(BA, Paris, MA, Grenoble) holds a BA in Chinese Studies and a MA in Didactics of French as a Foreign Language (FLE). After completing his studies at INALCO in Paris and at Capital Normal University in Beijing (北京首都师范大学), Sylvain joined the French programme at HKU in 1995.

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With twenty five years of teaching experience, he is actively involved in all aspects of the French programme from teaching to curriculum development and administration. He is the editor and co-author of several textbooks for learners of French language and culture and has developed various content courses as well as project based learning initiatives. He was awarded the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award for 2016-2017.His research interests include the didactics of language and culture and cultural representation and discourse.

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He acts in several instances as a Faculty board member and Chief Examiner. He joined the SMLC management team in 2009 as a Deputy School Head in charge of outreach and development.

As the director of the French programme at HKU, he is committed to the continued development of a sound academic programme of French studies that responds to the expectations of the University's community.

(BA, Grenoble, MA, Lyon, PhD, dual programme Paris and Turku). A former student at the University of Lyon (Université Louis Lumière Lyon 2), Valérie holds a Master's degree in School Management, Education and Cooperation and a B.A in the Teaching of French as a Foreign Language (FLE).
 

After her first studies in psychology and speech therapy in France, she went on to further studies in a field that could combine teaching and travel. From the year 2000 onwards, she taught in France, Switzerland, Croatia and eventually settled down in Hong Kong in 2005. Valérie Martinez took her teaching position in the French programme at HKU in January 2006. Since then, Valérie has been teaching various courses in French and in English and has contributed to curriculum development as well as co-ordinating credit-bearing courses and non credit-bearing programmes.
 

Lately, Valérie Martinez has obtained a PhD in Language and Culture Education with distinction and Magna Cum Laude. Her doctoral thesis is a multi-disciplinary dissertation on academic mobility and interculturality between Hong Kong and France : Construction de l’Est et de l’Ouest : vers des compétences interculturelles? Un exemple de recherche à Hong-Kong en situation de mobilité académique (University of Turku, Humanoria, 2016). http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-29-6339-3
 

Her research areas focus on academic mobility, virtual mobility, study abroad, interculturalism/interculturality, and discourse analysis. Dr Martinez is interested in enhancing equity and dialogue through education.

Benoit holds three master degrees specialized in Aesthetics from the University of Montpellier, Didactics of French as a Foreign Language (FLE) from the University of Burgundy, and in International Business from Grenoble École de Management. He is currently a PhD candidate in French Studies at the University of Birmingham. His research area focuses on the intersection of Philosophy, Art theory and Literary studies, and more particularly on the works of Gilles Deleuze, Marcel Proust and Pierre Bonnard. He also studied at Kyoto University, where he has developed a strong interest in Asian cultures and civilizations. 

 

Benoit has taught French language and culture in several major universities in Hong Kong since 2010. In January 2014, he joined the French programme at the University of Hong Kong, where he has taught core language courses at all levels and is the coordinator for the year-2 language courses. He has also developed and taught several elective courses exploring French culture and society with an interdisciplinary approach. He is particularly keen to promote the study of French literature and the visual arts, and the connections between them. More specifically, his course “Painters and writers in Modern France” is aiming at developing students’ analytical, appreciative and expressive skills through art and literature.

 

Benoit also earned a French Wine Scholar certification. He has developed and taught an undergraduate course investigating the cultural dimensions of French wine and encouraging the active engagement of students through various experiential learning activities.

Julienne Chin (BA, Paris, MA, Paris) holds a BA in Applied Foreign Languages English and Chinese and a MA in teaching French as a Foreign Language (FLE). In the final year of her BA, went on exchange at Nottingham, in the UK which led her to pursue a MA in teaching French.
 

Julienne settled in Hong Kong in 2014. She started teaching at the University of Hong Kong while she was writing her MA thesis on the use of English in teaching learning French as a foreign language. In the past few years. she taught a variety of courses in the French programme, ranging from French courses for secondary schools to undergraduate language courses.
 

In addition to her interests for languages (she is a native French and Cantonese speaker), she is also fond of music and loves to share her passion by using French songs in her teaching.
 

David Robert (MA, Limoges, MA, Grenoble). After graduating in English Language and Civilizations at the University of Limoges, David completed a Master in Teaching French as a Foreign Language (FLE) while getting a first experience as a teacher in England.

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Since first moving here in 2005, David taught French at every level in various schools and universities, as well as renown French and international companies and banks. He split the last 5 years working between Hong Kong and Japan, including teaching core language courses and practice groups at HKU during the academic year 2014-2015.

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David’s research interest range from business French and cross-cultural interactions in the workplace, to historical French settlements both in Hong Kong and North America.

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David is also a certified examiner for French international examinations T.C.F and T.E.F.