Program Overview
This program immerses our students in the numerous attractions and artistic expressions of Nice, the Côte d'Azur and Provence.  Located on the Mediterranean just 25 miles from the Italian border, Nice is an excellent base for discovering Cannes, Monaco, Eze, St. Paul de Vence and the remarkable small towns of Italy.  Faculty-led excursions feature the Archeological and Matisse museums in Nice; the Roman ramparts and the Medieval Grimaldi castle housing the Picasso Museum in Antibes; the Fernand Léger Museum in Biot, the medieval perched village of Gourdon, the highest in France; an olive oil tasting in a 13th century mill; a wine tasting at a traditional vineyard, a visit to Les Gorges du Verdon (the Grand Canyon of France); a ride through the fabled Golden Corniche; a day exploring the artist colonies and fishing villages from Nice to Saint-Tropez; and a celebratory final luncheon in the luxurious gardens of a country inn.

Faculty
Joanna Dezio, the Program Director, received her Ph.D from New York University. She teaches interpretation and translation at Montclair State University and French and Italian at New York University. She is a conference interpreter whose clients include the United Nations, the U.S.  Department of State, intellectual property law firms, selected corporations, the federal courts and various entities in the Prime Ministry of the French government.  Dr. Dezio has lived in and visited France over many years and possesses an intimate knowledge of its culture. 

Anne Betty Weinshenker received her B. A. degree in Art History from Barnard College and her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Art History from Columbia University.  Dr. Weinshenker is Professor of Art History at Montclair State University, where she was Chairperson of the Art Department for six years.  She has presented papers at many professional society meetings, and has published books, articles, and reviews dealing with European and American art from the 17th to the 20^th centuries.  Her most recent publication, on French 17^th and 18^th century illustrations for Molière’s Dom Juan, is soon to appear in Mediterranean Studies.

Eric Diamond is a Professor in the department of Theatre and Dance at Montclair State University. He received his MFA in Theatre from Temple University, and has directed numerous productions at MSU. He has worked professionally in regional theatre, summer stock, with numerous productions in New York City including off and on Broadway.

Accommodations and Meals
Participants stay in studio apartments equipped with a kitchenette and private bath in a modern residential facility centrally located near the lively Vieux Nice historical district, which runs right along the Mediterranean Sea.  Linens, towels and cleaning are provided by the residence and MSU has stockpiled dishes, cookware and fans. Participants may prepare their own meals or eat in the many local restaurants offering authentic Niçoises specialties at reasonable prices.  The personnel in our apartment house, called La Résidence Ségurane, are always available to help students and faculty with any problems. 

Academics - (click here for pre-enrollment form)
Participants choose among the following course combinations: Mediterranean Civilization (taught in English and required for undergraduates), French language study (from elementary to advanced levels), courses taught in French on cultural themes, and a broadcasting practicum in which students produce documentary pieces on contemporary life on the Côte d’Azur. Courses taken in Nice that are offered in French may be substituted for major or minor requirements in the French program.  They may be also be used as electives or to fulfill the MSU General Education foreign language requirement. Undergraduate and graduate credit available.

FRIN 145: Introduction to French Culture: Mediterranean Civilization - 3 credits - Taught in English - For beginning and intermediate level students.
The course explores the principles of life and culture that have made the Mediterranean region fertile ground for creativity and the art of living well for millennia. Students will study the major innovations of the Roman Empire and the artistic, philosophical and political contributions of Mediterranean cultures with respect to their impact on our lives today. They will consider the various meanings of colonization and its relationship to our interdependent contemporary world. Fulfills GNED 303 (one of the Contemporary Issues "Core" courses in GenEd 2002). Required for all undergraduates.

FREN 375: French Study Abroad - 3 credits - For undergraduate students
This course includes 10 hours per week of language instruction. A culminating proficiency exam upon completion is used for credit adjustment to MSU French courses 101, 112, 121, 132, 203, 204, 206 or 270.

ARHS 331 Modern Art   3 credits                                                                      ARHS 592 Selected Problems in Art History: Modern Art  3 credits                           This course will explore movements, personalities and styles from Post-Impressionism and Symbolism, including the work of Cézanne, Seurat, Van Gogh, and Gauguin through the 20^th C. styles of Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism and its offshoots, Dada, and Surrealism. The works of Matisse, Rouault, Kandinsky, Picasso, Braque, Léger, Duchamp, Ernst, and Miró are featured.The course includes lectures, readings, and extensive museum visits.

THTR 432 Special Topics in Theater: The Comedies of Moliere                           ENLT 250: Special Topics in Comparative Literature: The Comedies of Moliere
In this class, students will read several plays by Moliere in translation and discuss them from both a theatre production point of view (acting, performance, analyzing the script etc.) and also in a historical context. Students will consider what was going on in the fascinating court of Louis XIV where Moliere performed several of his plays and the traditions of the Italian Commedia dell'arte that preceded and inspired Moliere. The course will trace the comic and satiric characteristics of Moliere’s works that can be found in modern day plays, movies and television.

FREN 470                                                                                                Seminar: The Role of the Arts in the Development of French Society                 Taught entirely in French                                                                           Americans have traditionally been taught to date their consciousness of themselves as a nation from a relatively recent point in history and to equate the coming of age of their society with an industrial, rather than a moral or creative revolution.  But other societies have a much older consciousness and a longer, largely pre-industrial memory.  They often date their coming of age as nations poetically (Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Aeneid, La Chanson de Roland, Das Niebelungenlied, Beowulf).  What differences might an ancient, poetic and creative sense of one’s origins make in a people’s view of the rest of the world?  How does it feel to live one’s ancient culture on a daily basis? We will study the development of the arts throughout the history of France and attempt to understand what role the French people’s relationship to art and their awareness of their culture play in their lives, especially as to how they formulate their values and perceive others.

FREN 548                                                                                                Contemporary French Civilization Seminar                                                            Culture and Civilization of Contemporary France: The Great Transformation    Taught entirely in French                                                                                 This course is an introduction to the most important aspects of contemporary French culture and civilization.  French society has changed so much in these last years that close observers have been tempted to refer to a “second French revolution.”  We will discuss the reasons, forms and rhythms of this great transformation through its social, cultural and political aspects.  Additionally, we will consider a variety of contemporary controversies pertaining to immigration, religion, the family, education and others.  Likewise, we will identify what contemporary French and American culture have in common and wherein lay their differences.                                                         Note: Study Abroad programs fulfill GNED 303 (one of the Contemporary Issues "Core" courses in GenEd 2002).

Program Cost
$3,300 plus tuition and fees for six credits. The program cost includes:

• Roundtrip airfare

• Studio apartment with private bath and kitchenette

• All transfers in France

• All group local excursions, including entrance fees to museums

• Wine tasting                       

• Olive oil tasting

• A celebration luncheon in the countryside of the Var wine region

Payment Schedule:

• Non-refundable deposit: $ 100
• By February 15, 2008: $1000
• By March 15, 2008: $1,100
• By April 15, 2008: $1,100