Collegiate Affiliation
Professor,
French & Italian
Director of Undergraduate Studies,
French & Italian
Professional Development Coordinator,
Language Center

Kate Paesani (Ph.D. Indiana University) is Professor of French in the Department of French and Italian and affiliated faculty in the Multilingual Education program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. From 2016-2026 she was the Director of the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA).

Dr. Paesani’s research focuses on postsecondary language programs, critical pedagogies, and language teacher cognition and identity construction. She is the (co-)author of numerous books, articles, and book chapters, including Literacies in Language Education: A Guide for Teachers and Teacher Educators (Georgetown University Press, 2023), which grew out of CARLA’s Literacies in Language Education initiative.

Educational Background & Specialties
Open Close

Educational Background

  • PhD: French Linguistics, Indiana University
  • MA: French Linguistics, Indiana University
  • BA: French, University of Connecticut

Specialties

  • applied linguistics
  • critical pedagogies
  • postsecondary language programs
  • language teacher cognition and identity formation