PROGRAMS
ABROAD

France

Campus Program Adviser:

The department of Romance Languages encourages its students to spend at least an Interim, preferably a semester or year, studying in France or in a francophone area. It also encourages non-majors who study French to spend at least an Interim in France. 

Prerequisite: Minimum of one 250-level course (two recommended).

The city of Rennes, located approximately two hours west of Paris by TGV, is the administrative, economic, and intellectual capital of Brittany. With its two major universities, Rennes I (sciences) and Rennes II (humanities), and its young population of nearly 60,000 students, Rennes offers a blend of an old medieval quarter and a modern city. Its national theater, opera, orchestra, numerous cinemas, soccer stadium, and new skating rink offer a rich panoply of cultural and sporting events, complemented by a wide variety of restaurants, discos and live music. It also offers students an opportunity to learn the distinct Celtic traditions particular to this region.

The Université de Rennes II enrolls about 20,000 students (including some 650 international students) and has approximately 350 faculty members.  The campus is located about a mile northwest of the downtown.

Academics
Students enroll in semester-long courses taught at the Centre International Rennais d'Etude du Français pour les Etrangers (CIREFE), which are open to CIEE students and to other international students. The program begins with a two-week intensive language course (Cycle I) composed of three distinct parts: written expression, oral expression, and French civilization. Students take 20 hours of class per week during this period. Following Cycle I, students complete a 13 week program of study they design in consultation with the resident director from a variety of course offerings. Students who have an adequate level of French may take regular University courses alongside French students. Four or five courses are considered a normal load for this period. Classes meet Monday through Friday, with excursions on some weekends.

Two of the features that are unique to the full year program in Rennes are its Cycle I, a month-long intensive language/culture course that precedes the regular full semester, and the opportunity to teach English in a French public or private school. The program is designed for French majors or other students having a high level of competency in French. While well suited to all students, the program offers unique opportunities for students who may be interested in a teaching career.

Credit
Students may receive a total of nine St. Olaf credits for their work in the year-long program. Three of the French language and literature courses may count toward the French major. One approved history course may also count toward the history requirement of the French major. One phonetics or applied linguistics course may count toward the applied linguistics requirement of the French teaching major. Other courses (e.g. art history) may count toward GE requirements or for graduation credit.

Accommodations
While in Rennes, students live in a room in a private home and take breakfast and dinner Monday through Friday and three meals on Saturday and Sunday with the family. Tickets for lunches during the week in the University restaurants are included in the program fee. Homes are located either in Rennes or nearby. Students also have the choice of living in a university dormitory.

to top
 

Prerequisite: Minimum of one 250-level course (two recommended).

See description of year-long program (above) for information regarding the city of Rennes, the CIREFE, the Université de Rennes II, and the academic program.

Credit
Students may receive a total of four St. Olaf credits for their work in the Fall only CIEE Rennes program. One of the French language and literature courses may count toward the French major. One approved history course may also count toward the history requirement of the French major. One phonetics or applied linguistics course may count toward the applied linguistics requirement of the French teaching major. Other courses (e.g. art history) may count toward GE requirements or for graduation credit.

NOTE:  Paris/Rennes II
This program may be an option depending on the starting date of spring CIEE program.  More information will be provided at a later date.

to top

Prerequisite: Minimum of one 250-level course (two recommended). Students may receive major credit in French for this course.

The Paris Interim is designed for advanced students of French. Its underlying principle is that a country's language, culture and literature cannot be separated, that to study one is to gain insights into the others. The result is a deeper awareness of the culture being studied and of the ways in which one's culture determines one's perception of the world.

Classes normally meet mornings, Monday through Friday. These sessions are devoted to study of contemporary French culture, the reading and discussion of French plays (which students later see), the viewing of French films and television, and the presentation of individual cultural projects. Two excursions take students outside of Paris, to Chartres and Versailles.

Students and instructor live in studio apartments in a central location. Since one of the major objectives of the Interim is increased fluency in French, students are expected to speak French at all times.

to top
 

Campus Program Advisor:  John Sauer (Dittmann Center 300, x3159)

The Institue for the International Education of Students (IES) Paris program combines a rigorous curriculum of French language study with course offerings in a number of academic areas.  Courses are taught exclusively in French by native French faculty.  Language courses in grammar, conversation, phonetics and translation develop student's ability to communicate effectively in French.
IES area studies courses cover subjects of both historic and contemporary interest.  This program may be of special interest to students of art and art history since it offers a series of unique courses such as "History of French Art" and "History of Architecture in Paris."  It also offers studio art students the opportunity to study art at Atelier Nicolas Poussin, one of the top art schools in Paris. 

Students will live with French families.

A minimum of four semester college-level French is required for the fall or full year program.

More information about the program can be obtained from the IES website at www.IESabroad.org

to top
 

Prerequisite: minimum of one 250-level course (two recommended).

Following the Paris Interim, students go to Angers, where they begin the semester in early February. Angers is located in the province of Anjou, close to the castles of the Loire valley and approximately one and one-half hours by TGV from Paris.

Academics
The academic program at Angers is particularly suited for students interested in humanistic study: literature, history, philosophy, art, music. Students attend the Centre International d'Etudes Françaises (CIDEF), an institute for foreign students of all nationalities affiliated with the Université Catholique de l'Ouest. By means of placement test, students are placed in one of 16 levels of language proficiency, which determines the courses they take during the semester. All courses are taught in French and students take all courses at the CIDEF with international students from all over the world.

Credit
The Paris Interim counts for level 270 French major credit. Students can receive a total of four St. Olaf credits for their work at Angers. One of these courses may count toward the French major provided it is pre-approved by the department.

Accommodation
Students are housed with families, although not necessarily as members of the family, either in Angers or in the suburbs.

to top
 

Prerequsite: minimum of one 250-level course (two recommended).

Dakar, Sénégal's capital, is located on the westernmost point of the Atlantic coast of Africa and has a population of over two million.  It is the political and economic capital of Sénégal and one of West Africa's most important and vibrant cities.  Many international governmental and non-governmental organizations have offices in Dakar.  Dakar has several major research and cultural centers, and is home to Cheikh Anta Diop University, one of the largest and most prestigious institutions of higher education in French-speaking Africa.

Academics
All basic language instruction in French and Wolof takes place at the Baobab Center, a cultural resource and training center operated by Africa Consultants International, a non-profit organization created in 1984.  Advanced students of French enrolled in the academic year or spring program are able to take or audit regular university courses taught in French at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), including courses in French taught within the Institut de Français pour Etrangers (IFE). 

Students take five courses each semester: three required courses (Contemporary Senegalese Society & Culture, French language, and Wolof language) and two elective courses chosen from among a selection of English- or French-taught courses depending upon the student's level of French.  Electives may include CIEE courses taught in English; courses taught in French at the Baobab Center and open to other U.S. students; a community service project or internship with accompanying seminar; or regular university courses at UCAD/FE for qualified academic year or spring semester students with advanced French language skills.  Depending upon the student's initial level of French, the first two weeks in Dakar include 10 to 15 hours per week of French instruction, as well as daily Wolof lessons.  All courses are taught by Senegalese professors.

Credit
Semester II participants may bring back one credit and one co-curricular credit in history toward the French major.  Full-year students may count up to three credits toward the French major.  Credits may also apply to an African Studies concentration.  General Education credits may also be awarded.

Accommodations
Homestays with Senegalese families are organized by the Baobab Center.

to top