Program Description
Ernest Hemingway once wrote that if you are lucky enough to live in Paris as a young person, "then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."
To Americans, Paris seems both excitingly foreign and invitingly familiar, a city that engages the mind as it enchants the heart. Since the birth of the United States, Americans have been drawn to Paris. Celebrated expatriates have included Benjamin Franklin, James Fenimore Cooper, Mary Cassatt, Gertrude Stein, Aaron Copeland, Richard Wright, and Jim Morrison.
From the narrow medieval streets near Notre Dame to the futuristic dimensions of the Pompidou Center, Paris is a living monument. This capital of culture, glamour, and fashion reflects a passion for style in its buildings and public squares. Music, drama, and dance flourish at the Comedie Francaise, the Opera, and the Theatre National, while such museums as the Louvre, the Cluny, and the Musée d'Orsay offer an incomparable array of artistic treasures. A film-lover's paradise, Paris has more movie screens per capita than any city in the world. Amid all these riches, the special charm of Paris also resides in everyday scenes at the neighborhood bakery, the local street market, or the nearest café
Summer study in the Left Bank indeed affords an unforgettable experience of five weeks of concentrated classes and group excursions. Students will earn six hours of LSU credit, pursuing courses in French language, literature, culture, advertising, and cinema, all adapted to the special opportunities of Paris. In addition to overnight fieldtrips to a variety of locations in connection with coursework, faculty will lead optional short trips to sites, such as the medieval cathedral of Chartres, the opulent Palace of Versailles, Monet's gardens at Giverny, Auvers-sur-Oise (where Van Gogh painted), and EuroDisney.
You will be lodged in double rooms at the Foyer International Jean Monnet (FIAP). The FIAP is a modern, comfortable residence center located near the metro line to the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysees. It is two metro stops from the theatre and entertainment district of Montparnasse, and a short walk from the catacombs and the Park Montsouris.
If you want to request a specific person as a roommate, you should send that information to Kevin Bongiorni before April 30.
Program Eligibility
This program is open to students from all disciplines. Qualified applicants from other institutions are also welcome.
If you are an undergraduate, you must have at least a 2.5 gpa (A = 4.0); If you are a graduate student, you must have a 3.0 gpa.
If you are not an LSU student, you must submit an official copy of your most recent transcript when applying. Space in this program is limited. If you are from another institution in Louisiana or are enrolled elsewhere but you are a Louisiana resident, you will be charged in-state tuition and fees. If you are an out-of-state student and do not have a nonresident fee waiver, you will be charged out-of-state tuition.
Program Dates:
May 30 – July 2, 2012
May 30: depart the US
May 31: arrive in Paris; check in to the FIAP; onsite orientation
June 1: walking tour of Paris
June 2: free day
June 3: museum day; group picnic
June 4: classes start
June 5: optional excursion to Giverny
June 6: pizza night
June 8: Versailles
June 12: Auvers-sur-Oise
June 13:
pizza night
June 15: leave for Ubaye Valley, Strasbourg, or Lyon
June 16: Mass Comm students leave for Cannes
June 20: pizza night
June 22: free weekend
June 30: last day of classes/presentations
July 1: EuroDisney
July 2: depart Paris
Courses Offered Please consult the LSU General Catalog for course descriptions and prerequisites.
French courses are taught in French; all other courses are taught in English.
CMST 3013 - Topics in Film Genres: History of French Cinema
FMA 3001 - Topics in Film and Media Arts: Surrealist Cinema
FREN 2154 - Intermediate Oral Communication
FREN 2155 - Readings in French Literature
FREN 3058 - Advanced Oral Communication
FREN 3072 - French Literature: 18th Century to the Present
MC 2025 - Business of Entertainment Media: International Film Marketing
MC 4971 - Creativity in Advertising & Public Relations
The Mass Communication classes will be seminar classes that will meet five days a week for two hours per day. These classes will also have afternoon excursions, in addition to the excursion to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Dates of class meetings are below.
Students taking Mass Communication (MC) 4971 will be required to participate in a week-long excursion to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and will pay an additional $1240 (in addition to the program fee) to cover the excursion to Cannes.
Trip to Cannes: June 16-24
Dates of MC 4971 class lectures: June 15-29
Students in
MC 2025 will be strongly encouraged to go to Cannes, but will not be required to attend the excursion to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Students in MC 2025 who choose to go on the excursion to Cannes will be charged $1240, in addition to the program fee.
Dates of MC 2025 class lectures: June 1-15
Trip to Cannes: June 16-24
Academic Information
The program emphasizes academic participation; class attendance is required. You are strongly advised to complete a significant portion of your assigned reading before departure for Paris. Textbook lists and syllabi will be available in late April. Courses run from June 1 through July 1.
As a participant in this program, you must register for six hours of credit.
Expected Program Fee: $4050 (includes housing in double rooms and two meals per day, weekly al fresco pizza nights, a dinner cruise on the Seine river, a one-month Paris metro/bus pass, a 4-day museum pass, overnight class excursions, and health insurance)
Expenses not covered in the program fee: airfare, LSU tuition, and spending money
Although the program fee includes most meals, you should plan for additional expenditures, such as snacks and meals not covered by the program. You will also need extra money for travel and meals if you plan to spend weekends traveling, as well as some spending money for occasional outings with your friends and for souvenirs. The exchange rate may change, so your costs may go up or down. Tuition and university fees, as well as airfare, are not included.
In the event of an unfavorable change in the exchange rate, some activities may be cancelled or changed.
*Please note: students taking MC 4971 are required to pay an additional fee of $1240 to cover the excursion to Cannes. This is in addition to the program fee. Students taking MC 2025 who choose to participate in the Cannes excursion must also pay the $1240 fee, in addition to the program fee.
Air transportation is to be arranged individually. You will be notified as to flight arrangements for program faculty so that you may travel with them if you wish.
Orientation Sessions:
There will be two orientation sessions held at LSU in April. If you are not an LSU student, information will be mailed to you.
Orientation 1: Wednesday, April 4 at 7:00pm
Orientation 2: Thursday, April 19 at 7:00pm
Faculty
Faculty members for the LSU in Paris program are listed below. Kevin Bongiorni is the Program Director, so any questions you have may be directed to him.
Kevin Bongiorni, Program Director, Department of French Studies (kbongiorni@lsu.edu)
Carrie O'Connor, Department of French Studies (coconn1@lsu.edu)
Lance Porter, Department of Mass Communication (lporter@lsu.edu)
Trish Suchy, Communication Studies/Film & Media Arts (psuchy@lsu.edu)
Advice from students who went last year: We asked the students on the 2011 program to tell us what advice they would have for future participants. Here's what they said:
On packing:
Pack light and arrive at the airport early
Bring a Paris guidebook
Make sure you pack a rolling bag!
Comfortable shoes
Don't pack too much! You will have to carry your bag on the metro and the stairs will kill you if you have a huge suitcase!
Don't fill your suitcase all the way when you leave for France, so that you have room for the stuff you buy. Pack an empty duffel bag to use for souvenirs.
Don't freak out too much about packing; focus more on what you want to see in Paris!
Listen to Carrie! Less clothes, pack light, more money!
Buy shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray in France.
Bring tennis shoes! Even just in Paris, there will be at least one day or trip where you will need comfortable shoes.
On classes:
Do most of the work before you leave for France.
Read before you leave.
Read the required books, you hit the ground running as soon as you get to France.
On the program:
Study maps of the region you will visit.
Plan what you will do beforehand, or even before you get to Paris, in order to make sure you can do as much as possible while you're there
Learn key restaurant phrases in French, like "Do I seat myself?" or "check, please"
Be open to different cultural experiences
Research the weather in Paris right before you leave.
Picnics are the most practical/cheapest way to eat.
Application Deadline: March 16, 2012
NOTE: This program is limited to 50 participants, so to secure a space, you are encouraged to apply early! Although March 16th is the deadline for applying, students who wait until that date to sign up may find the program filled. To be sure of placement in the program, students should sign up at the earliest date possible!
The program will fill on a first come, first served basis from those who meet the eligibility requirements. A $500 deposit will be placed on your LSU billing statement at the time that you apply to the program. Students at other universities must send in a check or money order (made payable to "Louisiana State University") for the $500 deposit along with their applications. This deposit is nonrefundable after January 31, 2012.
Withdrawal from the program may result in the loss of all or part of your deposit or total payment of the program fee, depending on the date of withdrawal.
