Sara French

Sara French serves as Visiting Instructor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) since 2002, with prior teaching appointments at Syracuse University (2006-2018), Wells College (2000-2005), Hobart & William Smith Colleges (1997-1999), and Rochester Institute of Technology (1995-1997).

Her academic credentials include a Ph.D. (2000) and M.A. (1993) from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where her dissertation examined "Women, Space and Power: The Building and Use of Hardwick Hall in Elizabethan England, 1590-1597," and an A.B. magna cum laude from Wells College.

Dr. French's research investigates intersections of gender, spatial power dynamics, and cultural landscapes in early modern Europe, with specialized focus on Elizabethan architecture and garden history. Her scholarship reveals how women like Bess of Hardwick navigated architectural patronage within patriarchal systems, while her American art history work analyzes cultural constructions of landscape through gendered lenses. This interdisciplinary approach bridges landscape architecture, art history, and feminist theory to examine how physical environments reflect and shape social hierarchies.

Analysis of her 2003-2022 publications shows consistent thematic evolution from Elizabethan case studies toward broader examinations of women's historical relationships with gardens and landscapes, demonstrating methodological expansion from architectural history into cultural geography and social history while maintaining core focus on gendered spatial practices.

Her scholarly recognition includes:

• Election to Honor Society of Sigma Lambda Alpha, Nu Chapter (May 2007)
• Book Prize for Collaborative Project (2003) from Society for the Study of Early Modern Women

Dr. French's teaching portfolio spans landscape architecture and art history, including courses on American cultural landscapes, Native North American art, and 19th-century French art. The available documentation indicates no formal graduate student advisement or externally funded research grants. Her professional activities remain centered on teaching and publication without mention of dedicated research laboratories or collaborative teams.