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Academics

Fields of Study: Humanities, Social Sciences

On this program, the city of Paris is used as the classroom to introduce you to the historical underpinnings and precedents of social justice and the rise of particular forms of activism.

Unique study opportunities

  • Examine how media outlets impact the outcomes of civil unrest in protest movements.
  • Learn how French youth continue to confront what they see as unjust.
  • Discover how the artistic vehicle of French cinema is raising awareness of social issues.

Language

Language of Instruction: English

French Language Study: Required

Explore Paris's rich culture and learn the basics of French language through the Exploring Paris: City and Language course. The city section of the course examines Paris through a series of on-site lectures. The language section gives you the tools and skills to navigate the city and complete tasks in real-life situations and specific contexts.

All other electives are taught in English. 

Courses and Credit

Requirements while abroad

To successfully complete this program:

  • Take a full-time course of study: Three courses for a total of 15 quarter UC units
  • One Exploring Paris: City and Language course worth 5 quarter/3.3 semester UC units
  • Two elective courses worth 5 quarter/3.3 semester UC units each
  • You may take one course for pass/no pass

To successfully complete this program:

  • Take a full-time course of study: Four courses for a total of 20.5–21 quarter/13.6–13.9 semester UC units 
  • One Exploring Paris: City and Language course worth 6 quarter/4 semester UC units, which lasts the duration of the program
  • During the first 10 weeks of the program, take two elective courses worth 5 quarter/3.3 semester UC units each
  • During the final 5 weeks of the program, take one elective course worth 4.5–5 quarter/3–3.3 semester UC units
  • You may take one course for pass/no pass

Current Program Courses

Required course:
  • Exploring Paris: City and Language (lower-division): Discover French history, culture, and language with Paris as your classroom. Learn practical French language for daily life and explore social justice in theory and practice on the streets of Paris.
Upper-division electives (select two):

Exact offerings may vary depending on enrollment and instructor availability. Final course offerings are announced before the start of the program. Recent courses include:

  • Confronting Injustice: Journey through France's history of la contestation movements - a tradition of questioning, confronting, protesting, or simply contesting often led by the youth to ignite change.
  • Documenting the Periphery: Examine the socioeconomic and political disenfranchisement experienced by residents of the "other France"—a France comprised of working-class citizens often of immigrant origin and from France’s former colonies.
  • Media, Violence, and Social Justice in France: Explore the interconnectivity between the rapid evolution of media outlets and content, the contemporary “banalization” of terrorism and other types of violence and their fallout over issues related to social justice in France and Europe.  
  • Memories of Wars, Wars of Memory: Reflect on French colonial past in Algeria, current debates about “wars of memory” and “competitive victimhood” in French society, issues of citizenship and possible ways to think of conflicted identities as a legacy of colonialism and immigration.
  • Urban Art and Activism in Paris: Explore revolutionary activism and innovative artistic production through diverse visual manifestations of social justice and advocacy produced and/or displayed in Paris.

Research and independent study are typically not available on this package.

Required course:
  • Exploring Paris: City and Language (lower-division): Discover French history, culture, and language with Paris as your classroom. Learn practical French language for daily life and explore social justice in theory and practice on the streets of Paris.
Upper-division electives, first 10 weeks of program (select two):

Exact offerings may vary depending on enrollment and instructor availability. Final course offerings are announced before the start of the program. Recent courses include:

  • Confronting Injustice: Journey through France's history of la contestation movements - a tradition of questioning, confronting, protesting, or simply contesting often led by the youth to ignite change.
  • Documenting the Periphery: Examine the socioeconomic and political disenfranchisement experienced by residents of the "other France"—a France comprised of working-class citizens often of immigrant origin and from France’s former colonies.
  • Media, Violence, and Social Justice in France: Explore the interconnectivity between the rapid evolution of media outlets and content, the contemporary “banalization” of terrorism and other types of violence and their fallout over issues related to social justice in France and Europe.  
  • Memories of Wars, Wars of Memory: Reflect on French colonial past in Algeria, current debates about “wars of memory” and “competitive victimhood” in French society, issues of citizenship and possible ways to think of conflicted identities as a legacy of colonialism and immigration.
  • Urban Art and Activism in Paris: Explore revolutionary activism and innovative artistic production through diverse visual manifestations of social justice and advocacy produced and/or displayed in Paris.
Upper-division electives, final 5 weeks of program (select one):

Exact offerings may vary depending on enrollment and instructor availability. Final course offerings are announced before the start of the program. Recent courses include:

  • Food and Dining in French Art: Explore representations of food as a means to survey the evolution of French art within a global context, and as significant markers of social, ethnic, and cultural identity.
  • National Identity and Minorities in France: Discover the evolutions of French national identity and diverse representations of it, in a context of decolonization, European dynamics, and globalization.
  • Paris Underground: Follow modernity as it goes underground. From the sewers in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables to the opening of the Paris catacombs and the construction of the metro system, explore the hidden historical and cultural undercurrents behind historical events in the city.
  • Research: Migration, Identity, and Social Movements in France: Through a multi-disciplinary, experiential research project, consider how collective action and social movements have sought to raise awareness and effect change in migration and identity issues. *Sufficient enrollment is needed to offer this course.

Catalogs and resources

  • UCEAP Course Catalog: See a list of courses students have taken on this program. 
  • Campus Credit Abroad: Learn the types of credit (major, minor, general education, elective) students from your campus received at this location. There are currently no listings for this program in the database.

Academic culture

You’ll be on this program with other UC students in relatively small classes. Since courses are designed for UC students, regular papers, reports, exams, and projects are all part of the curriculum. Professors are local Parisians with experience teaching UC students. They will bring some of the French style to the classroom, including vibrant discussions, expectations of student professionalism, and a fondness for student independence. 

Courses are demanding, but action-packed. You will be in the classroom or on course site visits and excursions Monday through Thursday. There will be occasional events and excursions in the afternoons and evenings, and on some Fridays. All field exercises and excursions, which are integral components of the courses, are required.

You are required to attend class, arrive punctually, and participate actively in all of your courses. Attendance is taken at every course meeting.

Grades

You will earn direct UC credit and grades for all coursework.

Grades for the winter quarter are usually available in late April. Grades for the spring semester are usually available in late May.

Tip: If you intend to put yourself on your campus degree list for graduation while on UCEAP, consult your campus advisors before departure about possible delays in the degree verification process.