Professor Catherine McKenna and Dr. Natacha Sumner from Harvard University visited Rennes 2 this week as part of an agreement between the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures at Harvard and Rennes 2.  

Coordinated by Hervé le Bihan and Stefan Moal of Rennes 2’s Department of Breton and Celtic Studies, the Harvard professors participated in lectures for Rennes 2 students and staff and meetings with the management team. Professor McKenna’s lecture centered on Middle Welsh prose tales, 11th-13th c., dealing with Celtic legends and mythology, while Mrs Sumner presented on "North American Gaels: Gaelic literature in the North American diaspora". Their time in Rennes also included visits to the ancient collection of the Champs Libres and the Museum of Brittany. Discussions with staff at Rennes 2’s International Office were also fruitful as the two universities agreed to a student mobility program at the doctoral level.

Similarly, faculty members from the Munster Business School were also welcomed this week in an effort to strengthen ties with two different Rennes 2 departments. Professor Bert Kiel, Head of the Master’s degree program in Management and Sales, and Cathrin Ruppe, Head of the Languages Department, met with their Rennes 2 counterparts: Julien Bouillé, Head of the Master’s degree program Management & International Marketing and Dr. Laurie Bereau, International Coordinator at the Languages Faculty. Cathrin Ruppe was able to observe several classes taught in the Applied Languages department and visit our digital humanities centre. Colleagues from Rennes and Munster are hoping to set up online collaboration between French and German students through the medium of English.