Faculty & Staff

Dorothee Polanz, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor of French
Phone: 570-372-4505
Email: polanz@susqu.edu
Office Location: Bogar Hall Rm 216
Office Hours: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., MWF

Academic Credentials:
PHD, Univ of Maryland College Park
MA, Univ of Maryland College Park
MA, Universite de Strasbourg
BA, Universite de Lorraine

A French native with a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, Polanz has extensive teaching experience at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum, having worked for the past 10 years at the Middlebury College French School, the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, Trinity University, George Mason University, Catholic University and NOVA. Her major specialty areas for teaching are contemporary French civilization, theater and literature of the 18th and 19th centuries, French in the business world, and advanced writing/composition.

Polanz’s research interests range from the 18th-century French libertine novel, engravings and illustrations, Orientalism in the visual arts, decadence to performance studies, and pop culture. Her dissertation "Theatricality (théâtralité): analysis of a critical notion across three media: the novel, painting and cinema (18th, 19th and 20th Centuries)" under the direction of Hervé Campangne (UMD) with Christian Biet (Université Paris-Ouest/Nanterre, France) proposes a definition of the concept and explores elements of theatre in libertine novels of the 18th century, Orientalist paintings of the 19th century and in a selection of Renoir's movies as well as Rohmer's Perceval. She published several articles on Sade and is currently working on the figure of Marie Antoinette in pop culture, mostly outside of France. Her work on movies includes "Comment adapter les œuvres de Sade? Le point de vue d'un maître espagnol de l'érotisme et de l'horreur : entretien avec Jesus Franco Manera" in Filmer le dix-huitième siècle (Paris, Desjonquieres, 2009) and "Sade au prisme du cinéma étranger" in Oxford University Press’ Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century (SVECS 2010).

Polanz has collaborated with Guy Spielmann (Georgetown University) on several projects including a critical edition (Paris, Lampsaque, 2006) of 18th-century French plays (parades), which was developed with the SapassoussakasS Theatre Company. The company has performed in Canada, Tunisia, England, America and France and trained students in the specific 18th-century parades style of acting. Polanz leads workshops and plays the characters of Léandre and Isabelle. She has directed plays and creations for the past 13 years, in Europe and in the United States, using commedia del'arte techniques (such as masks, puppets and dance) and cabaret-style acting. As an actress, Polanz is interested in improvisation, Grand Guignol techniques and mime.

Courses:

• FRNC-102 Beginning French II
• FRNC-201 Intermediate French I
• FRNC-202 Intermediate French II
• FRNC-301 Advanced Conversation and Phonetics
• FRNC-310 French/Francophon Lit & Cultural Study
• FRNC-460 Seminar French Literature/Culture/Film