Study Abroad Partnership Programs: College Study Abroad Programs Sponsored by Select Colleges and Universities

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Courses

MATH 145: Liberal Arts Mathematics (3 units) (Letter Grade)

Prerequisite:

Recommended:

Math 145 will examine important concepts of mathematics and of mathematics as a tool for decision making. Topics and applications may include aspects of the history of mathematics, counting methods, number theory, Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry, Platonic Solids, probability, problem solving, and logic. We will use the mathematics we learn to explore some aspects of French life. For example, we will use carbon dating to estimate the age of the cave paintings in Lascaux. Also, in view of the fact that the French seem to be more comfortable with nuclear power than we are in this country, we will explore, in a mathematical way, the implications of French nuclear policy for the long term storage of nuclear waste.

MATH 200: Elementary Probability and Statistics (4 units) (Letter Grade)

Prerequisite:

Recommended:

Math 200 will offer a general introduction to basic principles of probability and statistics. Topics will include measures of central tendency and dispersion, correlation and regression, sampling distributions, and statistical inference (estimation and hypothesis testing). We will use the statistics we learn to investigate issues related to life in France. For example, we will look at opinion polling, using French attitudes toward the United States as an example. And we will do a statistical analysis of the “French miracle” - the apparently beneficial effect of red wine consumption on health.

SOSC 221*, French Life and Culture (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option) CSU#; AA/AS elective
A survey of French life and culture in historical and contemporary perspective. Specifically, the course will cover the history, politics, economics, culture, and society of modern-day France. Lectures by French guest lecturers and related field trips provide a broad overview of French culture and civilization. Required for all students enrolled in the Semester in Paris whose AIFS applications are processed through College of San Mateo.

ART 300, Elementary Drawing and Composition (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option) CSU/UC; AA/AS elective CAN ART 8
This beginning course covers the fundamentals and extended development of the use of line, shape, value, perspective, space and composition. Incorporating the backdrop of Paris in our curriculum, students will frequently be drawing outdoors in tree-lined parks and in numerous world-class museums; utilizing the vast inventory of graphic works available for studying and reproducing. Students will be introduced to various media and techniques of drawing, including charcoal, ink, and pencil.

ART 302, Elementary Drawing and Composition (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option)

Prerequisite:

This intermediate course continues covering the fundamentals and extended development of the use of line, shape, value, perspective, space and composition. Incorporating the backdrop of Paris in our curriculum, students will frequently be drawing outdoors in tree-lined parks and in numerous world-class museums; utilizing the vast inventory of graphic works available for studying and reproducing. Students will begin use of colored pencils and pastels, developing a thematic series of related works in color.

ARTH 300, Introduction to Art (History) (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option) CSU/UC; AA/AS Area C-4 (Humanities); CSU Area C-1(Arts); IGETC Area 3 (Arts)
Using Paris as a priceless setting for the introduction and overview of the visual arts, we will examine the materials, methods and design principles of creating. Incorporating the vast inventory of culturally significant museums, students will take frequent trips to view original works and expand their awareness of painting, sculpture, printmaking and architecture. Students will keep a journal recording their experiences viewing art in various Parisian sights, and will gain valuable insight into the working methods and historical context of works of art. By accessing museums offering works ranging from ancient to modern and contemporary art, students will begin to appreciate and understand a larger scope of artistic expression.

ARTH 309, Art Survey: Renaissance to 19th Century (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option) CSU/UC; AA/AS Area C-4 (Humanities); CSU Area C-1 (Arts); IGETC Area 3 (Arts)
Paris, the City of Light, has been a beacon of culture for many centuries, and this course makes the most of the abundant resources available in Europe’s best museums. We will incorporate the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay, and the Carnivalet museums in our discussion and exploration of art historical trends in painting, graphic art, sculpture and architecture. Classes will be held both inside and on-site at various locales in Paris, analyzing artworks from each major period from the Renaissance through Baroque, Romantic, Neoclassicism and ending with Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Viewing and discussing important works in person will prove an invaluable asset in understanding both the formal elements and the historical context of the art, and students will be given the opportunity to select an artist for extended examination.

SOSC 499*, French Life and Culture (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option) CSU#/UC##; AA/AS elective
A survey of French life and culture in historical and contemporary perspective. Specifically, the course will cover the history, politics, economics, culture, and society of modern-day France. Lectures by French guest lecturers and related field trips provide a broad overview of French culture and civilization. Required for all students enrolled in the Semester in Paris whose AIFS applications are processed through Cosumnes River College.

ENGL 150, Introduction to Literature (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option)

Recommended:

This course is intended to develop in students an appreciation for the distinct qualities of the major literary genres: poetry, drama, the short story, and the novel. The course will help students to appreciate the rich cultural context out of which literature emerges and to recognize the connections between literature and other art forms such as music, the visual arts, and film. In achieving these goals, we will exploit the richness of the cultural environment in which students will be learning. Thus, many of the texts chosen will help students to appreciate historical and contemporary French literature and culture as well as the expatriate literature and culture in Paris. Students will read (in translation!) Baudelaire, Flaubert, Camus, de Maupassant and Moliere; they will read as well Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Beckett. In addition, students will study contemporary works that either directly feature Paris (such as Mavis Gallant’s Paris Stories or one of Cara Black’s Paris mysteries) or that focus on cross-cultural experiences (such as Claire Messud’s The Last Life). The course will also include the study of the French chanson (e.g. Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf), an exploration of the French passion for American jazz, and an analysis of classic and contemporary films that “star” Paris (e.g. Les Enfants du Paradis and Amelie). Along with conventional reading and formal writing assignments, course assignments will require students to engage directly with the culture of Paris.

ENGL 151, The Short Story (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option)

Recommended:

This course is designed to introduce students to one of the most elegant and manageable of literary genres: the short story. Because they are, in fact, short and thus can be read carefully a few times, stories encourage and allow for the deepest analysis of both form and content. Such a probing analysis leads not only to rich, thought-provoking in-class discussions but leads as well to connections with and scrutiny of key aspects of our own identities and lives. We will study contemporary stories as well as those that paved the way for them. Because we will be studying in Paris, we will read (in translation) stories by French writers as well as stories that reflect the expatriate experience. Although not exclusively, we will concentrate on the degree to which “setting” contributes not only to the emotional mood and stylistic texture of stories but contributes as well to the development and illumination of character. Students will be invited (encouraged? required??) to submit a story of their own, set in Paris, in lieu of one of the more conventional writing assignments.

ENGL 222, Creative Writing (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option)

Prerequisite:

My general goals for this course are to ensure: 1) that students creatively process and document their time in France; that they preserve the strong impressions of their months in Paris by maintaining a Paris Journal; 2) that they deepen their appreciation of and control over the literary techniques associated with the particular genres –poetry, short story, personal essay—that we will study together; 3) that they emerge from the course with a volume called Paris On Paper. This “tome” will include the best work (shaped, polished, revised, edited) of all students from their genre of choice. We will –individually and as a class—seek inspiration not only from published poems, stories, and essays, but most especially from the lively, vivid, enchanting streets (and parks and bridges and shops and churches and cafes and…) of Paris.

SOCSC 163*, French Life and Culture (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option)

Recommended:

A survey of French life and culture in historical and contemporary perspective. Specifically, the course will cover the history, politics, economics, culture, and society of modern-day France. Lectures by French guest lecturers and related field trips provide a broad overview of French culture and civilization. Required for all students enrolled in the Semester in Paris whose AIFS applications are processed through Diablo Valley College.

FRNCH 155, First Term Conversational French (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option)

CSU/UC#; AA/AS elective

This is a basic skills course in speaking, listening, and comprehending French. Introduction to simple grammatical structures and vocabulary to enable students to communicate in every day situations. Regular attendance and practice in the built in language laboratory of Paris is required. (This course does not satisfy the academic requirements of the FRNCH 120-121 series or the FRNCH 145, 146 and 147 series.)

FRNCH 156, Second Term Conversational French (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option)

Recommended:

Second term conversational course designed to improve speaking and oral comprehension skills. Building on previously acquired knowledge, it will include a more extensive grammar and vocabulary to expand beyond the self and onto conversation of a more general nature. Emphasis will be on oral use of the language. Comprehension will be reinforced through listening practice. Regular attendance and practice in the built in language laboratory of Paris is required. (This course does not satisfy the academic requirements of the FRNCH 120-121 series or the FRNCH 145, 146 and 147 series.)

FRNCH 157, Third Term Conversational French (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option)

Recommended:

This is a third term conversational French course designed to improve and refine speaking, listening, and comprehension skills by reviewing and introducing target vocabulary and grammar. Students will be able to discuss topics of social, political, and cultural nature. Students will also have the opportunity to present a well- researched expose on various aspects of French culture. (This course does not satisfy the academic requirements of the FRNCH 120-121 series or the FRNCH 145, 146 and 147 series.)

HIST 4.2, History of Western Civilization from 1648 (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or letter grade option)

Recommended:

Paris gave birth to the modern world and is identified with the Enlightenment; the French Revolution and Age of Napoleon; the Industrial Revolution and beginnings of communism (Marx lived there); World War I and the Versailles Treaty; World War II and of fascism (Hitler marched there); and the founding of the European Union. Paris has also been home to some of the giants in Western intellectual and cultural history--it is a city of famous philosophers, artists, writers, chefs and fashion designers. We will use the city itself, especially its museums and historical sites, as we explore this history

POLS 1, Introduction to United States Government (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or letter grade option)

Recommended:

Living abroad can give one a fresh perspective about one's own society and Paris offers an excellent vantage point from which to view our own political system. The French have struggled issues like immigration, terrorism and conflict in the Middle East, and we will be able to observe how they have handled these problems while studying our own responses to them. We will also have a unique perspective from which to view the 2008 race for the US presidency. The historical ties that have bound our nations together are many. France is our oldest ally-Jefferson and Franklin lived in Paris during the Revolution-and we soon inspired the French to revolution as well. Frenchmen gave us our constitutional separation of powers, designed our nation's capitol, and produced the political classic--Tocqueville's "Democracy in America." During World Wars I and II, American soldiers died fighting on French soil, and it was the departure of France from Vietnam that later led to our own involvement there.

POLS 2, Introduction to Comparative Government (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or letter grade option)

Recommended:

The central feature of this course will be an analysis on the French system of government, along with the historical, social and economic forces that shape French politics today. Because Paris is the capital of France, we'll have an opportunity to witness institutions and events informing French politics at close range. We will also spend time comparing and contrasting this system of government with other forms of government, some of France's partners in the European Union and (as time allows) countries in other parts of the world.

SOCS 48.13*, French Life and Culture (3 units) (Credit/No Credit or Letter grade option)

Recommended:

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Partnership programs are offered under the auspices of select colleges and universities in association with the American Institute for Foreign Study® College Division.