Aix-en-Provence is the heart of one of the most charmed regions in all of France. Combining medieval hilltop villages and lovely port towns, rugged mountains and the deep blue of the Mediterranean, Provence is steeped in history and blessed by natural beauty. Throughout much of the year the climate of Aix is temperate and the days long. People stay outdoors as much as possible, and on the first warm days of spring, cafe tables magically fill the squares and pedestrian streets.
This setting provides the ideal environment for study and a thorough immersion experience into French language and culture.
The Marist Aix-en-Provence Program, organized and managed by the American University Center of Provence (AUCP), provides students with a high quality academic and cultural experience through French language instruction, a community service requirement, a French homestay, a language partner program, and enrollment in a French university course. Through these activities, students achieve a thorough immersion into French society and culture.
With its insistence upon the cultural integration of students, this course is the cornerstone of the program. It motivates and encourages authentic cultural experience and the thoughtful examination of that experience. Obligatory activities require a student to participate in at least three separate opportunities each week for linguistic and cultural contact. Such opportunities are provided by weekly community service, chosen by the student, conversation exchange with a French university student and the exploration of a personal interest in a local club or sports team. Each week students meet to examine these experiences and discuss their perceptions of French culture.
Students are individually placed with French families on a "demi-pension" basis where they are provided breakfast seven days a week and dinner five days a week. This privileged form of housing provides a genuine cultural experience unavailable to tourists and participants in many other abroad programs. Students are able to develop a lasting personal relationship with a French family, and achieve an intimate understanding of the daily rituals of French life.
The program is administered and supported by the staff of the AUCP. Two fulltime resident directors and a support staff oversee the activities of the Program.
