Updated: April 15, 2013

Curriculum Vitae:  David A. Ross

Education and Teaching Experience:

Ph.D. in French, UCLA (1973). Diss. Topic: The Early Career of Etienne de Silhouette based on Fulbright supported doctorate research conducted in Paris and London (1967-68).

University studies in Bordeaux, France (1962-63); Lisbon, Portugal (Summer 1963); Guadalajara, Mexico (Spring 1976).

Professor of French at California State University, Fresno:1968-2009. Emeritus professor since 2008. Adjunct Professor of Portuguese at Fresno City College 2009-2012.

Teaching history: French language, literature and culture, all levels; beginning Portuguese; beginning Spanish.

Scholarly Publications:

  1. Ross, David, editor (Introductory essay of 28 pages, cultural notes, glosses in English, a full French & English glossary at end). Candide, ou l’optimisme by Voltaire. Newark, Del: European Masterpieces, Molière and Company, February, 2007. ISBN 978-1-58977-038-6. Reviewed by Florian Vauléon in French Review 82.2 (2008) 446-448.
  2. Ross, David. "Madame Souza’s Casa Portuguesa in France: the PortugueseElement in Sylvain Chomet’s Multicultural, Animated Film, Les Triplettes de Belleville (2003)." Tradições Portuguesas in Honor of Claude Hulet. Ed. Francisco Cota Fagundes and Irene Maria F. Blayer. San José California: Portuguese Heritage Publications of California, Inc., 2007. 463-477. ISBN 0-9789994-1-X.
  3. Ross, David. "L’Abbé Vertot’s Influence on Perceptions of Portugal and the Portuguese during the Period of the Enlightenment," Encrucilhadas/Crossroads. Symposium on Portuguese Traditions. UCLA. 8(2008), 74-80.
  4. Ross, David, editor (Introductory essay of 23 pages, cultural notes, glosses in English, a full French & English glossary at end). Eugénie Grandet by Honoré de Balzac. Newark, Del: European Masterpieces, Molière and Company, May, 2011. ISBN 978-1-58977-079-9.

Recent Scholarly Presentations:

  1. A French Visitor to the Court of John V in 1729,” UCLA, XXIX Symposium on Portuguese Traditions, April 2006;”
  2. “A Candid Rendez-Vous with Reality in Voltaire’s Masterpiece, Candide or, optimism,” see accompanying PowerPoint presentation, L’Alliance Française de Sacramento, October 2007;
  3. “The Image of Portugal in Diderot’s Encyclopédie,” see accompanying PowerPoint presentation, XXXI Symposium on Portuguese Traditions, April 2008.
  4. "The Biography of a model, Enlightened Monarch: Portugal's Joseph I in the 1777 Supplément to Diderot's Encyclopédie." Accompanying presentation script. XXXII Symposium on Portuguese Traditions held at UCLA on April 18-19, 2009.
  5. "Subversive and Educational Goals in Diderot's Encyclopédie: Monumental Masterpiece of the Enlightenment." California State University, Fresno, April 30, 2009. Co-sponsors were: l’Alliance Française de Fresno, and the Deans of Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Madden Library. Accompanying presentation script.
  6. "The Image of Portugal in Voltaire's Historical Works." XXXIII Symposium on Portuguese Traditions held at UCLA April 17-18, 2010. Accompanying presentation script.

Additional Recent Presentations:

  1. "Valores americanos fundacionales," a PowerPoint presentation prepared at the request of Dr. Alfredo Cuellar for presentation at CSU Fresno on July 28, 2008 to nine doctorate candidates from Tamaulipas, Mexico. Accompanying presentation script.
  2. “Lisbon and Portuguese World,” a Powerpoint Presentation prepared for the Weekly International Coffee Hour held October 7, 2008 at CSU Fresno. Accompanying presentation script.
  3. "Values," a PPT assisted lecture made to 100 Smittcamp Honors College Students on the CSU Fresno campus February 12, 2009 at the invitation of Dr. Stephen Rodemeyer, Director of the Honors College. Accompanying presentation script and commentary.
  4. "From Spanish to Portuguese," a PPT lecture presented as a workshop for instructors of Spanish attending the Central Valley Foreign Language Association Conference held at Fresno City College October 17, 2009.
  5. “An Introduction to the Enlightenment,” a PPT presentation lecture presented to Kathleen Crawford’s British Isles history students at Fresno City College on April 4, 2013. Accompanying Presentation Commentary.

Positions of Leadership at CSU Fresno:

Principal responsibilities: 1.  Planning for, and implementation in Fall Semester 2007 of, modifications in the course master syllabus established by a “Task Force” and communicated by Drs. Dennis Nef and Linda Gannaway;  2. The identification of 15 (one per week) guest lecturers to present large lecture sessions, and instructors to teach some 30 individual sections twice weekly;  3. The preparation of an Orientation to University One Workshop for instructors scheduled to be held one week prior to the beginning of classes;  4. The development of new course and instructor assessment and evaluation instruments;  5. The establishment of a library of teaching materials for use by University One instructors; 6. Author of “Advice to new Undergraduates.”

Taught two classes per semester, oversaw 14.5 full-time faculty, 30 part-time employees, two staff members, student assistants, advised students concerning foreign language majors and credentials, including during summers without adequate remuneration, wrote reports, oversaw budget, oversaw class schedules and staffing each semester, oversaw the evaluation of faculty by peers and by students; chaired regular departmental meetings, coordinated French and Spanish Sections, served two years as MA Spanish Graduate Program Coordinator and Advisor, served on students' thesis committees (MA English and MA Spanish), oversaw RTP and search committees, served as mentor to a new tenure-track faculty member in Spanish, revised department’s catalog copy and various brochures and fliers, and the Informational Guide for MA Spanish Students; participated in numerous recruitment events on and off campus. Attended CSU Foreign Language Council (FLC) Meetings on a regular basis. Attended two CSU technology workshops, and two Assessment workshops. In 2003-04 accepted invitations from Departments of Modern and Classical Languages at both CSULA and at CSUN to serve as panel member to review their respective programs. Authored the Self-Studies for 2004-05 reviews of the BA French and BA, MA Spanish programs.

Oversaw graduate admissions and evaluations staff, supervised and participated in graduate student recruitment, admissions, degree evaluations; advised graduate students; maintained liaison with 43 graduate program coordinators; reviewed graduate curriculum proposals; developed and implemented new curricula, policies and procedures; wrote annual reports; was special consultant to the CSU Fresno/UCD Joint Doctoral Program during the establishment of the program; co-authored with Dr. Vivian A. Vidoli, Graduate Dean, CSU Fresno, many highly competitive, successful, graduate minority and women participation education federal grants such as the Ronald N. McNair Program, and assisted in the management of these grants; represented the Graduate Division on various university, state-wide and national committees, including the Joint UC/CSU Annual Minority Recruitment Graduate Fair Organizational Committee, and as secretary of the National Graduate Minority and Women Education Committee associated with the  Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship Program that was funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Other University Service:

Community Service: