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Minimum Cumulative GPA:	2.7	Language Prerequisite:	Yes
Language(s):	French	Type of Program:	Area Studies, GU Faculty-Led, Language Program
Non-GU Students May Apply:	Yes	Housing Options:	Homestay
OS Advisor:	Cristina Dinu

Tours, France   French Language and Culture  Click here for more information.

Program Dates for Summer 2010
June 11 - July 30, 2010

Program
Georgetown University's Office of International Programs and French Department are offering a seven-week academic program in Tours, France, which provides participants with an exciting opportunity to experience French language and culture first hand in an immersion environment.

This opportunity is open to undergraduate and graduate students (from Georgetown or other colleges and universities) who are not full beginners in French.

Site and Accommodation
Located in the fabled Loire Valley, Tours combines the advantages of small-town size and large-town amenities (shopping, museums, festivals), with Old-World charm: the historic town center, with its 15th- and 16th-century half-timber houses, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Students stay in a hotel for the first two nights in Tours, then with a host family for the remainder of the program. Hosts provide lodging, two meals a day (breakfast and dinner, usually), and laundry facilities. We do our very best to accommodate student's lifestyle or health-related requests such as nonsmoking environments or special dietary needs.

Field Trips and Co-curricular Activities
The Georgetown program includes a number of co-curricular activities:

• Trips to several historical sites in/near Tours and in the Loire Valley region (Loches, Chenonceau, Amboise, Chambord, etc.)
  
• A guided visit of Tour's historical district
  
• A lecture on the history of Tours and the region
  
• Meetings with local right- and left-wing politicians
  
• A wine and cheese tasting session
  
• A visit to a wine cooperative in Vouvray, and to a goat farm that produces Appelation contrôlée cheese
  
• A meeting with French students preparing for the Grandes Écoles
  
• A current movie in French

In addition, unofficial group trips to museums (Musée du Compagnonnage, Musée des Beaux-Arts) or other places of interest may be arranged. Myriad festivals and cultural events take place in Tours and its vicinity in June and July, some of them free of charge, such as the Fête de la Musique (music) and Rayon Frais (performance). Participants may also take advantage of the field trips organized by the Institut to Paris, Mont Saint-Michel, Chartres and other sites.

The Institut has a weekly movie night and sponsors various sports activities. High-speed Internet access is available free of charge in the Institut computer lab, or, if you bring your own laptop, through a WiFi network.

Timetable for Summer 2010

• December 1, 2009: Early application deadline; $35 non-refundable application fee due (Please make checks payable to Georgetown University.)
• January 8, 2010: Early applicants notified about acceptance decision
• January 25, 2010: Early acceptance students confirm commitment with $500 non-refundable deposit
• February 1, 2010: Regular application deadline; $35 non-refundable application fee due (Please make checks payable to Georgetown University.)
• February 22, 2010: Regular applicants notified about acceptance decision
• March 22, 2010: Regular acceptance students confirm commitment with $500 non-refundable deposit
• April 30, 2010: Tuition payment due
• June 11 - July 30, 2010: Program dates

Applications will not be processed unless they are complete and received by the deadline.

Tuition and Fees
The program cost for summer 2010 is $7,850. Program fees include tuition, room and board (homestay with two meals daily), academic fees, supplemental insurance, and official field trips/activities costs. Transportation to/from Tours is not included.

Refunds*
Your acceptance form and program deposit are considered a good-faith commitment to participate on your Georgetown University summer program. Withdrawal from a summer program must be made in writing to the summer program coordinator. Please note that application fees and program deposits are non-refundable. Georgetown University will refund recoverable tuition and costs as determined by our partner institutions. Refunds will be calculated from the date the Office of International Programs is notified in writing of your intent to withdraw. Georgetown University is not responsible for indirect costs paid directly by the student, including but not limited to passport fees, vaccinations, and transportation costs.

Curriculum
The program has two distinct components:

• First, all students attend a two-week "Cultural Integration Workshop" (FREN 295-62) surveying current socio-cultural and linguistic realities in France. This workshop is taught by the program director, Professor Guy Spielmann, and additional Georgetown faculty members; it includes classroom instruction three hours a day, field trips, guest lectures and assignments.
  
  
• Each student is then placed on the basis of a test in one of 9 levels of a four-week, multi-level intensive language session at the Institut de Touraine, a renowned institution specializing in French-language programs for foreigners. The session at the Institut includes 19-24 hours of classes weekly, taught by its own native instructors. Advanced levels include classes on content areas.

The grade for the Cultural Integration Workshop (FREN 295-62) is based on homework and participation in class and in program activities.

The grade for the four-week session, given by Institut faculty, reflects performance in oral and written expression as well as listening and reading comprehension; it is translated into a GU letter grade according to a standard conversion scale, for either FREN 099-62 (Elementary), FREN 199-62 (Intermediate) or FREN 299-62 (Advanced) - based on the highest French course completed prior to enrolling in the program.

Because these are dedicated "study-abroad" courses, you retain a great deal of flexibility as to what course(s) you may take next from GU's French department (your choice of courses may be constrained by Major/Minor requirements, however).

SFS students who have already completed Advanced French II have the option to take the oral proficiency exam at the end of the program, with excellent chances of success.

Upon successful completion of the program, Georgetown students receive six GU "French Abroad" credits that can be applied to a French minor/major.

Contact Information

*Georgetown University reserves the right to adjust program fees or cancel any program without prior notification; however, every effort will be made to provide information on cancellations in a timely manner. In the event of cancellation, Georgetown University will refund program deposits and 100% of recoverable program fees.