Columbia University Summer Program in France 2007
in association with the Visual Media Center

Field Study in the Architecture of Medieval France:
Castle, Cathedral, City & Cloister

Based in the heart of France in the historic region of the Bourbonnais, this month long summer program combines an introduction to the architectural monuments of the Middle Ages with fieldwork that encourages students to identify and analyze a series of critical issues in the understanding of Romanesque architecture by concentrating on a remarkable group of over one hundred Romanesque churches. Digital readings and resources complement weekly site visits and research in local libraries and archives.

All students live at the Château de Bostz located in Besson near the city of Moulins. This private estate includes the remains of medieval castles once occupied by the ducs de Bourbon and still held by their descendants. The Bourbonnais, which is to the north of Auvergne and west of Burgundy in central France, flourished in the eleventh and twelfth centuries immediately prior to the dramatic turn of history when France became France.

The program moves to Paris during the final week in order to compare and contrast the medieval architecture of churches in Paris to those studied in the Bourbonnais. Working in collaboration with students studying medieval art and architecture in Paris at Reid Hall, students will participate in study visits to the great monuments of medieval Paris (Notre Dame, the Sainte-Chapelle, Saint-Germain-des-Prés) and visit collections of medieval artifacts (Musée de Cluny, the Louvre) and undertake one or more field trips to Amiens, Beauvais, etc.

Open to both advanced juniors, seniors, and graduate students from any major or discipline, including science and engineering, the program will emphasize the architecture, history, culture, economics, and technology of the Middle Ages and the application of digital media techniques.

PREREQUISITE

One intermediate level art history course plus one year of college level French or the equivalent. Some background on medieval architecture preferred.

COURSE

AHIS S4460. Architecture of Medieval France: Castle, Cathedral, City, and Cloister. 4 points.

The course will provide an introduction to medieval architecture through lectures and workshops undertaken in the classroom/media lab. These lectures will be coordinated with day-long field trips to some of the major monuments that find their way into every survey of medieval architecture. The monument to be visited will be introduced to the students the in a seminar the night before, so the students will be prepared to engage with the archaeology of the building and to consider it within a wider context. The group will travel locally three days a week to work on parish churches and identify a series of critical issues in the understanding of Romanesque and gothic architecture. Study of these issues begins using a website which will allow the students to conduct virtual visits to a hundred churches in order to familiarize themselves with the situation in general terms. Field visits will then take place to selected churches in order to explore the issues under discussion in the field.

Faculty/Staff

Professor Stephen Murray, Department of Art and Archaeology, Columbia University
Andrew Tallon, Associate Director and Ph.D. candidate in medieval archaeology, Columbia University

Calendar

June 12 - July 13, 2007
Classes in Bourbonnais: June 14-July 4 Classes in Paris: July 5-12

Credit/cost

Program fee: $5200

Includes tuition, course materials and field trips, housing, two meals daily in the Bourbonnais; does not include airfare, visa, food in Paris, personal expenses, independent travel, or a transcript fee (if applicable).

Application

Application deadline: March 1, 2007 (applications considered after this date on a space available basis)

A complete application includes:
1. completed application
2. 250-word personal statement addressing your background and academic interest in the program,
3. recommendation from an art history professor describing your personal and academic capabilities to successfully participate in the program
4. official transcript,
5. $50 application fee (non-Columbia/Barnard students only).

Office of Global Programs

204 Lewisohn • 2970 Broadway, Mail Code 4111 • New York, NY 10027
T. 212-854-2559 F. 212-854-5164 E. studyaway@columbia.edu
http://www.ce.columbia.edu/op