Ellen Welch

Ellen Welch is a Professor of French at the University of North Carolina. Her research focuses on French literature and culture of the Ancien Régime, particularly theater, performing arts, and the intersection of literature with global engagements. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania (2008) and teaches courses on French literature, including undergraduate offerings like FREN 315 (Imposteur!) and graduate seminars on topics such as 'News, Media, and Culture in 17th-Century France.'

Her first book, A Taste for the Foreign, examines exoticism in early French novels, while her most recent work A Theater of Diplomacy (2017) explores how theater mediated France’s diplomatic relations. Current research investigates 'noise' in 17th- and 18th-century literature through media studies and acoustics.

• Major Awards: ACLS Ryskamp Fellowship, National Humanities Center Fellowship
• Collaborations: Co-convener of the Triangle French History and Culture Seminar

Professor Welch has advised multiple graduate students, including Diana Garcia on visual poetics and Andrew Gard on 17th-century French theater. Her work bridges literary analysis with interdisciplinary approaches to cultural history, emphasizing diplomatic interactions and media studies.