Conversations with Limoges Students

October 16, 2020

Today, a group of Xavier students participated in a discussion with students at the Université de Limoges (France) on the upcoming U.S. Presidential election. This event was organized by Karim Tiro (Professor of History, Xavier) and Saïd Ouaked (Deputy Dean for International Relations, Univ. de Limoges). Two French and Francophone studies majors took part in the conversation. Paige Lumpkin (French and Francophone studies/Chemical Sciences) and Hunter Ellis (French and Francophone studies/PPP). See their take on the conversation below:

Paige

"I believe the conversation went very well. We discussed many topics on the political discussion. Some of which include how one goes about to vote (mail in or in person), how to choose a candidate or president, why are there only two parties when there’s multiple ones in France, and whether it’s right to switch political parties. I learned a little bit about the French style of politics as well. It is very similar to the US, but with some minor differences. One example is that there is no mail in voting, but others can vote for you if you’re not able to vote."

Hunter

"It was so enlightening to engage in a discussion with many students from the Université de Limoges. We shared our experiences with the election formats of our respective countries, which somewhat resemble each other, yet are also very different. One thing I learned from the discussion was, in France—just like in the United States—a vote in an election is sometimes a vote against a certain candidate as opposed to a vote supporting one. I also learned from the French students something Americans may not consider—when voting for a president, our choice not only influences the next four years of the United States, but also the whole world.”