Lenuta Giukin

My passion for French culture and literature started with the books of Jules Verne and his extraordinary explorations of our world. Traveling with his heroes, as a child, to the moon, in the depth of oceans, or around the world opened the door for me to explore the French language, culture, literature, and later film and philosophy, which I enjoy sharing now with my students.

Through research in immigration, gender representation, identity, and ideologies, I found limitless possibilities of reflection within francophone cultures and thought and discovered the outstanding contributions of the Francophone to the world's cultural heritage. This has led to my publications on several topics I am proud to share with my students in the French program at SUNY Oswego. In 2018 I edited a double volume for the Journal of European Studies titled Romania 100: Nation, Identity, Global Challenge, issue 48(3-4), published by Sage Journals Online. In addition, I enjoy organizing an annual international conference on small cinemas, which takes place in different countries and is now in its 14th edition. Meeting and working with colleagues from around the globe allow me to expand the scholarship I share with my students. Such collaborations have resulted in the 2014 volume of Small Cinemas in Global Markets. Genres, Identities, Narratives.

EDUCATION:  

• UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN Ph.D., French Interdisciplinary Studies, 2002 (1996-2002)    
• UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR French Literature - One year of Ph.D. (1994-1995)
• UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, Master of Arts, French Literature, 1994 (1992-1994)    
• BRYN MAWR COLLEGE Avignon, France, Study Abroad: Literature and Civilization (1993)
• WEST UNIVERSITY OF TIMISOARA, ROMANIA Master of Arts, French & Romanian Languages & Literature, 1984 (1980-1984)

EXPERIENCE:

• Associate Professor SUNY Oswego (2003-Preseant)
  • Chair, Modern Languages and Literatures (2018-21)
  • COIL IRIM/Oswego, Spring 2015: Online Distance Learning Course Collaboration
  • Fulbright scholar, IRIM, Moldova (2013-14)
  • Coordinator of the French Program. 2003 – 2011; 2020-present
  • Established online summer French courses at SUNY Oswego
  • Teach all levels of French/Francophone Language, Film & Literature
  • Created new track in French and Francophone Cultural Studies
  • Redesigned the French Program Curriculum
  • Negotiated the Exchange Program with Paris film school EICAR
  • Established the course Global Cities: Paris with an annual trip to Paris
  • Revived the French Honor Society 
  • Designed advertising postcards for the French Program
  • Advisor for the French Program
  • Served as a First Year Advisor for incoming freshmen
  • Created the MLL French Scholarship & the French Forum 
  • Organized the small cinemas international conference since 2010
  • Serves in various departmental, university & national/international committees
     

• Fulbright Scholar (2013 -2014)

  • US Department of State, Republic of Moldova, The Institute for International Relations of Moldova, Chisinau, Moldova

• Teacher’s Associate (2002 - 2003) 
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 
    Taught all levels of French for Beginners, French Writing and Composition, & French for Business
• Teaching Assistant (1996-2001) 
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    Taught all levels of French language, Designed quizzes, tests and teaching materials. Administered tests, quizzes and oral exams.
• Teaching Assistant (1994-1995)
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
    Taught Intermediate French. Designed & administered quizzes and oral exams. Tutored upon request.
     

• Teaching Assistant (1993-1994)

  • University of Illinois at Chicago
    Taught Beginner and Intermediate French. Designed and taught French Reading for adult learners. Designed and administered quizzes and tests.  
    Tutored upon request; evaluated and graded students. 
     

  
  
  

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS: 

• “Social Realism in Cristian Mungiu’s Graduation.” In Polonia Journal, 15 (2022): 47-64. 
  https://poloniajournal.wseh.pl/sites/default/files/article/polonia-journal-15.2022.pdf 
  Hardcopy version, January 10, 2023.
• Yves, R. & Giukin. L. “Patterns and Predictors of Academic Dishonesty in Moldovan University Students.” In Journal of Academic Ethics, Vol. 17 (November 26, 2019): 1-18. https://link.springer.com/journal/10805 
• “Consciousness and spirituality in the new Romanian cinema.” In Journal of European Studies. Romania 100: Nation, Identity, Global Challenge. Lenuta Giukin, Adriana Gradea, guest editors Volume. 48 (3-4), November 2018. 
• “Introduction.” In Journal of European Studies. Romania 100: Nation, Identity, Global Challenge. Lenuta Giukin, Adriana Gradea, guest editors. Double special issue 48 (3-4), November 2018. Sage Journals Online. 
• Journal of European Studies. Romania 100: Nation, Identity, Global Challenge. Lenuta Giukin, Adriana Gradea, guest editors. Double special issue 48 (3-4), November 2018. Sage Journals Online. 
• “Interview with Lenuta Giukin on The Romanian New Wave by Angelina Ilieva and Esther Peters.” In East from Chicago, Russian and Eastern European Studies multimedia blog, University of Chicago. March 30, 2018. 
  https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/eastfromchicago/2018/03/30/interview-with-lenuta-giukin-on-the-romanian-new-wave/ 
• “Superheroes and Supervillains: Ideals and Ideologies.” In Le super-héros à l’écran. Mutations, transformation, évolutions. Elie Yazbek, editor. Paris: Editions Orizons, 2017. 
• “At the Crossroads of Time: Memoirs and Becoming in Ben Todica’s Documentary Our Journey”. European Visions: Small Cinemas in Transition. Janelle Blankenship, ed. Bielefelf: Transcript-Verlag, 2015. 141-149.
  Editor, together with Janina Falkowska and David Desser: Small Cinemas in Global Markets. Genres, Identities, Narratives. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2014. 67-86.
• “Identities in the New Romanian Cinema.” In Small Cinemas in Global Markets: Genres, Identities, Narratives. L. Giukin, J. Falkowska, D. Desser, (eds.) Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2014.
• “Introduction.” Together with Janina Falkowska. Small Cinemas in Global Markets. Genres, Identities, Narratives. L. Giukin, J. Falkowska. D. Desser (eds). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2014. vii-xxiv. 
• “Gender Evolutions and Power Relationships in Contemporary French Cinema.” This (Un)Real Body. Anthology of Essays. Timisoara: Editura Eurobit, 2011.
• “Radu Mihaileanu, a New Cinematic Humanism.” Film Criticism XXXIV: 2-3 (2010): 67-80.
• “Patri(m)archies: l’héroine d’action dans le cinéma Hollywoodien.” Théorème: Du héro au super-héro, Sorbonne III: Paris, 2009. 74-88.
• “Europe at the Age of Ideals: (Trans)National Identities in French Cinema.” EXCAVATIO 1-2: XXII, 2007.  263-73.    
• “Demystification and Webtopia in the Films of Nelly Kaplan.” Cinema Journal 42:3 (Spring 2003): 96-113.
• “Boy-Girls: Genre, Body, and Popular Culture in Hong Kong Action Movies.” Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls: Gender in Film at the End of the 20th Century. Murray Pomerance, Ed. New York: State University of New York, 2001. 55-69.
   

SELECT CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS:

• “Surrealism and the New Age Movement.” Personal Perspectives and Essayistic Form in Non-Fiction Film and Art. September 22-23, 2023. Vilnius Academy of Arts, Vilnius, Lithuania.
• “Humor and Morality in the New Romanian Cinema.” AICED24: The 24th Annual International Conference of the English Department, University of Bucharest, Romania. June 9-11, 2023.
• “Between Victim and Collaborator: The Relationship between the Totalitarian State and Its Citizens.” 13th International small cinemas conference, Totalitarianism in Literature & Film, Bielsko Biala, Poland, October 1-3, 2022.
• “The New Romanian Cinema: Market and Distribution.” Santiago De Compostela,12th Edition Small Cinemas Conference, October 28-29, 2021. 
• “Francophone Cinema: Of Inconvenient Women and Neocolonial Adjustments.” 11th Small Cinemas Conference: Political Imaginaries of Small Cinemas and Cultural, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, 2020. http://comemory.granturi.ubbcluj.ro/programme/ 
• “Female Heroism in French Cinema.” Small Cinemas, Small Spaces. 10th International Small Cinemas Conference. Lisbon, September 25-27, 2019.
• “Social Ideology in Cristian Mungiu’s Graduation.” From the Grassroots to the Global, 9th International Small Cinemas Conference. Florida Atlantic University, November 9-10, 2018. 
• “Consciousness, Identity, and Spirituality in Romanian Cinema.” Organizer and presenter. SRS Conference #Romania100: Looking Forward through the Past, Bucharest, June 27, 2018.
• “Beyond Liminality: New Romanian Cinema - in Search for the Future.” Diversity in Glocal Cinemas: Language, Culture, Identity. The 8th Annual International Conference on Small Cinemas. Bilbao and San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain, September 20-22, 2017.
• “Igor Cobileanski’s The Unsaved…” Conflict and Controversy in Small Cinemas. Krakow, Poland, September 28-30, 2016.
  Romanian Spirituality & the Global Challenge in the New Romanian Cinema.” MLA (chair & presenter), Austin, TX, 2016.
• “Moldovan Soviet Cinema: Creating Otherness.” Filming Locations: the Fabric of Culture, Myths and Identity in Small Cinemas. Valletta, Malta, Spt. 24-27, 2015. 
• “Socialist Colonial Identity in Moldovan Cinema.” In Panel: Post-Colonial Shadows on Post-Socialist Skies. MLA, Vancouver, Canada. January 7-11, 2015.
• “Small Cinema, Global Politics.” International conference 2014: Crisis in Film and Visual Media, Vilnius, Latvia, September 18-20, 2014.
• “Romanian Cinema: From Local to Global.” Small Cinemas: Crossing Borders, 4th Annual International Conference, Florianopolis, Brazil, September 4-6, 2013.
• “The Roma in Contemporary Romanian Cinema and Media.” Ethnicity, Race and Nationalism in European Media and Film, University of Manchester, 23-25 May, 2013.
• “Eastern Europe: The Great Leap Forward.” Small Cinemas: Promotion & Reception, 3rd Annual International Conference, Timisoara, Romania, June 1-3, 2012.
• “The Other East as in Eastern Europe: Balkanism and Romanian Cinema.” Small Cinemas in Transition, 2nd Annual International Conference, SUNY Oswego, September 16-18, 2011.
• “At the crossroads of time: Memoirs and becoming as factors of generation forging.” European Visions: Small Cinemas in Transition; International Conference. University of Western Ontario, Canada, June 29-30, 2010.
• “Nelly Kaplan or What Surrealism Could Have Been.” European Cinema: Experiment, Mainstream and Praxis. Univ. of Binghamton, NY. July 9-12, 2009.
• “Representations of the Modern City & Its Discontents in French Cinema and Television.”  Southeast Conference on Languages & Literatures.  Stetson University, DeLand, Florida. February 22-23, 2008.
   

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES (highlights):

• Peer reviewed articles, Summer 2021:“Le Concert de Radu Mihaileanu: Métaphore de la musique et de l’harmonie du monde. ”
• Organizer, Small Cinemas annual international conference, (2011-present)
• Fulbright Commission Evaluator, (2014-2016)
• Fulbright Scholar, IRIM, Moldova, (2013-2014)
• AP Reader. Cincinnati, OH, (June 2006-15; 2019)
• RSAA (Romanian Studies Association of America) Newsletter and RSAA Journal editor, (January 2012- April 2021).
• RSAA Secretary-treasurer (2015-2018)