Deborah Lee-Ferrand

Deborah Lee-Ferrand, Associate Teaching Professor of French Studies, holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in French Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, as well as an M.A. in English Studies from  Université Montpellier III, Paul Valéry in France. She most recently taught at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, after spending a year at William & Mary as a French House Fellow in 08-09.  

Her research explores the intersections of food and literature, with a focus on France's historical dominance in Francophone culinary and literary traditions.  She investigates how Sub-Saharan African chefs, authors, and journalists resist French hegemony by reclaiming and redefining their cultural heritage.  

Her academic interests include food studies, gender and sexuality, cinema, and Francophone literatures and cultures from the medieval period through the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. At William and Mary, she teaches a wide range of courses, from language instruction to cultural studies.

She was awarded the Most Dedicated Professor Award by Students Services (2019), and was also the recipient of the Thank-A-Teacher Community Impact Award presented by STLI (2025).

At William and Mary, besides appreciating seeing her students grow as people and scholars, she is most passionate about her work as mentor with the FGLI program, and the Posse Foundation as Mentor of Posse 5: Gold Team.

Her work has been published in Nouvelles Études Francophones and The French Review.  She is currently developing an innovative teaching method for language classrooms.