I will be staying in Paris for December %26amp; January %26amp; want to undertake a study course while there. Not necessarily language as I have just completed 3rd Year French at University level. I am hoping to study French Culture, history %26amp; contemporary issues. Any suggestions?
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Schools are closed from mid Dec. to the first week of Jan. for the x-mas holidays, so there are not many options available. You may want to check out the Alliance Francaise. The Sorbonne has a good French Civ program, but it runs a semester, as do the programs at the American University.
For a do-it-yourself program, get a place with a TV and start watching the local programs, buy two or three papers and one magazine a day and read them through (preferably on the terrace of some thriving cafe). Then hit as many museum conferences as you can, including some of the historic ones offered by the Ile de France. Et Voila, everything you wanted to know about France.
I%26#39;d also recommend reading 60 Million Frenchmen Can%26#39;t be Wrong to fill in the cultural backdrop and A Year in the Merde for a bit over-the-top feeling of life in Paris. These two books will give you an idea of what to look for once you are here.
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Phread:
did you read Bonjour Paresse ?
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No, How was it?
I like the 60M because it was written by two sociologists. The anecdotes are there, but minimal and you learn a lot about how things work over here from an analytical perspective.
A Yr in the M is funny, although a bit young. It really gives you an exagerated idea of how corrupt things can be over here, but does highlight the importance of getting around the system. I especially love the author%26#39;s little observations about daily life and work place ethics.
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A Year in the M seems funny.... I did not know of it untill you mentioned it... the Time magazine article about the book (link below) makes it interesting...
time.com/time/…00.html
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