American University of Paris
Encyclopedia
The American University of Paris (commonly referred to as AUP) is a private
, independent, and accredited liberal arts and sciences university in Paris
, France. Founded in 1962, the university is one of the oldest American institutions of higher education
in Europe
. The university campus consists of eight buildings, centrally located in the seventh arrondissement
of Paris, on the Left Bank near the Eiffel Tower
, Les Invalides
, and the Seine
.
AUP's mission is to educate graduates to communicate well in a world of many languages, to think critically about history, culture, the arts, science, politics, business, communication, and society, to develop creative interdisciplinary approaches to important contemporary challenges, to be both technologically and culturally literate in a world of swift-paced change, to understand the ethical imperatives of living in such a world, and to take their places as responsible actors in communities, civil societies, and countries around the globe.
The university's language of instruction is English, although students must prove a level of proficiency in French
prior to graduation. The university has approximately one thousand students, representing over one hundred nationalities, with an average student-to-faculty ratio of fifteen to one. The university's faculty members represent over twenty nationalities, with eighty percent holding doctoral degrees.
The university sponsors more than two hundred lectures and seminars every year, exposing students to a wide range of topics. Past lecturers at AUP have included Jane Goodall
, J.M. Coetzee, National Geographic photojournalist Reza
, and Calvin Klein
. Additionally, the university has hosted many international conferences, inviting an aggregate of over a thousand scholars, including Gary Becker
, Nobel Prize
-recipient of Economics in 1992 and Michel Rocard
, the former Prime Minister of France
.
The University confers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, and Master of Science degrees accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The institution is authorized to offer Bachelor's and Master's degrees through the State of Delaware.
The American University of Paris is declared to the Rectorat de Paris as an établissement privé d'enseignement supérieur libre. The Rectorat de Paris has also acknowledged that the undergraduate majors and Masters programs taught at The American University of Paris are of higher education level (les formations dispensées par l’établissement American University of Paris sont reconnues de niveau d’enseignement supérieur), which allows our students to be registered in the French social security system.
AUP degrees are also recognized by the Ministries of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia, Norway, and Turkey.
The university's academic departments include:
of Paris, on the left bank, located near the Eiffel Tower
, and within walking distance of the Champs-Elysées
, the Louvre
, and the Quartier Latin.
One of the university's buildings houses the AUP Fine Arts Gallery. The gallery was created in 2003 by Ralph Petty
, who is the university's Curator and an Associate Professor of Fine Arts.
Professional librarians help fulfill one of the main institutional goals, which is assisting its users in becoming self-sufficient information-literate researchers. Information fluency instruction at AUP is embedded in the various programs from the basic level (English for University Studies, English Bridge, FirstBridge) to upper level courses.
Almost any undergraduate class of 20 students has about fifteen nationalities, with many of the world’s cultures and religions represented. Americans represent about one third of the student body, Europeans (from more than twenty-five countries) another third, and the final third come about evenly from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Students have the opportunity to learn and meet other students through a large number of clubs and organizations. Some of the most popular include the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots, AUPPA (student political association), WhiteMask Theatre club, AUP’s award-winning debate club, Model United Nations
, Photo Club, Student Government Association (SGA), and the Graduate Student Council (GSC).
Students also manage several student-run publications, including the monthly student newspaper, The Planet; Core, AUP’s humanities journal; Scripta Politica et Economica; and Paris/Atlantic, a journal of creative work.
Students live off campus, many near the university. The Housing Office helps AUP students find lodging in chambres de bonne (small, private rooms generally found on the top floor of older French apartment buildings), with French hosts, or in apartments. Students also have the opportunity of living in student housing (Campuséa Residence) in the 13th arrondissement of Paris half an hour by metro from AUP.
ARC@AUP (the Academic Resource Center) is a project designed to link technology to the curriculum and to supplement academic support services at AUP. On the ground floor of the Grenelle Building, ARC provides multiple services to students, including library research stations and video production equipment. Peer tutoring services, including the Writing Lab, are also available in the ARC space.
There are five student computer labs containing 100 PC and iMac computers. Students have free e-mail accounts and Internet access as well as use of a variety of software, printers, projectors, and scanners. WiFi is available throughout the campus buildings.
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
, independent, and accredited liberal arts and sciences university in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France. Founded in 1962, the university is one of the oldest American institutions of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The university campus consists of eight buildings, centrally located in the seventh arrondissement
VIIe arrondissement
The 7th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. It includes some of Paris's major tourist attractions, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Hôtel des Invalides , and a concentration of such world famous museums as the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée du quai...
of Paris, on the Left Bank near the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
, Les Invalides
Les Invalides
Les Invalides , officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides , is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's...
, and the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
.
AUP's mission is to educate graduates to communicate well in a world of many languages, to think critically about history, culture, the arts, science, politics, business, communication, and society, to develop creative interdisciplinary approaches to important contemporary challenges, to be both technologically and culturally literate in a world of swift-paced change, to understand the ethical imperatives of living in such a world, and to take their places as responsible actors in communities, civil societies, and countries around the globe.
The university's language of instruction is English, although students must prove a level of proficiency in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
prior to graduation. The university has approximately one thousand students, representing over one hundred nationalities, with an average student-to-faculty ratio of fifteen to one. The university's faculty members represent over twenty nationalities, with eighty percent holding doctoral degrees.
The university sponsors more than two hundred lectures and seminars every year, exposing students to a wide range of topics. Past lecturers at AUP have included Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
, J.M. Coetzee, National Geographic photojournalist Reza
Reza Deghati
Reza Deghati, born 1952 in Tabriz, Iran is an Iranian-French photojournalist, who works under the name Reza .-Biography:Reza has covered much of the globe for National Geographic Magazine. Several films about Reza's work have been produced by National Geographic Television, most notably Frontline...
, and Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
. Additionally, the university has hosted many international conferences, inviting an aggregate of over a thousand scholars, including Gary Becker
Gary Becker
Gary Stanley Becker is an American economist. He is a professor of economics, sociology at the University of Chicago and a professor at the Booth School of Business. He was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1992, and received the United States' Presidential Medal of Freedom...
, Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-recipient of Economics in 1992 and Michel Rocard
Michel Rocard
Michel Rocard is a French politician, member of the Socialist Party . He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991, during which he created the Revenu minimum d'insertion , a social minimum welfare program for indigents, and led the Matignon Accords regarding the status...
, the former Prime Minister of France
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
.
Accreditation
The American University of Paris is accredited in the United States by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The American University of Paris is a non-profit educational institution incorporated in the State of Delaware and licensed by the State Board of Education as a Delaware institution of higher education. The American University of Paris is registered in the United States as a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization.The University confers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, and Master of Science degrees accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The institution is authorized to offer Bachelor's and Master's degrees through the State of Delaware.
The American University of Paris is declared to the Rectorat de Paris as an établissement privé d'enseignement supérieur libre. The Rectorat de Paris has also acknowledged that the undergraduate majors and Masters programs taught at The American University of Paris are of higher education level (les formations dispensées par l’établissement American University of Paris sont reconnues de niveau d’enseignement supérieur), which allows our students to be registered in the French social security system.
AUP degrees are also recognized by the Ministries of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia, Norway, and Turkey.
Undergraduate programs
The university offers 17 majors and 36 minors in its undergraduate program, along with courses covering a wide array of other liberal arts subjects, including Anthropology, Art History, Astronomy, Biology, Drama, Fine Arts, Gender Studies, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Sociology, and Languages, including Arabic, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Latin, and Ancient Greek.The university's academic departments include:
- Department of Art History and Fine Arts
- Department of Comparative Literature and English
- Department of Computer ScienceComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, MathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, and ScienceScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe... - Department of Economics
- Department of Film StudiesFilm studiesFilm studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to films. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies...
- Department of French Studies and Modern Languages
- Department of Global Communications
- Department of History
- Department of International and Comparative PoliticsComparative politicsComparative politics is a subfield of political science, characterized by an empirical approach based on the comparative method. Arend Lijphart argues that comparative politics does not have a substantive focus in itself, but rather a methodological one: it focuses on "the how but does not specify...
- Department of International BusinessInternational BusinessInternational business is a term used to collectively describe all commercial transactions that take place between two or more regions, countries and nations beyond their political boundary...
Administration - Department of PsychologyPsychologyPsychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
Graduate programs
The university offers nine graduate programs:- Master of Arts in Cross-Cultural and Sustainable Business Management
- Master of Arts in Cultural Translation
- Master of Arts in Global Communications
- Master of Arts in Global Communications and Civil Society
- Master of Arts in International Affairs, Conflict Resolution, and Civil Society Development
- Master of Arts in Middle East and Islamic Studies
- Master of Arts in Middle East and Islamic Studies and International Affairs
- Master of Arts in Public Policy and International Affairs
- Master of Arts in Public Policy and International Law
Campus
The university is clustered among eight historic buildings in the seventh arrondissementVIIe arrondissement
The 7th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. It includes some of Paris's major tourist attractions, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Hôtel des Invalides , and a concentration of such world famous museums as the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée du quai...
of Paris, on the left bank, located near the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
, and within walking distance of the Champs-Elysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
, the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
, and the Quartier Latin.
One of the university's buildings houses the AUP Fine Arts Gallery. The gallery was created in 2003 by Ralph Petty
Ralph Petty
Ralph Petty is an American figurative and landscape painter, musician, saxophonist, and singer living in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.- Biography :...
, who is the university's Curator and an Associate Professor of Fine Arts.
Library
The AUP Library, open to the AUP community, is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, a block away from the Eiffel Tower. The Library is one of the most active academic services on campus. Its selective collection provides support for the undergraduate and graduate programs. Partner Parisian academic libraries enhance access to the extremely rich scholarly information existing in the city. A constantly growing collection of book, journals, films is complemented by a large collection of online resources (e-books, e-encyclopedias, e-journals, full text databases, etc.). Group study rooms, a teleconferencing room and informal reading areas, wireless access, sufficient electrical outlets for laptops and large flat screen monitors facilitate collaborative work. The AUP Library works closely with the Academic Resource Center (ARC) and Information Technology Services (ITS) to provide the best possible services to students and faculty.Professional librarians help fulfill one of the main institutional goals, which is assisting its users in becoming self-sufficient information-literate researchers. Information fluency instruction at AUP is embedded in the various programs from the basic level (English for University Studies, English Bridge, FirstBridge) to upper level courses.
Student Life
The university has about 1,000 students with over 95 nationalities represented on campus.Almost any undergraduate class of 20 students has about fifteen nationalities, with many of the world’s cultures and religions represented. Americans represent about one third of the student body, Europeans (from more than twenty-five countries) another third, and the final third come about evenly from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Students have the opportunity to learn and meet other students through a large number of clubs and organizations. Some of the most popular include the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots, AUPPA (student political association), WhiteMask Theatre club, AUP’s award-winning debate club, Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
, Photo Club, Student Government Association (SGA), and the Graduate Student Council (GSC).
Students also manage several student-run publications, including the monthly student newspaper, The Planet; Core, AUP’s humanities journal; Scripta Politica et Economica; and Paris/Atlantic, a journal of creative work.
Students live off campus, many near the university. The Housing Office helps AUP students find lodging in chambres de bonne (small, private rooms generally found on the top floor of older French apartment buildings), with French hosts, or in apartments. Students also have the opportunity of living in student housing (Campuséa Residence) in the 13th arrondissement of Paris half an hour by metro from AUP.
ARC@AUP (the Academic Resource Center) is a project designed to link technology to the curriculum and to supplement academic support services at AUP. On the ground floor of the Grenelle Building, ARC provides multiple services to students, including library research stations and video production equipment. Peer tutoring services, including the Writing Lab, are also available in the ARC space.
There are five student computer labs containing 100 PC and iMac computers. Students have free e-mail accounts and Internet access as well as use of a variety of software, printers, projectors, and scanners. WiFi is available throughout the campus buildings.
Alumni
Individuals of note who have attended the university include:- Jim BittermannJim Bittermann- Career :Bittermann graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University in 1970 and began in print journalism from 1969 to 1970 as a reporter for the Waukegan News-Sun in Waukegan, Illinois. His television career began at WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee from 1970 to 1972...
- Senior foreign correspondent for CNN International in Paris. - Fernando ReesFernando ReesFernando Rees is a Brazilian racecar driver. He started his career in motor racing back in 1993 at age 8, and has recently competed in the most celebrated international championships...
- Brazilian professional race car driver. - Olivia PalermoOlivia PalermoOlivia Palermo is an American socialite, model and actress. She was a cast member of the reality television show The City.-Career:...
- American socialite, features on the MTV reality show The CityThe City (MTV series)The City is an MTV reality television series. The first spin-off of MTV's, The Hills, it follows one of the show's former cast members, Whitney Port, as she moves to New York City to work for fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg. The program premiered on December 29, 2008 and concluded its first... - KC ConcepcionKC ConcepcionKC Concepcion is a Filipina actress and singer and who is currently a National Ambassador Against Hunger of the UN's World Food Programme.- Personal life :...
- Actress, singer, VJ, model, stage actress and ambassador against hunger of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) - Andrea CasiraghiAndrea CasiraghiAndrea Albert Pierre Casiraghi is the first of three children born to Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and her second husband, Stefano Casiraghi, an heir to an Italian oil fortune. His maternal grandparents were Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and Princess Grace...
- Grandson of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace KellyGrace KellyGrace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
of MonacoMonacoMonaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
and nephew of reigning Prince Albert II. - Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis - Princess of the German Thurn und Taxis House.
- Tara JarmonTara JarmonTara Jarmon is a Paris-based Canadian fashion designer. Born in Canada, she moved to Newport Beach, California in high school. Jarmon launched her self-titled clothing line over 20 years ago, which now spans 23 free-standing Tara Jarmon boutiques and 80 store-in-store locations throughout Europe...
- Canadian fashion designer. - Michael J. VarholaMichael J. VarholaMichael J. Varhola is an author, publisher, and lecturer. He has written numerous books, games, and articles, and founded game development company and manufacturer Skirmisher Publishing LLC...
- American author, editor, and publisher. - Michael WeatherlyMichael WeatherlyMichael Manning Weatherly, Jr. is an American actor, best known for his roles as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on the television series NCIS, and Logan Cale on the television series Dark Angel.-Early life:...
- American actor. - Corentine QuiniouCorentine QuiniouCorentine Quiniou is a French auto racing driver.-Introduction to Racing:In an 2007 interview with Madmoizelle, Quiniou stated that she became interested in driving as a young girl while accompanying her father to amateur races, and that she began karting at age 14.In 2001, she joined La Filière...
- French race car driver. - Daniel Rose (Chef)Daniel Rose (Chef)-Career:Originally from Wilmette, Illinois, Rose moved to France for undergraduate studies at the American University of Paris. He spent a year at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon. He apprenticed at the Bruneau Restaurant, a three-star in Brussels, and worked at the luxurious Hotel Meurice with...
- American chef based in Paris. - Catherine SmithCatherine SmithCatherine Smith was an English novelist and actress, best known for her Gothic fiction. Almost all that is known of her is that she came from a wealthy family, and had acted at the Haymarket Theatre in London.-Novels:...
- American writer, model and fashion blogger. - Shauna Sand - American actress and playboy model
- Eva GreenEva GreenEva Gaëlle Green is a French actress and model.Green performed in theatre before making her film debut in The Dreamers , which generated controversy over her numerous nude scenes. She achieved greater fame for her parts in Kingdom of Heaven , and in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, for...
- French actress and model - Tom FordTom FordThomas Carlyle "Tom" Ford is an American fashion designer and film director. He gained international fame for his turnaround of the Gucci fashion house and the creation of the Tom Ford label before directing the Oscar-nominated film A Single Man.-Early life :Tom Ford was born August 27, 1961 in...
- Fashion Designer