Paris: Inequality and Global Social Development

Internationally, processes of urbanization, economic liberalization, regional unrest, rural-to-urban and cross-border population mobility, and various other dimensions of globalization have increasingly affected, for better or worse, the quality of life and nature of opportunity available to individuals, families, and communities in local contexts. While global processes have generated benefits for some, they have also led to growing disparities in wealth and income and to differential access to living-wage employment, affordable housing, quality education, health care, and political representation and influence. These disparities are often most keenly felt by marginalized populations including the poor, women and gender minorities, children and youth, those living with disabilities, refugees, and racial and ethnic minorities. They have also created new pressures on social service systems and governance regimes.

In addition to classroom instruction, the program will be complemented by excursions to organizations in Paris and nearby locations in Europe that allow for a grounded understanding of how inequality is generated and reproduced, and how various aspects of social development policy and practice are embraced to address it. Students will also take a course in French language over the course of their nine weeks in Paris.

The French capital and its environs offer numerous opportunities to connect readings, discussions, and lectures with the surviving monuments of France’s past, and it is assumed that students will use their free time to explore this remarkable city apart from program-organized outings.

Faculty who teach on this program rotate from year to year. The faculty roster is designated by the program faculty director.

Autumn 2026 Course Descriptions

SSAD 60215. Global Development and Social Welfare 
Alan Zarychta, Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

The persistence of disparities in social development across countries is one of the major problems societies struggle to understand and address. This course will critically examine the major theories of global development along with contemporary debates relating to international social welfare. Students will assess how political, economic, historical, and environmental factors influence different nations’ development trajectories, and compare how alternative models of service delivery and social intervention serve or fail to serve their intended populations. Case studies will be drawn from several regions of the world and will include a focus on national and supranational organizations that are involved in social development promotion. The course will be useful for both students who have had previous international experience as well as students who are interested in international social welfare and/or development practice.

SSAD 41950. Housing Policy and Urban Development in the US and Europe 
Philip Garboden, Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

“The burning of Paris is the worthy conclusion to Haussmann’s work of destruction.” – W Benjamin, 1935

“Disorder did not erupt as a result of a single ‘triggering’ or ‘precipitating’ incident. Instead, it was generated out of an increasingly disturbed social atmosphere… a reservoir of underlying grievances. – Kerner Commission Report, 1968

Housing policy cannot be reduced to the technical question of design. The ideological and material conflicts of a particular nation shape the geographies of state intervention into housing – what, where, for whom, and upon what it is built. This course traces the history of state interventions in housing in Europe and the United States beginning with the industrial revolution. Examples provisionally include the rise and fall of public housing in Chicago, the development of grands ensembles in the Paris suburbs, the privatization of council housing in the UK under Thatcherism, the current implementation of the Vienna model of state-owned housing, and the hyper-gentrification of so-called global cities such as London, New York, and Paris since the turn of the millennium. Students will develop a keen sense of housing and urban development that can be used to understand everything from global urbanization to local neighborhood dynamics.

SSAD 65715. Immigration, Law, and Society: Comparative Perspectives from the U.S. and Europe 
Angela Garcia, Associate Professor at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

Laws shape how people move, work, form families, and understand their place in society. By regulating inclusion and exclusion in uneven ways, immigration law produces protection for some and precarity for others, contributing to enduring social inequalities. This course examines these dynamics through the lens of international migration, bringing together scholarship from migration studies, sociology, and law and society. It introduces students to key concepts such as legal consciousness, the gap between law on the books and law in practice, and the socio-legal construction of immigration status, drawing on approaches commonly used in socio-legal studies of immigration. In addition to introducing foundational theories of migration and immigration governance, the course places particular emphasis on comparative perspectives between the United States and Europe, with a focus on France. Students will examine how different political traditions, histories of colonialism, and institutional frameworks shape migration policy, immigrant incorporation, and public debate. The course will also incorporate immigration-focused excursions and meetings with civil society organizations, researchers, and legal advocates working with migrant and refugee communities in and around Paris. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze immigration systems across national contexts and critically evaluate how law and policy shape the lived experiences of immigrants and their families.

All participants also take a French language course.

Headquarters for the College’s study abroad programs in Paris is the University of Chicago John W. Boyer Center in Paris, the University’s teaching and research hub in Europe. Since 2003, the Center has been home to a growing array of the College’s hallmark Study Abroad programs and has supported our community of students, faculty, alumni, and partners from around the world. Designed by Studio Gang, the new Center features state-of-the-art classrooms, offices, event and reception spaces, and gathering areas for students, among other features.

Students in the Inequality and Global Social Development program are housed in a residence hall within the Cité Internationale Universitaire (Cité). The Cité, a park-like residential complex in the fourteenth arrondissement, is the international student campus in Paris, though French students also live there. Students reside in single rooms with a private bath and have access to Cité facilities, including a library, theater, laundry, and athletic facilities. Students will have access to common kitchens in the residence halls and can purchase inexpensive meals at the Cité’s restaurant universitaire.

It is important to recognize the cultural context of student housing in France and understand that the amenities of dormitory facilities may vary. Although some of these differences may take some getting used to, remember that cultural differences extend to all aspects of your experience abroad. Having realistic expectations for your term in Paris will help you approach the study abroad experience with a positive attitude.

Participants in the Inequality and Global Social Development program remain registered as full-time students in the College. They take and receive credit for four courses: three courses toward the College’s Inequality, Social Problems, and Change minor and a French language class. The use of any of these courses in another field of study is subject to the approval of the undergraduate chair of the respective department. All courses are usable, without further approval, as general electives. The language course will normally count as an elective. Course titles, units of credit, and grades are placed on the College transcript.

Study abroad students pay regular College tuition, a program fee, and a nonrefundable study abroad administrative fee. The tuition and program fee are paid in conformity with the home campus payment schedule, and a deposit toward the nonrefundable study abroad administrative fee is submitted when accepting a place in a program. Precise figures for the Paris program during the 2025-2026 year are listed below:

Autumn tuition: as set by the Bursar’s Office

Study abroad administrative fee: $675

Paris: Inequality and Global Social Development program fee: $5,960

Previous program participants report spending in the range of $200 to $250 per week on meals and incidentals while on the program, though frugal students may spend less, and others could spend much more. Bear in mind that the cost of living in Paris is relatively high and that, while it is possible to live frugally, it is also possible to run short of money if you are unwary. It is therefore essential that you budget your funds, managing your resources so that they last for the duration of the program. If you are planning to travel before or after the program or on weekends, you should budget accordingly.

Study abroad students retain their financial aid eligibility. For more information about financial aid resources, please see our Tuition, Fees, and Funding section.

The Inequality and Global Social Development program is open to University of Chicago undergraduate students only. Applications from outside the University are not accepted.

The program is designed for undergraduates in good academic and disciplinary standing who are beyond their first year in the College. While the program stipulates no minimum grade-point average, an applicant’s transcript should demonstrate that they are a serious student with an interest in the social sciences who will make the most of this opportunity. Because the program courses (aside from the French class) are taught in English, there is no language prerequisite, although students are encouraged to take French on campus before the program begins.

Each application is examined on the basis of the student’s scholastic record and personal statement. If you are interested in applying for this program please fill out the online application.

To discuss the Paris: Inequality and Global Social Development program and the possibility of participating, please contact Michaela Foreman.