Study Abroad Experience in Paris

By Grace Woidat

During the Fall of 2023 I had the pleasure of studying abroad in Paris through IES where I was able to pursue learning in international marketing, as well as various aspects of French culture. Despite enrolling in the Business and International Relations program, which primarily offers courses in English, my desire for immersion led me to taking a majority of classes in French. In one such class, I learned how to conduct business and adhere to professional cultural norms in France. However, my most gratifying, and most challenging by far, experience was enrolling in a class at Sorbonne Université and understanding what it looks like to be a university student in the French schooling system. 

Sorbonne Université has an academic legacy dating back to 1257, and has been a beacon of academic achievement both in France and abroad. While I did not exactly get into this institution the traditional way, I was evidently still thrilled and proud of myself for passing the test and having on-par language proficiency to be able to enroll. The course I completed was Penser du genre, or “thinking about gender,” which took the format of a once a week 3 hour lecture in French with other native and ERASMUS students. I had the privilege of learning from esteemed Sorbonne faculty who spoke about their various areas of expertise concerning themes of gender, sexuality, and history.

From these lectures and other provided sources, I completed a final written dossier on a research subject of my choosing. Based on a course I had already taken at SCU—Musc 132, The History of Hip Hop—I was inspired to examine stereotypical images of masculinity and femininity as they appear in hip hop culture and analyze these images against the contextual backdrop of colonialism and theories of hegemonic masculinity. Completing this dossier and research in written French and attending my Sorbonne lectures were by far the most academically challenging endeavor I’ve yet to encounter.

Now back in the states, I wanted to reflect on my experience and what I’ve learned about the differences between French and American academic expectations. One main thing that I noticed is that, at the Sorbonne, it was not exactly the professor’s job to help you. Their objective is to simply instruct in exchange for conducting their own research, so I was told to not expect any office hours, email replies, or extensions. This turned out to be exactly true, and now I never take the attentiveness and care of Santa Clara professors for granted!

Additionally, it is common, even expected, for students to push back against a professor’s lecture and spark debate in class. This was both enthralling and very confusing to watch as an exchange student (half of the time I couldn’t follow the debate). Although we are always encouraged to ask questions and want to understand more in class, I hadn’t witnessed a student challenge the proposal’s of a tenured professor and their life’s work before! 

The last thing I learned, which is going to sound corny and anticlimactic, was the importance of being oneself and having confidence in that. I struggled with a lot of anxiety attending my Sorbonne class each week, knowing that my language skills were arguably the weakest and that I’d inevitably be called on in the discussion-based course—not to mention being an American in a gender studies class tended to prompt some looks anytime Donald Trump or American politics came up. However, by the end of the semester, I had the realization that I shouldn’t have to feel that immense pressure to blend in and be the perfect student. The most important thing wasn’t where I came from or if I could pass as a local student, but simply the fact that I was showing up and venturing outside of my comfort zone for an incredible academic and cultural experience.