Trip to Paris, the Riviera Part of A&M International History Course

Some Texas A&M International University students will spend part of their summer on the French Riviera for a history course that combines classroom instruction with educational travel.

The course, "Renaissance and Reformation France," (HIST 4390 for undergraduates and HIST 5310 for graduate students), will entail 30 hours of classwork to be completed at the University during the Spring semester plus an 11-day escorted tour of Normandy, Paris, and the French Riviera from May 15 - 25, with an optional tour extension to Geneva, Switzerland May 26 - 27.

The tour portion of the course is scheduled during the end-of-semester break when classes are not in session so that it will not interfere with Spring or Summer classes.

Dr. Stanley Green, Professor of History at A&M International, will teach the course and accompany the students on the tour.

The course is open to all A&M International students, plus high school students who are accepted into the University's Concurrent Enrollment program, and community members who wish to take the course for personal enrichment.

During the classroom portion of the course, students will complete reading assignments and attend lectures on French history. While on tour, students will be required to keep a daily journal then, upon their return, complete a 10-page term paper on their travel experience.

The 11-day tour will begin in Normandy with a tour of World War II battlefields. Students will then travel to Paris, the City of Light, with guided sightseeing of famous landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Students will also visit Notre Dame, the chic Opéra district, the Tuileries, and the Louvre, with an optional excursion to Versailles. From Paris, students will board a night train to Provence for sightseeing in Nimes, Avignon, Arles, once home to Vincent van Gogh, and Aix-en-Provence. An excursion to royal Monaco will take students past Prince Rainier's palace and the glamorous Monte-Carlo Casino to a visit to a perfume factory in Eze and a sightseeing tour of Nice. An optional excursion to rustic hill town of St. Paul de Vence and the renowned Matisse Museum will end the French Riviera stay but students can opt to extend their tour another two days and transfer, via Italy, to sophisticated Geneva.

Guided sightseeing in Geneva will include the Palais des Nations, European headquarters of the United Nations.

Those who enroll in the course will pay standard tuition and fees plus tour fees of $1900 for those in three- or four- bedded rooms (students under 25), or $2100 for those in double occupancy rooms (students over 25).

Tour fees include round-trip airfare from San Antonio, eight overnight hotel stays plus one night couchette accommodation, daily continental breakfast and dinner, transfer fees and intercity transportation, comprehensive sightseeing tours led by licensed local guides, a walking tour and additional sightseeing briefings, visits to special attractions, plus the full-time services of a bilingual tour director.

Interested persons may register for the course during the University's Regular Registration Jan. 10 - 11.

For further information please contact Dr. Green at 326-2612 or visit his office in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 419A. Information may also be secured via electronic mail at sgreen@tamiu.edu.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu