Youth Development & Psychology in France (UofM Students)

How do children overcome hazardous experiences to succeed in life? What can be done to protect young people at risk from trauma, war, disasters, and other adversities? This course examines the global literature on resilience in children and youth. Focus on the origins, methods, findings, controversies, and future of research on how young people overcome adversity, as well as the implications of this body of knowledge for fostering resilience in children and societies.

This course provides a cross-cultural experience of working with a local company, school, or nonprofit organization. Students are prepared for entering into their community work through discussions on the work culture in France which provide context about the cultural values guiding this culture.  Through practical internship experiences as well as readings, discussions, and written assignments, students will deepen their understanding of the host-country cultural context and critically examine their own worldview. Options include assisting with coaching after-school sports teams, working with charities who interact with migrant and refugee populations, and assisting with English language classes in school settings, among others.

Students in 1st–4th semester French enroll in a 5-credit French language class that is divided into sections based on level. 

• Syllabus for MONT 1001 (PDF) (5 credits)
• Syllabus for MONT 1002 (PDF) (5 credits)
• Syllabus for MONT 1003 (PDF) (5 credits)
• Syllabus for MONT 1004 (PDF) (5 credits)

Advanced levels of language are offered in a special language program for international students and is included in the program fee.

• Syllabus for Advanced French 1 (PDF), 5th semester (3000-level, 3 credits)
• Syllabus for Advanced French 2 (PDF), 6th semester (3000-level, 3 credits)

Also offered at the advanced level are Program Center-based conversation and literature courses. Contact Peggy Retka to discuss your options

Conversation practice through discussions on current topics, films and articles with the class and with an assigned conversation topic.

This course will examine how cultural factors influence human behavior and development. Additionally, the interaction between different cultures and how to solve the difficulties that may arise during the acculturation process may be discussed. The course also studies the vision and treatment of mental disorders in different cultures, especially the differences and similarities between French and North American cultures. Mental Health systems of both countries will be also analyzed and compared.

This course examines the origins of French literature and its development during Western Europe’s first true Renaissance of the 12th and 13th centuries.

This course gives students a thorough understanding of the Arthurian tradition as it has been depicted in French in the medieval period and the present day. Students will also acquire critical thinking and analytical skills with respect to works of literature and television drama/cinema, and learn how these artistic creations function from a sociological/socio-cultural perspective.

Through the lens of cinema and documentary film, this course explores the changes in French society from the period of the Second World War to the present day. Key moments in France’s history will be examined in a range of prominent films that reflect cultural, social and political evolutions that have taken place. By examining these works from a variety of perspectives, students will develop a deeper understanding of French culture and the community in which they are immersed. Taught at the UofM Program Center. 

Through the lens of literature, this course explores the changes in French society from the period of the Second World War to the present day. Beginning with the trauma of the Nazi occupation, students will look at how French literature over the years has served as a mirror on society, reflecting cultural, social, and political evolutions. Students will examine key moments in France’s history that have left a mark: the period of Nazi occupation and the conflict between collaborators and resistance fighters (as portrayed in Tatiana de Rosnay’s Sarah’s Key), France in Indochina and the underpinnings of its postcolonial legacy (Marguerite Duras’s Sea Wall), the cultural revolution of May 1968 (Annie Ernaux’s The Years), evolving family models and changing visions of the world in the 1980s (Tahar Ben Jelloun’s The Sand Child), social upheaval and exclusion from the 1990s to the present day (Edouard Louis’s Ending Eddy, Michel Houellebecq’s Platform, Mounia Meddour’s Papicha). Recent texts and film will engage with an exploration of contemporary France around issues such as francophone multiculturalism, societal unrest (the yellow-jacket movement) and the terror attacks (Marie N’Diaye’s Ladivine, Jacques’s Audiard’s Un Prophète, Ladj Ly’s Les Misérables, Emmanuel Leconte’s Humour à mort—the Charlie Hebdo attacks), but also France’s continuing mission to promote literature through the Prix Goncourt. The course aims to provide students with tools for understanding a culture through an exploration of its creative artifacts.

This course exams the process of language learning in children and the different philosophical approaches in the US and France regarding second language development.

This course accompanies the internship and reflects on work culture in France. Hours at the internship site are typically 8-10 hours per week.

Sample Placements

Advanced conversation practice through discussions on current topics, films and articles with the class and with an assigned conversation topic.

Note: UofM students who have taken 3018 on the UofM campus cannot enroll in the Advanced Conversation course in Montpellier.

This course will examine normative physical, social, and cognitive development from the prenatal period through adolescence, bringing in the French context. The major goals include fostering an understanding of the usefulness of a developmental approach to psychological issues, familiarizing students with current research and methodology in child psychology, and engaging students in the experiences of developmental psychology through observation and analysis of child behavior.

This course examines the development and current state of the European business environment from a French perspective. Topics will include the background/aftermath of the establishment of the European Union (EU) as well as institutional, political, legal and socio-cultural factors at work in the contemporary business and industry landscape. Taught in English at the Program Center.

Gain a foundational understanding of what is currently known about the transformational processes that shape human development as children mature into adults. This course will review what has been learned about the biological, cognitive, and social development of adolescents in the context of their multiple worlds and the issues and challenges that adolescents confront along the way. This course will provide an overview of development in the teenage years/second decade of life looking at both the US and French perspectives.

Global Identity: Connecting Your International Experience with Your Future is an optional 1-credit online course that helps you process your international experience and apply what you've learned upon your return.  Global Identity gives you the opportunity to work individually with a trained cultural mentor, helping you articulate your newly acquired skills and differentiating you from your peers.

This course is offered at no additional cost on programs six weeks or longer. The Learning Abroad Center will email out registration instructions, or you may contact a program team member.