Dickinson in France

Toulouse, France

The University of Toulouse is a highly respected institution that dates back to the 13th century.  Today, with 110,000 students and four main campuses, it is the second-largest university in France.  This significant student presence makes for a youthful city, offering an array of social and cultural opportunities.

Toulouse is noted for its many pink brick buildings, earning it the nickname "la ville rose."  The city is in the heart of southwestern France, two hours from the Mediterranean Sea and two-and-a-half hours from the Atlantic Ocean.  It is located on the Garonne River just north of the Pyrenees Mountains, which separate France from Spain, and is the fourth-largest city in France.  In one survey, French citizens rated it the city in which they would most like to live (excluding the capital) based upon quality of life.

University of Toulouse and the Dickinson Center
While Dickinson's Toulouse program is language intensive and designed for students with some mastery of French, participants have the chance to study a tremendous variety of subjects at the University of Toulouse, including the social sciences, arts and humanities at the Université de Toulouse Le Mirail, and the physical sciences at the Université de Toulouse I.

Students also may study at the Institut Catholique (with strengths in history, religion and philosophy), the Institut d'Etudes Politiques (a highly regarded center for the study of political science) and the Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (offering courses in business management).

Academics
The program provides an important groundinig in French language and reflects Dickinson's emphasis on a well-rounded, liberal-arts education.  Program participants may study overseas for the full academic year or for the fall or spring semester.  In addition to enrolling in the University of Toulouse, students can take courses in French language, literature and civilization at the Dickinson Study Center.  Classes are taught entirely in French by faculty from the University of Toulouse and Dickinson College.

The Dickinson Center, which serves as a gathering and resource space for students, is conveniently located within the city of Toulouse on the banks of the Midi Canal.  In addition to taking classes and meeting with classmates at the center, students may use the library and computer stations.

Courses taught at the Dickinson Center include:
Literature and Society I & II

Writing Workshop

Intensive French Expression

Topics in Applied French

Toulouse Colloquium

Studies in Intercultural Communication

In addition, at the University of Toulouse, students may enroll in a variety of courses up to the master’s level.  Along with studying political science, comparative literature, music and/or the performing arts, participants may continue their work in English and American literature or other foreign-language studies.

Internships
For academic-year students with a good command of the French language, internship opportunities are available in business and marketing, public administration, journalism and communications, education, the arts and applied sciences and medicine.  In the past, students have worked at sites such as Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Airbus, the Mairie de Péchabou, Spot Image, Théâtre Sorano, Sup'Aéro, the Fédération des Femmes pour l'Europe and the U.S. Consulate.

Excursions

Field trips and cultural events enrich the program.  Students visit such sites as medieval cities (Carcassonne), the ruins of the Cathar castles (Montségur), Romanesque churches and monasteries (Conques), fortified villages (Cordes-sur-Ciel) and prehistoric caves (Niaux).  The program also includes a multiday excursion to Paris in the fall semester.

On-Site Administration

Sylvie Toux is resident director of the Toulouse program and Dickinson Center.  She oversees the staff, plans and leads the academic program, advises students and teaches.  She is assisted by Laura Raynaud, a Toulouse program alumna who manages program logistics, including the home-stay network of families.

Housing
To ensure that students experience local culture to the fullest, all Toulouse program participants are housed with French families.  The families are carefully matched with students for compatibility and they provide breakfast and several other meals per week for participants.

Quick Facts

* This is the program fee for 2009-2010; the program fee for 2010-2011 will correspond to on-campus tuition and fees and will be determined during spring 2010.

Program Fee Includes
• tuition and fees
• room and board
• pre-departure and on-site orientations
• academic and cultural excursions

The program fee does not include primary health insurance, airfare, passport, visa, immunizations, optional travel, personal expenses, meals and housing during vacations, books or supplies.

Special Requirements
3.0 GPA
FR 236: “Introduction to Cultural Analysis” must be taken before studying abroad

Links

For more information, contact

Prof. Andy Macdonald, On-Campus Coordinator
Department of French and Italian
Dickinson College
P.O. Box 1773
Carlisle, PA 17013-2896
Phone: (717) 245-1819
E-mail:  macdonai@dickinson.edu