Willamette University

International Education

Angers, France

Overview

Angers, located in the western portion of the Loire Valley, has been described by many as a “bright and radiant city.” There are almost 30,000 university students in Angers, which makes it a wonderful place to study, socialize and experience different cultures. The Loire Valley is noted for the quality of its language, it is said that the purest form of French is spoken there. Students attend classes at the Centre International d’Etudes Françaises (CIDEF) on the campus of the Université Catholique de l’Ouest, located in downtown Angers. Most classes at CIDEF will be taken with other non-native speakers - U.S. and other international students. A Willamette faculty member will plan excursions and teach a class.

Learn more about the program on the AHA website.

Academics

This program is available to students with any level of French language abilities. Students at all language levels should take a French course the semester prior to studying abroad. (If this is not possible due to academic reasons contact an OIE advisor to discuss the situation.) The semester in Angers begins with an intensive four-week language session for all levels of French. Students receive one WU credit for the intensive session. The semester continues with the course offered by the WU professor and other French culture classes. This program is recommended for many humanities majors. Find more course information here. Qualified students may also choose to take classes at Université Catholique de l’Ouest (UCO). Professor of History, Amadou Fofana, will be the Program Faculty Leader for the fall 2011 semester. The current faculty member in Angers is Professor of  History, Bill Duvall. Previous Faculty Leaders were Professor of Anthropology, Joyce Millen (fall 2009), Professor of French Amadou Fofana (fall 2008), and Professor of French, Gaetano DeLeonibus (fall 2007).

Housing

Students live with host families in Angers or nearby suburbs. All breakfasts and dinner three times a week will be provided by the families. Lunches and other dinners are taken at the university restaurant and local cafés. More information about housing can be found here.

Dates

The Angers program is available as a fall semester or a full year option. If a student decides to go to Angers for the full year, their language ability must allow them to directly enroll in the university during the spring semester abroad. The WU professor will be in Angers during the fall semester only. In general, the fall semester begins in late August and ends in mid-December.

Cost

Please see the Willamette Sponsored Programs Cost Matrix for detailed explanation of the cost of each program.  If considering the program in Angers talk to an OIE advisor about the French Visa application process in your advising session.

Pre-Departure Resources