Academic Resources | French

As a participant in a study abroad program administered by Columbia University, you are considered a member of the Columbia community and are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, civility, and respect. Students are therefore expected to conduct themselves in an honest, civil, and respectful manner in all aspects of their lives. Students who violate these standards of behavior interfere with their ability and the ability of others, to take advantage of the full complement of university life and are subject to disciplinary measures. For more details of what is expected of you during your stay, please review the program participation agreement you signed before leaving.

Reid Hall Course Policies:

• All students are expected to abide by the Columbia University Faculty Statement on Academic Integrity.
• Attendance and participation are mandatory.
• Medical absences must be justified by a dated medical certificate from a French doctor.
• Students are only authorized ONE unjustified absence per course for the duration of the program. However, these always have to be communicated in advance to the faculty member and the academic coordinator.
• Each subsequent unjustified absence will lower the final grade by 1 point (i.e.: with one unjustified absence a 16 becomes a 15, etc.).
• In addition to attendance, students should plan on being punctual. Please note that 3 tardies (10 minutes late or more) are equivalent to 1 full absence.
• Assignments handed in late without the authorization of the instructor will be penalized.
• In addition to punctuality and motivation, students should do their best to be engaged critics and scholars, by participating actively in class, producing original work, and having pleasure in reading, writing and thinking.
• No eating in class.
• No cell phones in class.
• Leaving the classroom once class has begun is considered very impolite in France.

Conversion Scale

Grades in France range from 0 (lowest) to 20 (highest). Students in Columbia in Paris programs receive French grades for all coursework completed at Reid Hall and at local universities. The program uses the following conversion scale between the French system and the American letter-grade system:

19-20 A+

16-18 A

14-15 A-

13 B+

11-12 B

10 B-

9 C+

7-8 C

5-6 C-

3-4 D

0-2 F

Important

As a general rule, the program does NOT round up when grades are received as decimals. For example, a final grade between 15.5 and 15.9 will not be rounded up to a 16.

A grade may only be rounded up if a student’s performance in the class, justified by metrics including class rank and instructor comments, is strong enough to warrant the higher grade.

Pass/Fail

Students have the option to take a course as Pass/Fail. In order to do so, students must submit a written request to the Program Coordinator before the deadline indicated in the academic calendar. They must also contact their home school advisor for written approval. This approval must also be forwarded to the Program Coordinator.

Important points:

• Students can only Pass/Fail ONE course per semester.
• Students cannot Pass/Fail a Directed Research project.
• Students cannot Pass/Fail language courses (including Academic Writing & Practicum).

Deadlines may vary for UPENN students. Please contact the Program Coordinator for more information.

The Directed Research allows motivated students to deepen a research topic while acquiring methodological and analytical skills essential to research. Students define their area of interest, then work under the direction of a Research Director, appointed by the Program Director.

Procedure

1. Prior to program start: submit your research proposal (1 page) to the Program Director, Séverine Martin ([email protected]).
2. First appointment with the research director to discuss the research topic and the possibility of working under his/her direction.
3. At the end of this appointment, the student will confirm his/her project. One-hour weekly interviews with the research director; the student submits the chapters of the dissertation in consultation with him/her.
4. Writing of the dissertation: papers are usually written in French, but depending on the topic or the home department with whom you would like to share your research, the project may be written in English, in consultation with the Program Director.
5. For a 4-point directed research, the submission must consist of 6200 words, approximately 20-25 pages, and must be typed in accordance with the guidelines provided by the program and the "MLA style sheet." (A copy of the MLA handbook can be borrowed from the program).

Grading

1. Submit 2 copies of the final draft (one for the Research Director, another for your second reader) at least 3 days prior to your oral defense. Copies may be submitted electronically if accepted by your Research Director.
2. Oral defense – end of semester (in the presence of your peers, and other Research Directors). The student must present, in fifteen minutes, the main lines of the dissertation. This presentation will be followed by a ten minute question and answer and discussion session to assess the content of the brief. This defense accounts for 25% of the final grade.
3. At the end of the defense, the student must submit a final version, which will take into account the suggestions made during the defense. The dissertation is then validated and graded by the Research Director.

The Columbia in Paris program is able to provide methodological tutoring for students enrolled in courses in approved departments at Paris 1, Paris 4, and Sciences Po (see list of departments below).

Students in approved departments will be matched with a tutor in a discipline specific to the courses in which they are enrolled at French University. Students meet with these tutors based on need over the course of the semester. This tutoring concerns the methodological aspect of courses taken at French universities.

Standard courses at French University often only have one or two grades, and students with a tutor may be able to supplement these grades with an additional assignment. 

If you are enrolled in a course in a department with no tutoring, please note that your final grade will only be determined by your course-specific evaluation at local university. 

Departments approved for methodological tutoring

The Columbia in Paris Program is generally able to provide methodological tutoring for students enrolled in courses in the following departments:

History

Political Science

Art History

Literature

International Relations

Sociology

Philosophy

Cinema

Economics

Departments where tutoring may be possible but cannot be guaranteed

The Columbia in Paris Program cannot guarantee methodological tutoring for students enrolled in courses in the following departments. These subject areas tend to be wide-ranging, and the ability to find a tutor will depend upon the specific class.

Law

Musicology

Linguistique

Geography / Environmental Science

Humanities (specific to Sciences Po)

Archeology

Departments with no academic support or additional grades

The Columbia in Paris Program cannot provide methodological tutoring for students enrolled in courses in the following departments (please note that this list is not exhaustive):

Math

Business / Management

Visual Arts

All students are paired with a language tutor. Language tutoring can be used for both French university and Reid Hall courses (except Academc Writing). Students are entitled 4 hours of language tutoring for all of their courses. Students can request additional time if necessary. It will, of course, vary according to the number of assignments. Each student is assigned a language tutor at the beginning of the semester. The language tutors’ role is to help students become more independent writers by providing the critical feedback necessary for students to improve their language skills. Tutors track each student’s progress from session to session through individual mentoring, identifying frequent errors, and helping students understand their mistakes and correcting them themselves. The students are expected to actively participate in these meetings, ask questions, take notes, write down new vocabulary, etc.

Public Libraries
The city of Paris has 57 public libraries that you can visit to check out books or consult documents. To obtain a library card visit the public library nearest you and preset the necessary documents (library form, ID,and proof of housing). You do not need to live in Paris to request a library card.
Click here for more information.

French Universities (Paris I & Sciences Po)
Each of our partner French universities has a library on its campus that you can visit and use by presenting your student ID card.  Be sure to activate your student card prior to your visit.

Directed Research
If you are doing a directed research project, it may be possible for you to gain access to the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF). Consult with your research director and your academic advisor to see if this option is possible for you.