LEWISTON — The Franco-American Collection at the University of Southern Maine Libraries & Learning is offering a free community class taught by local educator Camden Martin.
The class is set for 5:30 p.m. from Thursday, Jan. 23, to Thursday, Feb. 27, at the University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn campus, 15 Westminster St. The class will discuss the history of New France, Franco-American New England and Franco-American Lewiston-Auburn.
There is no fee for the programs, which are made possible by the Québec Delegation in Boston and by TV5MONDE.
This course will provide a broad overview of European colonization of the Saint Lawrence River valley during the French regime. It will then explore the British conquest of New France to better understand 19th-century French Canadian society, according to a news release from FAC archivist Anna Faherty.
The course will also delve into the economic and social factors behind the mass exodus of French Canadians to New England. Finally, it will examine how French Canadians adapted to life as Franco-Americans while preserving their language, faith and customs in Lewiston-Auburn and across New England for nearly a century.
Martin was born in Lewiston, grew up in Auburn and attended Edward Little High School until his sophomore year, when he left to attend the Lycée Albert Camus in Nîmes, France. After graduating from both Edward Little and Lycée Albert Camus, Martin took a year’s sabbatical, during which time he worked in French Language customer service and studied environmental protection at the Cégep Saint Félicien in Québec, Canada.
Upon returning to Maine, he worked at Museum L-A, now known as Maine MILL, before becoming the French teacher/director of enrollment at Saint Dominic Academy. Martin has been involved in promoting the French language across Maine for numerous years. He is a board member of the Franco-American Collection at USM, the Alliance Française du Maine and the Maine Franco-American Genealogical Society.
To register visit usm.maine.edu.
For more information, contact Faherty at [email protected] or 207-753-6545.
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