The Study in France Program, Fall 2010

French Magazine L'Étudiant has named Grenoble the #1 French University city, according to a recent survey! Click on Les Nouvelles de Grenoble, Issue N°125 - Février 2009 - for a pdf file. The article summarizing the survey results is found on pp. 28-29.

The Study in France program is open only to advanced students.  The program will be offered in Fall 2010 (directed by Prof. Selles) as well as in Fall 2011, but not in Fall 2009. 

After a brief orientation in Grenoble (late August early September), students will enroll in Grenoble at the Centre universitaire d’études françaises (CUEF), Université Stendhal Grenoble 3.  The CUEF is a French language school housed within the university. Students in CUEF classes are not French, but come from all over world. CUEF instructors are native French speakers.

CUEF courses

Following a placement test, students take at the CUEF between 8 hours to 10 hours of French language classes, as well as 2 hours of English-French translation.  Students also choose three 90-minute lecture courses, usually given in an amphitheater.  CUEF courses will transfer as the following Calvin courses:

STFR 315      Advanced Language Study in France I (3 s.h.)
STFR 316      Advanced Language Study in France II (3 s.h.)
STFR 381      Special Topics (3 s.h.)

The CUEF typically offers the following lecture courses according to two language levels:

Please note:

• If students are very advanced (native or near-native fluency), they may be placed in a third level, C1-C2 niveau autonome-maîtrise, and take courses at the CUEF with other international students and also courses at the university with French students.  To date, no Calvin student has been placed at that level, but it remains an attractive possibility, which would require, however, consultation on course transfers with the program director, the Director of Off-campus Programs, and the Registrar.
  

Calvin courses

The program director teaches two courses: 

STFR 330      Contemporary France (3 s.h.)
An introduction to contemporary French culture through readings, discussion with guest speakers, and excursions. Begins early September with an orientation in Grenoble. Fulfills Cross-Cultural Engagement Core.

The director will offer one of the following courses in addition to the STFR 330:

STFR 362      Francophone Literature and Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Diaspora (3 s.h.)
An introduction to representative writers and works of French expression from Sub-Saharan Africa and the African Diaspora. Conducted mainly in French. Prerequisite: French 301 or 302; French 351 recommended; One course in the core categories of History of the West and the World I or II and one course in Persons in Community or Societal Structures in North America. Core credit: Global and Historical Studies.

STFR 363      Francophone Literature and Culture in North Africa (3 s.h.)
An introduction to representative writers and works of French expression from the Maghreb. Conducted mainly in French. Prerequisite: French 301 or 302; French 351 recommended; One course in the core categories of History of the West and the World I or II and one course in Persons in Community or Societal Structures in North America.
Core credit: Global and Historical Studies

Other Information
In Grenoble, students receive a practical orientation to the city (transit system, bank, post office, etc.).  Orientation classroom sessions are dedicated to discussing “cultural misunderstandings” and preparing for the CUEF placement test.

One of the excursions will be to Paris. In Paris, students visit numerous sites of cultural, historical and political significance such as monuments, museums, and cathedrals.  Required reading and lectures on the cultural and historical context prepare students for the visits.  In Paris, students see sites such as Notre Dame de Paris, Sacré-Cœur, the Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre, and the Sainte-Chapelle. 
           
The course includes other excursions, including weekend excursions.

In addition to discussions held during the orientation period, the group meets on the average one hour per week, either in class or during a weekend excursion, for discussions on French culture with the instructor.

Evaluation is based on regular participation, a test of various aspects of French culture, and a 5-6 page reflective paper on an aspect of French culture.

Credit and Grades

Students obtain a combined 15 semester hours credit through CUEF and Calvin courses. Overall class-room “seat-time” (potentially between 18.5 and 20.5 hours) will be greater than a regular semester at Calvin.  Homework assignments for CUEF courses, however, are generally less demanding. 

In France, teachers generally grade more severely than in the United States.  The French grading system is on a scale of 0 to 20, with 20 being perfect (very rare) and 0 being terrible.  In the French system, 10/20 and higher is considered passing.  Your French grades will be converted to the American letter system for your transcript according to the scale below. 

0-6/20= F
0-7/20 = D+
8/20   = C-
9/20   = C
10/20 = C+
11/20 = B-
12/20 = B
13/20 = B+
14/20 = A-
15-20/20 = A

As with grading, French instructors are usually much more critical in class than North American instructors. It is not uncommon for mistakes to be pointed out openly—and bluntly. In such cases, students should not take the comments personally. Attendance is taken seriously and absences will be recorded.

Courses taken at the CUEF will not affect a student’s GPA but will be recorded on a transcript according to the scale given above. Courses given by the program director will count towards a student’s GPA.   

Application process: Study in France Fall 2010

Preliminary applications will be be available from the Off-Campus Programs office (Hiemenga Hall 322) or online (http://www.calvin.edu/academic/off-campus/). Following approval at the preliminary level, the Off-Campus Programs Office will send students an application to the Study in France program. The due date for applications will be announced in Spring 2010.  Students who plan on applying should complete by the end of Spring 2010 French 215 (new number: FREN 301) and 216 (new number: FREN 302)(prerequisites); French 217 (new number: FREN 351) is highly recommended.