Paris: A Literary Adventure

Paris Through the Eyes Of Travelers

Now in its 13th year!!

Sponsored by Queens College, CUNY and the Essoyes School.

Next session: July 22-August 19, 2010

What is it about Paris that has captured the imagination of the world for so long, and has provided artists, writers, and others with the inspiration to create their best work?

What is it about Paris that has drawn so many people to it in their search for truth, beauty, and romance?

Paris Through the Eyes of Travelers is a 3-credit upper-level English literature class offered by the Queens College (CUNY) Education Abroad Program. Participants deepen and enrich their experience of Paris by reading and discussing literary texts set in or written about the "City of Light" as they explore the city both together and on their own.

Through the study of texts by Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Langston Hughes, Jack Kerouac, and others, we will explore this magnificent city, learning much about its history and its people as we seek answers to the question, "Why Paris?"

*Reading about the city you are exploring on your own each day will make your travel experience much more meaningful.

*Reading literature written about the place you are experiencing will bring the texts to life in a uniquely exciting way; and they will be further illuminated through classroom discussion.

*Field trips and/or special events with the class will offer invaluable "hands-on" learning.

*Through assigned journal entries and writing assignments (optional for continuing ed students) students will also have the chance to add their own voices, their own thoughts and impressions, to the existing body of literature about Paris.

Through your experiences in this course you will no doubt learn for yourself a fundamental truth about travel, as expressed by Jack Kerouac: "You always learn something and learn to change your thoughts."

TESTIMONIALS:

"Reading about Paris while living there was an extraordinary experience...How meaningful to read about Paris while visiting it, and not from tourist guides, but from books that are written with a heart and soul."

"Our visit to an artist's studio blew my mind! Weeks later I am still thinking about it."

"I enjoyed the class very much and found your professional perspective refreshing. I feel I learned a great deal in this class about literature, but also about life. Thank you for the experience!"

"Thank you for the inspiration...you are a truly talented teacher and writer."

"Thank you for offering such a course. It whet my appetite for further travel. My mind is constantly at work thinking of the new and exciting places I can visit in the future, including several return trips to France."

"I wanted to thank you for the inspiring words you left us with....The experience was life-changing and so needed. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss important topics, meet great people, and discover new places."

"Paris Through the Eyes of Travelers was among the most fulfilling educational experiences of my life. It took living in Paris and analyzing literature written by American expatriates to truly open my eyes to how little I knew about where I lived. You were a great coach in developing my understanding, and my writing abilities."

"Thank you for being my professor and lighting up my future. I really appreciate it."

For more information, and to apply: http://www.qc.cuny.edu/Academics/StudyAbroad/Pages/parisliteraryadventure.aspx