UMW in France

IAU College, Aix-en-Provence

Spend your summer in France with Dr. Brooke Di Lauro at IAU College in beautiful Aix-en-Provence, France. Discover the colorful countryside of the south of France while earning credits towards your degree.

• Experience the beautiful South of France, from lavender fields to artistic history and Mediterranean beaches.
• Stroll around historic Aix-en-Provence, founded in 123 B.C.
• Stop in at Cézanne’s home and studio and hike the Montagne Sainte Victoire which inspired him.
• Celebrate Bastille Day in authentic style.
•  Take a day trip to the beach town of Cassis.
• Taste local cuisine in historic restaurants and patisseries.
• Select the experience of your choice from Découverte de la Provence.
• Visit the Farmer’s Market and purchase local delicacies for a picnic lunch a la française.

Accommodations

Students have the option of staying with a host family or in student residences while in Aix.  Students staying with a host family receive daily breakfast and six dinners per week. Students staying in student residence halls, usually double occupancy, share communal spaces such as a kitchen and common room and are responsible for their own meals and food preparation.  Both options have access to WiFi and linens are provided.

Visit IAU’s Housing website for additional information.

Housing Costs (paid directly to IAU):

• 3-week program: $1,475
• 6-week program: $2,245

Coursework

OPTION 1 – 3 WEEKS: 1 COURSE:  Students will earn transfer credit for a 3-credit French Culture course taught in English by Dr. Di Lauro at IAU College.  This course is taught during IAU College’s Session C.*

*Students are welcome to select an alternate Session C course, however, their participation in the additional excursions arranged by Dr. Di Lauro for UMW students cannot be guaranteed unless they are participating in her course.

Dr. Di Lauro’s Course Description – “From Bordeaux to Lyon: Cultural Landscapes of Southern France”

• Using southern cities as jumping off points, we will explore the culture—history, religion, arts, cuisine—of France. For example, Bordeaux and Béziers (Languedoc) will introduce students to France’s viticulture and Roquefort-sur-Soulzon will be our entrée into the country’s more than 250 cheeses.
• Grasse, the world’s perfume capital, will introduce us to another of France’s main exports. To explore France’s history we will begin with Nîmes (“French Rome”), continue onto Carcassonne (medieval fortified city), Lyon (the Renaissance capital), and then jump ahead to the twentieth century and Vichy and Périgueux which were central, respectively, to the Collaboration and the Resistance during the Second World War.
• To initiate a discussion of the France’s infamous separation of church and state and its current ramifications, such as the 1989 affaire du voile and 2016’s ban of the burkini, we will trace the country’s religious history, beginning with embarkation points for the Crusades (Clermont-Ferrand, Aigues-Mortes) and Toulouse’s place on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimmage route and continuing with Avignon’s crucial role as the seat of the papacy in the 14th century and the Catholic/Protestant struggles which followed.
• As for the arts, Montignac, Angoulême, site of the international comics festival, will introduce us to French classics such as Tintin and Astérix, and the international film festivals in Cannes and Clerment-Ferrand will provide an entrée into France’s role in world cinema, particularly the Nouvelle Vague.
• Arles’ International Photography Festival, which we will visit, will allow us to explore France’s role in the development of photography, beginning with the daguerreotype and the Lumière brothers and following through to the popular Robert Doisneau.
• Poitiers, known for its Romanesque art, and the gothic cathedral in Limoges will serve as introductions to medieval architecture while our base of Aix-en-Provence, the hometown of childhood friends Cézanne and Zola, will begin our discussion of the art and literature of the nineteenth century.

OPTION 2 – 6 WEEKS: 2 3-CREDIT COURSES or 1 6-CREDIT COURSE – Students may choose to stay in Aix for six weeks to earn a total of 6 credits. Students will enroll in either one 6-credit Session A course or two 3-credit courses from IAU’s Summer Session Catalog (one from Session B and one from Session C).

OPTION 3 – 6 WEEKS: 1 6-CREDIT COURSE and 1 3-CREDIT COURSE – Students may choose to stay in Aix for six weeks to earn a total of 9 credits. Students will enroll in one 6-credit Session A course and one 3-credit courses from IAU’s Summer Session Catalog (one from Session B or one from Session C).

Courses generally available in the following disciplines (options vary year-to-year): Studio Art, Art History, Business, French Language, French Culture, Psychology, Gender Studies, Political Science, and International Affairs.

OPTION 4: INTERNSHIP 

If students opt for one of the following IAU Summer Courses, there are additional fees due with the final balance (paid directly to IAU):

• Marchutz Core Art Program Fee: $405
• Studio Art Course (if not already enrolled in Marchutz Core Art Program): $315
• Wine Studies, Food, or Photography Course: $150

The program satisfies the Experiential Learning or Diverse and Global Perspectives general education requirement by contract with the Faculty Director.

Requirements & Prerequisites

There are no specific prerequisites for this program. Students must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA in order to participate. As per UMW credit transfer policies, a grade of C or above is required for courses taught abroad to transfer back to UMW. This program is open to all UMW students regardless of major or year of study.

While unlikely if the above conditions are met, if a UMW student were not accepted by IAU College following the completed application process, their CIE deposit would be refunded. Students would not be refunded their deposit should they choose to withdraw after IAU acceptance. 

All students will need to create a “MyIAU” account and submit their application by March 15, 2024. 

Additional details regarding IAU Application process and details found here.

Scholarships

Faculty-Led Program Scholarships are available to UMW students (deadlines apply).

Payment

For this program, a deposit is due to the Center for International Education (CIE) to cover Faculty Director expenses, additional excursions arranged for UMW students on the program, and the required Education Abroad Fee. IAU College will invoice students directly based on their program, course, and housing selections. 

See the program fees and payment due dates in the right column. Use the Make a Payment button below to pay your deposit and regular program payment. Use the Special Payment option to pay a special amount (such as additional insurance or payment in a different amount as a result of a scholarship award).

Online payees have the choice of either credit card or eCheck (ACH) payment. ACH transactions will be charged a flat fee of $0.50 per transaction. All credit card payments will incur a 2.85% service fee. For credit card payments, a minimum convenience fee of $3.00 will be applied to transactions over $20.00 and under $106.00.

Payments can also be made in-person via cash or check (made out to “UMW”) at the UMW Cashiers Office located on the second floor of Lee Hall. No fees apply with this payment method.