Summer Study in France for the Pre-Med Student

May 16 - June 20, 2010

This intensive summer program is designed for students interested in French language and cultural studies as well as pre-medical studies. The program aims at total immersion into life in France, while providing students with the opportunity to experience first-hand the French medical system. Going into its seventeenth season, France for the Pre-Med can accommodate students in a broad spectrum of health-related fields and special interests. Aside from Washington University in St. Louis, participating universities have included Brandeis, Binghamton, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Hope College,  Johns Hopkins, Oberlin, California-Berkeley, MIT, Michigan-Ann Arbor, Virginia, Wisconsin and Yale. Students who meet course prerequisites (two years of college level French or the equivalent) can register for classes and live with a French Family in Nice, France near the Italian border. Geographically, historically and culturally, this dynamic city has much to offer the summer student.  According to the World Health Organisation's official rankings, the French healthcare system ranked number one among the 191 member countries surveyed.

The Academic Curriculum

I. Illness and Society: From the Middle Ages to Present Times (3 credit hours, mandatory)

This course focuses on various aspects of medicine as seen from three different perspectives:

II.  Choice of one of the following academic courses (students choose only one).

1) France in the Twenty-first Century (a cultural approach)

In a shrinking world where cultural differences are far less apparent than they used to be, it is not easy to sort out what is specifically and necessarily French. Beyond the factual data--historical, political, economic, sociological--civilization is above all a matter of attitude. In 2008, 27 European countries are still struggling to unite without losing their identity. In this context, the study of civilization has rarely been more to the point.

This course will focus on different aspects of civilization and culture such as the European Union, immigration, the relationship between religion and the State, family life, women in public life, French cinema, humor, etc. Class format: lecture and discussion of readings. Grades will be based on class performance, oral presentations, and a final exam.

2) Literature and Medicine

This course examines the changing image of medicine and its practitioners through a vast spectrum of literary texts including: Rabelais, Marguerite de Navarre, Montaigne, Pascal, Molière, Balzac, Camus, Bazin, Pagnol, etc. Class format: lecture, discussion, explication de texte. Grades will be based on class performance, oral presentations, and two short research papers.

3) Independent study:

Students may choose a topic of personal interest such as perspectives on medicine and physicians in various historical periods, midwifery and the conflict of midwives and doctors (XVIth-XVIIth centuries), Hôtel-Dieu (the Museum of Public Health), the Musée d'histoire de la Médecine, and l'Institut Pasteur. Independent study is intended for the advanced student who would like to pursue a special interest, possibly in preparation for an Honors' thesis.

Cultural Experience

• Students are fully immersed into French life and have the opportunity to experience a variety of cultural activities. Organized trips to art museums and plays or films are a welcome break from routine studies. Students live and have meals with French families in or around Nice. On the weekends, they may choose to stay with their French family to experience a family event such as an evening out, a wedding or baptism, a sightseeing trip to the mountains or the beach, or travel on their own to other parts of France or Europe.  Paris and Rome are popular destinations.  Most students will plan a couple trips with fellow students having similar interests.  Weekends are also good opportunities to check out the active night life in Nice.  Evening walks along the Promenade des Anglais, or early morning shopping at the marché in Old Nice are favorite activities.

  One student said it best, “My summer in Nice gave me the international experience I always wanted but was unable to do because of the rigorous, structured Pre-med requirements at my university.”

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Credits and Grades:

Upon arrival in Nice, a placement test will be given to confirm students' choice of courses, and the Program Director will meet with students individually. Students will receive a total of 6 credit hours for two courses (3 credits each).  They may request a professor's evaluation for each of the courses taken to be sent to their major advisor.

Faculty:

The program is organized and taught either by Washington University faculty or highly qualified instructors. The on-site director will always be available to advise students on an individual basis and help solve academic or housing problems.

Living accommodations:

As the authentic way to discover a foreign culture is to share the daily life of the native inhabitants, each student is housed with a French family. Total immersion in French life enhances the student's knowledge of French language and social customs. Particular attention is given to the association between the students and his/her host family, based on a housing questionnaire filled out by the student.

Accommodation in a French home includes a private room and all weekday meals. Students are free from Friday at 1:00 p.m. until Sunday evening. They may choose to travel to another country (Italy, Spain, and Switzerland) or remain with their host family and discover famous sites of historical and cultural interest in the surrounding area. 

Program cost: $4,750.00 (when enrolled by 12/15/09), $4,850 (enrollment after 12/15/09)

• This includes tuition and administrative fees as well as room and board. Students make their own travel arrangements.
• $750 non-refundable within two weeks after acceptance for admission.  This payment should be made payable to Washington University and sent to Washington University, Department of International Studies, Attn: Kathy Daniel, Campus Box 1088, St. Louis, MO 63130.  Reference the student's name, student I.D. number or SSN, and France Pre-Med on the check.
• The balance of $4,000 will be charged to your WU student account. All students will be enrolled at WU for the length of the France for the Pre-Med Program.  For the purposes of billing and registration, a WU student account will be created for each student who does not normally attend WU.  A WU invoice for the balance of $4,000 will be issued at the end of April and mailed to your parents' address.  Final payment is to be mailed to the address indicated on the invoice and is due by 5/25/2010.

click here--->Student References and Evaluations <--- click here

See, hear and speak to past students in this program

Actual comments from past year's student evaluations

Email addresses so you can ask them questions directly

See student photos from the 2007/2008 programs.

See classroom photos from the 2007/2008 programs.

Applications may be obtained from:

click here--->Professor Colette H. Winn, Director, France for the Pre-Med, Washington University, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures, Box 1077, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, telephone 314-935-5477 or Email to CHWINN@AOL.COM. 

Or to print a copy of the application and other necessary forms click here---> APPLICATION

Students are recommended to send their completed applications as soon as possible as we are doing rolling admission, and enrollment could be closed before the December 15, 2009 deadline.  A complete application consists of the following:

1. Personal data
2. Two letters of recommendation
3. A parental consent form
4. A statement of purpose
5. The French family questionnaire
6. Four passport size photos
7. A curriculum vitae
8. A copy of your student ID card
9. An official transcript
10. A personal responsibility and general release statement (obtained from Professor Winn upon acceptance)

You may address questions to or request materials by contacting  Professor Winn, the program director.

	Bonjour.com	Map of Nice
	Beyond the Riviera	The Paris Page - Practical travel information
	The Riviera Magazine	Nice-Matin (newspaper)
	Recherche - a French Medical Journal	Visit Nice on the web

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