Aix-en-Provence, France

Program Handbook

2009-2010

The Academic Program in Aix-en-Provence (APA) is a consortium program offered through Indiana University, University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This program handbook supplements materials you received from your home study abroad office and provides you with the most up-to-date program information and advice available at the time of printing. Changes may occur before your departure or while you are abroad. Your flexibility and willingness to adjust to these changes as they occur will help you in having the most rewarding study abroad experience possible.

This program handbook contains the following information:

Contact Information 1

Program Dates 4

Preparations Before Leaving 5

Travel and Arrival Information 14

The Academic Program 16

Living Abroad 29

Student Testimonials 36

Contact Information

On-Site Program Information

Your primary contacts in Aix-en-Provence, France will be:

Professor Frieda Ekotto, Program Resident Director

Associate Professor in the Departments of French and Comparative Literature, University of Michigan

Jeanine Féral, APA Assistant Director

Patricia Reffay, APA Administrative Coordinator

Program Address

Academic Program in Aix-en-Provence (APA)

30, avenue Victor Hugo

13100 Aix-en-Provence France

Tel: 011-33-4-42-38-11-51

Emergency Cellular Phone: 011-33-6-85-75-50-41

When calling from within France, replace 011-33 above with just 0.

The APA office is generally open Monday through Friday, 9:00-12:00 and 2:00-5:00. Please give this program address to your family and friends for sending mail to you throughout the length of the program. When sending a package, be sure to label it “SANS VALEUR COMMERCIALE”

Mail should be sent to:

Student Name

C/O Academic Program in Aix-en-Provence

30, avenue Victor Hugo

13100 Aix-en-Provence, France

Home University Contact Information

Indiana University

Office of Overseas Study

Franklin Hall 303

Bloomington, IN 47405

Tel: 812-855-9304, Fax: 812-855-6452

E-mail:

Web Site: www.indiana.edu/~overseas

For Academic Advising:
Kendra Nelson
Assistant Director
E-mail:
Tel: 812-855-7588 / For Program Issues:
Melissa Thorne
Student Services Coordinator
E-mail:
Tel: 812-855-114

University of Michigan

Office of International Programs (OIP)

930 North University, 1712 Chemistry Building

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055

Tel: 734-764-4311, Fax: 734-764-3229

Web Site: www.lsa.umich.edu/oip

For Administrative Matters:
Nicole LeBlanc
Assistant Director
Tel: 734-764-4311
Fax: 734-764-3229
E-mail: / For Financial Matters:
Nancy Jablonski
Financial Coordinator
Tel: 734-764-4311
Fax: 734-764-3229
E-mail:
For French Concentration Advising:
Elizabeth Pariano
Undergraduate Advising Coordinator
Department of Romance Languages and Literatures
4113 Modern Languages Building
Tel: 734-936-2520
Fax: 734-764-8163
E-mail: / For General and Program Advising & Grades
Ashley Lee
Study Abroad Advisor
Tel: 734-764-8454
Fax: 734-764-3229
E-mail: ;

University of Wisconsin-Madison

International Academic Programs (IAP)

250 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive

Madison, WI 53706

Tel: 608-265-6329, Fax: 608-262-6998

Web: www.studyabroad.wisc.edu

For Program Advising & Grades:
Katie Saur
IAP Study Abroad Advisor
Tel: 608-890-0939
E-mail: / For Financial Matters:
Judy Humphrey
IAP Financial Specialist
Tel: 608-262-6785
E-mail:

Emergency Contact Information

In case of an emergency, call the main IAP number (608) 265-6329 between 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; after-hours or on weekends call the IAP staff on call at (608) 516-9440.

Embassy Registration

All program participants who are U.S. citizens must register at the U.S. Embassy before departure as this will help in case of a lost passport or other mishap. You can register on-line at <https://travelregistration.state.gov>. If you are not a U.S. citizen, register at your home country’s embassy or consulate.

U.S. Embassy in Paris, France

2, avenue Gabriel

75382 Paris Cedex 08

Tel: (33)1-43-12-22-22

Fax: (33)1-42-66-97-83

http://www.amb-usa.fr

U.S. Consulate General in Marseille

Place Varian Fry
13286 Marseille Cedex 6

Tel: (33)4-91-54-92-00

Fax: (33)4-91-55-56-95 (from the U.S.), 04-91-55-09-47 (in France)

http://www.amb-usa.fr/marseille/

Program Dates

The following is only an approximate indication of when certain academic activities take place. The Resident Director (RD) will consult the academic calendars of the UP and IEP, as they become available, prepare a calendar for Program students, and distribute it during the latter part of the Cours Intensif. You are required to remain in Aix until the conclusion of the academic year. Do not finalize any travel plan for your return to the U.S. before you have all the dates of your final exams (and make-up exams for IEP). Unlike in the U.S., French professors do not usually change exam schedules in order to accommodate students. Failing to take exams will affect your grade.

2009-10 Academic Calendar

August 27 / Arrival date, between 1 pm and 6 pm
August 28 / General orientation and guided tour of Aix
August 29 / Meeting on housing & search for apartments
August 31 / Placement test and first administrative meeting
September 1- 11 / Intensive course – Cours Intensif for IEP students to be confirmed
September 1- 18 / Intensive course – Cours Intensif for UP students
Early September / Advising conferences to be held with RD regarding selection of courses for IEP students.
September 2 / Second general administrative meeting
September 7 / Meeting for all IEP foreign students (to be confirmed)
Mid-September / Plaquettes will be available on the internet and in the Program office for preliminary selection of courses.
Advising conferences to be held with RD regarding selection of courses for UP students.
September 14 / IEP courses begin (to be confirmed)
September 21 / UP and APA courses begin (to be confirmed)
Mid-October / Drop-Add Deadline for UP (to be announced)
Late October / Drop-Add Deadline for IEP (to be announced)
November 11 / Holiday – Armistice 1918
December 24 – January 3 / Winter Break (to be confirmed)
January 4 / UP, IEP and APA course resume (to be confirmed)
Early January / 2nd semester starts at IEP (to be announced)
Advising conferences with RD regarding selection for second semester courses for IEP students.
Mid-January / Advising conferences with RD regarding selection for second semester courses for UP students.
Late January / end of Jan. / 2nd semester starts at UP and APA (to be announced)
End of first semester. Plan on staying in Aix until the end of January to make sure you can take all exams as needed.
February / One-week break at IEP and UP (to be announced)
Mid-February / Drop-add deadline for courses at IEP (to be announced)
End of February / Drop-add deadline for courses at UP (to be announced)
April / Spring break at IEP and UP (to be announced)
May 1 / Holiday – International Labor Day and Ascension Day
May 8 / Holiday – Armistice 1945
May 13 / Holiday – Ascension Day
End of May-early June / Final examinations at UP and IEP (to be announced)
End of June / End of semester: Plan on staying in Aix until June 30 to make sure you can take or make up all exams as needed.

The vacation periods may vary from one institution to another, and you will need to check them carefully at the UP and the IEP as well as with your professors. When a legal holiday falls on a Thursday or Tuesday, many people at public and private institutions and enterprises include Friday or Monday as part of the holiday in order to make a long weekend (called faire le pont). You should check with your professors if their classes will meet on such days. If class meetings are canceled due to holidays, strikes or absence of the professor, there will usually be extra make-up sessions at the end of the semester. Students need to consult with the professor and watch bulletin boards so as not to miss make-up classes. Plan to stay until the end of the exam period so as not to jeopardize your academic work.

Preparations Before Leaving

Immigration Documents & Pre-Departure Items to Gather

Passport

A passport is needed to travel to France and to obtain your student visa. Apply immediately for a passport if you do not already have one. Passport information and application forms can be found on the U.S. State Department website (http://travel.state.gov/passport). If you already have your passport, make sure it will be valid for at least six months beyond the length of your stay abroad.

Visa

To enter France, you will need to apply in person for a “Long Stay Student Visa” at the French Consulate in the U.S. that has jurisdiction over the state in which you reside permanently. The French Consulate in Chicago (www.consulfrance-chicago.org/) will work with residents of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Here are the application visa steps to follow:

STEP 1: Register with CampusFrance

Registration with "CampusFrance" must be completed before the standard visa application process. To register with Campus France, visit http://usa.campusfrance.org/ (French Version – click on “Creer Votre Dossier” in blue box on right hand side) or http://usa.campusfrance.org/en/1.html (English Version - click on “Registration” in blue box on right hand side). You can refer to “Guide to CampusFrance Registration” in the left-hand menu for step-by-step instructions on the registration process.

http://usa.campusfrance.org/en/campusfrance-usa/b-guide-b-to-campusfrance-registration-165.html

The registration process is in French and will take you 30-60 minutes to complete. Should you have questions, contact CampusFrance at 202-944-6294 for assistance.

After you register, you will then need to mail to CampusFrance the following documents:

1)  $60 money order made out to “Maison Française - CampusFrance”

2)  Letter from your U.S. Study Abroad Office stating that you are participating on a study abroad program

Campus France recommends that you send these documents by trackable mail (UPS, FedEX, DHL), not certified mail. Their address is:

CampusFrance USA
French Embassy
4101 Reservoir Rd. NW
Washington D.C. 20007

Fax: 202.944.6584

E-mail:

When you submit your online registration, you will receive a registration number or “pin code.” This number is important as you must include it on your visa application materials that you submit to the French Consulate. CampusFrance states that it takes them approximately two weeks to process all of your materials. They will send you an email confirmation to your CampusFrance account when your materials have been approved. Please visit CampusFrance’s website for the most up-to-date registration information. You can find instructions here: http://usa.campusfrance.org/en/campusfrance-usa/b-study-abroad-students-b-124.html

STEP 2: Apply for an Appointment with the French Consulate in Chicago

Once you receive your email confirmation from CampusFrance that your materials have been approved, you will then need to apply online for an appointment with the French Consulate. All visa applicants have to appear in person at the Consulate General of France in Chicago. The Visa Section is open by appointment only (no walk-in applications accepted) and appointments can only be made online at http://www.consulfrance-chicago.org/spip.php?article661 (refer to number 3, how to make an appointment) The French consulate will not accept visa application until within 90 days of your U.S departure (our program start date is August 27, so you will want to schedule your visa appointment for after May 27.)

STEP 3: Gather Documents for the Visa Appointment

Visa application information for the Consulate General of France in Chicago is available online at:

http://www.consulfrance-chicago.org/spip.php?article675

Go to “Requirements” to view application requirements to download the “long-stay” application form.

As of 01/12/2009, the following documents are required for U.S. citizens applying for a Long Stay Visa:

1. Passport valid for at least three months after your return to the US + 1 photocopy of the identity pages. Make sure your passport has blank pages left to affix the visa.

2. Processing fee

3. One long stay visa application form fully filled out and signed - Note that this form is only available in French and must be filled out in French

Long stay visa application form

long stay visa application form : translation

4. One picture glued/stapled onto the application form + 1 extra picture. All photographs must be recent, in color on a plain white background, of full front view, taken facing the camera. No side or angled view are acceptable. Chin to top of hair should measure about 1"

5. "Attestation" from CAMPUSFRANCE

6. Proof of registration or letter of enrollment in a School / University in France, specifying exact dates of attendance (original + 1 photocopy)

7. Financial guarantee such as a notarized statement certifying that the applicant will be provided with a monthly allowance of $800.00 for the duration of his/her stay in France, or a proof of personal income along with a letter from school stating that room, board, and tuition are fully prepaid (original + 1 photocopy).

8. If you are not a U.S. citizen: A valid U.S. permanent residence card ("green card") or a valid U.S. visa with valid I-94 or valid I-20 (original + 1 photocopy).

9. A self-addressed prepaid EXPRESS MAIL envelope from the US POST OFFICE ONLY - NO FEDEX / UPS / AIRBORNE EXPRESS accepted.

Visa Processing Time:

A visa (short or long stay) for studies, the consulate requires a minimum of one working day to process a visa application after your visa interview. However in certain cases, it may take longer., if you are a citizen of: Canada, United States of America, Mexico and countries not listed just below. For citizens of: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Burundi, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinians, Philippines, Qatar, Refugees, Rwanda,Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, the processing time is around 2 weeks for a short stay visa, up to six weeks for a long stay visa

STEP 4: Make a personal photocopy of all your visa application materials

Many of the visa application documents are also required for the Carte de séjour, so plan to take your photocopy of these materials with you to France. We also advise you to take a copy of your proof of health insurance to your visa appointment.

Important notes for APA Year participants:

Since you will be staying in France for longer than six months, you will need in addition to the visa, to apply for a residence permit ("carte de séjour") within one week of entry into France. For that purpose, the visa you will be issued will only be valid to allow your entry onto the French territory (three months validity). You will then need to go to the Prefecture (local administration office) to apply for that residence permit, which will be valid for one year, renewable in France. You will not be able to get this permit without first getting the visa in your country of residence.