Sophie Degât

Lecturer in Foreign Languages, French

Email: sdegat@sas.upenn.edu  |  Phone: 215-898-1215

Dr. Sophie Degât is a Lecturer in Foreign Languages at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in French. A native of Paris, she joined the Lauder Institute in 2018 as Faculty Lead for the French–Europe Summer Immersion and came on board full-time in 2021 as French–Europe Faculty.

She received her Doctorate in Educational Linguistics from Penn’s Graduate School of Education, completing a dissertation titled “Le théâtre nous donne la force de parler”: An ethnography of theatre practices in one center offering literacy classes for migrants in France. In 2025, she was awarded the Educational Linguistics International Award of Penn GSE. She also holds an M.S.Ed. in Intercultural Communication from Penn GSE; a Master of Science in Management & Business Administration from ESSEC Business School together with a Law degree from the Université de Cergy-Pontoise; and a Master of Arts in Specialized Business and Legal English Translation from Université Paris X (Nanterre).

At Penn, Dr. Degât has taught all levels of French and oversees the business French curriculum, designing and teaching two courses. She is also in charge of the partnership with the Paris Chamber of Commerce for Professional French certification.

Her research and pedagogical work have been presented at international conferences, including the Northeast Association for Language Learning and Technology (NEALLT), the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the Linguistic Society of America (LSA), and the Ethnography in Education Research Forum. She has extensive experience training and supporting foreign language instructors, both at Penn and for the Fulbright Program, and contributes to academic service as a pre-major advisor and advisory board member of the Penn Family Center.