Twenty-four high school French teachers from across the United States are on campus this summer for a five-week "Summer Institute on La Francophonie: A Study of the Literature and Cultural Geography of French-speaking West Africa."

The institute, which wraps up July 31, focuses on Senegal, and teachers will study and discuss the texts of major West African Francophone, or French-speaking, authors dealing with historical experiences and current situations in West Africa, with an emphasis on Senegal.

University experts in the field from Arizona, Wisconsin, Stanford, Texas A&M and the University of Virginia are joining local experts on the French-speaking world to discuss novels, poetry, plays and short stories to gain insight on colonialism, independence, and biculturalism and bilingualism in West Africa.

During their stay, participants in the institute will spend a weekend in Washington, D.C., visiting the Islamic Center and the National Museum of African Art, and learning more about West Africa through briefings at the embassies of France, Senegal and Cote d'Ivore. On July 14, they travel to Dakar, Senegal, where they will meet some of the authors of their texts and Senegalese scholars.

The program, which is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, was designed by Christine Drake, professor of geography and the project director. Irene d'Almeida of the University of Arizona is leading the literature section of the institute.

The 24 teachers attending the institute were selected from more than 50 who applied.

"The teachers will return greatly enriched and better equipped to share what they have learned and experienced, both with their own students and, through workshops, with colleagues in the states from which they come," Drake said.