The Program

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." - Ernest Hemingway.

"In Paris, everybody wants to be an actor; nobody is content to be a spectator." - Jean Cocteau

While parading les boutiques off the Avenue des Champs Elysées or sipping a café on the Boulevard St. Germain, you might contemplate your next day in the most beautiful city in the world. On this extraordinary year or semester-long UConn faculty-led program, you will study at the University of Paris, founded in 1215 and still one of the most prestigious in the world, perfect your French language skills, and experience the rich culture of Paris in all of its dimensions, from its bustling markets and crowd-gathering street musicians to its quiet museums and sublime cathedrals.

Paris is an ideal location from which to explore the rest of Europe and North Africa.

The Academics

You will receive a minimum of 12 to 18 credits on this program per semester. Whatever your level of French, upon arrival in Paris in early September, you will begin by taking three semester-long courses: an intensive six-eight credit language class (FREN 1161, FREN 1162, FREN 1163, FREN 1164, FREN 1174, FREN 1174 or FREN 3269)  at La Sorbonne - Paris IV and a three-credit contemporary France class (FREN 3218 or FREN 3211 taught by the UConn faculty leader. A three-credit upper level course in art history is generally taught every term, making full use of Paris's rich array of museums and research institutions. Topics in art history vary, but these classes usually focus on the arts of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  In mid-October the regular French academic year begins. As you continue to perfect your French and study the culture, you might enroll in one or more humanities, sciences or social sciences courses at one of the fourteen Université de Paris campuses.

Students with basic or intermediate French skills usually take French university courses taught in French and designed for international students. Courses in the French studies programs range from continued practice of French and the practice of French through journalism and cinema, to courses in French and European civilization, philosophy and literature. While students with no background in French can be accomodated, a minimum of two semesters of college-level French is recommended (high school equivalency can be substituted).

Students with advanced language skills may enroll in regular courses with French students at one of the University of Paris campuses. While the majority of courses are taught on a year-long basis, there are also a number of semester-long courses. In the past, participants have taken courses in French literature, European Studies, art history, economics, political science, science, history, international relations, studio art and cinema. Click here for a list of France-Paris, UConn in Paris Course Equivalents. If the courses you intend to take are not on this list, you will have to get them approved. Complete instructions for this process can be found under Getting Academic Credit on the navigation bar on the left of the Study Abroad Homepage.

The Experience

Most of you will live in a furnished single room at the Fondation des Etas Unis at the Cité Universitaire de Paris. Student restaurants, cooking and sport facilities, laundry, and e-mail are among the many amenities on site. A few of you might also reside in fully-furnished and centrally located apartments.

Professor Roger Celestin, an extremely accomplished scholar and wonderful teacher, will lead this program for the academic year 2011-2012. With the help of an assistant, Professor Celestin will organize numerous day trips in Paris and its environs.

Once accepted into this program, you are eligible to apply for the Marandon Scholarship, which is awarded on the basis of academic merit by the Societé des professeurs francais et francophones d'Amerique - Association of French and Francophone Professors of America (SPFFA). The French Government also offers teaching assistantships (about $1000 per month, with insurance coverage) to American students in France. There are also other part-time job opportunities, such as tutoring, baby sitting, and English-language teaching to business students. For details on scholarships and program information, you may also contact other French Department faculty, Professor Solange Guenoun and Professor Eliane DalMolin.

If you would like to hear about another UConn student's experience, feel free to contact one of our Ambassadors.