A Penn State professor and former department head has died, a Penn State spokesperson confirmed to Onward State on Wednesday. Bénédicte Monicat was a professor of French and women’s studies and previously led the Department of French and Francophone Studies in the College of Liberal Arts.

Monicat spent the spring 2025 semester teaching FR 22, grammar and composition, FR 596, individual study FR 597, special topic, according to LionPath. She was also a former acting director of the School of Global Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.

Monicat received her bachelor’s degree from Université Sorbonne-Paris IV in 1984, her master’s degree from Maryland in 1986, and her Ph.D. from Maryland in 1990.

According to her biography on Penn State’s College of Liberal Arts’ website, Monicat focused on women’s writings in 19th-century France. She was a published author, with works including “Itinéraires de l’écriture au féminin: voyageuses du 19^e siècle” and “Devoirs d’écriture : modèles d’histoires pour filles et littérature féminine au XIX^e  siècle.”

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Joe Lister

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