NEW! A community engagement course in the Southwest of France!

FRE 329F: (Re)imagining Communities: Language, Culture, and Nature in the French Basque Region in the 21^st Century

A study of the linguistic, cultural, and natural ecosystem 

Do you have an advanced level in French?
Are you interested in interdisciplinary approaches? 
Explore new pathways for learning, sharing, and connecting!

Apply for our summer immersion community-engagement course, set in Bayonne, France, in the heart of the Euroregion Aquitaine-Euskadi, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees.

You will learn about the region's linguistic, cultural, and natural ecosystem. Through a combination of guest lectures, classroom conceptual learning, on-site visits, fieldwork, and active participation in cultural and community events, you will discover the Basque Country and its political and linguistic history across the borders of two nations (France and Spain).

Interacting with the community and with French students

FRE 329F is a Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) course, which aims at integrating community perspectives and priorities into the classroom.

In this Princeton-led program, conducted in French, local faculty, researchers, and artists will present guest lectures and lead discussions on selected topics to help prepare you for your community engagement activities. You will interact with a large range of stakeholders, NGOs, and activists to learn about the ways in which they attempt to (re)imagine life in their communities and address issues related to language rights, identity, cultural expression, and preservation of nature in their region.

Thanks to the partnership with the local university, the Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (UPPA), peer-to-peer learning through teamwork and collaborative activities with local French students will be an integral part of the program.

Topics

The topics to be studied include linguistic, cultural, and environmental activism; language and educational policies; language rights and revitalization; grassroots efforts to reclaim identity and cultural heritage; cultural and artistic expression; youth creativity and engagement; tourism, gentrification, and commodification.

Sample Activities

Fieldwork and visits to bilingual immersion schools, active participation in a local film festival, hands-on exploration of local ecosystems through participative science events, volunteering in a musical or cultural event, interviewing community activists, performing a service with a community-based group, teamwork, and peer-to-peer learning with local French students.

Information Session

An information session will take place on October 29, 2024, led by the Program Director, Prof. Christine Sagnier. Time and location: 198 Julis Romo Rabinowitz, at 4:30 pm. 

Program dates

June 2, 2025, to July 5, 2025.

Applications

Applications will start on November 4 and end on December 2, 2024. 

Tuition for five weeks: $3640
Total estimated cost of attendance (including transportation, housing, food and personal expenses):  $7000.  Exact cost of attendance will be posted before the application deadline.
Students on financial aid may apply to the Dean’s Fund through SAFE to cover the costs of participating in the FRE 329F program; select the opportunity “Dean’s Fund for International Faculty-led Programs.” Dean’s Fund applications will open on November 15, 2024.

Please attend the information session for additional details.