Romance and Classical Studies

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Tours, France	Quebec, Canada	Burkina-Faso, West Africa
Located in the heart of the Loire Valley château country, Tours offers the advantages of life in a provincial city but is only about an hour from Paris by high speed train. Tours is a young city with a population of 125,000 (and 225,000 including surroundings) that boasts 30,000 university students, making it an ideal setting for getting to know the locals. Regional trains and buses make it easy to take day trips to visit charming villages, royal châteaux, and delightful gardens in the area. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy biking on paths that run out of town along the Loire or Cher rivers. Click here to learn more	This charming city with a population of 622,000 on the banks of the St. Lawrence River was first settled 400 years ago. The university is located in Ste-Foy, about 20 minutes by bus from le Vieux Québec. Most BGSU students live in private rooms in university residence halls, where they take advantage of the university meal plan.  For those who prefer, it is also possible to live with a host family. Students enroll in the Section des Etudes de Français Langue Seconde (FLS).  where they take a variety of courses in language, civilization, and literature. Click here to learn more	The primary goals of our summer programs abroad are to provide high school teachers and graduate students with an opportunity to learn or refresh language skills and to experience life in one or more French-speaking cultures. We offer a variety of short-term summer programs that can be completed alone or in combination, during a variety of time periods, in French and/or in English. Their flexibility enables teachers on any schedule to participate. Click here to learn more

First Year

In France

Students who choose to study in France are enrolled at the Université François-Rabelais in Tours. An orientation to the University and the city begins during the first week of September. Classes begin in early September and continue through May. Most of the credit hours earned are in license-level courses taken at the Faculté des lettres with French students. In addition, there are special courses taught exclusively for BGSU students. These are: Introduction à l'analyse textuelle (3 hours) and Grammaire et style (3 hours). A permanent on-site program director is available to deal with any problems, administrative or other, that might arise.

Housing

While in Tours, most students live at the Technopôle, a private student residential complex located in the southern part of Tours. 

At the Technopôle, students may choose among two options: (1) four-bedroom furnished suites, or (2) furnished efficiencies ('studios'). In the suites, each student has a private bedroom and an enclosed private study area. The bedrooms converge via corridors on a common living/dining area with two equipped kitchens, two bathrooms and a terrace. The studios consist of a combined living room/bedroom, a private bathroom, an office and a small kitchen area. The suite at the Technopôle costs approximately $4,650/academic year [includes rent, electricity, and housing insurance].  This option is only available to students under the age of 29.  Students choosing the studio option pay a supplement ranging from $600 to $1,000, depending on the size of the studio.

Other housing options are available. Students may find their own housing (private room or apartment), or live with a carefully screened host family.

Host Family Option

Since graduate students pay an excursion fee as part of the Host Family option, they are welcome to go on the excursions organized by BGSU for the undergraduate group abroad.  There are generally 4 Saturday day trips per semester (Châteaux de Chambord, de Langeais, d'Angers, for example, or the Abbayes de Fontevraud or St Savin sur Gartempe) and one week-end per semester (Fall: Normandie, Plages du Débarquement, Mémorial de Caen, Broderie de Bayeux, Mont St. Michel; Spring: Arles, Pont du Gard, Avignon.  The locations can vary from year to year.)

In Quebec (Currently Under Revision)

Students opting for study in Quebec are enrolled in the Section des Etudes de Français Langue Seconde (FLS) at the Université Laval. Required courses include Quebec literature and civilization (3 credit hours of each), and language (variable, depending on the studentís background). In addition to the FLS courses, qualified students may, with the approval of the Quebec Program Director, take courses offered by other departments of the Faculté des Lettres. Registration for the first semester takes place during the last week of August. At that time the Quebec Program Director, a member of the BGSU faculty, helps to advise students regarding course choices and load.