Spence News
Sign Up for Spence’s Language and Culture Institute Classes This Fall
For the second time, The Spence School is offering classes to parents, alumnae, parents of Spence alumnae, present and former faculty and staff, and community members through its Language and Culture Institute on the topic of freedom of expression.
“Freedom of Expression: What Is At Stake?” will be offered this fall, once a week, for seven weeks. Instructor Anne Protoppapas, a French teacher at Spence, will delve into French-Arab-American cross-cultural perspectives on freedom of expression. Some of the topics of discussion include the events surrounding the French and U.S. elections, Charlottesville and the Charlie Hebdo attack.
Students who took the first pilot class last year are invited to take the follow-up course, “Freedom of Expression: Protecting the ‘Speech We Hate’ or Protecting ‘Hate Speech.’” This class will build on concepts from the first course and will touch on recent events related to Title IX, Google, Charlottesville and the NFL’s foray into freedom of expression.
To see the full course listings and to register for a class, please visit the Institute’s website.
Below are some of the testimonials from students who took the pilot class:
The experience was eye-opening and thoroughly refreshing—a group of adults of various ages and backgrounds had a stressless conversation over the course of several weeks, with ardor and candor. It is easier to have these loaded discussions in the context of a classroom, with a wise professor guiding the way. We left abuzz with lots of interesting ideas to think about.
This class was incredible! I have never had the opportunity to closely compare our American interpretation of freedom of expression with that of the French. This course has given me a larger perspective on the issues, and I will be seeking out as much of the referenced material as possible over the summer months.
I have made many attempts to learn the French language from classes at Alliance Francaise, but none of the classes I took at fiaf taught me what I learned through this class, namely "frenchness:" how the French think, their intellectual history and how that thinking shapes their culture. This knowledge led me to comprehend that my "truths" are not universal but are shaped, as in France, by how I was raised in the United States and the cultural history I inherited. I am so very grateful for this opportunity to stretch my mind, and I could not be prouder of Spence for standing behind their motto: "not for school but for life we learn."
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A K-12 independent school in New York City, The Spence School prepares a diverse community of girls and young women for the demands of academic excellence and responsible citizenship.
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© 2025 Spence School
212-289-5940
© 2025 Spence School
