Description

Georgetown University's Office of International Programs and French Department are offering a seven-week academic program in Tours, France, which provides participants with an exciting opportunity to experience French language and culture first hand in an immersion environment.

This opportunity is open to undergraduate and graduate students (from Georgetown or other colleges and universities) who are not full beginners in French.

Site and Accommodation:

Located in the fabled Loire Valley, Tours combines the advantages of small-town size and large-town amenities (shopping, museums, festivals), with Old-World charm: the historic town center, with its 15th- and 16th-century half-timber houses, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Students stay in a hotel for the first two nights in Tours, then with a host family for the remainder of the program. Hosts provide lodging, two meals a day (breakfast and dinner, usually), and laundry facilities. We do our very best to accommodate student's lifestyle or health-related requests such as nonsmoking environments or special dietary needs.

Curriculum:

The program has two distinct components:

First, all students attend a two-week "Cultural Integration Workshop" (FREN 119-62) surveying current socio-cultural and linguistic realities in France. This workshop is taught by the program director, Professor Guy Spielmann, and additional Georgetown faculty members; it includes classroom instruction three hours a day, field trips, guest lectures and assignments.

Each student is then placed on the basis of a test in one of 9 levels of a four-week, multi-level intensive language session at the Institut de Touraine, a renowned institution specializing in French-language programs for foreigners. The session at the Institut includes 19-24 hours of classes weekly, taught by its own native instructors. Advanced levels include classes on content areas.

The grade for the Cultural Integration Workshop (FREN 119-62) is based on homework and participation in class and in program activities.

The grade for the four-week session, given by Institut faculty, reflects performance in oral and written expression as well as listening and reading comprehension; it is translated into a GU letter grade according to a standard conversion scale, for either FREN 222-62 (Elementary), FREN 223-62 (Intermediate) or FREN 224-62 (Advanced) - based on the highest French course completed prior to enrolling in the program.

Because these are dedicated "study-abroad" courses, you retain a great deal of flexibility as to what course(s) you may take next from GU's French department (your choice of courses may be constrained by Major/Minor requirements, however).

Upon successful completion of the program, students receive six Georgetown University "French Abroad" credits that can be applied to a French minor/major.

Non-Georgetown students should discuss transfer credit with a dean or academic adviser at their home university.

Highlights

Field Trips and Co-curricular Activities:

The Georgetown program includes a number of co-curricular activities:

- Trips to several historical sites in/near Tours and in the Loire Valley region (Loches, Chenonceau, Amboise, Chambord, etc.)
- A guided visit of Tour's historical district
- A lecture on the history of Tours and the region
- Meetings with local right- and left-wing politicians
- A wine and cheese tasting session
- A visit to a wine cooperative in Vouvray, and to a goat farm that produces Appelation contrôlée cheeses
- A meeting with French students preparing for the Grandes Écoles
- A current movie in French

In addition, unofficial group trips to museums (Musée du Compagnonnage, Musée des Beaux-Arts) or other places of interest may be arranged. Myriad festivals and cultural events take place in Tours and its vicinity in June and July, some of them free of charge, such as the Fête de la Musique (music) and Rayon Frais (performance). Participants may also take advantage of the field trips organized by the Institut to Paris, Mont Saint-Michel, Chartres and other sites.

The Institut has a weekly movie night and sponsors various sports activities. High-speed Internet access is available free of charge in the Institut computer lab, or, if you bring your own laptop, through a WiFi network.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Subject Areas

• Culture
• Foreign Language
• French
• Intensive Language

Cost in US$:

Inquire for more information.

Program Fees Include:

Program fees include tuition, room and board (homestay with two meals daily), academic fees, supplemental insurance, and official field trips/activities costs. Transportation to/from Tours is not included.

Experience Required

yes

A minimum 2.7 GPA is required.

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Disciplinary Clearance Form
• Essay
• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Transcript

Post Services Include

• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Georgetown University Office of International Programs's Mission Statement

To promote, support, and develop international and intercultural educational opportunities for students, and in so doing, help to define the international character of Georgetown. These programs are developed and evaluated in collaboration with the wider Georgetown community to ensure that they are academically rigorous, linguistically appropriate, and complementary to the Georgetown curriculum. In keeping with the Jesuit philosophy of education and service, these overseas opportunities invite participants to reflect on the values that form their own identities, and encourage them to assume their roles as responsible world citizens. The Office of International Programs offers more than 120 programs in 39 countries.