It is one thing to take a foreign language course. It is another to take a foreign language course where a requirement is to go to the country where the language is spoken.

That was the case for students enrolled in French 450.

The new course involves the Enlightenment of Paris and offered students a chance to experience what they are learning about with a spring break trip to France.

During the second week of March, 12 students from the class visited Paris, and France in general, to conduct research and visit general sites that are important to studying about the 18th century in Paris.

The Louvre, Versailles and the Tuileries Garden were among some of the grand places the class visited.

Mary McAlpin, associate professor of French, said that they had a great time and “saw a number of unusual non-touristy sites.”

“It was tons of fun, the food was amazing and we had a great view of the city,” Erin Czarra, junior in French, said. “It was a great learning experience on many levels. We got to see the places we are studying and talking about in the class.”

Czarra found out about the class from a flier. She was interested in the course because she is a French major and thought it would be a great opportunity to further her knowledge of French history and culture – not to mention the prospect of going to Paris over spring break.

“We were able to practice our French, and experience the French culture, even if we were there for only 10 days. I would recommend this course to anyone if it is offered in the future,” Czarra said.

The course, which is split up into a fall and spring semester, is taught in English by McAlpin. She specializes in 18th century French literature. Last fall students took a three-hour course in which they studied the Enlightenment of Paris. This spring students have been meeting weekly to work on a research paper that involves the Enlightenment of France.