Spring 2014

Director

Dana Strand, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of French and Humanities; Director of French and Francophone Studies
Professor Strand is a specialist in contemporary French and North African literature and film and is the founding director of the College’s European Studies program. In addition to leading several off-campus programs in France, she also co-directed the 2008 Middle East Mosaics program, which traveled to Cairo, Egypt, Istanbul, Turkey and Rabat, Morocco. She has lived in Paris as well as the Mediterranean Middle East.


Theme: Regards Croisés: French and Moroccan Perspectives in Dialogue

Adopting a postcolonial approach, the Program will focus on past and present strategies for negotiating identities in increasingly diverse France (and, to a lesser extent, in Morocco). We will make extensive use of local resources, both in Paris and Rabat (as well as on daytrips to Fez and Casablanca), providing students with a unique opportunity for language immersion and cultural discovery in both sites. In addition to classes and excursions, students may pursue activities such as sports, dance, and music lessons or engage in volunteer work while in Paris.


Location and Lodging

Classes will be held in the heart of the city, on the Left Bank. Students stay with carefully selected French families and discover Paris while immersing themselves in French life and language. While in Rabat, students will stay with French-speaking Moroccan students in the medina, or old Islamic city. 


Visits and Excursions

Cultural activities, speakers, and excursions within and around the city will supplement course work. Classes are typically scheduled over four days each week, allowing students ample opportunity to explore the city and its rich cultural resources. In addition, the group will spend several days in Rabat, Morocco, with side- trips to Fez and Casablanca. 


Learning Goals

  • To achieve greater proficiency in spoken and written French
  • To develop an increased cultural understanding of both France and Morocco
  • To develop an enhanced appreciation of the lingering consequences of the French colonial legacy