French Field Study Program - Northwestern University/Sciences Po in collaboration with Internships in Francophone Europe (IFE)

» General Information

Location:

Paris, France (population: 10 million)

Description:

The French Field Study Program is a full-year program consisting of:

Fall Semester at IFE
During the Fall, students participate in the IFE Paris Field Studies & Internship program. This program prepares students to succeed at Sciences Po by helping them acquire confidence in French and familiarity with France and allowing them to develop knowledge about a particular subject of interest. IFE offers an intensive internship/academic experience for a small group of study abroad students, with individualized placement for work and research in a variety of fields including economics, political science, development studies, international relations, education, social policy, visual arts, theatre, and more. Students receive a thorough grounding in French political, social, and cultural issues prior to the internship, in the form of two lecture-and-workshop courses: An Introduction to French Social Issues, and The Political Life of France, Yesterday and Today. During the internship portion of the program (12 weeks), students follow a seminar course on France and the European Union and report to a research advisor. The semester culminates in a long research paper written in French, based on the internship.

Between Semesters
To enhance the immersive nature of the program, students participate in an internship in Paris during the intersession between the completion of the Fall IFE program and the start of the Spring semester on the Northwestern University/Sciences Po Exchange program. This may be a prolongation of the student’s fall internship or another placement in an organization in the same or a closely related field. This portion of the program begins in mid-January after a three-week break and continues until the beginning of the Spring semester. It is during this time that students make their final selection of Sciences Po courses and participate in any orientation activities that Sciences Po provides before the start of the term.

Spring Semester at Sciences Po
During the Spring, students take courses at Sciences Po, formally known as the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. Sciences Po is an elite, world-renowned institution that specializes in political science and also excels in history, economics, and international relations.



Terms:

Full year only: Fall Semester (Fall Quarter) at IFE and Spring Semester (Winter-Spring Quarters) at Sciences Po

Sponsor:

IFE (Fall) and Northwestern University/Sciences Po Exchange (Spring)

Website:

www.ifeparis.org/French-Field-Studies-Northwestern

Program Contact:

Office of International Program Development (www.ipd.northwestern.edu)

» Related Links

» Other Programs in France

Language Requirements

Students must have completed 2 years+ of college level French or the equivalent, and are required to meet with Prof. Margaret Sinclair in the Department of French and Italian in order to assess their language skills prior to application.

A high degree of independence and initiative are also qualifications for an exchange program, which often offers less structure and on-site support than other types of programs.

    Northwestern Requirements

    • Students must enroll in a full course load, as determined by IFE, during the Fall and at least 30 ECTS credits at Sciences Po during the Spring.
    • Students must identify a faculty adviser at Northwestern for the IFE internship and submit a Northwestern Internship Petition signed by this adviser and their school representative to the Northwestern Study Abroad Office prior to departure. For more information, read our guidelines for completing an internship abroad.
    • For further specific requirements of the French Field Studies Program, contact Greg Buchanan in the Office of International Program Development: international@northwestern.edu.

    Additional Information

    Special Arrangements:
    The following special arrangements help strengthen the connections between the Fall semester at IFE and Spring semester at Sciences Po, and make this one cohesive program:
    • During the Fall, students work with an adviser at Sciences Po to select courses for the Spring that will deepen their theoretical understandings of their IFE research topics. Students are also granted library access at Sciences Po from the Fall term on.
    • The month before the Fall semester, the Sciences Po International Office offers an orientation, called the "stage d'integration," which is intended to prepare its full year students linguistically and academically to succeed at Sciences Po. It includes daily French classes, optional visits around Paris and the outlying region, and pedagogical sessions to help prepare students. Northwestern and IFE have made special arrangements for French Field Studies students to attend parts of this orientation, as the IFE course schedule allows, at no extra cost.
    Planning to go Abroad:
    When choosing a world-class institution, careful academic counseling and planning is essential to successful integration into non-American settings. Working with the Office of International Program Development and your departmental/school advisers, and following up with your own research, will make issues such as credit, cultural adjustment and course selection work for you as an individual student.

    Housing

    Housing for the entire year will be arranged through IFE in either a homestay, foyer, or apartment.

    Program Costs

    • Costs TBA

    Application Requirements

    Prior to receiving an application, all Northwestern students must complete the following steps:
    1. Complete the mandatory Study Abroad 101 Quiz on Blackboard. E-mail studyabroad@northwestern.edu (include your name and NetID) to register for this quiz.
    2. After receiving a score of 90% or above, students can pick up the Northwestern Application for Permission to Study Abroad at the Study Abroad Office. This application is not available online.
    Northwestern students must complete four applications for this program:
    1. Northwestern University Application for Permission to Study Abroad
    2. An IPD application
    3. An IFE application, which can be obtained from the IFE web site
    4. A Sciences Po application. Students should contact the Office of International Program Development for more information on how to obtain and complete the Sciences Po application.
    Students must also complete two personal interviews:
    1. The FIRST step toward application should be a meeting with the Office of International Program Development. Call this office (847-467-7834) well in advance of the study abroad application deadline to set up a personal interview.
    2. Students must also meet with Prof. Michael Loriaux, the academic advisor for the Sciences Po Exchange Program.

    Contact Returnees

    Northwestern students may enter this section of the site for a list of students who participated in this program.