Center
for International
Education and Outreach
215 Schwab Hall
814-472-3339
Email
Mailing Address
Saint Francis University
P.O. Box 600
Loretto, PA
15940-0600
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• Semester in France•
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Click Here for More Images From France
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Overview
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Why Study in France?
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When to Study in France |
Academic Offerings
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Cost
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Points to Remember
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Contact
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Overview
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Beginning in the spring 2008 semester, St. Francis University 's Center for International Education and Outreach will be offering a semester abroad program in France. Students will spend half of the semester living Fontenay aux Roses, a pleasant suburb of Paris. Our facility in the centre ville is adjacent to jogging paths and playing fields. It is 20 minutes by train to the heart of Paris. For the semester's second half, students have a week break, then relocate to to Ambialet in southwestern France. Students will occupy our newly renovated facility, pictured above, in the small rural village. As you will notice, the site is perched on a hilltop overlooking hills, rivers, trees, the village of Ambialet, and of course, the occasional local farmer and cow.
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Why Study in France?
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The reason students continue flocking to Europe is that they can experience first hand what they are studying. Your introduction to art history will include viewing all of Toulouse-Lautrec's paintings in the museum dedicated to him in his birthplace of Albi. Plus you will see the Mona Lisa and many other famous works of art in Paris, visit Van Gogh's studio near Arles, and see Picasso's several museums throughout the region. A history class would take you to Carcassonne —the best preserved medieval city in Europe. A course on pilgrimages will include a visit to Lourdes and the key villages along the pilgrimage route to St. Jacques-de-Compostelle in Spain. The French class in nearby Albi will emphasize how the region's food, culture, and customs are reflected in the language. The international economics course will include a trip to Toulouse , the home of Airbus, which will serve as a case study on the differences between the American and European economic systems. In short, your classroom will not be confined to an indoor room. Instead, your classroom will be Ambialet and France itself.
Studying abroad is a perfect resume builder. As one recent study summarized, “participation in international education prepares students for future careers that involve living, learning, and working with people from other cultures. International education is a vehicle to impact the skills acquired by students, including both the hard (job specific) and soft (personal, adaptability) skills desired by employers.”
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| When To Study in France? |
Students in every major are eligible for the France program upon completion of their first year. Below are sample schedules for most university majors that list which year and term a student could study in France. Note: These are only examples. Students interested in this program must first to speak with their academic advisors about scheduling.
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Fall
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Spring
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Academic Offerings
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French language (up to 6 credits) Fine Arts European Economic Development The Pilgrimage (religious studies)
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While in Paris, the academic focus will be language and culture (including art), plus a weekly economics seminar. Each morning students will have one hour in class focused on language, followed by two hours or more of cultural activities. The range of these activities will be wide and extremely varied. The objective is to maximize your opportunities to learn about Paris and French culture, and improve your language abilities so that you can enjoy yourself when there is no one to translate for you. We will take advantage of the immense range of art museums in Paris and its environs as an integral part of the art history course. There will also be one afternoon per week devoted to the comparative Economics course, which will include presentations at the Franco-American Chamber of Commerce and one or two multinational companies.
In Albi (the nearest city to Ambialet), we will continue with the language/culture course. We will focus on helping you meet students and enjoy activities at the university in Albi, and also on making Albi your second home. We will continue the art history course (with a strong nod to Toulouse-Lautrec, a native of Albi), and the economics course (which will feature Airbus in nearby Toulouse). The primary course in Albi will be the course dealing with religious pilgrimages and the fascinating period (11th-14th Centuries) in the southwest of France that involved the Cathars (a heretical religious sect that was prominent in the region). This is the primary historical foundation of the region, and we will take every advantage of the region’s hilltop towns, fortified castles and cities and spectacular cathedrals and shrines. All of your language, culture, art, and religious studies will come into play in this capstone course. There will be two overnight trips as part of this course.
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Costs
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Students will pay tuition and room and board to SFU using their complete financial aid package (some exceptions may apply). The only additional expense will be airfare and personal spending. Students are also expected to cover their own costs for non-course related travel (mid-semester break, etc.).
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Points to Remember
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Contact:
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Dr. Arthur Remillard, Schwab 215
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814-472-3339
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