France-Italy Field School: Exploring Cultural Identity through Art, Literature and Film
By visiting artists' studio, house museums, national museums and sites of memory in and around Paris and Florence, students will learn about Paris and Florence’s rich cultural heritages and will reflect on how the cities have been viewed and “consumed” across time. They will focus on representations of the two cities in works by British and American writers and film directors. This will foster debates about originals vs. copies, authenticity and reinvention, the Hollywoodization of culture and mass-tourism.
Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the host cities including their politics, economy, society, history, identity and culture. The field trips will be led by the course instructors or by local professors or specialists. Assignments for the course will lead students to explore other institutions, monuments and forms of art independently. Students will learn to incorporate basic French and Italian into daily life while finding creative ways to navigate around communication barriers, including developing an understanding of non-verbal cues of communication used in daily interactions. Students will learn how to navigate around the cities, as well as between them, relying on public transit and will discover new urban planning and environmental initiatives in Paris and Florence.
A tentative list of sites that will be visited:
Paris :
- Luxembourg Gardens
- Rodin Museum
- National Library of France
- Orangerie Museum
- Orsay Museum
- Carnavalet Museum
- Museum of Montmartre
- Chana Orloff Studio
- Claude Monet Home and Gardens in Giverny
Florence:
- Fiesole and its Roman Amphitheatre
- The Church of Santa Maria Novella
- San Miniato and Piazzale Michelangelo
- The Academia’s Gallery
- Galileo Museum
- The Uffizi Gallery; Pitti Palace; Boboli Garden
- Trip to Siena and visit to the Civic Museum, Church of Santa Maria della Scala,
- Mangia Tower
Information Session
Thursday, November 6
5:30 - 7:00 pm
UC 390 (take the South elevators)
or join virtually here:
Join the meeting now
Field School Details
- Instructors: Dr, Margot Irvine, Associate Professor, French and Classical & Modern Cultures
and Dr. Sandra Parmegiani, Associate Professor, European Studies & Italian - Offered: Summer 2026
- Prerequisite: 7.5 credits or permission of the instructor, 68% cumulative average
- If you have any questions about the program, please contact Dr, Margot Irvine and Dr. Sandra Parmegiani, or Allison Broadbent, Study Abroad Manager.
Program Dates (tentative)
- April 27-30, 2026 (1 week of in-person classes on U of G campus)
- May 3-31,2026 (4 weeks in France/Italy)
Course
Students will be registered in 1.0 credits at the third year level:
For students wishing to do all academic work in English - HUMN*3600 [1.0 cr] International Field Study OR
For students wishing to do some academic work in French - HUMN*3620 [0.5 cr] International Field Study
+ FREN*4740 [0.5 cr] Research Paper in French Studies
Costs
Students should budget for the following:
- Round-trip flight, Toronto to Paris: $1300
Round-trip flight, Paris to Florence: $200 - Tuition at the University of Guelph for 1.0 credits
- The France-Italy Field School fee: approximately $3200 (includes accommodations, in-country travel and entrance fees to museums and institutions). Amount is subject to change based on fluctuating exchange rate.
- Meals: $1800
- Mandatory travel health and emergency insurance through the company Guard Me ($1.65 / day)
- Personal expenses (souvenirs, additional personal excursions, etc)
Travel Grants
See the University of Guelph travel grants available.
Eligibility
Students applying for the program must have completed a total of 7.5 undergraduate credits by the time the program begins in May 2026 (or permission from the instructor), and must have a 68% cumulative average.
The program is open to students from all disciplines at the University of Guelph, with a maximum of 16 students being accepted to the program.
Application Deadline: January 23, 2026
Apply to the France-Italy Field School
To apply for Field School programs you must complete CIP's online application. Step-by-step application instructions are outlined in the link below.
Application Instructions
