Program Details
Location
Montpellier,
France
Term
May Session
Housing
Apartment
Languages Taught In
English
French
Program Eligibility
Student Type
UofM Students
Non UofM Students
Student Year
Freshmen
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
Graduate Students
GPA
No Requirement
Language Prerequisite
No Language Prerequisite
Videos
Consuming French Culture and Cuisine
About
France and the French people have a cultural identity that is particularly signified through food, from the cuisine gastronomique to the humble baguette. The symbolic relationship between food and cultural identity has long been perpetuated in political, economic, and scholarly discourses as well as in literature and film. In this program, you will examine the relationship of food to culture in a place where food is a privileged cultural medium—one could say almost a national pastime.
Excursions, tastings, readings and film will allow you to question what you think you know about French cuisine. Dissect the dining scenes of French films, and learn how they reflect the importance of social rituals surrounding the preparing and eating of food and the communities that form or are affirmed through them. Learn about gender, class, ethnic, and political differences in the context of French food and consumption. By the end of this course, you will understand the cultural specificity of the French while reflecting critically on the differences in the role food plays in our own culture.
Program Model
Housing & Meals
You will live in shared housing with other program participants. Welcome and farewell meals, and some other additional meals, are included in the program fee. Additional meals can be prepared in the housing or taken at local eateries.
Excursions
We will visit a number of locations where food is produced and consumed. Excursions may include:
- Arceaux Market
- Wineries in the Pic Saint-Loup and other regions
- Aigues Mortes, a walled medieval city near Montpellier
- Salins du Midi, the most important salt producer in France
- Mediterranean sea
- Visit an oyster park by boat
- The port city of Sète
- Restaurants and markets in Montpellier
- Student dining halls and local culinary school
- Regional olive grove, truffle and lavender farms
Accessibility
If you have a disability and plan to study abroad, visit our Accessibility Abroad page to learn about considerations, answer questions, and request accommodations before you go abroad.
Flight
All program participants will take the coordinated group flight to and from the program site. The cost of the group flight is included in the program fee that will be posted to your student account. Do not book your own flight; you will receive information from the Learning Abroad Center about your seat on the group flight once your participation has been confirmed.
It might be possible to deviate your return flight. Inquire with your program contact if interested.
Learning Outcomes
- Develop independence by challenging yourself in a new environment
- Function as an effective team member by utilizing your personal strengths in a group setting
- Explore a specific topic through experiential and interdisciplinary approaches
Faculty & Staff
Trina Whitaker is the Director of Undergraduate Studies in French within the College of Liberal Arts who has been teaching French language and culture for over 25 years. Trina has led this program multiple times.
Program Structure
Program Level
3000-level coursework
Courseload
One 3-credit course
Global Seminars are 3-week study abroad programs led by University of Minnesota faculty and staff that feature:
- Intensive learning in a location that illuminates the topic
- Small groups of 15–25 students
- No prerequisites or language requirements
- Included excursions and cultural activities
- Instruction in English
Coursework
During this course, you will examine the relationship of food to culture in a place where food is a privileged cultural medium. In an average French household, the time spent acquiring fresh ingredients, preparing meals, and consuming them far outpaces that spent by American families in the same activities. Food and its manner of consumption can tell us much about gender, family, class, and ethnic differences, as well as and the principles of sociability and conviviality attending the French meal. It can also reveal how national and regional identities evolve as new foods, languages, and cultural practices are assimilated.
Course readings will draw on a variety of disciplinary perspectives on the theme of the place of food, from cultural anthropology to history, to sociology, to cultural studies and gastronomy as well as to literature and film. Discussion and written assignments are intended to invite you to understand the cultural specificity of the French while reflecting critically on the differences in the role food plays in our own culture.
Receive credit for: FREN 3621 (elective for French major or minor) or FREN 3721 (non French major or minor)
Liberal Education Fulfillment: Global Perspectives
FREN 3721—Consuming French Culture & Cuisine Syllabus (syllabus shown is an example from previous years and may be subject to change).
Sustainability
The Learning Abroad Center is committed to sustainability and incorporating this into its programs. This course can be tied to Sustainable Development Goals through course content and program activities including:
SDG 2: Zero Hunger— Visit cooperative food markets and food banks, as well as a site lecture from an expert at UNESCO, where we will learn about initiatives and practices concerning food insecurity in France. You will also be invited to reflect on how practices in France differ from those in the US, and what cultural values these differences reflect.
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being— Appreciate first-hand the value that is placed on health through food in southern France by visiting farms, cheese and wine production sites, seafood production sites, and restaurants. Videos and readings we discuss in class will also focus on how cultural values impact how food is viewed.
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities— You will visit food banks and sustainable farms to learn about how these institutions in France try to be mindful of the populations they serve, and how to meet the needs people have rather than force a certain type of assistance. We will also do readings and watch videos that reinforce these concepts.
Dates Details
Submit the online application and complete the assigned application checklist according to the appropriate deadline:
| Term | Program Dates | Application Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| May Session 2026 | May 15–June 5, 2026 | Extended! February 22, 2026 |
Program dates are subject to change.
If the deadline falls on a weekend, submit your materials on the following business day.
Important Note: Enrollment on this program is limited to 25 students. Admission is granted on a rolling basis and applications are reviewed in the order they are completed. Some programs may fill to capacity prior to the application deadline, therefore applying early is recommended. Additionally, applying early will allow for more time to plan ahead and prepare for the program.
Information Sessions
Join in-person or over Zoom. Register and learn more about this and other events on our events page.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 20th | 12:00 p.m. | Hybrid (Heller Hall 230C, West Bank). Register here. |
| Wednesday, Dec. 3rd | 3:00 p.m. | Hybrid (in-person Heller Hall 230C). Register here. |
| Wednesday, Feb. 4th | 2:30 p.m. | Online only. Register here. |
| Thursday, Feb. 5th | 12:00 p.m. | Online only. Register here. |
Orientation Dates & Locations
The Learning Abroad Center facilitates a pre-departure orientation in collaboration with your program leader(s) in addition to any additional orientation sessions scheduled by your program leader(s). It is your responsibility to know the information shared at these orientations.
Orientation consists of several sessions, all of which are created to support your preparation to go abroad:
- Online Health & Safety Orientation: This asynchronous module can be accessed in your LAC checklist and is mandatory.
- LAC Seminar Pre-departure Orientation: This asynchronous module can be accessed in your LAC checklist and is mandatory. The discussion post is due before your LAC Program Orientation meeting.
- LAC Program Orientation: Program details and important UofM information will be covered (finances, health & safety, policies, insurance, etc.). This will be scheduled in collaboration with your program leader(s). Details will be sent to you via email from the LAC and/or your program leader(s). This is a mandatory meeting. **For embedded programs, this will likely be one of your class dates prior to departure.**
- Program Leader Orientation(s): Your program leader(s) will schedule 1–3 additional orientation sessions prior to departure. These will cover academic requirements and preparation, final travel and program logistics, cultural knowledge, and more. Details will be sent to you via email from your program leader(s). These are mandatory meetings. **For embedded programs, these will likely be included in your class dates prior to departure.**
The Learning Abroad Center also offers 2 optional orientations:
Fees
The cost of participation can vary widely due to location, cost of living, airfare, and program inclusions. The program fee generally includes tuition, group flight airfare, airport transfers, in-country program related transportation, housing, some meals, entrances to course-related excursions and site visits, program administration, and international health insurance. Generally, program fees range between $8,000–$8,500. You must also budget for passport and passport photos, some meals, textbooks, independent travel, and miscellaneous living expenses.
Recent increases in international airfare and accommodation costs have impacted all instructor-led program fees. The LAC strives to follow best practices to provide the lowest cost program while ensuring a quality academic experience.
If you do not see a budget estimate for the term you intend to go abroad, the fee has not yet been finalized. We strive to post fees for this program at least 30 days prior to the application deadline. The Learning Abroad Center will delay the posting of some fees until enrollments, inflation and exchange rates are determined. Note the average increase in fees will be 3–10%. Program fees are based on estimates and may change depending on international economic factors.
Billing & Payments
Visit Billing for information about the billing process for application fees, deposits, and program fees.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Visit Financial Information for information on using financial aid and scholarships for study abroad.
Enrollment Note: This program is considered part of summer enrollment for the purposes of registration and financial aid.
Fischer Study Abroad Scholarship
Special funding is available if you are a first-year student through the Gerald B. & Catherine L. Fischer Study Abroad Scholarship.
Additional Scholarship Opportunity for Passport Funding
Students on a 2025–26 winter break, May, and summer Learning Abroad Center Seminar who apply for the Gopher Study Abroad Scholarship during the Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 scholarship application cycles will receive an additional $500. Recipients will be selected based on score and awarded while funding remains. No additional scholarship application is required. This award is funded by the generous support of WorldStrides, an LAC partner organization.
External Scholarship: Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant
Undergraduate students with a minimum 3.75 GPA are encouraged to apply for the Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant. There are 75 $1,000 grants that will be given to students who travel between May 1, 2026–June 30 2027. Learn more and apply for the grant.
Application deadline: March 15, 2026
Award Date: May 1, 2026
Cancellation Policy
Before you apply to or confirm your participation on this program, review the Learning Abroad Center's Cancellation Policy to inform yourself of the timeline and financial obligations for canceling.
May Session 2026
Global Seminar: Consuming French Culture & Cuisine
Prepare
Be aware: Learning Abroad Center programs require a $50 application fee. This fee will be charged to your student account upon submission of an online application.
Apply
You will be charged a $50 application fee for each application you submit.
Complete
After you submit your application, you will receive an email notification confirming that your application was received. Submitted applications are assigned an application checklist, which will include the following items:
- Application Essay
Detailed descriptions and instructions for submitting each checklist item are included on the application checklist assigned to you.
If you do not meet the GPA requirement for this program you will be required to submit an additional essay. It will be added to your checklist after you start your application, and you will be notified when it has been added.
Next Steps
- After you complete all required application checklist items, you will receive an automated email message indicating your application is ready to be reviewed.
- Your completed application will be reviewed by the Learning Abroad Center.
- If admitted, the Confirmation & Payment Agreement form will be added to your checklist. Complete this form to secure your spot on the program. By submitting the form, you also give your approval for the program deposit to be billed to your UofM student account.
- Complete the confirmation checklist, which include the following items in additional to program-specific forms:
- Passport Information
- Emergency Contacts
- Health Information Form
- Online Health & Safety Orientation
- Release & Waiver
- You will receive information about additional steps from the sponsoring college/department.
After You Apply
Before your program begins, review these resources.
Health & Safety
Learn more about staying healthy and safe abroad, including mental health and wellness, international travel insurance, and safety precautions.
Power of Attorney
Consider designating someone as your power of attorney to act as your legal representative while you’re abroad.
Student Identity
Consult our resources on student identities as you prepare for your abroad experience.
Travel Resources
Ready to go abroad? Our travel resources will help you pack and learn what to expect.
Program Contact
For further information or questions about this program, send an email to
Anna DeWitt at [email protected],
or call at
612.626.2234.