Academics

Academic Program

During their first semester (fall or spring) students enroll in the following:

French Language Practicum I or II, 3 points
Taken during the orientation period prior to the start of the French semester, this mandatory three-week course helps students gain the proficiency in the language needed to complete courses taught in French during the semester. The course is offered at different levels, and special attention is paid to practical vocabulary for both academic and daily living applications.

“One of the the strongest points of the program is that it lets people tailor their own experience. I took both French and science requirements while I was there.”

Academic Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences, 3 points
Required of all students, this course is offered at different levels and focuses on reading comprehension and academic writing skills. Particular attention is paid to key concepts in French thought and to French methods of academic training.

Elective Courses, minimum of 9 points
Students enroll in three elective courses either at Reid Hall or in the French university system. Depending on their language proficiency, students are required to take at least one or two courses at a French university. For one of their courses, students may elect to work on a directed research project or be chosen to participate in an honors seminar.

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Reid Hall Courses

Required French Language Courses (required of all incoming fall and spring students)

  • French H3431. French Language Practicum, I
  • French H3432. French Language Practicum, II
  • French H3447. Academic Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Reid Hall Elective Courses

The following is a list of courses which may be offered. The final course list is confirmed upon arrival in Paris. All courses are taught in French.

  • Art History H3320. Medieval Art
  • Art History H3715. Art in Paris, 1900-1965
  • French H3334. Introduction to Literary Study: From 1800 to the Present
  • French Studies H3994. Paris in Context: Itineraries on the Architectural, Urban, Cultural History of Paris
  • History H3240. Political Life in France
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Joint Honors Seminars

Each term, the Columbia-Penn Program in Paris offers a joint honors seminar in collaboration with one of its French partners. A total of 20 students, 10 students from the Columbia-Penn Program and 10 from the French partner institution are selected to participate in the seminar. Topics vary each term.The following is a list of previous joint seminars. The final seminar offerings are confirmed upon arrival in Paris. All courses are taught in French.

  • Diversité, mobilité sociale et discrimination positive: une approche compareé
  • Art Exhibits in Paris: Sculpture in Paris Museums
  • Art Exhibits in Pars: Current Exhibitions
  • Africa and France in the 20th Century
  • French-USA Relations

For complete course descriptions, please select one of the following:

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French Universities

Qualified students are required to take courses at a French university. At orientation and during the practicum, students are provided with a selection of courses available at the following institutions with which Columbia University has formal interuniversity exchange agreements.

All courses taken in the French University System fall under the following course numbers: French H3991 or H3992. Supervised Study in French University System. The subject area depends on which department offers the course. Point values per course vary but each course is generally worth 3 points. All French university course titles, point values, and grades are translated into U.S. terms. For subject areas and current course offerings, please visit the Reid Hall website.

Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po):A limited number of courses in history, political science, international relations, general economics, and comparative society.

University of Paris I (Panthéon Sorbonne): Courses in art history, history, political science, economics, philosophy, international relations, and film. Studio arts courses may be available to visual arts/fine arts majors through an application process with portfolio.

University of Paris IV (Sorbonne): Courses in art history, history, comparative and French literature, philosophy, cultural geography, and anthropology.

University of Paris VII (Denis Diderot): Courses in film studies, history, literature, philosophy, sociology, gender studies, biology, physics, mathematics, and chemistry.

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Directed Research

French H3997 or H3998. Directed Research in France. 4-6 points
Disciplined students who enjoy working independently will find this option challenging and rewarding. Under the supervision of a French scholar they explore a specific topic in depth and acquire both the methodological and analytical skills necessary for academic research.Students can also select to do a translation or French creative writing project. Students meet with their mentor weekly and complete a mémoire, a research paper of at least 25 pages, for the semester. While all the research is conducted in French, students may write their mémoire in English if they do not want French credit for their work.

Students have completed mémoires on the following topics:

• La question de l’autoritarisme dans le contrat social
• La liberté sanglante: une étude sur la terreur pendant la Révolution française
• Le passage complexe de l'idée des droits de l'homme au niveau national et au niveau international: le cas exceptionnel de l'esclavage et de la République Française
• "Sois jeune et tais-toi": May 68 and the role of the student movement in reconstructing French society
• Le multilatéralisme et les Nations Unies face à la crise irakienne
• Analyse du lien entre la tombe d'un écrivain et son œuvre: quelques exemples au Père Lachaise: Apollinaire/ Stein /Beckett/ Ionesco
• La mise en question de l'universalisme : la santé en France
• Qu'est-ce qu'être français?
• Les catholiques résistants
• Les élections de 2007
• L'industrie du cinéma en France
• Le cinéma maghrébin
• Exercices de style: Lettres parisiennes
• An undecided architecture contradiction in the design of the 19th century Parisian bourgeois apartment buildings
• The Moudjahidate: Women fighters for freedom in Algeria
• Marc Chagall et Constantin Brancusi: deux créateurs adoptés par la France

• Pasteur Institute: Science students have the unique opportunity to work with a ground-breaking research team at the Institut Pasteur in the laboratory of “Biochimie et Biophysique des Macromolecules”, headed by Deshmukh N. Gopaul. Students are expected to work on experiments and assist researchers with their work. They present their findings in both oral and written reports.

Note: The University reserves the right to withdraw or modify the courses of instruction or to change the instructors as may become necessary.

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