Study Abroad: Paris and Providence Program Details

Sciences Po and Brown University Joint Program on Political Science: National Identity in a Globalized World

Images of Paris

Overview

This 8-week program, developed jointly by faculty of the Sciences Po and Brown University, provides the unique opportunity to investigate contemporary issues of identity in a globalized world. By spending 4 weeks in Paris at the Sciences Po, where undergraduates from US institutions work with Sciences Po scholars, and 4 weeks on the Brown University campus in Providence, RI, where Sciences Po undergraduates join regular class meetings with their US counterparts and Brown faculty, participants view this timely topic through multiple lenses. Benefitting from the diversity of faculty expertise and the range of cultural and academic experiences, participants experience a global curriculum in the deepest sense. A part of Brown’s ongoing internationalization mission, this program is unlike any other education abroad experience.

Students enroll in one double-credit course in political science. On-site in Paris, faculty from the Sciences Po organize lectures focused on EU expansions, European immigration, the re-nationalization of EU policies, financial regulation and others which highlight the relationship between the EU and the US. In Providence, course meetings land materials focus on identity.

In both locations, the course incorporates a number of site visits into the curriculum (French parliament, Musee de Louvre, Paris’ Vth, Sloop Providence, Museum of Work & Culture, Boston’s historic sights). Additionally, US-based students will have the opportunity to enroll in non-credit French language courses while in Paris. French-speaking students will benefit from English language support programming at Brown. The 8-week course will culminate with a micro-conference highlighting student scholarship at the Watson Center for International Studies at Brown.

Students will have ample free time in the evenings to immerse in the local culture and interact with the local people. Students look more closely at the ways in which topics explored in the first half of the program affect issues and perceptions of identity and the ways in which cultures and policies in contact change these topics. 

Housing

Living in Paris

The program features homestays with French families. Living with a family is a unique cultural experience that will enhance the students’ language acquisition, provide a support network, and create a safe, enjoyable, and friendly environment for a newly arrived international student. Homestay accommodation is within easy commute to the academic buildings of the Sciences Po and the French language course meetings.  All the host families are carefully screened for security and appropriate living conditions.

Living in Providence

Students live together in University apartments.  Each student has his/her own room and shares a common kitchen/living area with a mixed group of Sciences Po and Brown students. We cannot arrange for housing arrangements prior to or after the program dates.

Dates & Fees

Program Dates: TBD
Program Fees: TBD

Your program fee includes:

  1. Tuition fee for 1 course
  2. Homestay housing in Paris during the program
  3. On-campus apartment housing in Providence during the program
  4. Airport transfers in Paris
  5. Breakfasts in Paris
  6. All meals in Providence
  7. Site visits as described in the program description

Your Program fee does not include:

  1. Air travel to/from Paris
  2. Classroom materials (textbooks, notebooks, pens, etc…)
  3. Airport transfers in US
  4. Lunches and dinners in Paris
  5. Items of a personal nature
  6. Site visits not described in the program description
  7. Pre/post-program accommodations

Financial Aid

Brown students receiving financial aid during the academic year are eligible for a scholarship grant through the Office of Continuing Education, which will be automatically applied by the Financial Aid Office towards the program cost.

We also encourage students to contact the Financial Aid Office to explore additional forms of aid to supplement the Continuing Education grant. Please visit the Brown Financial Aid website for more detailed information.

Non-Brown students: please speak to your Financial Aid office to determine your financial aid eligibility.

Study Abroad Refund Policy For Credit Bearing Programs

If a student withdraws from a study abroad program during the first week of the program, she/he is eligible for a refund of the Brown course fees based on the schedule below. Brown is not responsible for costs paid by the student, including, but not limited to passport fees, vaccinations, and transportation costs, even when these expenses are directly related to program participation. The schedule below excludes the $300.00 program deposit paid at the time of initial enrollment (typically February of the program year) and all housing, board and program related fees. These fees are paid to providers on behalf of the student and are not eligible for refund.

Prior to program start, students will receive a full refund of course fees less the $300 deposit. Students withdrawing before the end of the first week of the program will receive a 75% refund of course fees less the $300 deposit. Students withdrawing before the end of the second week will receive a 50% refund of course fees less the $300 deposit. Students withdrawing before the end of the third week will receive a 25% refund less the $300 deposit. No refunds will be issued after the end of the third week.

For students who leave because of a medical or family emergency, the same refund policy applies. A student who is suspended, dismissed, or withdraws while under investigation for misconduct, will not have program payments refunded.