Grants from the 2019 Sam Taylor Fellowship Fund

    The competitive funding will allow SU faculty to pursue various research projects.

  • Seven Southwestern Faculty Members Awarded Prestigious Sam Taylor Fellowship Grant

    Grants ranging from $1,100 to $1,830 will allow faculty to pursue graduate study or postgraduate research.