Office Address

New Cabell Hall 342

Spring 2024 Office Hours

By appointment

Ashton Nicewonger

Ashton is a fourth year Doctoral Candidate in the Department of French. Her research centers on Middle French representations of Islamicate peoples and societies. She is currently writing a dissertation on two 15th century texts, the Voyage d'outremer de Bertrandon de la Broquière, and the Traité pour faire le passage en Terre Sainte d'Emmanuel Piloti. Both texts describe and recount life "outremer" for the purpose of edifying future crusade leaders, particularly the Burgundians. Ashton's dissertation focuses on the alternative messages present in these works underneath their surfaces as crusade propaganda. She argues that these two texts use their status as crusade treatises to critique and update Christian understanding of the Mediterranean and specifically the Levant. 

Education

• BA in Vocal Performance, Furman University
• MA in French Literature, University of Colorado Boulder"

Interests

• Language pedagogy
• Mediterranean studies
• History of language acquisition
• Travel literature
• Medieval Christian-Muslim relations
• Spirituality and contemplative practices
• French art song
• Multilingualism
• Applications of neuroscience and psychology to language and literature