Program Description

The Paris Spring Program is offered through a partnership of the UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. A faculty member from one of the sponsoring universities serves as the resident director each Spring. In addition, the local organization ACCENT will facilitate the transition into Parisian life and help with everyday practical matters.

Founded in 1875, the Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP) is a teaching and research institution where French students specialize in topics such as philosophy, law, psychology, education, business, social sciences, sciences, and engineering. In 1948, it also launched the Institut de Langues et de Culture Françaises (ILCF), expanding its offerings to include French as a Foreign Language. Students from over seventy countries come to take courses from the forty-five faculty members at the ILCF.

In the heart of the Latin Quarter, on the Rue d’Assas, and close to other Parisian institutions of higher education, ICP offers easy access to a thriving and exciting student neighborhood. Stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens or wind your way through the cobblestone-lined streets of the Latin Quarter to get a taste of Parisian life. Students can also experience the classical and aristocratic elegance of the Faubourg St. Germain. Other inviting promenades lead to the Esplanade des Invalides, the Champs de Mars, or the famous Musée d’Orsay. Take in the splendor of Gothic-style architecture and the beautiful multi-colored rose windows at Notre Dame Cathedral, a short metro ride away from ICP.

Academics

Students on the Paris Spring Program take most of their language classes at the ILCF and also have the option to take a course taught by the Resident Director at the headquarters of ACCENT, the local organization responsible for the logistics of the program. Classes at ILCF range from language classes (required) to culture and civilization classes which focus on fine arts and cinema, communication, general French culture, history and geography, literature, and philosophy. Students can also do an internship teaching English in a local French middle school or high school. Students placing at the advanced/superior level have the opportunity to directly enroll in a course at the Institut Catholique de Paris with French students.

Housing

Students will have the option of homestays or private student residences (depending on availability). Homestays are recommended as they provide students greater contact with French people and includes daily breakfast (four dinners per week can also be arranged for an additional fee).

Excursions and Activities

In Paris, students attend orientation sessions that include walking tours, a welcome reception, and practical information about life in Paris. Paris, a metropolitan area of approximately 10 million, offers limitless cultural and historic resources. Its buildings and monuments represent more than 2,000 years of history. Its museums, theaters, and libraries are among the finest in the world.

Excursions outside of Paris in the past have included a day-trip to Chartres to visit the cathedral and a weekend trip to Normandy and Brittany to visit the Normandy D-Day Beaches, Mont-St-Michel and St. Malo.