International Experience

I feel so blessed to have seen the things I saw like the breathtaking Sainte-Chapelle and the natural beauty of L’Orangerie and La Petite France in Strasbourg.  I trust myself in ways I never did before because I navigated the cities on foot with just a map, I appreciate art beyond any taste I had before, and I am so much the better for it all.

Angela Brewster ’08

To begin the process of encouraging the Scholars to become “global citizens”, they travel to France after their sophomore year for a month-long immersion experience. This study trip is designed to introduce them to the structure and functioning of French society. France offers an excellent location because of its rich cultural patrimony, its scientific and intellectual heritage, and its importance as a major influence in the evolving European Union. At the same time, the culture, and the governmental and social institutions of France differ markedly from those of the United States, providing Scholars with a striking illustration of the profound differences that can exist between two apparently similar constitutional democracies.

I gained a much greater sense of myself, and the United States as a whole, as part of an international community. A long-term experience of a foreign culture forced me to recognize and consider my cultural assumptions when faced with conflicting ones abroad. To me, this greater awareness will aid me in my personal growth and my continuing exploration of other cultures, even those cultures within our national borders which are foreign to me.

Michael Cotter ’08

This four-week interdisciplinary study trip to France combines French language study, thematic history lectures intended to situate current issues in France in their historical context, and excursions to sites of artistic, historical and contemporary significance. In addition, conferences with experts from various areas of French society offered insights into various aspects of French political and cultural life.  Insights such as the recent French Presidential election and France’s shifting political landscape, the health care system, the system of education, the problems of persistent poverty and unemployment, the impact on French society of the large influx of primarily Islamic immigrants from former French African colonies, and the sense of alienation of marginalized elements of the population. Extensive companion readings, including Adam Gopnik’s insightful essays on French life, From Paris To The Moon, historian Alistair Horne’s Seven Ages Of Paris, and a reading packet consisting of approximately 200 pages of articles drawn from a range of news and information sources, provide additional background material.

Through this incredible experience, aided by the readings, our guides, and my friends, I was able to not only learn more about French culture and its differences from my own, but I was able to learn more about myself and understand what I was passionate about and the areas I want to explore more – namely politics and health care policy.  The four weeks will forever stand out in my memory as a time of personal and intellectual growth and maturity that has helped shape and focus my remaining time at Boston College.

Scott Jelinek ’10

Later, the scope widens with a day-long seminar devoted to the European Union, and the trip climaxes with several days in Strasbourg devoted to conferences with a member of the European Parliament, with the chief executive office of the Council of Europe, and with a human rights attorney at the European Court of Human Rights. The summer program includes nearly thirty formal presentations, along with two books and approximately two hundred pages of readings keyed to the field trips and conference topics.

On a personal level, I think that my experiences on the France trip, and particularly in Strasbourg, really impacted my thoughts about what the future may hold, both for graduate study and for a career later down the road. I absolutely loved our week in Strasbourg and our exploration of the EU and the Council of Europe.  I was very surprised by how crucial Russian and Central Asian issues were to the international organizations, and how knowledgeable all of our hosts and guides were about these regions.

Margaret Sullivan ’08