COURSE OBJECTIVES - To deepen the understanding of the diverse cultural traditions learned in Tier I Human Heritage courses; to examine the historical, social, economic, and political issues of France critically and comparatively; to illustrate the interplay between tradition and history in the context of modern French society; and to produce a report/project using both the text and first-hand observations.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS - Prior to and after the trip, students will have weekly meetings with Professor Anthony Daly, the faculty leader of the trip, to discuss issues relating to French history, culture and society. Students will be required to finish assigned readings and submit a book report prior to the trip. During the trip, Professor Daly and other guides will give on-site talks and tours, and students will be required to keep a journal. After the trip, students will present a project based on their knowledge of and experience in France.

DESTINATION INTRODUCTION

Paris is the heart of France and some would argue the heart of Europe. Drenched in history and overflowing with cultural opportunities, the “City of Lights” will serve as the beginning and end to our French experience. Highlights will include visits to some of Europe’s most famous landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs-Élysées. We will also see French Revolutionary sites such as the Place de la Concorde and the Conciergerie. In the Louvre Museum we will see one of the world’s great art collections. A stroll through the Latin Quarter and along the Seine River brings us to the heart of the spirit and atmosphere of Paris.

The Loire Valley was the playground of French royalty and nobility in the centuries before the Revolution, and we will experience some stunning architecture in the castles, or chateaux, at Amboise and Chambord. The valley is also famous for its vineyards, and we will visit a wine cellar. No trip to France would be complete without experiencing the Gothic wonder of Chartres cathedral, perhaps the grandest structure in France.

In naming part of the Loire Valley as one of its World Heritage Sites, the United Nations gave this description: "an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, comprised of historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments - the Châteaux - and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself."

St. Malo - Next we will move to France’s Celtic coast and visit Brittany. We will stay in the port of St. Malo, where we will tour the walled city, and also take in the magnificent abbey of Mont St. Michel, built over a thousand years ago and nestled at the top of a coastal island.

Normandy - The highlights of our time in Normandy, another area with an abundance of both beauty and history, will be visits to the D-Day beaches and memorials and a stay in beautiful Rouen, "City of a Hundred Spires." We will stand on the D-Day invasion beaches, as well as visit the Memorial Museum at Caen, a vivid re-telling of the battle for Normandy in World War II. In Rouen, subject of a series of famous paintings by Claude Monet, we will drink in a medieval city with links to the Hundred Years War between England and France and France’s most famous heroine, Joan of Arc.

TRIP PARTICULARS

Approximate cost: $2,200 per person (Subject to change)

All inclusive features include: