UCLA Travel Study
ELTS: French Language and Culture
This summer, experience the City of Light while earning 8 credits toward college coursework. This intensive French language and culture program will provide you the opportunity – and the tools – to live in Paris like the Parisians do. Visit your local street market; discover charming neighborhoods off the beaten path; stroll or bike along the banks of the Seine; discover your favorite boulangerie.
Iconic Paris awaits you with its world-class museums, its bustling café culture and all of the energetic diversity of France! In recent years, we have visited the Musée D’Orsay, the Marais, the Cluny Museum, and Saint Germain en Laye.
The program is designed for students of French, whose goal is speaking proficiency, improved written expression and intercultural competence. Highly motivated students anxious to discover this great world capital and acquaint themselves with its rich cultural heritage and people will benefit immensely from this opportunity to practice French beyond the confines of the classroom. This program is designed for mature students who can handle a brisk pace.
Scholarships: To help cover the cost of the program, the Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies (formerly French and Francophone Studies) may be able to offer limited scholarships based on merit and need. See the Scholarships page.
Curriculum
Program Courses
All students will enroll in one of the following curricula while attending the program:
- Curriculum I – Elementary French
- FRENCH 2 (4 units)
- FRENCH 3 (4 units)
- Curriculum II – Advanced French
- FRENCH 107 (4 units)
- FRENCH 139 (4 units)
Course Descriptions
Curriculum I
Prerequisite: One quarter or semester of French (French 1) or equivalent
French 2: Intermediate French (4 units)
French 3: Intermediate French (4 units)
French 2 and 3 emphasize the development of basic oral and written communication within a French cultural context. The course will combine online learning of new vocabulary, structures, and cultural topics and interaction in French, both inside and outside the classroom. The fast-paced, immersive environment will allow student’s to fulfill UCLA’s language requirement in the five week stay.
Curriculum II
Prerequisite: Two years of college French or equivalent with instructor’s approval. (B average required in previous French courses.)
French 107: Advanced Oral Expression (4 units)
FR 107 is intended to develop your fluency in spoken French with a concentration on conversational, presentational and persuasive skills. Daily exposure to the French media and current events will provide a focus for class discussion. You will learn how to view events from diverse perspectives. Your capstone project will be the presentation of “Paris par Théme” to the group.
French 139: Study of French Capital: Revolt & Revolution in Paris from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century (4 units)
French 139 is intended to offer a glimpse of the city’s culture and history. Since the city of Paris has been established, people of Paris have demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the powers in place in the streets of Paris. These acts of violence knowingly selected symbolic places within the city. Students will examine original sources and literature of medieval, early modern, modern, and contemporary revolts and revolutions. They will then set out on a treasure hunt through Paris to identify the different spaces of violence, their meanings and the memory currently associated with them.
Optional Course
French 199: Directed Research (4 units)
If desired, students may choose to enroll in one FRENCH 199 course in addition to the two required courses. There is an additional fee for this independent study course.
Students can enroll in optional courses by selecting the course in the Registration Portal when informed it is available. You can enroll up until the Friday of the second week of your program.
Useful Websites
Everything you need to know about Paris
French Post Office, Euro info and ‘cyberposte’ (email)
www.pariserve.tm.fr/quartier/decouv.htm
The neighborhoods (quartiers) of Paris that you will be visiting – and maybe writing about!
Check out the plays that will be showing at this historic theater near the Louvre. The dialog is difficult for those below the Advanced level.
spectacles.premiere.fr/pariscope/Theatre
Great website for concerts, films and theater.
Practical info about trains, metros and buses. For example suggestions for getting to center Paris from the airport.
www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr
Official site about the ch√¢teau and places of interest to visit nearby.
www.musee-orsay.fr/en/home.html
Virtual tours,special collections and events.
Virtual tours,special collections and events.
www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187147-c7466Paris:France:Safety.On.The.Metro.Ratp.And.Rer.html
Tourist information and directions on how to use the métro.
Grading
Please refer to the course syllabus for grading details.
Textbooks
You are responsible for purchasing your own textbooks. Information about required texts will be sent to participants in the spring.
The texts ordered at the UCLA bookstore and Course Reader Material should be available by June 1. If you cannot come to the UCLA campus, please call the UCLA bookstore (310) 206-0791, and Course Reader Material (310) 443-3303, to arrange for shipment.
It is also recommended that you purchase a good Paris guide, such as National Geographic, Eyewitness or Knopf to familiarize yourself with the different quartiers of Paris.
Budget and Financial Aid
| Budget Estimate | UC Undergrads | UC Grad Students | Visiting Student |
| Program Fee | $7,900 | $8,500 | $8,500 |
| Textbooks (estimate) | $150 | $150 | $150 |
| Airfare (estimate) | $1800 | $1800 | $1800 |
| Meals (estimate) | $1500 | $1500 | $1500 |
| Spending Money (estimate) | $800 | $800 | $800 |
Program fee includes registration and course fees, accommodations, program excursions, and health insurance.
Airfare, textbooks, meals, optional excursions, and any COVID-19 testing required for travel are additional.
Fees are subject to change by action of the UC Regents. View full fee disclaimer.
Document Fee
Non-UCLA students will be charged a $50 Document Fee. This is a one-time document fee which covers fees for first-class mailing of official transcripts, diploma and much more. Please visit the Registrar’s Office Website for more information. Matriculated UCLA Students: Please visit the Registrar’s Office Website for document fee information.
IEI Fee
All undergraduate students will be charged a $61 IEI fee per summer. The IEI (Instructional Enhancement Initiative) fee is a course materials fee that is charged in order to support the use of technology in undergraduate education at UCLA.
Optional Course Fee
| Optional 199 | UC Undergrads | UC Grad Students | Visiting Students |
| Course Fee | $279 per unit | $349 per unit | $360 per unit |
Fees are subject to change by action of the UC Regents. View full fee disclaimer.
Budgeting
We recommend that you budget accordingly to cover optional sightseeing, laundry, internet cafes, emergencies, etc. How much to budget depends on your travel, entertainment and souvenir choices. It is always best to overestimate your spending. Take the time to research the cost of living in your destination and the activities you want to participate in while abroad.
Purchasing Airfare
Please do not purchase airfare until instructed to do so by your Travel Study Program Coordinator.
UCLA French Department Scholarship
To help cover the cost of the program, the Department of French and Francophone Studies may be able to offer limited scholarships based on merit and need. To qualify, you must be a UCLA French major or minor in good standing (a minimum of a B+ average in all French courses), and be able to demonstrate your financial needs.
The scholarship application includes a one-page personal statement demonstrating a solid commitment to French studies, a current DPR, and financial aid statement In past years, the French Department was able to fund two scholarships of $1000 each.
See the Scholarships page.
Financial Aid
Financial aid for Summer Sessions Travel Study programs is available to qualified UCLA students. All other students should inquire about financial aid at their home institution. For details about the financial aid application process, please visit the Financial Aid section of this website.
On Location
Accommodations & Study Center
Students typically stay in double placements in a student residence hall with access to kitchenette facilities. Students will have access to study space outside of the room as well as a gym (COVID restrictions pending), laundry, and common areas. 24-hour security is maintained onsite at the residence hall.
UCLA Travel Study reserves the right to change housing & study locations. Should this be necessary, we will arrange comparable facilities elsewhere.
Meals
If you have strict dietary requirements, this program may not be able to accommodate your needs. Please let us know when you apply for this program if you have special dietary needs as well as any physical or medical conditions. We will advise you accordingly. Students will have the ability to prepare basic meals onsite in the residence hall’s shared cooking space.
Program Excursions
Excursions in Paris include a treasure hunt in Montmartre to discover some of the iconic features of this historic neighborhood, a picnic, and visits to museums such as the Musée d’Orsay, the Cluny Museum and a tour of Saint German en Laye (the national archeology museum). More details about excursions will be available in winter quarter.
Optional Excursions
Free time is built into this program for independent sightseeing. Let us know of your special interests before the trip so that we can suggest smaller museums, and other venues both inside and outside the capital. If you plan on traveling extensively, we recommend that you budget additional spending money.
Sarah Brandenburg
Program Correspondent, 2018
UC Irvine Student
Majors in Business Administration, Film & Media Studies, Minor in French
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