Hall College Center
Research Interests: 17th century French drama, Greek mythology and tragedy, French cinema (Poetic Realism, Gangster Movies, Transcendentalism)
Teaching Interests: Early Modern French drama, modern French narratives of disenchantment, language acquisition (Spanish and French), creative writing, French cinema
Other Interests: Latin American short story, New Journalism.
Ph.D., French Literature, Rutgers University
M.A., French Literature, Rutgers University
M.A., Hispanic Literature, Villanova University
B.A., Journalism, Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
Dr. Franco’s research examines the notion of heroism in 17th century French drama, with Greek mythology and Classical tragedy as points of reference. His current book project, entitled Corneille: a Tragedy of the Ethos, focuses on the works of Pierre Corneille, and challenges the myth of a dazzling cornelian hero by showing his struggle to obtain recognition. His work has appeared in French Studies, The French Review, and at Classiques Garnier. A native Spanish speaker, Dr. Franco has extensively taught both language and Literature classes in French, Spanish and English. He has presented his work at the annual conference of SE17 (Sociéte d’Études du dix-septième siècle français) and at the University of Gent, Belgium. He joined the faculty at Simon's Rock in 2019.