FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE: August 30, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue,
615-898-5081
MTSU STUDENTS HAVE A CHANCE TO SAY
“BONJOUR” TO FRANCE
General Education Course in
Cherbourg Welcomes All Majors and
Interests
(MURFREESBORO) – Any student whose
summer was no more exciting than
spending endless hours lying by the
pool frying to a crisp can prepare
now for an unforgettable summer
2008.
There’s no time like the present to
register for the annual general
education study abroad program in
Cherbourg, France, which will run
from June 2 to June 27. At this
beautiful port town in the Normandy
region of northwest France, students
will experience the history, art,
and culture of the area.
“With the general education program,
a student can spend four weeks in
Cherbourg and in Normandy, and they
can begin studying French while
they’re there if they choose to, but
they don’t have to already know any
French,” Dr. Anne Sloan, Assistant
to the Provost for International
Education, says.
Each class will be taught by a
faculty member from Motlow State
Community College, MTSU’s partner in
the Cherbourg program, or from MTSU
itself. Dr. Claudia Barnett,
professor of English, taught a class
titled “An American in Europe.”
“What we read reflected and shaped
our experiences,” Barnett says.
“Like the characters in the novels
and the narrators of the essays, we
experimented with foods, fashions,
and foreign phrases, and we enjoyed
the nuances of cultural difference.
We toured Hemingway’s Paris,
stopping for espresso and ice cream
at his favorite café, when we read
The Sun Also Rises. … For five
weeks, we read, wrote, ate and
breathed France.”
The classrooms will be at the
Institut Universitaire de
Technologie. Accommodations are only
a 15-minute walk or a short bus ride
away at Napoleon Bonaparte’s former
naval hospital, which has been
converted into the IMC cinema
school.
Sloan says each student will have
his or her own room with a bath and
a kitchenette. Meal cards will be
provided for lunches on class days.
Students are responsible for all
other meals. Internet facilities
will be available in the evening
hours.
Normandy’s reputation as a welcoming
locale for tourists will provide
students with numerous chances to
explore Cherbourg and beyond during
their non-classroom hours.
“There are a lot of opportunities in
Normandy to visit all sorts of
sites,” Sloan says. “There are all
sorts of recreational
opportunities.”
MTSU student Erin Johnson, a native
of Denmark, Tenn., and a veteran of
an excursion to Cherbourg, enjoyed
her time there so much that she
yearns to go back.
“I went on field trips to London and
Paris,” Johnson says. “How often
does a student get to say that? Most
of the French friends we made knew
English very well, so I didn’t have
to worry about being fluent in
French. I made so many new friends
(in France and also from MTSU), and
I made even more unforgettable
memories!”
“This study abroad program is the
best thing that has ever happened to
me,” says former Cherbourg student
Tad Osekowsky. “For me, it was a
dream come true because I was
surrounded by traces of the Second
World War, which I have been
interested in for as long as I can
remember. The only bad part about
the program is that it didn't last
long enough!”
“They’re going to get to see and
experience a great deal and, at the
same time, fulfill one or two of
their general education
requirements,” Sloan says,
emphasizing that taking advantage of
this study abroad opportunity early
in one’s college career will be less
likely to interfere with one’s
progress toward a degree.
The estimated cost of the program is
$2,250 plus tuition and fees.
Included in the $2,250 are housing,
ground transportation between
Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris
and Cherbourg, meal cards, local bus
passes, weekend field trip
transportation, admissions and
housing. Other meals, day field
trips, emergency medical co-pays and
incidentals are out-of-pocket, as is
round trip transportation to Paris.
The deadline for submitting
applications is January 15.
For more information, contact Sloan
at 615-898-5091 or
asloan@mtsu.edu, or Jennifer
Campbell, Director of International
Education and Exchange, at
615-898-5179 or
jjcampbe@mtsu.edu. MTSU faculty
interested in applying should visit
http://gened.web.mtsu.edu/study%20abroad%20course%20%20approval.htm.
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How Would You Like to Spend June in France? General Education MTSU has a Summer Study Abroad Program in Cherbourg, France. Students may take up to two General Education courses in this program. These courses will fulfill requirements in selected areas within the General Education curriculum. Lectures will be offered four days each week during the program. Attendance for all class activities is mandatory unless excused by the professor. Students will receive a syllabus for each course before departure and will be expected to buy their texts before leaving. Texts may be acquired through the Phillips Bookstore at MTSU. What will I do besides go to class? Cherbourg is a lovely, medium-sized city on the English Channel. In addition, Cherbourg is in the department of La Manche, an area rich in history, art, culture, and a variety of leisure activities. A favorite of British tourists, Cherbourg is geared toward tourism and provides ample opportunity for exploring a beautiful area of France. This program provides students with ample opportunity to explore a beautiful area of France by visiting Normandy and various historical sites, including the D-Day beaches and Mont St. Michel. Each course will include one weekend field trip to a course-related site in Europe and two or three daytrips in Normandy to sites relevant to the course topic. Field trips will be incorporated into the courses and will typically occur on the fifth day of the week. Each course will feature a 3-day weekend in which students will visit historical, cultural, or scientific sites relevant to the course. Where will I live? Accommodation will be at IMC, a cinema school in Cherbourg. Each student will have his/her own room, bath, and small kitchenette. IMC is within walking distance of the campus where classes will be held, and there is a public bus line. Students will have a meal card to use for lunches on class days. They will be responsible for their other meals. Students will study in our partner institution, the Institut Universitaire de Technologie (IUT), a fifteen-minute walk from our accommodations. What are my costs? The program cost is currently $2,400 plus airfare and tuition and fees at your home institution. The $2,400 includes housing, ground transportation between Paris's Charles DeGaulle Airport and Cherbourg, a lunch meal card Monday through Friday, and local bus passes as well as three one-day field trips, and one three-day weekend field trip (i.e. Paris) transportation, admissions, and housing. Any additional field trips, however, are not included. Non-covered out-of-pocket expenses include airfare, tuition fees, additional meals, additional museum admissions, emergency medical co-pays, and incidentals. In the unlikely event of a significant change in the foreign exchange rate, MTSU reserves the right to add a program fee surcharge. Students are responsible for making their own airline reservations. Once a deposit has been made on the program, students will receive instructions on which flights offer bus transportation to Cherbourg. DEPOSIT: $250 due January 15, 2010 to MT Abroad, Peck Hall Room 207 How do I get this chance? Any MTSU student in good standing is eligible to apply. No foreign language skills are required. Students may register for one or two courses through their home institutions. If students are eligible for financial aid, it may be applied to these summer school courses. Inquire about scholarship opportunities! MTSU Study Abroad Scholarships: MTSU wishes to encourage all students to take advantage of international opportunities offered through over 300 study abroad programs. The MTSU Study Abroad Scholarship is a tool to assist students in realizing this goal and to expand upon their scholastic pursuits around the world. The International Education Fund, established in Fall 2007, has already awarded more than 300 scholarships to MTSU students traveling on a study abroad program; so be sure to complete this application in accordance with all guidelines (early if possible) to ensure full consideration. Application Deadline for Summer 2010 programs: Friday, January 28, 2010. Application and Faculty Recommendation forms can be found on the Education Abroad & Student Exchange homepage by November 2009: www.mtsu.edu/~mtabroad.com. Research shows that study abroad students have a higher graduation rate! Course offerings change annually.
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