| February 13, 2026
Adapted from an article published by the UCLA College of Humanities. Read the full story here.
As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, Ryan Schaller wrote an honors thesis on literary narratives by second-generation Maghrebi immigrants in France and Spain. Now that he’s a UCLA doctoral candidate in the Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies, that experience continues to inform his scholarship.
“Though my project has changed considerably since then, I do see thematic connections between my undergraduate research and my dissertation on the impact of colonialism on contemporary culture and society, the movement of people and cultural objects across borders, and more,” said Schaller, whose focus is French and Francophone studies.
Schaller is one of six advanced doctoral students selected to design and teach a research-based undergraduate course this spring through the Collegium of University Teaching Fellows. The program, administered by the UCLA Teaching and Learning Center, gives undergraduates hands-on experience in their academic disciplines while also preparing graduate students for future teaching careers.
Schaller’s course, “Old Photos, New Stories: Empire and the Afterlives of Images” will invite students to examine works of fiction, film and photography to consider the cultural and political impact of colonial-era imagery on the francophone world. They will choose between completing an analytical research paper or a photography-inspired creative project.
“Regardless of whether or not students wish to pursue research beyond their undergraduate program, course-based research opportunities allow students to take ownership of the material they learn about in class,” Schaller said. “This may give them a chance to personalize their studies in ways not typically offered in other GE courses.”
Schaller was one of two teaching fellows selected from the Humanities Division.