Students who take “Victor Hugo’s Paris”—my new UVA January-Term course in 
Paris this winter—will get to know this great city through the eyes and life of one of France’s most celebrated authors. “To study in Paris is to be born in Paris!” Hugo proclaimed in his epic Les Misérables (I, 3, ii). In sync with his idea, “Victor Hugo’s Paris” will invite participants to analyze and articulate their evolving thinking about Hugo and about Paris and themselves as they read, discuss and write. Their work will culminate in a final, reflective essay about how Paris and Hugo’s writing affect them. Students will have unique chances to interact with renowned French Hugo scholars, museum directors, curators and visit. Here are just a few of the learning opportunities I’ve organized:
Explore the Jardin du Luxembourg after we hear from a Sorbonne professor about the gardens in Les Misérables.
Study Hugo’s manuscripts, drawings and letters with the curators in the Maison de Victor Hugo library and in the Bibliothèque nationale Française.
Along the Seine, tour what Hugo called the “admirable” ruins of the medieval Jumièges abbey and learn from a Norman Hugo specialist about the tragedy that changed Hugo’s life. (Jumièges photo by Clement Larrives via Flickr)
Visit the Place de la Bastille with its towering Colonne de Juillet while considering Hugo’s battles for liberty and social justice during the revolutionary nineteenth century. Walk through Hugo’s Parisian life and works with the president of the Société des Amis de Victor Hugo—who lives and breathes Hugo.
Learn from the Hugo biographer how Hugo’s funeral—from the Arc de Triomphe to the Panthéon—brought two million mourners and changed the face of Paris.
I designed this course for the adult students in UVA’s Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Program. I also warmly invite undergraduate College students, students from other colleges and universities, and adults who have college or graduate degrees to apply. Classes will meet in Paris from December 28, 2018, through January 10, 2019.
For more details, see the course description, draft syllabus and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If you have questions about the course itself, email Marva: marva@virginia.edu. For questions about the application process, contact Martha Sadler, Education Abroad Advisor: ms2aw@virginia.edu; (434) 924-9159.
The APPLICATION DEADLINE is October 1, 2018. To apply, go to the UVA Education Abroad site.