A Visit To Paris

OSH 349 / Non Credit
Course taught in: English
Locations: CB 116
Instructor: Valerie Sutter

Course Description

Are you planning a trip to Paris? Or perhaps you’ve just come back?  Or maybe you’ve never been there—peu importe.  Join us as we “visit” Paris and (re)discover this exceptional city steeped in history, architecture, war and romance.  We’ll “walk through” various Parisian neighborhoods, review the history of modern Paris, observe the city from above and below, delight in the incredible greenery and offbeat areas of Paris, see what Paris is planning for its future, and take hour-long day trips from the capital.  We’ll learn some essential phrases and vocabulary and revel in the magnificent architecture the city offers.  You might even hear some accordion music in the background to accompany the slides and photos of Paris.  While being there in person would be ideal, this is the next best thing.  

Week 1

Paris Reborn: The Transformation of Paris by Haussmann & Napoléon III

Week 2

Scaling the Heights, Plumbing the Depths: Paris from Above & Below

Week 3

Montmartre, Montparnasse and the Marais: artistic and literary Paris yesterday and today

Week 4

Offbeat Paris: gardens, chateaux, and unusual passageways of Paris

Week 5

Art nouveau and art déco in Paris

Week 6

Day trips outside Paris, far from the madding crowd 

Valerie Sutter, OLLI member, is the founder and director of The French Traveler, Inc. holds a Master’s degree from the Faculté de Lettres de Lyon and another in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.  A language teacher for over thirty years, Valerie gained her passion for other cultures by her 17 years of living overseas after college in Europe and South America.  Fluent in French and Portuguese with a modest grasp of Spanish, she shares her love of French culture through her language workshops in France every summer.  She owns an apartment in Paris and spends several months of the year in France when she’s not otherwise occupied in Miami.

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