UMM: July in Paris

July in Paris

Students by the Apollo Fountain at Versailles

Hosted by the
French Discipline,
University of Minnesota Morris
"July in Paris" is a month-long study abroad program run by Morris's French faculty in the summers of even years. Join us in the "City of Lights," where we will explore French language, arts, culture and history. Won't you join us? You can, even if you have no previous experience with French!

We will be lodged in comfortable single rooms an easy metro ride from where we'll study, at the historic Université de la Sorbonne. After classes, we will visit monuments and museums in and around Paris, from Louis XIV's Versailles to the vast halls of the Louvre museum to the fabulous Orsay museum of modern art.

You'll have a free weekend to explore Paris, or to travel on your own or with friends. Other weekends, we will enjoy excursions outside of Paris: to Saint Malo and the beaches of Normandy, to Mont St. Michel, and to the breathtaking Chartres Cathedral.

Venez avec nous à Paris!
Next trip = summer of 2018

Academics:

Students by a statue of Victor Hugo at the Sorbone

Students with their teacher and classmates at the Sorbonne

There are three different courses associated with the "July in Paris" program:

Fren 1021 (4 credits, for students with no prior experience in French),
Fren 1023 (4 credits, for students who have taken Fren 1001 on campus), and
Fren 3060 (4 credits, for intermediate and advanced-level students).

You can read the descriptions of these courses in the course catalog.

All students on this program, whether you've had no French whatsoever or are quite advanced in your language skills, study at the Université de Paris IV, la Sorbonne, founded in 1215 by Robert de Sorbonne. You will enroll in the Sorbonne's Cours de civilisation française and will take a course taught by a French professor with students from all over the world. Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a Certificat de langue française.

Fren 1023 satisfies Morris's FL General Education requirement. For students who take that course and then decide to continue on in French, you will need to take a Placement Exam to reassess your proficiency and to ensure that you are adequately prepared for the intermediate French courses at UMM.

Fren 3060 counts as an elective for the French major and the French minor.

Upon your return, the Sorbonne will send your grades to the Morris faculty member who was the leader of your program. She or he will then convert your grade to the American system.

Students in the courtyard of the Sorbonne

While on the "July in Paris" program, you will stay in the Fondation des États-Unis of the Cité Universitaire on the southern rim of Paris. The Fondation des États-Unis is well-situated across the street from the métro system, with easy access to the city. You will have your own room, with a sink, a bed, a closet and a desk:

The Fondation is across the street from the beautiful Montsouris park, which is a great place to study or exercise, and just one métro stop away from the quaint little Rue Daguerre, which has lots of little shops where you can buy cheese, fruit, bread and pastries!

While on the "July in Paris" program, you will visit most of the major attractions in Paris, such as the Eiffle Tower, Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the catacombs, etc. We'll also spend a day in Chartres seeing its open-air market and visiting its famous cathedral, which was (and still is!) and important pilgrimage site. We'll of course see Louis XIV's magnificent château, Versailles, and we'll also spend a weekend in Normandy visiting the D-Day beaches, the American cemetary, and Mont St. Michel.

In addition to our planned excursions, you'll have a free weekend and there are several free days. Since this program includes a month-long pass to Paris's métro system, you can explore the city on your own! Here are some photos from a previous trip.