2019 MA French Studies
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Jordon Bell
Program
2019 Graduate – MA, French Studies
Why I Chose Guelph...
I originally entered the University of Guelph with the intention to complete my BA in Psychology, and thus to become a psychologist. I was a member of the University of Guelph Football Team. After an injury, I was able to explore my academic interest more. After taking a 2nd-year French course, I refound my passion for languages and literature. I finished my BA in French Studies. I choose to stay for many reasons, the primary being the close-knit feeling in the department as well as opportunities to be a TA.
About My Advisor...
My relationship with Prof. Clive Thomson is one that I have cherished and will sincerely miss. It has been wonderful to have him as a supervisor. He encouraged me to ask questions, whether it be relating to my own research or more on how academia functions and what to expect as I advance in the field. He challenged me on my motivations so that I could better understand them myself, which in turn helped me to pick a topic that interested me.
About the City...
I am originally from Toronto, so the calm of Guelph was easily welcomed. The city itself has been extremely warm and welcoming. There are a ton of opportunities for students to work and volunteer and build their resume while enjoying, contributing to their University experience.
How will my work Improve Life...
My research focused on the French thinker and writer Albert Camus. In his work, he describes the question of suicide to be the most serious of all philosophical questions. He explores the question of suicide - whether life is worth living or not - outside the context of mental health. My research focused on how his work can continue to help us to look at suicide outside of mental health. More concretely, how our own personal values conflict with those of our social milieu and the psychological corollaries. My hope is to aid in the effort of alleviating the stigma surrounding suicide by showing how thoughts of suicide can be more widespread then we have come to know it.
My Future Plans...
I am going to the University of Montreal to study Philosophy. As my current research is founded on philosophical concepts, I thought it better suited for philosophical investigation. I am, however, not leaving my French Studies behind as the University of Montreal is a francophone university. I am very excited because I will still be able to continue mastering the French language while mastering my own research. This, I can say, would not have been possible without the French Program at Guelph