Paris Palimpset

As a palimpsest, Paris is made up of layers of history, forged by the city’s rulers and citizens through the past two millennia. In the middle of the 19^th century, the city underwent a massive transformation with the destruction of large parts of Medieval Paris and the construction of the boulevards, parks and Hausmanian buildings that characterize the city today. These were meant to improve the lives of Parisians and better control them after decades of revolutions and social unrest following the Revolution of 1789. As we walk the streets of the city today, we will look past contemporary Paris to uncover traces of the early settlements of the Parisii, the Gaelic tribe that gave its name to the city, of Roman colonization, of Medieval and Renaissance splendor, and the modernization of what became the City of Lights, for its early use of street lighting and for its intellectual and artistic scenes.

The class has two main objectives. First, we will explore how relations of power have shaped the city as we know it today; the imprints that religious institutions, monarchs or presidents, have left on the city, and the opposition they have met from the people of Paris. We will study official and non-official memory work, including museums, buildings, statues, graffiti and street art, and discuss the battles that take place around events and persons to be commemorated, by whom and why. Second, through the biographies and works of Parisians who were in their teens and twenties when they took part in shaping the rich (counter-) cultures of the city, we will learn about the contributions of Paris to world literature, music, fashion, science, and politics.

You will become familiar with the rich artistic, literary and political history of Paris and will get to know the layout of the city and the specificities of selected neighborhoods and sites, including Le Louvre, Notre-Dame, Versailles, Musée d’Orsay, and the streets of the Quartier Latin, Ile de la Cité and Ile Saint-Louis, Le Marais and Montmartre. 

Immersive Beginning French

Immersive French is an intensive introductory course. You will begin to understand and speak French in guided and structured interactive settings,  developing fundamental skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing in French.

The class will focus on the oral part of the learning process (repetition of words andstructures) through skits and other role-playing exercises. The learning experience will involve the whole body – the mouth, of course and all the muscles related to language delivery (which vary from one language to another) – and also the gestures we make in real life.

You will learn vocabulary and idiomatic structures while buying bread at the bakery, ordering a croque-monsieur at the café, buying fruit at marché Glacièrem, exploring the Chinese district, walking through Parc Montsouris and finding a book at the Bibliothèque d’Italie.

• You will reside at Fiap Paris, in double rooms with private bathrooms. 
• The On-Site Director, On-Site Coordinator and Student Life Managers reside in the residence hall with students, providing an atmosphere that supports your success by emphasizing community building and individual responsibility.
• During the week, you will have most meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) at Fiap. A few meals will take place at local eateries. Note: All meals are taken together with fellow students and staff.
• You will engage in community building and cultural events and activities, such as a river cruise on the Seine River and a picnic on the Luxembourg Gardens.

Site visits are an opportunity for you to immerse yourself in French language and culture. Please Note: this is a sample of planned activities and is subject to change.

• The Latin Quarter dates back to the Gallo-Roman era and still hosts a Roman Amphitheater constructed in the first century AD, as well as beautiful parks and gardens and the Sorbonne, one of the oldest universities in the World. A student neighborhood for 800 years, it has been the center of Parisian intellectual life, uprisings and revolutions.

• Crypte Archæologique de Paris is an underground museum located next to the Notre Dame Cathedral, with an exhibit documenting life along the Seine through the Ages, from early settlements to today.

• Notre Dame, after a devastating fire in 2019 and five years of restoration, the medieval Catholic cathedral reopened in December 2024. Since its construction began in 1163, it is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and home to Victor Hugo’s fictitious hunchback and Esmeralda.

• The Louvre, once the residence of the French Monarchs from the Middle Ages until Louis XIV moved the court to Versailles, now houses one of the World’s greatest museums.

• Ile Saint-Louis and the Île de la Cité, two charming islands in the middle of the Seine River, with a rich history from the early foundations of Paris to today.

• Musée d’Orsay, home to one of the most impressive collections of art dating from 1848 to 1914, is located on the Left Bank of the Seine and is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900.

• Versailles, the palace was home to the French King from 1682 to the French Revolution and has been listed as a World Heritage.With its 2,300 rooms, it is among the greatest achievements in French 17th century art.

• Montmartre in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement is known for its artistic history and present-day street art, as well as the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, built in the aftermath of the 19^th century Commune de Paris.

• The Eiffel Tower, once the tallest building in the world, was built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Exposition Universelle to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the French Revolution. It was meant to be demolished shortly after but is now one of the most popular sites in the city.

• Le Marais was an aristocratic neighborhood until the King moved his residence from the Louvre to Versailles. Famous as a working-class, Jewish and Queer neighborhood, its renovated mansions (hôtels particuliers), which were once the homes of the nobility, now host a variety of Museums and cultural institutions.