Statue of Charles de Gaulle in front of the Grand Palais Media exposition in front of the Hotel de Ville

French Culture in Transition: the 21st Century

La Belle France-center of Charlemagne's European Union; the grand state of Louis XIV; the birthplace of the Enlightenment; the country that gave the world the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, and gave birth to Napoleon, Charles de Gaulle, ...and on and on.

Jacques Chirac declared it to be the center of the universe. Jean-Marie Rouart describes it as a country in decline and pines for its halcyon days. What is it about this place that draws so many to it? What makes the French so self-assured and their culture and its history of such enduring fascination? Who are the modern French? What are the issues that confront contemporary France and modern-day Paris? How do the forces of history that draw from a complex heritage of cultural and artistic brilliance, linguistic preeminence, and technological efficiency come up against the vexing legacies of France's colonial past and the contemporary problems of European integration and economic and cultural globalization? What shapes the French response to these issues?

Students are given tools to answer these questions from the moment they arrive. These include: a practical orientation to the neighborhood and the larger city-from the very French etiquette of buying a baguette to negotiating the bus and Métro systems with ease; immediate immersion in the city and its language through daily service work; seminar courses that look at the way cultural and historical forces have played out in the quartiers of Paris and its proche banlieue. The great cultural monuments of the city are experienced in context, not simply as excursions.

Through immediate experience and academic study, students are set on the road to achieving the twin objectives of the program: to come to know something of modern Paris and its peoples and to begin to understand themselves and their cultural assumptions. Community service is not separate or additive. It is an integral part of the whole effort to deepen their understanding of French society.

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Dinner out Lesson before touring the château, Vaux le Vicomte

• Weekly Schedule (Details)

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The Daily Program

Students, whose community service is in his district, meet with the Mayor of Vanves. Also present, staff members Rosen and Cohen

Community Service
Community Service work is at the core of the Program. For the entire month, students explore the everyday aspects of contemporary French culture through direct participation in it; offer assistance to a specific community outside their own; and consider carefully what the offering and receipt of such assistance can mean.

During the month in Paris, students work about three hours a day, usually five afternoons a week. Assignments with established organizations are made with regard for the student's interest and experience, the skills required by the organization, and the student's linguistic ability. Specific services vary according to the needs of the organization.

• Past Student Community Service Projects

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French Class with Mme Fougerouse

French Language Use and Instruction

Students will speak and study French from the arrival day. They are tested and grouped into four language levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Fluent. The highest level is for students who are nearly fluent or those who have or will be taking AP French. The average class size is ten. Students will have reading and writing assignments, but oral expression is emphasized. Each day, students will read articles from daily newspapers as Le Monde, Libération, and Le Figaro.

The program is fortunate in being located in the resolutely unchic 15th arrondisssement, in a neighborhood not frequented by tourists. In the shops and even in restaurants of some distinction, only French is heard and used. The Foyer staff and regular residents of the house speak only French, and ISS students are expected to follow suit. While we do not impose a French only regulation, we urge adherence to speaking French as much as possible. We know that if students take advantage of all the opportunities there are for improving their speaking skills, including classes, work done in French at the community service site, and their daily life in Paris, they can make very meaningful progress.

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History and Politics class in Montmartre Art History class at the Musée d'Orsay Literature and Writing class at the Café de l'Industrie

The Intellectual Engagement

The work done in the French class is extended by student participation in the core Seminar which is co-taught by four members of the faculty. Contemporary issues in politics, culture and the arts are examined and digested through student presentations and discussions, as well as lectures given by Parisian residents: experts, representatives of varying political backgrounds, recent immigrants from the former French colonies.

Students also choose an elective in Art and Architecture, Literature and Writing, or French Politics and History. Frequently, classes take place in the city — in museums, cafés, parks, châteaux.

Additional insights into French life are gained in optional activities in the evenings and on weekends (e.g. drawing or digital photography class) and in required cultural exploration sessions. These include architectural walking tours and visits to the iconic sites of Paris.

• Course Descriptions

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"Omaha Beach" Normandy Malcolm Miller lectures at Chartres

Study Travel and Cultural Explorations

During the month, a significant amount of time is devoted to visiting places such as: Chartres, Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte, and sites more closely related to the work done in Community Service and courses. Modern Paris is defined as much by its new towns and ethnic suburbs as by the Champs Elysées. Within the city itself, the medieval Ile de la Cité, the monuments of the 19th century, the Grands Travaux, the market at Belleville, the Institut du Monde Arabe, and the Mosquée de Paris represent the contemporary cultures of the city.

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Phil Holland with students in the Foyer garden

Time is scheduled each day for individual reflection and journal writing. Students are encouraged to consider and articulate how the day's experiences and the various parts of the program fit together.

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