Youenn Kervennic, a native of France, earned his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary French Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, in 1997. His dissertation is entitled: "Le Pays bigouden: création et évolution de l'image d'une région". (The Bigouden Country: creation and evolution of the image of a region of Brittany)
At Brown, he teaches language classes with an emphasis on culture and civilization, and travels. He is the author of a novel "L'appel de la mer", which received an award from the French "Académie de Marine", and travel story "Le routard en smoking blanc". He is currently finishing a short novel "La tonne".
For the Fall semester 2017, he is on scholarly leave.