French Language and Culture

This summer term study abroad program provides students with the unique opportunity to study French language and culture in an intensive, month-long course set in the heart of the Loire Valley in Tours, France, a region whose denizens have long been recognized as having the purest French accent. The courses are directed by the well-established Institut de Touraine, a teaching center of international repute whose rich history of language instruction dates back to 1897.

The institute offers a stimulating atmosphere of instruction in language and culture achieved through an effective balance of traditional pedagogical methodology and modern multi-media resources. The faculty at the Institut are all native speakers of French, expert in the field of Second Language Acquisition Instruction. There is no better way for students to learn a foreign language than by intensive study in another county; through its emphasis on speaking, writing, reading, and listening comprehension, the month-long course at the Institut de Touraine will provide students with a solid foundation to communicate effectively in French and thus to begin to understand the richness of French culture. Because the language learning will take place in another country, students will also gain immense exposure to, and knowledge of, a foreign culture, namely contemporary to France. Students will experience the French culture on a daily basis in the homes of French families with whom they reside, in the city of Tours for four weeks, in the outlying regions famous for cathedrals and chateaux, and in cities like Paris where they can explore French history, architecture, music, fashion, and cuisine at the very seat of French culture and civilization. Such cultural experiences will ideally lead students to ponder their own traditions and conventions, directing them to a broader understanding of what it means to be a global citizen.

Dates of Travel:		May 31 – June 25, 2010
Program Fee*:		$3,340 per student
Tuition for 3 credit hours + $20 fee:		$614 per student
Personal Expenses**:		$1,550 per student
Total Approximate Cost:		$5,504 per student
Non-refundable Deposit:		$500 due December 4, 2009
Second Non-refundable Deposit:		$500 due January 29, 2010
		Remaining Balance due by February 26, 2010 (refund policy explained in program handout)

* Program fee includes housing accommodations, some meals, Institut de Touraine fees, transportation and excursion costs, administrative fee, faculty expenses, and international health insurance.

**Personal expenses include airfare, daily lunch money, and passport costs.
The first 10 approved students by the program directors will be guaranteed a position.

Courses:

FREN 391: Research (3 credit hours)
*FREN 101: Elementary French (4 credit hours; satisfies the “foreign language” GP21 requirement)
*FREN 280: International Language Study (3 credit hours; satisfies the “foreign language” GP21 requirement)
*FREN 380: Advanced International Language Study (3 credit hours; satisfies the “foreign language” GP21 requirement)
*Courses are determined by student’s speaking level of the French language and are taught at an Institute for transfer credit.
*Students are required to submit a letter of reference as part of their application.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Patrick Moser
pmoser@drury.edu
(417) 873-6957