Federica Franze

Federica Franzè received her Laurea in Foreign Languages and Literatures from the University of Urbino and her Ph.D. in Literature from Rutgers University. She is currently a Senior Lecturer at Columbia University and one of the Directors of the language program. She has published extensively for Italian language educators and has designed both language and culture courses. In addition to foreign language pedagogy, her research focuses on the cinema and literature of migration, and critical refugee and forced displacement studies.

Committed to refugee and immigrant advocacy, she completed a Master’s degree in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies at the University of London in 2021. She has conducted research on integration projects for asylum seekers and refugees in Italy, and on the Humanitarian Corridors - an alternative legal pathway of resettlement and model of solidarity.

She engages in both research and practice, working with communities, advocating for marginalized voices, and cultivating spaces for collaboration and inclusive learning. For years, she has been volunteering in both Italy and the U.S., assisting refugees and immigrants through various stages of the integration process. She currently serves as the Research and Outreach Team Supervisor at the PPSC Refugee Support Project.