Celebrating our colleagues: Benjamin McCann
Associate Professor, Benjamin McCann
For Ben McCann, the University of Adelaide not only gave him the opportunity to pursue his love of French studies and cinema, but completely changed his life.
After completing a degree in French and history at Oxford and a PhD in French cinema at Bristol, Ben McCann was very much ingrained in the world of academia by 2003. He got by on tutoring gigs, covering academics for short stints, and working as a casual tutor in his hometown of Liverpool. “I just couldn’t get a full-time job. I would apply, I would get shortlisted, or I’d get down to the final two,” says Ben.
Frustrated, and eager to teach, Ben began looking further afield.
In 2005 he applied for a teaching position at the University of Adelaide and was flown out for a formal interview, where he taught some classes and gave a research seminar.
It was Ben’s first time in Australia, and he soon landed the job.
“The original contract was for three years. So, I thought, let’s enjoy it, and make the most of it in terms of my discipline. I can teach, which is what I love, and I can pursue some research projects and kick-start my career, then let’s see what happens,” says Ben.
“And within six months, I met somebody from Adelaide who I now call my wife, and that kept me here. I’m now coming up on 20 years at the University.”
Starting as a lecturer, Ben soon immersed himself in curriculum development and course design for the French major. He describes his role as a mix of teaching, research, service, and leadership. Even after various promotions and added responsibilities, Ben has always ensured he had time to teach.
"I’ve always felt grounded when I’m in the classroom. If you were to ask me what makes me the happiest, it would be when I’m in front of the students"
Compared to 2005, learning a language now is very different. In the past, a class exercise would have involved opening a French dictionary to find words and their English equivalents, but that’s something students can now do in 20 seconds. These days, Ben gets his students to use the modern-day equivalents, Google Translate and DeepL, to identify errors and inconsistencies.
"You know, the internet can make mistakes," he laughs. "So, I ask the students, are there errors there? Are there inconsistencies? Are there differences in nuance or tone? Phrases, idioms, cultural expressions that you and I might be familiar with, the French equivalent of that may not exist, or maybe they have a completely different idea or concept." Ben believes that students still enrol in the French major for the same reasons they did 20 years ago: they want to travel, use the language meaningfully, pursue careers abroad, have conversations, and be immersed in the culture. Sometimes the motivation of being able to watch a French film without subtitles goes a long way for students.
Ben as a guest speaker at the Adelaide French Film Festival
Having served as a film critic for his student paper and having a PhD in French cinema, it was a natural fit for Ben to develop the Film major in 2019 within the School of Humanities. Prior to this, students interested in the subject had to piece together courses from various departments, but Ben knew the demand was there, and the formation of the course proved to be incredibly popular. "It’s probably one of the fastest-growing majors in the School of Humanities in terms of enrolments," he says.
When diving into films, Ben often asks his students, "How has this movie been put together? What kind of other components help to develop the idea—the story, the music, the acting, the visual style? How is this director or this series of directors approaching these particular social problems or cultural problems or moments in history?" To Ben, it doesn’t matter if it’s a French film or the latest Hollywood release; it’s about unpacking the images on screen, working out the building blocks of the film, and analysing just how these stories are told and what makes them so effective.
With a wealth of film knowledge formed through seeing the work of countless directors and actors, there is a particular Hollywood figure that Ben calls his favourite. "I'm a big Nicolas Cage fan! I've watched every Nicolas Cage film," he says. "Cage's versatility and willingness to take risks, regardless of the film's quality, is something I’ve always loved. He doesn't really care about his reputation or what people think of him, he always feels absolutely committed to that role that he's doing."
Ben celebrating his award win with his children Monty, Marlowe and Cleo
It comes as no surprise that Ben’s passion for academia has led to many accomplishments throughout his career. He has won several teaching awards both nationally and within the University, most recently being recognised by the Australian Awards for University Teaching 2024 for his dedication to improving student experience and learning outcomes.
For Ben, however, the most rewarding part of his role is seeing where his students go with their studies.
In the film major, he’s had students study and intern at the Adelaide Film Festival as part of their coursework who’ve now ended up working for the festival.
As part of his school outreach to promote language learning, Ben often visits high schools and speaks to students in years 9-11 about the benefits of learning a language for their University pursuits. It’s here that he often finds students he taught now teaching French across prestigious high schools in the State.
"I was teaching them 10-15 years ago, and in some respects, they are teaching students what I taught them in a virtuous circle kind of way. Knowing that they are out there teaching the next generation makes me feel really proud," says Ben.
Written and photographed by Isaac Freeman, Communications Officer