Studying abroad is a special way to bring what we learn in French class alive. My semester in Angers, France was a watershed moment that profoundly shifted my perspective – my reason – for learning French. I understood that the sum of my French degree was more than proving I performed well enough in class to walk away with a bachelor’s degree in hand. My epiphany, however simple, read something like this: “Wow! I’m just learning how to connect with more people!”
Earth-shattering, I know.
However, I do believe it’s far too easy to get lost in the weeds of the conjugation tables we try to memorize, the oral presentations we pour over in the hallway before delivering them in front of the class, or the mountain of grammar we wrestle with, so we can structure our thoughts coherently for that final paper due unfairly soon. Is the point to pass classes, or is it to build real, tangible human connections with the knowledge we build?
Both are true. But with the latter, we miss the forest for the trees far too often and far too easily. This was true for me, at least. Until I had the chance to study abroad and feel the human dimension of my coursework, I was simply striving for A’s and B’s to tick course requirements off of my list. This experience invigorated me unlike any other during my undergrad. It clarified my why for learning French and inspired me to pursue a French major, instead of stopping after fulfilling the three years of language required by my global studies degree.
Because of this, I am an endless advocate for studying abroad because it can be a powerful paradigm shift that affects our why for studying a language. I want to share with you a handful of study abroad opportunities hosted through OSU’s study abroad department, OSU GO, in francophone countries, and help provide an entry point for those who have entertained the idea.
However, I recognize that study abroad is not possible for everyone even if the desire exists. Financial considerations, competing requirements from other areas of our education, timing, or family responsibilities may place studying abroad out of reach. But studying abroad isn’t the only means to connect coursework to the francophone world and our lives outside of class. So, I also want to include other ways to connect with the language and French culture from home.
IE3 Global Studies Programs
IE3 programs are an excellent option for a handful of reasons. First, OSU is home to the IE3 Global Studies Programs, so there is a direct link between OSU and these study abroad opportunities, which means that the staff at OSU GO will have a lot of knowledge about these programs. It's great too because there are summer term, semester, and year-long options available, so you can tailor the length of your experience to your liking. Plus, there are options for students who have completed one year of French, as well as those for students with a more advanced level. The cherry on top is that the programs are designed to be an affordable option to go abroad too.
IE3 offers study abroad programs in two locations in France:
Lyon, France
“Gastronomic capital of France, center for business, innovation and sustainability, UNESCO World Heritage Site, France’s second largest city set on the confluence of two rivers...the Lyon program facilitates student exchange between five different French universities located in Lyon and students from any of the IE3 Global partner universities. The program allows students to enroll in either French language courses, in regular university courses in almost any field of study, taught entirely in French or in programs taught in English designed for international students from around the world studying in Lyon. Language proficiency required will vary by program option with a minimum first year college-level proficiency for semester options. ”
-IE3 Global
As noted in this excerpt, IE3 offers a wide variety of programs in Lyon, including: French language, summer language & culture, direct enroll, custom combination, DFES, buisiness, and agroecology & chemistry. Lyon is a vibrant and exciting city perfect for those who want a big city vibe without the hustle and bustle of Paris. To put the population size of the city (read: city proper) into perspective, Lyon has about 513,000 residents and Portland has about 645,000. Paris has more than both combined, coming in at about 2.1 million people. With multiple programs offered at various levels of French proficiency, IE3’s Lyon programs are a fantastic way to engage in the French language and culture.
Poitiers, France
“Poitiers is a center for education, agriculture, industry and communications. A university town, Poitiers boasts a population of 85,000 within a larger metropolitan area of 140,000 and offers students a chance to live in a manageably-sized city while still being close to the larger cities such as Paris and Bordeaux. The Université de Poitiers is a comprehensive university comprised of 23,000 students taking courses in 14 different colleges, institutes and schools...this program allows students to enroll in either French language courses or regular university courses in many fields of study, taught entirely in French. Some University of Poitiers courses are also available in English. The language program is open to students with at least one year of college-level French while students interested in a full schedule of direct enroll courses should complete at least three year college-level French.”
-IE3 Global
If a big city doesn’t suit your tastes, then Poitiers may be the right fit. Similar to the program in Lyon, there are suitable opportunities for both beginner and advanced French learners. Most OSU students of all French levels will take classes in the university’s Centre de Français Langue Étrangère (CFLE). For those with one to two years of French studies completed, most classes will be taken through this center, and will focus on language-intensive courses. Those with three or more years of French studies are determined ready for direct enrollment at the Univerisité de Poitiers. Those who decide to study for a year in the program have the opportunity to transfer into direct enrollment during their second semester if they demonstrate sufficient progress in their French language competencies.
Click here to find out more about these programs on the IE3 webpage!
Partner Programs
Global Education Oregon (GEO)
Angers, France
“Angers is a university community of more than 30,000 students making it a lively city with a prominent youth culture. Angers is also a city with a rich history and is home to a castle and a cathedral dating back to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.”
-Global Education Oregon (GEO)
Alright, I'm going to give a little extra love to this program because it's the one that changed my life, and I mean that sincerely. I truly believe Angers is one of France's best-kept secrets. OSU partners with the U of O’s GEO program to offer our students a wider range of study abroad experiences. Students study at the Centre Internationale d’Études Françaises (CIDEF) which is hosted on the campus of the Université Catholique de l’Ouest. The program provides the opportunity to study for a summer term, semesters, and an entire academic year, and there is no French language requirement to be eligible (you just need to have sophomore standing or higher).
I went to Angers right after starting into my third year of French classes. In my experience, the faculty and staff at CIDEF were superb. There was a wide range of interesting courses to take, and studying with a large cohort of other Americans and international students (over 30 different nationalities represented when I was there in 2014) enlivened the experience and made for a rich learning community.
Cultural immersion is a key attraction for most of us when we choose to study abroad, and I can assure you, the GEO program and Angers delivers. Most students opt to live with a host family, so daily interactions with French people outside of classes are built into your experience. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, Angers is a lively university city with over 30,000 students out of a population of about 151,000. In my experience, it was incredibly easy to meet French people and make both meaningful friendships and countless one-off acquaintances. Perfect for practicing your French if you put yourself out there. For a moderately-sized city, the nightlife is excellent (great for mingling with local French students) and I always found locals were happy to talk with me and friends in my cohort.
Even more than this, Angers has so much culture, events to engage with, and beautiful surrounding nature to soak in. The Châteu d’Angers, Cathédral Saint-Maurice d’Angers, and Musée des Beaux-Arts are nestled right into the heart of the city and cannot be missed. There is an abudant restaurant scene, several venues for live music, the most adorable Christmas market in the centre-ville, large forested parks, and the waterfront la Maine river to pass slow sunny Sundays on. If you want to volunteer in the community, then volunteering in activities hosted by the Anglophone Library is a fun way to connect with French children who want to read or be read to in English. I could go on and on. This city is special and has so much to offer.
One thing I love too is that there are upwards of five outings included in the program costs that were fabulous. When I was there, we visited three châteaux in the Loire valley: Azay-le-Rideau, Chenonceau, and Chambord. Another, we went up to the walled port city of St. Malo, followed by a visit to the spectacular Mont Saint-Michel. On yet another, we ventured back out to the northern coast to visit the American and German WWII cemeteries, famed D-Day beaches such as Pointe du Hoc, and a fascinating WWII museum. We visited the one and only Cointreau distillery located in Angers metro area where we learned about the liqueur's history and got to make our own Cointreau Fizz's to round out to the tour. On top of all of this, one more excursion led us to explore wineries in the Vallée de la Loire, the curious troglodyte cave homes, and we capped off the evening eating a splendid full-course meal in a cave. These trips enriched the immersion experience and gave me fun, treasured memories.
One more thing I'll mention is that Angers is beautifully situated in France. You are an hour and twenty-minute train ride from the heart of Paris, a 45 minutes ride from Nantes heading west, and within two hours of the northern and western coasts. So much is at your fingertips here, so profite bien.
Click here to learn more information about the GEO program in Angers!
I focused on these three programs because of their close ties to OSU and because of the excellent variety of opportunities they provide. If you want to learn more about a specific program, ask general questions about studying abroad, or get information about the application process, you’ll want to visit the OSU GO website and/or meet with one of the study abroad advisors. They are OSU’s office for all things study abroad, so don’t hesitate to reach out to them!
Also, I will also briefly point out and link several other programs that are offered by third-party providers that partner with OSU. These programs may be more expensive overall, but I wanted to highlight programs offered in Paris as well as other francophone countries as these may match your needs or interests more closely.
Academic Programs International (API)
Paris, France
Grenoble, France
School for International Training (SIT)
Genva, Switzerland
Yaoundé, Cameroon
Non-Study Abroad Options
As is evident by now, I am all for immersion experiences in French through living in a francophone country. But, perhaps going abroad holds little interest for you, or does not align with your life's schedule, or maybe you would love to but is currently out of reach for whatever reason. There are other ways to find and take advantage of the benefits of immersion without leaving your community. Take advantage of online tutoring to connect with native French speakers, see if there is a local Alliance Française branch in your area to become involved in, indulge in French media (Arte, TV5 Monde, Kobini, as a few examples), movies and TV shows on Netflix or Hulu, YouTube, podcasts, etc. There are many avenues close to home to connect you to the French language, as well as francophone cultures and people!
Have you been abroad through one of these programs, or have you planning on studying abroad in France or another francophone country? How do you engage with the French language from home? We would love to hear down in the comments!
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