Yale Summer Session in Auvillar: Personal Geography

Description

There are only two plots in all of literature, claimed the late John Gardner: the story of a journey, and of a stranger coming to town. Most travel literature is both: the story of a journey as well as a tale of a stranger, stepping into an alien land. This program examines a wide range of place-based literature, from long-form city portraits to travel memoir excerpts, with a focus on the particular authorial persona driving each piece. How is this writer bringing the landscape to life? What are they choosing to enunciate, question, romanticize, or criticize? What do we learn about the writer through the prism of place? Readings by writers such as Ryszard Kapuscinski, Jan Morris, Leslie Jamison, James Baldwin, Teju Cole and Pico Iyer will acquaint students with the techniques by which journalists and writers capture the essential qualities of a place, and negotiate their own presence and vantage point within the story of the journey.

Every weekend, participants will journey to a new region of southwestern France as a group, but once there, disperse to independently observe their surrounds, with a notebook ever in hand. Writing prompts are a central facet of this course, making it similar to the Yale creative writing course "Daily Themes," in that students respond to specific writing challenges every day of the week. Course prompts challenge the students to write not just about their foreign environs (France), but to author short and long essays set in myriad places of importance to them, by drawing from memory. Students also serve as peer editors to one other, swapping drafts and learning to foster a creative community among themselves. The course's core focus is to build the skills with which to render "sense of place" with precision, force and a singular voice.

Courses & Credits

Participants enroll in ENGL S247 and receive 2 Yale credits. 

Yale Summer Session Programs Abroad are intensive, highly structured academic programs led by Yale instructors. 

Instructors

Colleen Kinder, MFA

Colleen Kinder is an essayist and editor whose work has appeared in high-profile publications including The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, A Public Space, The Atlantic.com, National Geographic Traveler, Salon.com, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Creative Nonfiction, Ms. Magazine, The Gettysburg Review, Ninth Letter, The Los Angeles Review Of Books, AFAR, and The New York Times’s “Modern Love.” She has also received fellowships from the American Scandinavian Foundation, Breadloaf, Yaddo, Ucross, and MacDowell. Kinder graduated from Yale College, earned her MFA at the University of Iowa, and has received the Yale Henry P. Wright Prize for Journalism, the Yale Herb & Jean Award for Public Service, and a Fulbright scholarship. In addition to her course with YSS Abroad, Kinder has taught at The Millay Colony, The Chautauqua Institute, The Yale Summer Writers' Conference, Oregon State's MFA program, and UVA's Semester-at-Sea voyage. She was a visiting lecturer at the Banff Literary Journalism Program in 2018.

Class Times 

The class will meet each week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Students should expect about 25 hours of work outside the classroom each week, as well excursions and other program activities.

Class times may be subject to change with notice from the instructors.

Classroom Location

Classes will be held at VCCA France - le Moulin à Nef, 18 Esplanade du Port, 82340, Auvillar France

Money & Budgeting

Many participants find a combination of credit and debit cards to be the most convenient way of accessing money while abroad. It’s important to have a backup option as well in case of emergency.

Participants should bring a moderate amount (equivalent to $100 or so) of the host country currency in cash when leaving the U.S. to cover initial expenses like bus/taxi fares, snacks, and phone calls for the first couple of days. Please note that participants likely will need more than $100 for out-of-pocket expenses throughout the entire duration of the program.

France uses the euro, which is currently almost the same price as the dollar. Paris is an expensive city in general, but participants are advised to take advantage of the city's many inexpensive restaurants and food stands, as well as the city's potable tap water, which is available upon request at all bars and restaurants. There is also a local supermarket near the program residences where students are able to buy groceries.

Tipping is not required and service is always included in the bill. However, it is common to leave a few euros as a gesture of appreciation for good service at restaurants and cafes.

Participants should expect out-of-pocket costs not billed by Yale, including but not limited to class materials, coffee, snacks, and transportation to and from the classroom.

Program Cost & Funding

Yale Summer Session Programs Abroad costs are updated annually and include the administrative fee and program deposit, program fee, tuition, and international housing charge.  

Budget

Yale Summer Session Programs Abroad updates program budgets in late January. Please note the year listed on the button below.

Summer 2025 Budget

Trips and Activities

On every Yale Summer Session Program Abroad, learning extends outside of the classroom. Participants can expect a variety of integrated activities and excursions that enhance the academic goals of the program. Trips and activities listed below are included as examples only and are subject to change. 

All required activities and excursion include transportation (when outside of the host city), entrance fees, and most meals. 

Students will travel as a group every weekend to nearby towns and do a variety of reporting activities—some independent, some as a group—gathering new writing material from their surroundings. Additionally, the group will travel once to the Tuesday market in Valence d’Agen. The first weekend in Auvillar will include on-site orientation, a welcome, and a walking tour of town. Weekend excursions may include a pilgrimage from Moissac to Auvillar, an overnight trip to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, and a visit to Bordeaux. 

Participants should note that all excursions and plans are subject to change at any time, and they will be provided with more details once abroad.

Housing

All participants will live together in a large residence in the heart of the small town of Auvillar, called "gîte" in French. There will be facilities for cooking as well as plenty of nooks for gathering, studying, and writing. The program instructor and assistant, who will also be acting as a translator, will both live nearby. If a participant has any physical limitations that would make it challenging to walk up and down an extremely steep hill daily, they should contact the instructor in advance to address this.

Meals

Dinner will be provided five nights a week. Four of those dinners will occur Monday through Thursday and be divided among the restaurants in Auvillar. The fifth weekly dinner will take place either on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday depending on that week’s travel plans.

Participants will be responsible for their own lunch and breakfast daily and dinner once or twice a week. They can either purchase groceries in the town supermarket, Vival, or at the market in the town square on Sunday mornings.

Notes

Climate

Summer in Paris is warm, but very hot weather is uncommon. The average June temperature is around 73˚ F. July is not much hotter, with an average temperature of 76˚ F. However, heat waves are becoming more common, and most buildings are not air conditioned. There can also be periods of time when the weather becomes quite chilly and rainy, so participants are encouraged to pack accordingly.

Packing Considerations

1. Pack light! Participants will be able to do laundry and will likely return home with new items from the host country. Participants should expect the possibility of carrying their bags on several modes of transportation and up several flights of stairs alone.

2. Keep all essential items in a carry-on bag (e.g., passport and medications). 

Clothing

Participants should pack at least one dressier outfit for evenings out. Parisians dress more formally in general than Americans, especially when going out at night.
Students should also pack a pair of comfortable walking shoes, as they will be walking much more than is typical in much of the United States. Although it is summer, the French wear flip-flops or slide sandals only at the beach and they are not considered appropriate footwear for the city.

Useful Items to Bring

Students should bring a “Europe” (Type C or E) plug adapter (the UK adapter will not work in France). Computers, phones, and other electronics do not require a current converter, although smaller electronics such as hair dryers or electric razors may need both a plug adapter and a current convertor to avoid shorting out when plugged in and turned on.

Participants are encouraged to bring  reusable water bottle, walking shoes, a waterproof jacket and/or umbrella, sunscreen, insect repellent, and a small backpack for weekend outings including the course’s overnight hike. Those who wear contact lenses should also bring extra contact lens solution, a spare pair of glasses or extra pairs of contacts, and their prescription. Participants will be able to purchase contact solution at the BioTrue Pharmacy in town, but may not be able to find their preferred brand. Participants are also encouraged to treat themselves to a beautiful notebook to write in each day.

For students choosing to take an Internet sabbatical, the following items are also recommended:

• Wrist watch
• Portable alarm clock with a battery backup
• Flashlight with batteries
• Camera
• French/English dictionary and grammar book
• iPod
• USB storage device
• Reading materials, music and portable speakers, games, DVDs, etc.
• Address book with the addresses and phone numbers of family and friends
• Photos of family and friends. If stored on their phones, students should consider transferring them to their computers  so they can turn in their phones.
• Students who are used to writing papers in Google Docs should consider installing Microsoft Word on their laptops, if it is not there already. All Yale students can download Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, for free through Yale.

Social Interactions and Cultural Considerations

Safety and Consideration

Auvillar has approximately 1,000 year-round residents and is very safe. However, thefts have occurred in the past, and students are advised to be vigilant about their electronics and other valuables. Those students traveling to Paris or other large cities should take many more precautions, as pickpocketing in French cities is widespread. Students should keep in mind that they are serving as ambassadors of their own countries and of Yale. They are therefore expected to maintain a high level of respect and courtesy at all times. While the course instructors will facilitate student integration into the town, it is recommended that participants learn at least a few basic French phrases, such as “Bonjour,” “Bonsoir,” “Merci,” and “Parlez-vous anglais?” Even the smallest effort to adapt will go a long way, especially in a tiny town like Auvillar where passersby greet each other in French.

Students should also note that the French tend to be much quieter in enclosed public spaces like restaurants and trains, and should lower their voices in such situations. Lastly, Auvillar is very quiet at night. Students are expected to respect this and keep noise to a minimum after ten.

French Attitudes Towards Drinking and Drug Use

In France drinking is a social act. If participants choose to drink alcohol, they should do so in reasonable amounts and indoors in restaurants and cafés, but not in the streets or on public transportation. This includes drinking in public parks and on the banks of the Seine or the Canal Saint Martin, where rowdy behavior is neither customary nor tolerated.
Unlike some states in the U.S., drugs, even recreational drugs, are considered not only strictly forbidden, but illegal in France. If a student is caught with drugs, there is nothing the program director or anyone at Yale can do to help and chances are high that they will be prosecuted by French law.

Questions

For general program questions contact studyabroad@yale.edu.

Important Information Before Applying

• All YSS Programs Abroad are intensive, highly structured academic programs for Yale credit and grades.
• Students may only apply to one YSS Program Abroad per summer.
• Admission is not guaranteed. Applicants should anticipate that more students will apply than there are spots available, and Yale College students should apply to a backup Non-Yale Summer Abroad opportunity.
• Ensure that your transcript reflects how you have met the pre-requisite, if applicable, prior to applying.
• Participants must commit to the full program dates. Late arrivals and early departures are not permitted.
• Participants are required to be enrolled in all program courses.
• Participants should expect evening and weekend requirements. Students who have questions about religious observance during a YSS Program Abroad are encouraged to Meet with an Adviser.
• Program-arranged housing is required for all YSS Programs Abroad. Students are not permitted to secure independent housing. Students who have housing-related questions about placements, allergies, religious observance, or disability-related access are encouraged to Meet with an Adviser.

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