- Other programs
- French Field Studies - Northwestern U. and Sciences Po
THE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY/SCIENCES PO FRENCH FIELD STUDY PROGRAM
Introduction
Program structure
Housing
Further information
INTRODUCTION
The French Field Studies Program is probably the most intensive use a student can make of a year in Paris. This program combines the challenges and rewards of on-the-job contact with French society through IFE along with the opportunity of attending classes at one of France’s leading schools for public policy, economics and management.
Students benefit from the cultural learning and language perfection which stems from the IFE semester as the ideal preparation to make the most of their time at Paris’ Institut d’Etudes Politiques (“Sciences Po”), where they take classes alongside France’s top undergraduates in this rigorous social science university.
The academic and intellectual benefit accrues – as the name of the program implies – from the opportunity to explore a subject of interest in a practical, field-level context, to complete a project of research on that subject, and subsequently to pursue background and theoretical studies in the classroom at Sciences Po.
Given the very individualized nature of the IFE program and the wide range of both general theoretical and technical courses offered at Sciences Po, the possibilities for a student to construct a program highly-tailored to his or her particular academic and/or professional goals are virtually limitless.
Northwestern’s site for the FFS Program
Program structure
Fall Semester
During the Fall Semester, students participate in the IFE’s Field Study and Internship Program in Paris. This program prepares students to succeed at Sciences Po by helping them perfect their French, increase their confidence, and develop a deep familiarity with France and French ways.
During this time FFS students are invited to avail themselves of any of the activities of the Sciences Po orientation program that interest them, and that they can fit into their schedule. Late in the semester students meet with their Sciences Po academic advisor for a preliminary look at course selection for the Spring semester.
Between Semesters
To enhance the immersive nature of the program, students will participate in an internship in Paris during the intersession, between the completion of the Fall Semester IFE program and the start of the Spring Semester program at Sciences Po. This may be a prolongation of the student’s fall internship or another placement in a related organization in the same or a closely related field. This portion of the program begins after a three-week break, around January 12th and continues until the beginning of the Sciences Po Spring Semester. It is during this time that students make their final selection of SciPo courses and participate in any orientation activities that Sciences Po provides before the start of the term.
Spring Semester
During the Spring Semester, students take courses at Sciences Po, formally known as the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. Sciences Po is an elite, world-renowned institution that specializes in political science and also excels in history, economics, sociology, international relations, development studies, and management.
Housing
Students who elect one of IFE’s optional housing situations for the Fall term are permitted to stay in that housing all year, if they so desire.
Further Information
For all matters related to dates, fees, and application, consult the Northwestern Study Abroad Office : studyabroad@northwestern.edu
