About  Program

The Summer Ambassador Program to France is comprised of three weeks of study: two weeks in Paris and one week in the Pays Basque of southwest France. Students will participate in French life and culture with coursework, a service learning project, and numerous on-site visits. Being based in two very different regions as well as enjoying several out-of-town excursions will give students a broad exposure to and appreciation of French culture as they experience the richly textured fabric of France.
 

Academic Credit

As a prerequisite for this program, students must successfully complete, as a minimum, French 101. All French-speaking students in the program will register for FR399 for the Summer A Quarter. Students with elementary French skills will register for ML399. These 4-credit courses will include the study of French art and culture with extensive practice in speaking the language. Individually-designed objectives may be considered for each student.
During Spring Quarter, students will complete all assigned readings and will prepare oral reports. This course also includes a service learning component, for which preparations will be completed prior to departure. While in France, students will keep daily journals, participate in morning classes taught by Mme Galbraith, give on-site reports, and complete the service learning project. Free days will allow for individuals to explore according to their interest.

Pays Basque

Nestled in the rolling green foothills of the Pyrenées on the Atlantic coast, Ciboure is our home base for this region. Students will become well acquainted with the beautiful city of St Jean de Luz, site of the marriage of Louis XIV and the Infante of Spain. Excursions to Bayonne, Biarritz, and St Jean Pied de Port will bring to life many aspects of Basque culture introduced through readings and oral reports. As this exquisite corner of France unlocks her treasures, students will come to appreciate the warm hospitality and optimistic spirit which characterize this colorful region.
 

Paris

Study in Paris will focus on four units, Medieval Paris, Modern Paris, Historical Icons, and Impressionism. Students will visit many important sites, such as the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Orangerie, Arc de Triomphe, Château de Fontainebleau, Château de Versailles, Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame, Invalides, Musée de Cluny, Centre Pompidou, Petit Palais, Conciergerie and Panthéon. They will also experience Paris through her inviting parks , lively Latin Quarter, friendly sidewalk cafés, ancient Roman ruins, cemeteries, the quartier Montmartre, and open-air markets. A visit to Monet’s home in Giverny will cap our study of Impressionism.
Evenings are generally free, and will include a visit to the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and a Seine River cruise. A highlight on this year’s itinerary is the summer solstice Fête de la Musique, where the City of Light is transformed into countless free concert venues, with music for every taste and preference.

 

Orientation

A pre-departure orientation is offered during Spring Quarter by the University Center for International Education. Students will also attend, in winter and spring, mandatory course-related meetings with Mme Galbraith. Included will be an overview of the itinerary, travel & luggage recommendations, an orientation to Paris, and goals and procedures.
 

Meals and Accommodations

In Paris, students will be housed in student housing located in former private mansions on the right bank. Housing in Pays Basque is in Ciboure, an Atlantic coastal city adjoining St Jean de Luz, at the Borda Zahar Centre International des Jeunes. Both of these residences provide two meals daily, are centrally located, and are geared toward meeting the needs and interests of students.
 

Cost and Enrollment Deadlines

Cost of the program is $2,900. This includes round-trip airfare from Dayton, housing, two meals a day, transportation between Paris and Ciboure and in Pays Basque, museum admission and métro passes in Paris, and health and accident insurance. Not included are passport application costs, tuition, lunches, selected museums and excursions, souvenirs, personal expenses, and activities during free time.
A 2.5 GPA is required of all participants. A non-refundable application fee of $50 and a refundable deposit of $250 are due at the time of application. All persons applying must submit an application by January 11, 2008. All fees are due by April 7, 2008. Financial aid is applicable to this program. Enrollment is limited to twelve.

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About the Professors

This marks Mme Barbara Galbraith’s fourth study abroad program through the Department of Modern Languages. Her love of French is contagious, and her greatest desire is to share France first-hand with her talented students; a basic objective of this program is that each participant will come to know Paris in such a way as to feel completely at home there. Mme Galbraith loves to also introduce the students to World War II historical sites relating to the Resistance, the Holocaust, and D-Day. Students may opt to use a free day to visit Normandy and the D-Day sites pivotal to modern history. Mme Galbraith first learned French when she lived near Paris for eight years in her youth. Since 1995 she has led, with a colleague, nine group trips to France. In 2000 she spent three weeks studying in Bayonne in the Pays Basque. She has taught at Wright State since 1989 and is a Lecturer of French in the Department of Modern Languages.

*Proposed dates, subject to change

Check Former Ambassador Programs