Dr. Kris Aric Knisely (PhD, Emory University, French and Educational Studies, 2015) is Assistant Professor of French and Intercultural Competence in the Department of French and Italian at the University of Arizona. He is also a faculty member of the Secold Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT) Graduate Interdisciplinary Program and is a member of the Trans Studies Research Cluster (TSRC). 

His primary line of research focuses on gender and sexuality in sites of language teaching, learning, and use. In a secondary line of research, he explores educational technology and teacher education as they relate to language education. Dr. Knisely has published in the fields of applied linguistics, CALL, cultural studies, education, and measurement. You can find details for many of his publications both here and below.

His current project investigates the linguistic practices of nonbinary French language users, building on his previous work on learner identities and gendered language attitudes. The primary objective of this project is to describe how nonbinary gender identities can be expressed in a grammatically binary language in order to develop a resources for supporting non-binary students of French as a second or additional language.

Dr. Knisely has a broad range of teaching interests including French language, linguistics, intercultural communication, gender and sexuality, and education, among others.

Recent Publications

Knisely, K. (2022). A Starter Kit for Rethinking TGNC Representation and Inclusion in French L2 Classrooms. In E.N. Meyer & E. Hoft-March (Eds.) Teaching Diversity and Inclusion: Examples from a French-Speaking Classroom. Routledge. 22-33. [Access via UA Libraries] [View via Publisher's Site]

Knisely, K. and Paiz, J.M. (2021) Bringing Trans, Non-binary, and Queer Understandings to Bear in Language Education. Critical Multilingualism Studies. 9(1), 23-45. [View Open-Access via Publisher's Site] 

Knisely, K. (2021). L/G/B and T: Queer Excisions, Entailments, and Intersections. In J. M. Paiz & J. E. Coda (Eds.) Intersectional Perspectives on LGBTQ+ Issues in Modern Language Teaching and Learning. Palgrave Macmillan. 153-182. [Access via UA Libraries] [View via Publisher's Site] 

Knisely, K. (2020). Le français non-binaire: linguistic forms used by non-binary speakers of French. Foreign Language Annals. 53(4), 850-876. doi: 10.1111/flan.12500 [View via Publisher's Site] [View Open-Access Read Only Version] 

Knisely, K. (2020). “How do you say the singular they in French?”: How non-binary people are adapting the French language. OASIS Summary of Knisely (2020). Le français non-binaire: linguistic forms used by non-binary speakers of French. Foreign Language Annals. 53(4). 1-27. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12500. https://oasis-database.org/concern/summaries/np1939428?locale=en

Knisely, K. (2020). Subverting the culturally unreadable: Understanding the self-positioning of non-binary speakers of French. The French Review. 94(2), 149-168.

Knisely, K. (2020). Read this realness: How non-binary people are taking up and subverting cultural and linguistic spaces in French. OASIS Summary of Knisely (2020). Subverting the culturally unreadable: Understanding the self-positioning of non-binary speakers of French. The French Review. 94(2). 149-168. https://oasis-database.org/concern/summaries/2227mp912?locale=en 

Knisely, K. and Gorham, J. (2019). Systems in Need of Activism: Considering the Effects of Segregation and Policy on French and U.S. Primary and Secondary Education. The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association.

Knisely, K. (2018). Intégration des réseaux sociaux dans les cours de langue: justifications et mises en garde. The French Review. 92(1), 97-111.

Knisely, K. and Wind, S. (2017). Developing a Survey to Explore Sense of Belongingness related to Language Learning Using Rasch Measurement Theory. Pensamiento Educativo. 54(2), 1-20. [English version].

Knisely, K. and Wind, S. (2017). Desarrollando un cuestionario exploratorio de la sensación de pertenencia relacionado al aprendizaje de idiomas utilizando la teoría de medición educacional de Rasch. Pensamiento Educativo. 54(2), 1-20. DOI 10.7764/PEL.54.2.2017.2 [Spanish version].

Knisely, K. (2017). Exploring the role of culture in the formation of French language ideologies among US post-secondary students. Contemporary French Civilization 42(2), 189-210.

Knisely, K. (2016). Language Learning and the Gendered Self: The Case of French and Masculinity in a US Context. Gender and Language 10(2), 216-239.

Zorko, D., Alkhas, A. and Knisely, K. (2015). Should we go high or low? A few tips on using and choosing technology wisely. The Voice of WAFLT: A Wisconsin Association of Foreign Language Teachers Publication.

Knisely, K. and Wind, S. (2015). Gendered language attitudes: Exploring language as a gendered construct using Rasch measurement theory. Journal of Applied Measurement 16(1), 95-112.

Recent Courses

FREN 160A1 The French Speaking World

FREN 280 Introduction to French Language, Linguistics, and Culture

FREN 301 Pronunciation and Conversation

FREN 498 Capstone