“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness” --- Mark Twain
 

Paris & Provence

2008 Study Tour

 

A Spring Break to the Ile de France and the South of France

            This year, Professor Casey Black (French)) will lead a NSU Spring Break Study Tour to Paris and Provence from Thursday, March 13, to and including Tuesday, March 25.  The tour is open to all: students and members of the academic community and their families or significant others, as well as anyone who has wished to discover one of the world’s greatest travel destinations. Proficiency in French is not required. The course, FREN 385 Travel and Study Abroad, is required.  It counts as an elective towards the French major or minor and as a general elective for all degree programs and is offered through the NSU Office of Extension Studies. Participants may choose to take the course for a grade or audit it. Tuition for the two-credit class is included in the all-inclusive fee of $2,441. The Academic Vice President at Northern State University recognizes the tour as a University-sponsored academic activity.

 

The itinerary begins on the French Riviera in the city of Nice, a favorite place to winter for European aristocrats in the 19th century. We will also visit Antibes and Cannes -- the home of the famous film festival --- and Grasse, the center of the French perfume industry. Leaving Nice, we travel by train to Avignon, home to several Popes during the 15th century and situated on the Rhône river between vineyards (Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf du Pape) and spectacular Roman ruins.  Side trips will take us to Nîmes (Roman arena), Orange (Roman theatre), St. Remy de Provence (Van Gogh), les Baux de Provence (Dante), and the vineyards.  We will take the word’s fastest train to Paris, where we will visit a number of museums including the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay (19th century art), the Musée Carnevalet (history of Paris), the Musée de Cluny (Medieval life and art), and the Orangerie (Monet’s Nymphéas).  Individuals who have a special interest or research project can visit one of the 30-odd other museums in Paris.  We will also take in a number of must-see monuments and buildings such as the Eiffel tower, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Sainte-Chapelle, the Concièrgerie, the Arc de Triomphe, Napoléon's Tomb, the Opéra Garnier, Montmartre, and the Sacre-Coeur Basilica. On our last day, we will be free to shop or see sights of individual interest. Of course, those who have participated in an NSU Paris Study Tour before are encouraged to strike out on their own if they inform the tour director first.

 

Le basilique Sacré-Coeur

 

Le Pont St.-Benoît and le Palais des Papes --- Avignon

 

La Maison carrée --- Nîmes

 

Les Arènes de Nîmes

Le Pont du Gard

Boulevard des anglais - Nice

Châteauneuf du Pape

St. Rémy de Provence (Vincent van Gogh)

 

 

This study tour is designed for university students traveling on a restricted budget. Expect a good deal of walking. Accommodations are in comfortable, clean, one and two star hotels.  Couples will be placed in private double rooms.  Students and singles may be in triple or possibly quad rooms.  Private baths (or showers) are the rule, though there may be exceptions. 

 

Tentative itinerary:

Thurs. March 13         Leave  Minneapolis

Fri.  March 14            Arrive Nice. Tour of Flower Market, Old Town, and Harbor

Sat. March 15            Chagall and Matisse Museums

Sun. March 16           Bus tour of Antibes, Cannes, and Grasse

Mon. March 17          Train to Avignon. Tour  Old Town and Palace of the Popes.

Tues. March 18         Tarascon: Chateau and market, St. Remy, Les Baux-de-Provence

Wed. March 19          Nimes and Pont du Gard.   

Thurs. March 20        Orange and Chateauneuf du Pape

Friday March 21        Train for Paris. Latin Quarter, Cluny Museum, Notre Dame, Boat ride on the Seine

Saturday March 22   Orsay and Rodin museums. Napoleon’s Tomb, the Eiffel Tower.

 Sunday March 23     Louvre, Arc de Triomphe. Sacre Coeur/Montmartre

Monday March 24     Paris: Free day.

Tuesday March 25    Leave Paris; arrive Minneapolis 8pm.

 

Requirements for FREN 385:

·        Active and engaged participation in all scheduled activities

·        Maintenance of a daily journal recording:

·        Personal responses to scheduled activities

·        Responses to cultural differences

·        Linguistic observations of a sort relevant to the student's background in French, ranging from recognition of French-English cognates to idiomatic expressions and specific vocabulary.

·        Preparation of a significant original project that conforms to the major field of study of the student.  Examples include (but are not limited to):

Ø      Video or photographic productions linked to a conceptual theme beyond the typical scrapbook

Ø      A ten-page research paper on a literary, historical, or art history subject

Ø      An original work of art

Ø      A research project that incorporates, for example, advertisements from the popular press or billboards and establishes a comparison/contrast relationship with American practices

Ø      A survey that involves email-based research or other primary sources

Ø      A comprehensive report of linguistic and intercultural interaction

Cost:

A bargain at $2,441 with a minimum of 14 enrollees. Included are:

ü      Roundtrip airfare from Minneapolis

ü      Accommodations (double occupancy)

ü      A few meals

ü      Train transportation

ü      Bus/coach excursions and car rental

ü      Public transportation in Paris and Nice

ü      Airport transfers

ü      All museum and historic site entrance fees

ü      Two credit hours of FREN 385 Travel and Study Abroad

Not included are passport fees ($85), optional travel/health insurance ($65), private transportation (taxis), or non-group related activities. Single room supplement is $400. A $1000 non-refundable deposit payable to “NSU French Study Tour 2008” is due Dec. 21. The balance is due Jan. 18. Late registrations will be accepted until Jan. 31 with no guarantee of price. Since the majority of the deposit is ear-marked for airfare, and tickets will not be purchased until enough people sign up, most if not all of the “non-refundable” deposit will be returned if the trip does not make. If the trip does go forward, the deposit cannot be returned. Participants who are worried that they might not after all be able to travel should purchase a travel/trip insurance policy.  For more information contact Dr. Casey Black at (605) 626-2404 or blackc@northern.edu