Summer in Montpellier

This one-month summer program will introduce you to French culture, develop your language skills, and allow you to earn 9 credits in French & Francophone Studies: French 301 (course taken in the spring semester before the departure, 1 credit); French 302 (research conducted in Montpellier, 2 credits); French 299 or French 300 (course taken at the Université Paul Valéry, 3 credits); and French 300 (course taught by the Resident Director, a W&M French & Francophone Studies professor 3 credits).

Explore Paris

Study in Montpellier

Read our Blog

Discover the Midi

Live in Monpellier 

Application and Costs  

Explore Paris

The summer program initially takes you to Paris for three days of introduction to the city that symbolizes France to the rest of the world. You will be met at the airport by the Resident Director and taken by bus to your hotel, always located in the heart of Paris.

You can use the first day to become accustomed to the time difference and, if you wish, to begin to explore the city on your own. Keep in mind that a half-day sightseeing trip of the city by car (bus) has been planned for the second day. You will probably tour the Seine on a bateau-mouche and spend part of a day on a guided tour of Versailles, Louis XIV's magnificent palace which played such an important role in the development of classical culture.

The rest of your time will be largely free to explore Paris as you see fit. You will be close to the Louvre, should you have an interest in art, and not far from the Musée d'Orsay, Musée Picasso, Musée Rodin, or l'Institut du Monde Arabe. You may want to shop at the bouquinistes along the Seine and you will want to have at least one meal at a good restaurant to sample la cuisine française.

Study in Montpellier

At the end of your visit you will travel down to Montpellier by group. Here you will be met by the moniteurs (graduate student aides) from l'IEFE (Institut des Etudes Françaises pour les Etudiants et Professeurs Etrangers), the institute associated with the Université Paul-Valéry, which organizes the summer program. You will take a placement test to establish your level of French language skills, and will then spend four weeks in Montpellier taking language and culture courses taught by the instructors of l'IEFE and one course taught by the Resident Director of the program, a William and Mary professor.

Discover le Midi (the South of France)

Montpellier, a university city in Languedoc-Roussillon in the south of France, is within twenty minutes of the Mediterranean and its beautiful sand beaches. You will have ample opportunity to visit the beaches as well as some of the many sites in the area which offer monuments of Roman and Medieval French civilizations. Excursions to various sites will be provided every Sunday. Past excursions have taken students to: Nîmes and le pont du Gard; the Templar village of la Couvertoirade or the pilgrims' St-Guillem-le-Désert in the nearby Cévennes mountains; Avignon and le palais des Papes; the medieval town of Carcassonne; Arles and les Baux de Provence; or the crusading St-Louis' Aigues-Mortes. Each year the excursions vary somewhat.

Live in Montpellier

For the four weeks, which you will be spending near the Mediterranean, you will have the opportunity to live with a French family and experience firsthand the cuisine and moeurs of 21st-century France. We will ask you to fill out a form, indicating your preferences, in order to match you as well as possible with a family. Twice a week you will have the opportunity to dine with your family...be prepared to take your time!

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Montpellier in 3mn (Montpellier tourism office)

Application and Costs

The summer program for 2010 cost $5,500 plus a $50 application fee. Application forms are available in the MLL Dept. and the Reves Center. Interested? Students enrolled at the College of William and Mary as well as students from other institutions should feel free to contact Professors of the French department ([[mxcomp, Magali Compan]] or [[gxpaci, Giulia Pacini]]) about questions relating to academic topics or about the region.

Questions about dates, cost of the program or other administrative details should be addressed to the [[tcjoha,Reves Center]].