Summer 2012 honors study abroad.
Learn French in Caen and explore Normandy!

Regardez! The students from this study tour created a presentation about their time in France: Discovering Caen & Normandy.

Discover the French city of Caen from past to present. This study abroad incorporates langauge study with experiential learning. It is a creative project involving study of French, activities in Caen, day-trips in Normandy, and one day in Paris. It is a valuable experience open to any student of any discipline interested in learning French.

An intensive language component will provide students with the necessary language tools:

• Immediate immersion into French civilization and way of life, and to enable a sufficient autonomy in a various range of communication situations.
• French Classes in the morning with reading assignments, hands-on implementation, visits, meetings and reports showcasing experiences and learning.

Program Structure

• Linguistic training - 3 hours each morning.
• Thematic works - 3 1/2 - 4 hours for 4 days per week.
• Cultural activities - Some free afternoons and evenings for discovery of Caen and surroundings, French culture (movies, concerts, festivals, day trips on weekends, business in Normandy.
• Use of French during these activities is mandatory!
• During some breaks, refreshments will be served.
• Visits and cultural activities will be supervised by the instructor and French coordinators.

Learning & Classes

• Intensive language course provides students with necessary language tools.
• Immediate immersion into French civilization and way of life allows students to gain autonomy in a various range of communication situations.
• Each week will contain an average of 20 hours of training by professors specializing in teaching French as a foreign language, offering interactive and motivational training, based on a communicative approach.
• Use of a textbook, which will be supplied.
• Communicative activities based on authentic documents - radio, TV, ads, articles, etc.
• Practice of pronunciation and tone in the language lab.
• Language learning based on the discovery of Caen and Normandy, estimated 3 hours per week.
• Special interests - history, French administration, politics, economics, study of local business by experts.
• Students will write an essay based on their experiences.
• Total class time - 25 hours per week + daily cultural activities.

Itinerary (Subject to Change)

Dates are June 8 - July 1, 2012. The entire program will take place during these dates in France.

Tentative Daily Itinerary (subject to change) (PDF)

This study abroad is aimed to broaden students’ horizons by exploring French all aspects of French life. Students will experience daily life and discover the history of associating the past to the present.

Exploring Normandy (2 hours from Paris by train)
To begin, Normandy and the city of Caen offer a fabulous trip from the Middle Ages to the present.  The study abroad will offer a journey through history from the Middle Ages when Normandy dominated and William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant), Duke of Normandy, was the first Norman King of England from 1066 until his death. His reign brought Norman-French culture to illustrated in The Tapestry of Bayeux and various monuments in the city and vicinities.  

World War II:  The landing beaches of D-Day will give an incredibly moving experience of the war.  The Memorial de Caen Museum and War Memorial commemorating the Second World War is a very modern building dedicated to the history of conflict in the 20th Century and particularly World War II.  Inaugurated in 1988 (anniversary of D-Day), the original building deals primarily with World War II looking at the causes and course of the conflict.

Modern economy: visit to the Chamber of Commerce, study of contemporary France through her industries and structures to protect the environment and the past.

Discover a small city, St Pierre-sur-Dives.  Students will follow an expert for a day’s visit to study the organization and the structure of a little town in France, with the administrative, social, political, and cultural point of view to have a better grasp of the French tradition in an administrative, social and cultural perspective. 

Costs (tentative and subject to change*)

Estimated cost is $3000 (does not include airfare and other items listed below). University Honors will provide each participant who meets the UHP GPA requirement with a $1500 grant to offset this, making the actual cost $1500.

Costs include housing in Paris (hotel style) and Caen (individual bedrooms on a university campus), most lunches and dinners in Caen, some morning coffee breaks during classes in Caen, ground transportation from Paris to Caen, local transportation (buses, tramway, train), excursions and three field trips (Mt St Michel, Plages du Debarquement, Honfleur and Pays d’Auge), a day in a French small city (St Pierre-sur-Dives), program costs, tuition to the university in France and guides.  

Costs do not include airfare, baggage fees, meals in Paris, breakfast in Caen, some other meals in Caen (most lunches and dinners in Caen are included, but some will be on your own), passport, personal expenses, souvenirs, insurance, and ISIC card. Cost also does not include the UC fee for registering for the 15MLTI course (estimated around $125; subject to change).

All participants are required to purchase an ISIC (International Student Identity Card) from UC International for $22. This is not included in the total expected cost. The ISIC card provides some insurance and discounts.

Participants can apply for grants from UC International.

*Cost is based on 15 students. If fewer participate, the cost may increase.

Application

Interested in participating in this program?

Discovering Caen and Normandy is now a UC International study tour program!  You can find its new website.

Registration

Students will register for 15MLTI300 for summer quarter. Estimated fee for this class is $125. Students are responsible for this cost.

The credit earned at the University in Caen will transfer to UC.

Students must complete and submit the "Education Abroad Academic Credit Approval Form - for Undergraduate Students" available from UC International, prior to participating.

Questions?
Contact Dr. Anne-Marie Jezequel (annemarie.jezequel@uc.edu) or Bonnie Richardson (bonnie.richardson@uc.edu).