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

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Florence, World's Best City?

Well maybe it is not #1, but it is a close second.  Check it out, then sign up to study abroad with us this spring and really experience it!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Paris F 14 Faculty Bios


Kris Koblik – Diablo Valley College
Kris Koblik has been indebted to Study Abroad since before she was born: her parents met at the Stanford in Germany campus in the 1960s. Her educational background includes a BA in Art History from Stanford University, a stint at American River Community College, and graduate work at New York University and Sonoma State, culminating in her Masters of Arts at San Francisco State. She has taught Art History at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and has been a full time instructor at Diablo Valley College since 2008.
Kris has traveled widely in Europe both for scholarly pleasure and as a water polo player. Her most recent trip was to Greece and Italy, where she was part of the Olympic Club’s champion over-30’s team at the FINA World Masters Championship in Riccione, Italy. She managed to see plenty of art in addition to pool time, with side trips to Rome, Urbino, Venice, and Crete.
Kris is thrilled to be teaching in Paris, which she fell in love with on her honeymoon. The city is a temple to art, and the home of several of the best museums in the world. She is excited to show these treasures of art and architecture to students, and to make them come alive in her classes.
Her classes are dynamic and center on student discussion and exploration of the cultures and historical periods covered. She promises many field trips to museums like the Louvre, D’Orsay, Museé des Moyen Ages, and the Centre Pompidou, and impassioned discussions (perhaps over a café au lait and macarons).

Jon Hanson – Sacramento City College
Jon Hanson teaches in the Language and Literature Division at Sacramento City College. He holds a BA and MA from California State University, Sacramento. He has enjoyed teaching the critical reading and thinking courses since 1999, and for the last seven years, has served as one of the department chairs for his division. He loves to travel, read, write, cook and walk his French Bull Dog named Bruns. He spent last summer in Paris scouting for new gastronomical adventures.

Michael Traina - SRJC
Michael Traina began his academic training as a Communication and Religious Studies major at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Interested in teaching, Traina pursued a master’s in Mass Communication Theory and landed a job at Antelope Valley College in Los Angeles County where he served for 13 years on the full-time faculty. In 2008, he accepted a position at Santa Rosa Junior College and relocated to Petaluma where he teaches Film & Media Studies.
Mike’s professional career in the film industry began as a programmer for the American Film Institute Theatre at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. His experience curating American independent films for AFI lead to a two decade career running film festivals in both Northern and Southern California. In 1997, he wrote and directed his first feature film and has since worked on a wide variety of film and television projects in China, Greece, and the U.S. He has been an invited guest to several film festivals around the world as a festival director, filmmaker, and occasional juror. He currently directs the Petaluma Film Alliance, a nonprofit which operates a weekly public cinematheque and produces the city’s annual film festival.
Mike’s insatiable wanderlust has brought him to dozens of countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. He had the good fortune to teach in AIFS’s London program in 1999 and 2006 which he found to be a “truly transformative experience.” Now, with his sights set on Paris, he is eager to help students explore France’s rich tradition of motion picture production and criticism. Bienvenue à la cité du cinéma!

David Danielson, College of San Mateo
Coming soon!

Paris Fall 2014 - Courses


Paris F 14 Courses

Diablo Valley College - Faculty: Kristen Koblik

ARTHS 196 History of Medieval and Renaissance Art (3 units)
CSU, UC. CSUGE Area C1; IGETC Area 3A. Recommended eligibility for ENGL116/118 or equivalent.  Description: A history of Western art from the Early Christian Period through the Renaissance. Stylistic changes are related to significant social and cultural changes. Consideration is given to the changing role of the artist, socially, culturally, and within patronage systems.

From the Romanesque to the Renaissance, Paris has been a world center of culture and innovation. Study Gothic architecture in the place it was invented by visiting Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle, and explore how tapestries and altarpieces were made at the National Museum of Medieval Art, where the building itself is a rare example of secular Gothic architecture. We will trace the development of Renaissance painting by gallery hopping in the Louvre, where every turn reveals another masterpiece by the likes of Raphael, Veronese, and Leonardo da Vinci.

ARTHS 197 History of Baroque to Early 20th Century Art (3 units) 
CSU, UC. CSUGE Area C1; IGETC Area 3A. Recommended eligibility for ENGL116/118 or equivalent. Description: A history of Western art from the 17th  century to early 20th century. Stylistic changes are related to significant social and cultural changes. Consideration is given to the changing role of the artist.

Louis XIV, Napoleon, Marie Antoinette… David, Manet, Monet, Picasso…Most of the major historical and artistic figures covered by this class are French or lived and worked in Paris. Studying them “on location” provides access not only to their living spaces and artworks, but also to the living history of the city of Paris, where traces of the past combine with the present. From the Louvre to the Palace of Versailles, from the artist commune of Montmarte to the Musée D’Orsay, from the Eiffel Tower to the artist cafés of Les Deux Magots and Brasserie Lipp, art history will truly come alive in this course. Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Surrealism, and Cubism are among the art movements covered that have important Parisian history.

ARTHS 199 Contemporary Art History (3 units)
CSU, UC. CSUGE Area C1; IGETC Area 3A. Recommended eligibility for ENGL122 or equivalent. Description: A survey of contemporary art in the United States and Europe from 1945 to the present. Recent global tendencies in art will also be considered. Emphasis is placed on identifying and understanding important contemporary art movements and images, as well as social and political issues that shape the character of art produced during this time.

We will trace the development of 20th century art by beginning where it was born, with Picasso and Duchamp. The interaction between Paris and New York will be explored from the Parisian side, and developments in French art will be emphasized. The Centre Pompidou, with its world-class collection of contemporary art, will be a major resource. The building itself is a masterpiece of postmodern architecture by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. We will also visit many contemporary galleries to experience the vibrancy of the Parisian art world today.

SOCSC 163* French Life and Culture


College of San Mateo Faculty: David Danielson
PHIL 100 Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 244 Contemporary Social and Moral Issues
PHIL 300 Introduction to World Religions 
SOSC 384* French Life and Culture


Sacramento City College Faculty: Jon Hanson
ENGLT 303 Introduction of the Short Story 
Prerequisite: ENGWR 101 with a grade of “C” or better; or placement through the assessment process. General Education: AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C2; IGETC Area 3B Course Transferable to UC/CSU

This course introduces students to the short story genre and will focus on the connections between literature and French culture, and, more specifically, the Parisian experience. Students will read, analyze, and discuss short stories set in Paris. Each story corresponds to one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris and students will be invited to read the stories in their original settings; a map of the Paris Metro will aid students not only in visiting story locales, but in learning the lay of the land as well. The stories range from the 15th-century account of Saint Genevieve, patron saint of Paris, through tales by favorite writers such as Zola, Simenon, Balzac, and Maupassant. Though connected geographically, the stories’ topics vary widely: from Martine Delerm's page-turning narrative of the last hours of Modigliani's mistress, to Gérard de Nerval's imaginative recreation of the market in Les Halles in the 1850s; from Colette's unimaginable entanglement in a traffic accident near the Opéra, to Boulanger's refined description of a comical experience in Père Lachaise. Additional writers, less known to the English-speaking world, will include Martine Delerm, Marie Desplechin, Claude Dufresne, Frédéric Fajardie, and Paul Fournel.

NGLT 345 World Mythology 
Prerequisite: ENGWR 101 with a grade of “C” or better; or placement through the assessment process. General Education: AA/AS Area I; AA/AS Area VI; CSU Area C2; IGETC Area 3B Course Transferable to UC/CSU

This course immerses the student in a world of beauties, beasts, and enchantments by examining classic French myths and fairy tales. We will analyze these stories through a world lens and compare them to myths, legends, and folktales from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and the Far East. Emphasis will be placed on the ways in which these stories continue to reveal the human condition, raise moral questions, and alter the nature of reality. Students will make connections between French myths and fairy tales with the French people and culture that surround them by observing, interpreting, and analyzing. Additionally, we’ll look at various perceptions of the supernatural as well as human relationships. Story subjects include parables, trickster tales, animal stories, hero tales, and narratives of rebellion and conformity. Each motif and topic will be learned within the historical and cultural background of the tale.
ENGWR 302 Advanced Composition and Critical Thinking Prerequisite: ENGWR 300 or 480 with a grade of “C” or better Advisory: LIBR 318 General Education: AA/AS Area II(b); AA/AS Area II(a); CSU Area A3; IGETC Area 1B Course Transferable to UC/CSU This course develops composition skills at the advanced level as well as analytical skills through writing, reading, and discussion. The student will take an ethnographic approach to argument and research aimed at exploring French cultural issues and phenomena. Students will challenge and lay bare their own American identity and cultural assumptions in light of learning about French life and culture. Additionally, this course exam¬ines methods by which people are persuaded to think, believe, and/or act. It also includes analyzing arguments or expressions of opinions for their validity and soundness and evaluating outside sources. Finally, it focuses on critically assessing, developing, supporting, and effectively expressing opinions on issues; and emphasizes thinking clearly and organizing thought carefully in writing by using principles of logic.

ENGWR 302 Advanced Composition and Critical Thinking
Prerequisite: ENGWR 300 or 480 with a grade of “C” or better Advisory: LIBR 318 General Education: AA/AS Area II(b); AA/AS Area II(a); CSU Area A3; IGETC Area 1B Course Transferable to UC/CSU

This course develops composition skills at the advanced level as well as analytical skills through writing, reading, and discussion. The student will take an ethnographic approach to argument and research aimed at exploring French cultural issues and phenomena. Students will challenge and lay bare their own American identity and cultural assumptions in light of learning about French life and culture. Additionally, this course exam¬ines methods by which people are persuaded to think, believe, and/or act. It also includes analyzing arguments or expressions of opinions for their validity and soundness and evaluating outside sources. Finally, it focuses on critically assessing, developing, supporting, and effectively expressing opinions on issues; and emphasizes thinking clearly and organizing thought carefully in writing by using principles of logic.

SOSC 499* French Life and Culture

Santa Rosa Junior College Faculty: Michael Traina
MEDIA 4: INTRO TO MASS COMMUNICATION 
One of the greatest challenges students face when critically examining the media is the ability to look at it objectively from a distance. Studying abroad offers students the rare opportunity to step outside the American media landscape and disrupt media consumption habits that have become routine.
This course examines the growth and development of the American and French mass media from historical and analytical perspectives. Students will be exposed to mass media problems of the past and present as well as trends that shape the 21st century. As one of the world’s leading global media producers, France offers an interesting contrast to the U.S. media landscape, from its permissive content standards to state-supported financing. By visiting local media companies and engaging directly with French media professionals, students will be provoked to re-examine their relationship with the American media and think about the tremendous impact the media have on the political, economic, social, and cultural fabric of their lives.

MEDIA 10: FILM APPRECIATION
Paris is the birthplace of motion pictures. For more than a century, it has maintained a rich tradition of cinema culture and innovation that places it at heart of several global film movements and new waves as well as film scholarship and criticism. Boasting the world’s third largest film market, Paris has the highest density of the cinemas in the world. In short, it is a cinephile’s dream.
This course will introduce students to the unique language of cinema through the examination of great films and filmmakers. By analyzing formal devices such as mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, and sound, students will become more aware of the complexity of film art and more perceptive in reading its multilayered blend of image, sound, and motion. The class will include field trips to cinematheques and production houses in Paris, including the Cinémathèque Française. We will also explore Le Musée de la Cinémathèque, an incredible collection of early motion picture technology and memorabilia as well as host several guest filmmakers in class to discuss their work. The course will showcase a wide range of American and international films, with particular emphasis on the cinema of France.

MEDIA 15: MODERN FILM HISTORY
The French Nouvelle Vague is arguably the most influential movement in the development of modern cinema. When critics François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard joined André Bazin to write for the famous French film journal Cahiers du Cinéma, they established the language and lens through which all films would subsequently be examined.
This course explores international film history from the 1950s to the present with emphasis on the European New Waves and the New Hollywood. By analyzing the most influential films of the modern era, students will be become aware of the role the U.S., France, and Europe has played in shaping and developing cinema’s contemporary global marketplace. The class will incorporate visits to French production studios, Parisian cinematheques, and guest speakers in class. Students will develop enhanced visual literacy skills as well as a keen sense of the culture, politics, and social histories of the periods in which the films were produced.

INTDIS 90*: FRENCH LIFE AND CULTURE

Paris Fall 2014 - Details at a glance


Program Dates
         Depart the US: Saturday, September 6, 2014
         Arrive in Paris: Sunday, September 7, 2014

         Mid-Semester Break: Saturday, October 19 to Sunday, October 27
         Depart Paris: Friday, December 5, 2014


The cost of the program is $8,395, for students taking the homestay option. For students opting to live in studio apartments or in the FIAP with meals there is a supplement of $2000. These fees are excluding tuition, which will be paid directly to your home institution. Please contact your nearest program coordinator for more information.