California Baptist University is offering students the chance to embark on the France Humanities Study Tour 2016, a study trip to Paris during the summer.
Students will have the opportunity to have the experience of a lifetime May 16-24, engaging with fellow students and faculty on the trip while embracing the historic culture of Paris.
Dr. Eric Brook, associate professor of history and humanities and the faculty leader for the trip, said it will be a great educational opportunity for students.
“I took a group of students on a trip to Athens in 2009,” he said. “It was a great success, so I decided to do it again in 2016 with Paris.”
The trip is both a cultural and academic experience.
Students can earn credit for literature, history, political science or humanities.
“Students can expect a full educational immersion experience,” Brook said. “We plan to visit many museums and other culturally significant places, like the Louvre, Notre Dame, Versailles and Chartres Cathedral.”
Peyton Beard, administrative secretary for the College of Arts and Sciences and a leader for the trip, said students of all majors can go.
“I would recommend this trip to any student interested in world travel and experiencing the impact European culture has had on Western culture,” Beard said. “The opportunity to receive course credit can appeal to students of all majors.”
Brook added students can learn a lot on trips like this.
“People who do not typically interact much with the humanities often discover a whole new world on a trip like this,” Brook said.
Because of the recent terror attacks in Paris that made international headlines, some students may be wary of going on the trip. Brook, however, has assured that CBU is taking all the right precautions.
“Included in the cost of the trip is a rather extensive insurance package,” he said. “Even with the terror attack last year, the incidents of violent crime in Paris are much lower than places like the Inland Empire, but I plan to remain as vigilant in Paris as I do here in the U.S.”
The deadline for signing up for the study trip is at the end of February, although at the time of publication, an exact date has not been set. Beard explained that as of now, all the slots for the trip have been filled, however, students that are interested can still sign up to be on the waitlist if anyone cancels. Additionally, students can contact the College of Arts and Sciences about the possibility of opening additional spaces.
“Paris is usually the kind of place that people put on the bucket list of things to do before you die,” Brook said. “It is probably better to go there earlier in your life than later, simply because it will give you so much more to draw upon throughout the rest of life.”
CBU offers these study trips yearly, so students can also anticipate attending the following year in a new city.
Beard discussed how impactful a trip like this can be.
“I think that if students are willing to experience other places and people, they will come away with a better understanding of their place in the world,” he said.
