Brown in France ! Paris Program Handbook! Fall 2017! Brown University! Office of International Programs! Brown in France – Paris Program 2017/18 Table of Contents Program Contacts 2 Check list: Preparing for Paris 3 Academics 4-9 Health & Safety 9-12 Money Matters 13-14 Housing 15 Arrival in Paris 16 Daily Life 17-19 Check list: Going Home 20 1 PROGRAM CONTACTS Brown University in France - Paris 6, rue Guillaume Bertrand 75011 Paris Tel: 011-33-1-47-34-33-65 (from US) Tel: 0-1-47-34-33-65 (from France) Metro: Rue Saint Maur When calling France from the U.S., remember the time difference. France is six hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is l0 a.m. in Providence, it is 4 p.m. in Paris. Program Staff Sylvie Toux Resident DireCtor Tel. (Cell): 011-33-6-99-42-33-65 Email: [email protected] Erin Reeser AssoCiate DireCtor Tel. (Cell): 011-33-6-62-24-92-62 Tel. (home): 011-33-9-51-77-98-14 email: [email protected] Brown University Office of International Programs (OIP) Box 1973 Providence, RI 02912 Tel.: 401-863-3555 Fax: 401-863-3311 E-mail: [email protected] OIP OffiCe Hours 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., M-F September – May 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., M-F June – August If you have an emergency outside of normal business hours at Brown, please call Brown University Public Safety at (401) 863-3322 2 PRE-DEPARTURE CHECKLIST [ ] Prepare myself. Read this handbook and other appropriate OIP publiCations, like the OIP website and the Take It With You Guide, OIP’s general study abroad handbook. Be mentally prepared for the Challenge. Read the required material on Canvas. [ ] Meet with my ConCentration/major advisor to disCuss any Credit that I want to Count for my concentration and get pre-approval. Arrange a way to Contact ConCentration/major advisors, if changes are necessary once in Paris. (General credit for graduation transfers automatically for Brown students, as long as you earn a grade of C or higher. C = 9 - 11/20 in the French system.) [ ] Take with me to FranCe copies of all documents I had to provide to the Consulate for my visa. [ ] Have health insuranCe information: poliCy number, reimbursement proCedures and forms, and list of mediCal proCedures covered. Must have proof of insurance with dates of policy clearly stating I am Covered for the period of study. Must bring this letter with me to FranCe (a Card is NOT suffiCient). [ ] Have had my mediCal, dental and eyesight CheCk-ups as reCommended. [ ] Get supply of presCription mediCation if I am taking any. If I know that the mediCation is available in FranCe, I will bring the original presCription. [ ] Give my travel sChedule for my arrival to the OIP and the Brown in Paris offiCe. [ ] Be sure not to bring too muCh stuff! One suitCase ONLY and preferably not too big. [ ] ContaCt my Cell phone serviCe provider to unloCk my phone if I plan to use it with a FrenCh SIM card. [ ] CheCk that all eleCtriC/eleCtroniC equipment that I bring to FranCe is set for 220 voltage. Most computers, smartphones and rechargeable cameras are fine. Pack an adapter for the electronics that I Can bring. 3 ACADEMICS Carte d’étudiant/Registration Pro- University Total Total You will Choose one or two universities seminar courses ECTS Brown before arriving in Paris and register online for ECTS ECTS credits eaCh selected university (the proCedure is 6 21-24 27-30 4 explained on Canvas). This step is very 6 15-20 21-26 3 important and will allow you to obtain a 6 9-14 15-20 2 student ID. This ID Card will be available 6 8 14 1 when Classes starts. Note that you will reCeive no more than four Transferring Credits course units unless you are registered for a FrenCh universities use the European Credit GLISP, in whiCh Case it will be possible to Transfer System (ECTS) and every Course is reCeive five (5) Course units total for your assigned a value in ECTS (5 on average, with a semester. 3-12 range). For all European and French students a full semester load is defined as 30 No letter grades will appear on your Brown ECTS. The full Course load in the Brown in transCript for Courses taken abroad. Your Paris program has been established at 27-30 FrenCh grades will all be transferred as "S". ECTS, giving us some flexibility to address Course titles will be translated and listed on differences between the various universities. your transCript. However, the original grade In all Cases, the semester starts with a Credit- reports from the FrenCh institutions will be bearing pro-seminar, whiCh inCludes an initial available to you, whiCh graduate sChools and one-two week Course taught by a team of certain employers may ask to see. The OIP professors and Continues throughout the will ContaCt you onCe your transCript has semester with a number of required Cultural been reCeived from the French institution. activities and oral/written assignments., When you are baCk on your Campus, the inCluding an independent researCh projeCt. program direCtor Can provide a desCription of The pro-seminar Carries a value of 6 ECTS. the FrenCh system or an equivalenCy of Full-year students do not repeat the pro- FrenCh grades should you need suCh seminar in the spring semester but instead information, e.g., to send to graduate sChools. take university Courses totaling 27-30 ECTS. Note to Brown students: BeCause all your In order to reCeive full Credit for the semester classes are in French, the Department of (4 Brown Credits) students need to pass FrenCh Studies will give you Credit for all the the required pro-seminar for 6 ECTS and courses you take that are related to French reCeive 21-24 ECTS in university civilization: history, politiCal scienCe, courses/direct enrollment (4-6 economiCs, art. However, it does not aCCept courses.) Students taking fewer Courses will more than four Courses taken outside the reCeive partial Credit as follows: department towards Concentration Credit (six if you are a transfer student). As a general rule, other departments will not aCCept more than two or three Courses for Concentration credit. Since each department has its own 4 rules, it is imperative that you CheCk with need detailed information beyond their main your ConCentration advisor before you leave subjeCt, but you will, sinCe you will most about the number of Courses—as well as likely take Courses in several UFR’s. As soon speCifiC Courses—that may be Counted as information beComes available on the web toward your ConCentration requirements. (course listings will be posted first and in September sChedules and rooms), you will be Courses able to acCess it on Canvas. If you have taken equivalent prerequisite courses, we recommend that you enroll in L3 Be in touCh with the Brown in Paris Resident courses. Classes at that level tend to be DireCtor if you have trouble finding smaller, somewhat less impersonal and information you need. We ask you to pre- expect more student partiCipation than seleCt more Courses (10) than you will need introduCtory Courses. In some departments to take, for there is a ChanCe that Courses or or UFRs (Unité de Formation et de Recherche), schedules will Change at the last minute, and you might be able to take Courses at the L2 time ConfliCts between Courses offered by level, but it is not the general rule. M1 Classes different UFR’s are Common. We also urge might also be open to you if you have taken you to go to the different UFR’s before Classes the adequate prerequisite Courses. L1 begin in order to find your way around, locate courses should be avoided. the bulletin boards, peek into Classrooms and get a lay of the land before the Classes start. You will be able to Choose among third-year We will organize suCh group visits during LiCenCe Courses, referred to L3 (LiCenCe 3ème orientation. année) in some departments or as S5 (for LiCenCe, Semester 5 in the fall) or S6 (for LiCenCe, Semester 6 in the spring) in others. Choosing Courses Before leaving Brown: FrenCh students take their Courses in one UFR • Pre-seleCt at least 10 Courses and Complete and have very few eleCtives. For example, all the Course Pre-Approval Form as part of your third-year students preparing a LiCenCe in appliCation to the OIP. history have to take a Certain number of • The Paris program page on the OIP website speCifiC Courses Chosen from the L3 History has a link to all the French institutions’ sites, lists. EaCh UFR determines its own sChedule most of whiCh now have detailed and for only those Courses offered within the UFR. complete information. In effeCt, UFR’s are independent from one • Meet with your ConCentration/major another even within the same university, advisor to determine whiCh Courses will unlike in the US. In some Cases, they start and count toward concentration credit and to end Classes on different dates, whiCh may or obtain their signature on the Course Pre- may not Correspond to the “offiCial” starting Approval form. date announced by the university. Most UFR’s DisCuss seleCted Courses with Sylvie Toux, edit on their website Course lists, brief Brown in FranCe Resident DireCtor, either on desCriptions and Class sChedules, but some campus or via Skype. During this meeting, you don't. If they don’t, they CommuniCate suCh will Choose one or two universities and hone information to students via bulletin boards your Course list.