your kru members
Dr. Kristen Gunderson
American. Ph.D. in Modern French Studies, University of Maryland, 2019. In addition to her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French studies, she holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She has taught French language and literature courses at the University of Maryland in the United States, and English, communication, and academic skills courses at the University of Nice (various campuses) and IPAG Business School in Nice, France. She has even taught French literature to French students in French as part of a pilot literature program at IPAG.
While at the University of Maryland, she was invited to present her collaborative teaching practices at several teaching conferences. She also designed teaching tools that were adopted school-wide and are still in use at the university today. KRU intensive courses are adapted from popular courses she taught at UMD.
When Kristen is not teaching she can be found outdoors, cycling and hiking, and enjoying good French wines!
Dr. Ruth Kitchen
British. Ph.D. in French Studies, University of Leeds, 2011. For three years following her Ph.D., Ruth assisted with teacher training and research on teaching and learning, critical thinking, and reflective practice in the School of Education at University of Leeds. In 2013, she left to take up the position of Assistant Professor in French Studies at Cardiff University (2013-2016), where she taught French language and translation at the undergraduate level, alongside lecturing on French culture. Ruth also worked in French language during her two-year Marie Curie Research Fellowship at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris (2014-2016), where she delivered graduate-level research seminars, presented a lecture series and published academic papers.
Ruth moved to the Riviera in summer 2016, and currently lectures at three institutions: Sciences Po, IPAG Business School and International University of Monaco. Alongside her academic pursuits, Ruth is a leadership and empowerment coach.
She is also a keen yogini and meditator and loves hiking in the mountains.
In sum:
Our degree specialization is in teaching French language and culture to non-native speakers, although we teach subjects ranging from English to communication to academic skills. Together we have a combined 28 years adult teaching experience and a passion for second-language teaching. We also work as tour guides in Nice, focusing on history, cycling, food, and wine.