Location

Nice, France

Program Description

This 6-credit, 4-week program is open to all students who wish to experience the French Riviera while taking language, cultural, and artistic classes. Based in the beautiful city of Nice, hub of the French Riviera by the Mediterranean sea, the program offers on-site classes complemented by homestays with host families, providing a safe environment for our students.

The food of Provence is an integral part of this experience with weekly thematic food tastings using only local products (including wine, chocolate, fruits and confectioneries, olive oil, cheese…) and led by experts! Students interested in gastronomy, nutrition, and hospitality will also appreciate our weekly lunch at an authentic local restaurant where we gather in smaller groups to connect and relax. We also participate in a cooking class, preparing and tasting the local specialities of Nice, and learn about table etiquette, so the art of gastronomy is explored in all its forms.

Our weekly cultural visits include participating in the traditional game of pétanque and wine tasting in a 14th-century old cellar in the picturesque village of Saint Paul de Vence, visiting the unique site of Fondation Maeght for modern art, discovering the city of Grasse, home of the French perfume industry, exploring the Picasso museum in Antibes and learning about the Belle-Epoque at the Villa Rothschild with its nine different themed gardens and decorated with olive trees, roses, waterfalls, ponds and musical fountains.

Classes for this June session take place at the Alliance Française, a world-renowned institution specializing in programs for foreigners. The Alliance offers a safe and comfortable learning environment in a private, new facility with air-conditioned smart classrooms and an exclusive café and lounge for our students to meet learners from all over the world! French language and cultural classes are offered at all levels (from beginners to advanced) with unique, on-site assignments and lectures on location, using authentic material and the expertise of our native speaker instructors.

Students interested in completing their GenEd credits can also take a HUM 251 class, taught in English and especially crafted around the rich cultural and artistic heritage of the region (Provence-Côte d'Azur), where in the 20th-Century many artists found inspiration: international painters (Cézanne, Chagall, Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso), writers (Fitzgerald, Hemingway), as well as American jazz performers and dancers (Baker, Füller, Duncan).

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Location Description

Sports and outdoors enthusiasts will appreciate the area's legendary beaches and the Mediterranean waterfront with paths on which to walk, run, or ride a bike by the sea. Other possible activities include hiking, snorkeling, canyoning, hang-gliding, or rafting. The Alliance Française, where classes are held, is only 10 minutes away from either the train station or the famed “Promenade des Anglais” (seafront boardwalk).

During their free time, students will be able to enjoy the many free museums of the city, discover the outdoors food and flower markets and other cultural activities such as the National Fête de la Musique (June 21st), film festivals and many other artistic and sport festivities in Nice, Cannes, Saint Tropez, and in the glamorous city of Monaco, just 10ms away from Nice. The city offers great transportation services such as trains, buses, tramways, bikes, and Uber service.

Director

Doe Polanz | polanzdx@jmu.edu | World Languages and Cultures

Accommodations

Students stay with host families in furnished apartments and houses with internet access and laundry facilities. Each student can be placed individually in a family (private room) or placed with another student from the program (shared room). All host families are carefully selected by the Alliance française de Nice and reside in the vicinity of the school. We do our very best to accommodate students' lifestyles or health-related requests, such as nonsmoking environments or special dietary needs. Students will fill out a questionnaire to ensure that they are matched with the best family for them. Upon arrival, students will be staying for 2 days in a three-star hotel to relax and discover the city on their first weekend. All of our weekends are free for students to explore the French Riviera!

Students will be given breakfast and dinner every day of the program in their host family accommodations. Students are invited to a lunch group with the director in a friendly and authentic local restaurant once a week, and should plan to spend their own money the rest of the week to cover the cost of lunch. The program also covers the cooking class and all our food tastings. We also invite every student to a “repas gastronomique”, a 6-course dinner in a Michelin-star restaurant situated in a historical palace hotel by the sea and prepared by one of the few French female head chefs in the country. This once-in-a-lifetime glamorous experience will be explained beforehand during a table etiquette class for our students to learn everything about manners and savoir vivre!

Additional Items to Consider

 No visa required.

Students should plan to arrive on Friday, the 29th (May) in the morning/afternoon. The program ends on Friday, the 26th (June), and students need to leave their accommodation the next day (the 27th)

The mandatory orientation sessions held in the spring are crucial to being better prepared for an immersive program and cannot be missed. They are also very important for choosing a roommate and group cohesion.

Since food is such an integral part of the experience, it is best to let the director know in the interview process of any allergies/restrictions/preferences.

Only 4 miles away from the town center and accessible by a very convenient and short tramway ride, Nice’s international airport provides direct flights from/to the US and numerous major airports worldwide and is the second largest airport in France, with direct flights to many European cities.

On the following websites, you will find useful information about coming to Nice:
- Nice area visitors bureau: en.nicetourisme.com
- French Ministry of Foreign Affairs: diplomatie.gouv.fr
- Campus France Agency for foreign students: campusfrance.org

FURTHER DETAILED PRACTICAL INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED TO ENROLLED STUDENTS AT THE 3 MANDATORY ORIENTATION SESSIONS IN THE SPRING.

Some French is recommended, but not necessary!

Talk with the director directly for questions.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.0

Some French is recommended. Talk with the director if you have questions.

Open to all class levels and majors, including graduate students. 

Open to non-JMU students.

No prerequisites:
FR 109, HUM 251, and WLC 330 (HUM 251 and WLC 330 are taught in English; all FR classes are in French)

Prerequisites:
FR 231 | Must have successfully completed FR 102 or FR 109, have taken the placement test, or permission number given by director.

FR 232 | Must have successfully completed FR 231, have taken the placement test, or permission number given by director.

FR 300 | Must have successfully completed FR 232, have taken the placement test, or permission number given by director.

FR 308 | Must have successfully completed FR 232, have taken the placement test, or permission number given by director

FR 464 | Must have successfully completed either FR300, FR301, FR320, FR308, FR307 or FR322