Courses and Taking a Class at the Sorbonne

As I mentioned briefly in my last blog post, many of the questions I had about academics and such were not really answered until over the summer, when I was filling out a bunch of online forms for IES Abroad. I thought that it might be helpful for anyone who might be interested in the Paris French Studies program for me to provide some more specific information about academics. Here is a photo of the master schedule of when all of the courses at the IES Abroad Center meet:

Also, here is what my class schedule is looking like so far:

There actually aren’t any courses at the IES Abroad Center that meet on Fridays, so that’s pretty cool if you like longer weekends! As of now, I’ve arranged my courses so that I don’t have anything on Mondays either, but this will probably change since I’m going to have an internship, and Mondays and Fridays would probably be the most convenient days for me to work. Even so, I really like the timing of everything. I also love all of my professors so far! It seems like our understanding and enjoyment of the material is really important to them.

Program participants have to take a minimum of five courses, which for most people, including myself, is more than the normal course load of four courses. As a French major at my college, I am actually required to take at least one outside course at a French university, which is awesome, but also pretty scary!

So, guess what? The afternoon of Wednesday, September 21st, I went to my first philosophy class on the ethics of the problem of violence at the Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV)…otherwise simply known as the Sorbonne. One of the most prestigious, revered, and oldest institutions of higher education in the world. It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my entire life!

The French and American academic systems and cultures are quite different. (I did quite a bit of online research about French culture, academic and otherwise, before I arrived here, and I found it to be very helpful, so I always recommend that other people do the same.) The philosophy class is for students who are only studying/majoring in philosophy and are in their third year of their “licence” (the French equivalent of a college degree or diploma) in philosophy. Needless to say, the course is intended for people at an advanced level. I think that the class will be super interesting, and I’m very excited to be taking it because I find the material so cool, and the professor seems really knowledgable. This is the only class I’ve taken in French where the students are fluent and/or native French speakers, so the professor isn’t going to use simpler vocabulary or speak more slowly than normal.

Several people I know, including another French major from my school (who is also required to take an outside course), are taking some studio art classes at the Academie de la Croix Nivert (an art school). I decided that I’m really not as interested in these art classes as in the philosophy course. I’m thrilled and slightly terrified to be challenging myself in this way, especially at the Sorbonne of all places!

“The best way out is always through.” -Robert Frost