Lionel Cuillé's teaching and research focus on contemporary French poetry, the avant-gardes, and the representation of speed at the turn of the twentieth century. He has published extensively on poets Francis Ponge, Blaise Cendrars, and Arthur Rimbaud. He expanded his field of study by creating new courses in literary translation, ecocriticism, ("French Ecology"), and human rights ("France, Homeland of Human Rights?").
Lionel Cuillé was associate professor and the Jane and Bruce Robert endowed chair in French studies at Webster University where he founded the Centre francophone (2012-2020). He is happy to be back at Washington University with extensive experience teaching French language, literature and culture. He is the director of the new cultural center French conneXions. His ambition is to foster in-depth knowledge and appreciation of French and Francophone cultures so that his students can acquire the intercultural skills necessary to become global citizens.
A first-generation college student himself, he has successfully taught in diverse institutions, from inner-city middle schools in France to the prestigious École Normale Supérieure (ENS), as well as the University of Madison-Wisconsin, and the University of Pennsylvania. In recognition contributions as a professor of French, he was name "Chevalier dans l'ordre des Palmes Académiques" in 2017, the highest recognition from the French ministry of education.
For more about Lionel Cuillé: https://chicago.consulfrance.org/Pr-Lionel-Cuille-Director-of-Centre-Francophone-at-Webster-University-awarded and https://www.studlife.com/news/2023/04/26/choreographer-lena-blou-gives-a-class-and-lecture-on-guadeloupean-gwo-ka-dance-during-visit
