The University of the South has partnered with the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) to propose an exciting fall semester study abroad program in beautiful Nantes, France!

Quick Facts

Where: Nantes, France

When: Fall 2025

What: The semester-long Sewanee-in-France program invites students to take part in rich cultural and linguistic experiences in the Brittany region of France. Students should expect to notice significant improvement in all second language learning competencies, notably speaking proficiency. Besides an increased network of friends, colleagues, and future employers and employees, students will also leave Nantes with developed intercultural competence and a better sense of their identity as second language learners and speakers. 

Students who participate in the program will be able to:

  • Increase proficiency in speaking, writing, listening to, and reading French through intensive linguistic immersion offered in traditional and experiential learning spaces over an extended period. 
  • Develop intercultural competence through a critical investigation of cultural practices observed at home and in France and through respectful dialogue with members of the francophone world who reside in France.
  • Understand one’s identity as a second language learner and speaker (of French) and as a member of the global community of French speakers by being an active member of the classroom community made up of French speakers from across the world.

Eligibility: Students must have completed FREN 300 or higher and be in good academic and social standing.

Cost: Students pay Sewanee comprehensive tuition and fees and will continue to receive Sewanee aid and scholarships during the Sewanee-in-France program.

Trip Leader: Professor Kathryn Mills, kmills@sewanee.edu 

Contact for Additional Information: global@sewanee.edu 

How to apply: Set up an account and apply through Via.

Program Overview

Academics
  • FREN 322: Langue, Littérature, & Culture in Nantes (Taught by faculty from Sewanee: The University of the South) (4 hours)

This course is an intensive grammar review and vocabulary expansion–specifically, the acquisition of pivotal expressions that aid in modulating the flow of the French sentence; the overall goal is to improve students’ compositional skills for the various writing assignments required while studying in Nantes. Literary and cultural readings are also discussed and analyzed in the second part of the course, with excursions to areas within Nantes and the Brittany region that have a significant connection to the authors’ lives. Prerequisite: FREN 300 or higher

  • Students will then take an additional four 3-credit courses at the IES Abroad Center and/or Nantes Université to complete the program. Here are some of the courses taught (in French) by IES Abroad faculty:

•AH 313 – French Classicism: Art and Architecture

•CU 356 – French Cooking and Gastronomy: Food, Wine and Etiquette

•EC 380 – International Trade and Globalization

•FR 303 – French Language in Context: Emerging Independent Abroad

•FS 320 – History of French Cinema

•CU/SO/PO 352 – French Overseas Territories: A Model of DiversityManagement (3 credit hours/45 contact hours)

•RK/HS 362 – Nantes between Revolution and Counter-Revolution: Politicaland Religious

•TH 343 – Theater Production (3 credits/45 contact hours)

See a complete list of courses offered through IES.

See a listing of courses offered at Nantes Université

Housing

Students will stay with local host families while in Nantes. The program provides 12 meals per week for students.

Student Support
  • Airport pickup
  • On-site orientation upon arrival in Nantes.
  • Homestays
  • 12 meals per week (Breakfast daily, Dinner on weeknights)
  • Co-curricular cultural events
  • Excursions to Paris, Normandy/Mont Saint Michel, and Loire Valley. 
  • International health insurance
DATES 
  • Aug 31: Students Arrive in Nantes
  • Sept 2 - 6: Orientation
  • Sept 9: Classes Begin
  • Dec 17: Classes End