Rate My Professor Ibrahima Wade

Professor Ibrahima Wade is a distinguished faculty member in the French and Hebrew Department at Colorado College, where he holds the position of Professor. He is also affiliated with the Africana Studies program. Wade earned his Ph.D. in 1996 and M.A. in 1991, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His doctoral dissertation, titled Les Formes du dualisme littéraire et socio-culturel en Afrique, was directed by Jean-Philippe Mathy. These advanced degrees underscore his deep expertise in French and Francophone studies.

Wade's research specializations center on Francophone literatures and cultures, encompassing Sub-Saharan Africa, the Maghreb, French Quebec, applied linguistics, introduction to literary analysis, French civilization, cultures and civilizations of French-speaking regions, topics in Francophone literature and culture, themes in Francophone literature, and topics in modern French and Francophone culture. He focuses particularly on Francophone/French/traditional African cultures, French/Caribbean/Quebec studies, and socio-political African issues from historical and contemporary perspectives. Wade facilitates independent readings in French and Wolof, a Senegalese dialect. As Director of the Cultural Studies in Senegal program, he oversees an immersive academic initiative taught on-site in Senegal, providing students with direct engagement in Francophone African contexts. His teaching portfolio includes elementary, intermediate, and advanced French language instruction, alongside literature courses and general studies on socio-political African topics. Currently, Wade is advancing his book project Mémoires Francophones d'Indochine, supported in part by a MacArthur Fellowship. He has been honored as a past recipient of the Robert C. Fox Endowed Professorship, recognizing his broad impact in teaching, scholarship, and service to the college. Wade contributes to institutional governance, serving on the Appeals Board for the Humanities division and as a faculty advisor. His multifaceted career at Colorado College reflects a commitment to bridging linguistic proficiency, cultural immersion, and scholarly inquiry in Francophone worlds.