Summer Paris Program
Intermediate French Language, History, and Culture

Please note: Study abroad programs sponsored by the undergraduate College of the University of Chicago are open to University of Chicago students only. Applications from outside the University are not accepted.

    


Techno Dance at Place Bastille
Mariel Fernandez '08
General Description:
The College's eight-week Summer Paris program, in the political and cultural capital of France, is devoted to intensive French language instruction at an advanced level. The program runs from mid-June to early August and consists of three courses. Two of these are advanced French language courses; the third course, taught in French, treats some aspect of French culture (literature, history, theater, art, etc.). For pedagogical reasons the two language courses are taught intensively at the beginning of the program, "front-loading" language skills that will be useful in the French culture course. The culture course then is compressed into the last three weeks of the program (weeks six through eight) while the language courses continue at a less intensive pace. Normally the last week of the program consists of an extended excursion to a site outside Paris that is associated with the subject of the culture course. Apart from this longer site visit, the program also includes a number of smaller excursions in and around Paris (including perhaps trips to the Opera, the Comédie Française, various museums, historical sites, etc.). All instruction is of course in French. For a virtual tour of Paris, visit http://paris.arounder.com/.

Center in Paris
Headquarters for all of the College's programs in Paris is the University of Chicago Center in Paris. The Chicago Center in Paris builds upon the University's long association with various Parisian institutions, as well as its eminence, recognized by the French government, in interdisciplinary scholarship related to France. It acts as a gathering place for undergraduates, graduate researchers, and alumni as well as a site for lectures, conferences, and receptions. For participants in the various programs sponsored by the College, the Center in Paris, with its classrooms, offices, computers, language lab, and (modest) library, provides an administrative and instructional home as well as a supportive environment. Its location, in a "new," academically-oriented neighborhood in the thirteenth arrondissement, places it within easy walking distance of the relocated Bibliothèque Nationale de France, François Mitterand and just across the street from the new home of the Université Denis Diderot.


Summer in Paris
Jenny Tian '08

     
Housing:
Participants in the Summer Paris program will live in one of the residence halls of the Cité Internationale Universitaire, a campus-like assemblage of houses for international students. In addition to its various national residences, the Cité comprises a library, restaurant (with adjoining cafeteria), and several sports and exercise facilities. Located at the southern edge of Paris (the fourteenth arrondissement), the Cité offers easy access, by metro and bus, to all of Paris.

Credits:
Students receive three credits for their work in the Summer Paris program, one for each of the program courses. These credits are posted, with grades, on their Chicago transcript.

Registration and Tuition:
Students remain registered full-time in the College and pay regular College tuition, the Summer Paris program fee and the non-refundable study abroad administrative fee required of all participants in Chicago's programs abroad. For precise figures, see Study Abroad Program Fees.

Financial Aid:
While students retain their financial aid eligibility for this program, it should be noted that the bulk of University gift aid is restricted to the regular academic year (autumn, winter, spring). However, under certain conditions a student may be eligible for gift aid during the summer quarter, and all applications for summer aid are accepted and given a serious review. If students are granted financial aid in the summer, they should understand that two expenses--the non-refundable study abroad administrative fee and the round-trip airfare to Paris --are not underwritten by College Financial Aid. On the other hand, since students cannot be expected to work part-time while in Paris, the self-help component of your financial aid package does not include a summer employment factor.

Eligibility and Application:
    



The Summer Paris program is open to University of Chicago undergraduate students only. Applications from outside the University are not accepted.

The program is designed for students who have completed at least one year of work at Chicago and who have had at least two years of college-level French (through French 20300) or who demonstrate, by examination, a comparable competence. While the program stipulates no minimum grade-point average, applicants should present a transcript demonstrating that they are a serious student who will make the most of this opportunity.

A student accepting an offer of admission is expected to secure his or her place with the non-refundable study abroad administrative fee.

Further Information:
If you would like to discuss the Summer Paris program and the possibility of participating in it, you are invited to contact Sarah Walter (Harper 207A; 834-3753).

Statements contained on this site are subject to change without notice.