Introduction

Ahhhh…summer in Paris, life is good. Lots of sun, lovely boat rides on the Seine river, discovering the ins and outs of a city that you’ve only seen in history books is truly an awesome way to spend the month of July. Think of all the experiences you could have by just simply submitting your candidacy through the MICEFA program.

Wait a minute…you haven’t submitted your application yet…well the TIME IS NOW ! Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and let MICEFA be your educational link and guide to the French capital.

General Information

The core of the program consists of three-hour long classes, five days a week at the Catholic Institute of Paris. These classes, taken with other American and European students, focus on enabling the student to function in a Francophone environment with an emphasis on oral comprehension and expression. Students will be exposed to newspapers, news programs, French as well as a review of basic skills (tenses, sentence structure, etc). The course is worth 4 university credits for a total of 60 hours.

Dates

Arrival date : Friday, July 2nd, 2010 (this means departure from the US: Thursday, July 1st)

Orientation : Friday afternoon, July 2nd, 2010

Program : Friday, July 2nd - Saturday, July 31st, 2010

Activities

• Guided tour of the Louvre and Hôtel de Ville (Paris' City Hall)
• Musée d'Orsay
• Sunset boat tour on the Seine
• English/French language exchanges organized through the Club-International des Jeunes à Paris (CIJP)
• Château de Versailles
  
• Opéra Garnier
  
• Welcome and Final dinners
• Les Invalides and Musée Rodin
  
• Day trip to Château de Vaux le Vicomte and the medieval city of Provins
• Walking tour of Montmartre and le Quartier Latin

Housing

Students will be housed at the Cité Universitaire in shared dorm rooms. The dormitory has access to a shared kitchen, a large parlor with a piano, library and cable television. A game room and work room (with internet access) are also available as well as washing machines.

(www.ciup.fr)

Cost

The program cost is 2010 € (the program cost does not include Paypal and bank wire transfer fees) which includes housing, activities, tuition at the Catholic Institute of Paris, MICEFA fee, and one month Paris public transportation pass. The program cost does not include the optional classes, airfare, optional activities arranged through the CIJP, or additional living expenses.

Eligibility

In order to be accepted to our summer program, you must be approved by your study abroad office at one of our North American partner universities. Academic credit must be approved before the program starts. MICEFA cannot guarantee that your university will accept the classes you take during this program.

A proficiency in the French language is NOT required. Classes at the Catholic Institute are available for complete beginners up to advanced speakers.

Housing Fee due: April 15th, 2010

540 € required to reserve housing (refundable upon withdrawal before May 1st, 2010)

Final payment due: May 15th, 2010 (no further refunds can be issued after this date)

Optional Class (depending on interest and availability)

Myths, Symbols and Iconography - Reading in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (Medieval France): taught in french and english by Professor Donaldson of the University of Mary Washington. 2 to 3 university credits. 150€

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance the majority of the population was illiterate. Anyone who wanted to reach a broad audience had to use images with a widely recognized significance. Thus the stained glass and sculpture of churches were used consciously to help people who could neither read nor write understand the Bible. In everyday life images rather than text marked the location of an inn, shop, and other places of business. Even beyond the visual arts in oral and written literature, well-known myths and symbols were employed in order to make certain that the intended message was accessible to all. All who lived from the 10th through 16th centuries shared a common iconography which was immediately recognizable: in the Middle Ages traditional images recounted stories; during the Renaissance these images were used as metaphors which led to a secondary, hidden meaning.

We will begin by reading the foundational myths presented in Ovid’s Metamorphoses and the Bible and will then examine how the symbolism of these stories is fundamental in interpreting both the art and literature of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. With the help of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols you will learn how to recognize the most basic symbolism and how to read texts, cathedrals, and chateaux like an early modern citizen.
(syllabus on request)

Apply Now

For more information contact Program Coordinator, Melissa Weaver at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it