Program Duration

Summer: Late June/Early July - Mid August.

Program Description

The Summer Study Program in Québec is offered by the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), a group of universities (which includes the University of Wisconsin-Madison) dedicated to fostering cultural and academic growth in the United States and beyond. This program offers its participants the chance to increase their command of French in a French-speaking environment and introduces them to the culture of Québec, North America's largest francophone region.

The CIC program is affiliated with Laval University which is the oldest French-speaking institution of higher learning in North America. It was founded in Québec City in 1852 and moved to a 500-acre campus in nearby Sainte-Foy in the late nineteen-fifties. With the main buildings connected by a network of underground tunnels, its modern facilities include a new sports arena, a student co-op, banking services, a research library, up-to-date audiovisual resources, attractive housing, and excellent teaching facilities. Québec City, whose center is about six kilometers from the university, is easily accessible by bus, car, or bicycle. Less cosmopolitan and more strictly francophone than Montreal, Québec City has also preserved more fully its traditional character. The city itself is dominated, physically and culturally, by Old Québec, a walled town within the city. Because of its museums, its old-world atmosphere, and its rich history, Québec City has become a chief attraction for summer visitors to the Province.

Academics

The group is accompanied in Québec by a Resident Director from one of the participating CIC universities. Students receive a total of seven credits for their summer in Québec, six credits come from Université Laval coursework and the other credit is an Introduction to Québec course taught by the Resident Director. Courses at the Université Laval are designed to meet the needs of all the students of the French language, from the beginner to the advanced learner. Each student is placed in one of ten language proficiency levels according to a placement test given on the first day of classes. All courses are taught by the faculty at Laval and meet for four or five hours per day, five days a week.

• Niveau Elémentaire A, B and C: Courses offered at these beginning levels are aimed at language comprehension and limited production of grammatical structures and expressions for communicating in everyday situations.
• Niveau Intermédiaire A, B and C: Courses in these levels emphasize the acquisition of grammatical mechanisms and common vocabulary, while continuing to develop verbal and written skills.
• Niveau Avancé A, B and C: Courses at these levels serve to continue the student’s development in French. In addition, civilization and literature courses familiarize the student with important aspects of the host culture.
• Niveau Supérieur: This level offers coursework for students with a high level of French proficiency.

Housing

Students may choose to live with French-speaking hosts or in university residence halls. Students in homestays may opt for up to two daily meals to be provided by their hosts and will receive a stipend to cover the cost of meals not provided by their hosts.

Students electing to live on campus will be housed in single rooms in university residence halls. Students living in residence halls usually eat in a university restaurant or prepare their own meals in the hall kitchens. Residence halls do not offer meal contracts. Students living on campus receive a stipend to cover the cost of all meals.

Excursions and Activities

The program offers a wide range of social and cultural activities including sports, cultural events, workshops, and excursions. Designed and coordinated by a team of animateurs for the Laval Cours d’été pour non-francophones, some activities may require additional fees, which vary depending upon the nature of the activity.

Students on the Summer Study Program in Québec arrive at Laval for orientation several days before classes begin. During this orientation period, the CIC Resident Director and the Laval staff will provide activities designed to acquaint participants with the university, the city, and one another. The orientation session also gives students a taste of Québec’s history, politics, geography, and culture. In the past, orientation activities have included guided tours of Laval’s campus and historic sites in Québec City, and meetings with Québecois writers, musicians, and historians.