Courses in the History of Art

One of the special features of this program is the opportunity it provides students to study directly from works of art housed in any number of Parisian museums (the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Musée Carnavalet, the Musée Marmottan, among many other world-class collections). Teaching hours are split evenly between classroom discussion and visits to museums, galleries, and cathedrals. Michigan's faculty members are deeply commitment to on-site teaching and direct educational encounters with artworks. Student exposure to the city's magnificent collections is unrivalled by any American program currently operating in Paris.

French Language Instruction

French language instruction at the Institut Catholique is designed to accommodate students with various levels of proficiency in the language. Those who enroll in one of three elementary level courses study spoken and written French intensively for nine hours per week. Students placed in one of two intermediate level courses study French language for six hours per week. A variety of advanced courses are available for students with highly developed French language skills.

Home Stays

Michigan students live and board with French host families in apartments located throughout Paris. Most of these families have welcomed foreign students into their homes for years, and they are quite familiar with the kinds of language difficulties faced by newcomers to the city. In combination with intensive language training at the Institut Catholique, home stays are extremely beneficial to students committed to improving their communicative skills and to gaining a better understanding of French culture.

Fulfilling the LSA Language Requirement

Students who begin the program having already completed two semesters of university French can satisfy the LSA language requirement with successful completion of either of the two intermediate level French language courses offered by the Institut Catholique. For more information about French language credits, contact the Office of International Programs.

Requirements for Admission to the Program

Students are required to have successfully completed two semesters of university French (French 101 and 102, 103, or equivalent). Students are also asked to have completed at least one course in the History of Art: broad survey courses such as History of Art 100, 101, 102, 271, and 272 provide an excellent background for study in Paris; more specialized, upper-level courses on French and/or European art are also recommended. As in all Michigan foreign study programs, students must have maintained at least a 3.00 Grade Point Average to qualify for admission.

Concentrations and Minors in the History of Art

For students interested in pursuing either the Concentration or the Minor in the History of Art, the Paris program offers a total of ten credit-hours of art history instruction in one semeste--four credit-hours at the 200-level and six credit-hours at the 300-level. Concentrators should check course descriptions for further information about distribution requirements. Students looking to minor in the History of Art can complete two thirds of the required fifteen credit hours in Paris, while also fulfilling all but one of the departmental distributive requirements for Minors.

Other Concentrations & Minors

The Michigan-In-Paris Program is open to all qualified Michigan students, regardless of their choice of concentration. Concentrators/minors in History and French may count one of the courses taught in Paris ("Paris by Site") toward their departmental requirements.