Emily Wieder is completing her M.A. in French and Francophone Studies and plans to earn her Ph.D. in the same subject at the University of Iowa as well. Interested in the intersections between feminism and Surrealism, Emily is specializing in 20th-cenutry French literature. Her current project branches into gender performativity, focusing on the Jewish, androgynous photographer Claude Cahun. Emily first encountered Cahun’s work while studying abroad in France (2017-2018). Then in her last year of undergraduate studies (B.A. in French and History, Elizabethtown College, 2019), Emily analyzed some of Cahun’s photographs and political tracts for an honors thesis. In addition to informing her current project, this ongoing interest in Cahun led to a brief presentation at the virtual Journée des doctorants [Postgraduate Symposium] organized by the Association for French and Francophone Studies in Ireland (September 2020). To take a break from studying, Emily enjoys attending the Rec Center’s fitness classes, participating in COGS, and immersing herself in Iowa City’s vibrant community.