Wake Forest University Department of Romance Languages Semester Abroad Program in Dijon

INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS: Program description and Application Contact Information Photos on these pages courtesy of Anna Nicodemus, Dijon 2008

INFORMATION FOR CURRENT AND PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS: Courses and Instruction Group Excursions Other Useful Links Policy Statement Student Handbook *written by and for students* (updated in 2010 by Susannah Blood and Anne Koch, Dijon ‘08)

PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION FOR OUTGOING STUDENTS: Visa Information Arrival Information: Getting from Paris to Dijon

Overview

Each Fall, students have the opportunity to spend a semester studying French language and culture in Dijon, France. The Wake Forest Study Abroad Program in Dijon was begun in 1972 and is administered by the Department of Romance Languages. The provincial capital of Burgundy, Dijon was the site of the opulent court of the Dukes of Burgundy in the Middle Ages, and the region remains rich today in its historical, artistic, architectural and gastronomical heritage. It offers easy access to Paris as well as to many other European countries. Students are accompanied by a member of the Wake Forest French staff who both teaches and is responsible for coordinating the various aspects of the program. They attend classes at the Centre d'Etudes Internationales Françaises (CIEF), which is affiliated with the University of Burgundy and specializes in French studies for foreign students. Participants in the Wake Forest program receive Wake Forest credit for all the courses they complete.

Participants

Normally, 10 to 20 students participate in the program—most of junior standing though seniors and well-qualified sophomores are not excluded. Participants must be students in good academic standing who have completed French 212, 213, or 214. It is strongly recommended that students, depending on their level, complete French 319: Composition and Review of Grammar before study in Dijon. Students do not have to be French majors or minors to participate in the program; students from other institutions may be accepted if there is space available (these students should check with their respective academic departments and Registrar's Offices about course approval and transfer credit). A member of the Wake Forest French staff accompanies the group as director and general administrator, teacher and tour organizer.

Calendar and academic progRAM

Students join the director in Dijon at the same time that their classmates begin their semester on campus, usually in the last week of August. During the first four weeks, students take FRH 3152: Studies in French Language and Culture, taught by the program director. As an integral part of this course, the group makes a number of excursions around France beginning in August and continuing through September. These generally include a tour of Beaune and Burgundy, and visits to Provence, Normandy, the châteaux of the Loire Valley and a weeklong stay in Paris. Students particularly enjoy these visits to museums and monuments of historical, artistic and architectural interest because events they have been reading about in books suddenly seem to come alive before their eyes. In early October students begin taking another series of courses in language offered by the CIEF (FRH 3202: Advanced Oral and Written French), and a course in contemporary France (FRH 3242). There is an elective course in French Art (ART 2712); students may also have the option of taking an independent study (FRH 3402) or a special topics course (FRH 3742). All classes are conducted in French, and except in emergencies, all interaction among students in the group and between the director and students is conducted in French. For detailed descriptions of courses, click here.

Living Arrangements

Upon arrival in Dijon, students stay at a local hotel until early September, and thereafter, each student is lodged with a French family. The family provides a daily breakfast and two dinners per week. Other meals may be taken at the University cafeteria (Restaurant Universitaire) or in cafés or restaurants in Dijon (the cafeteria Flunch is particularly popular). Students are encouraged to prepare dinner for their host family (bring a favorite recipe for the occasion!), and the group usually celebrates Thanksgiving in a local restaurant. The end of the semester is generally celebrated by a full-course dinner in a fine Dijon restaurant (of which there are many!).

Cost of the program

As an official Wake Forest program, Dijon is considered an “alternate campus” of WFU; program cost is based directly on the current costs of tuition, room, and board on the Wake Forest University campus. The total amount covers tuition and fees in Dijon, room and board, laundry, local transportation, internet access, required textbooks, expenses for the group excursions, and roundtrip travel to Dijon (up to $1,300).  It does not cover personal expenses such as passports, health insurance, and weekend travel.  Scholarships may be applied toward payment of expenses.

TRIPS AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

As part of the academic program, a number of group excursions are planned by the Director, which allows students to visit places of cultural and historical interest that they will have been studying. These may include Paris, the Loire Valley, Normandy, Burgundy, and Provence. In Dijon and during the group trip to Paris, opportunities exist for students to attend plays, operas, and concerts.

PERSONAL TRAVEL

In addition to the group excursions, students are able to take advantage of a number of weekends to explore other areas of France or Europe on their own. Given its location, Dijon is a gateway to Switzerland and Italy and offers convenient access to Germany, England, Belgium, and Holland.