Summer 2026 in Paris

Page under construction ... stay tuned for additional info as the Summer 2026 program takes shape!

Summer 2026 Study Abroad in Paris, France

Study geography with Dr. McDaniel and other subjects with other faculty abroad in Paris, France, in Summer 2026 through the USG Goes Global Paris summer study abroad program!

La “Ville Lumière,” Paris is home to countless museums, cafés, and medieval streets that wind around contemporary architecture. A city à decouvrir, Paris is an invitation to experience all the world’s cultures while maintaining a proud and distinctly French feeling. Picture yourself spending a summer studying in the “City of Light,” the “museum without walls,” immersed in history and surrounded by some of the world’s finest art, architecture, and music. As a participant in the Paris Study Abroad Program, you won’t have to imagine these things—you can live them. The “Capital of the World” is your classroom as you study history where it was made, attend theater and music performances by world-renowned companies and ensembles, write in parks and cafés where Fitzgerald and Hemingway wrote, and learn French immersed in the language. Paris offers all of this and more as part of this study abroad program.

Dr. McDaniel will be teaching GEOG 1101 Introduction to Human Geography ("Shining a Light on the World from the City of Light") (lower-division course, satisfies a social science general education requirement) and GEOG 4300 Urban Geography ("Exploring Cities and Urban Life in Paris") (upper-division course, satisfies an upper-division elective/related studies requirement for many majors). Other courses from other faculty are also available, including: Travel Writing: Telling Stories in the Heart of France (upper-division) (Geltner, VSU); Visual Journalism: Creating Images of Paris (upper-division) (Geltner, VSU); Introduction to Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (lower-division) / Feminist Theories (upper-division) (Wiggins, GSU); and Paris Noir: Introduction to African and African American History (lower-division) (Wigging, GSU). Select a total of two courses for a total of six credit hours. 

Additional info coming soon!

Program Details, Courses, and Faculty

Additional info coming soon! Summer 2026 program course options:

• GEOG 1101 Introduction to Human Geography: Shining a Light on the World from the City of Light

  Instructor: Dr. Paul McDaniel, Kennesaw State University. At KSU, this course is GEOG 1101: Introduction to Human Geography, and satisfies a Social Science general education requirement. Description: We live in a dynamic world! Geography and Geospatial Sciences equip us with the perspectives, skills, and tools to apply knowledge to better understand the world and its many diverse physical and human processes, and to contribute to sound decision-making about those processes, from the local to the global scale. Geography and maps are a fundamental language for understanding the world. They provide a framework for organizing and communicating our knowledge. Increasingly geography is used in virtually every field of human endeavor, providing a universal language for understanding, communicating ideas, and providing insights. Geography asks the big questions—Where? How? Why? What if?—and gives you the perspective to answer them with advanced technology and a solid knowledge of the world in which we all live. Through this human geography course, we’ll explore global geographic patterns of resources, population, culture, economic, political, and urban systems and their local level impacts while being immersed in a foreign culture and landscape. We will explore defining concepts in geography by focusing on the stories of real people, global trends, topics that transcend borders, and how these patterns affect local places. In essence, how do global patterns shape local lives, near and far? While in France, we’ll observe broader concepts as they occur on the Parisian and French landscape, allowing us to compare and contrast these patterns with our home culture. GEOG 1101 satisfies a Social Science general education requirement.

• GEOG 4300 Urban Geography: Exploring Cities and Urban Life in Paris

  Instructor: Dr. Paul McDaniel, Kennesaw State University. At KSU, this course is GEOG 4300: Urban Geography. Description: Cities are dynamic landscapes! Urban geography explores the origins and development of cities, uncovers the excitement and diversity of cities, and examines urban challenges and opportunities. While in Paris, we’ll examine Paris through the lenses of physical and historical geography, urban economic geography, urban cultural and social geography, and urban political geography. Additionally, we’ll observe examples of global urban dynamics and local level impacts. We’ll witness how broader urban concepts occur on Paris’ historical and contemporary urban landscapes, allowing us to compare and contrast with the urban structure of our own familiar cities and towns in the U.S. GEOG 4300 satisfies an upper division related studies requirement for many majors.

• Travel Writing: Telling Stories in the Heart of France

  Info coming soon! Upper-division course. Instructor: Dr. Ted Geltner, Valdosta State University.

• Visual Journalism: Creating Images of Paris

  Info coming soon! Upper-division course. Dr. Ted Geltner, Valdosta State University.

• Introduction to Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies / Feminist Theories

  Info coming soon! Introduction to Women's, Gender, and Sexualiaty Studies is a lower-division course. Feminist Theories is an upper-division course. Instructor: Dr. Dana Wigging, Georgia State University.

• African American History

  Info coming soon! Lower-division course. Instructor: Dr. Dana Wigging, Georgia State University.

Why go?

In addition to completing courses in an amazing location, this is your opportunity to visit many famous bucket list sights and places not only in Paris, but in France and Europe more broadly. You'll also have free time to explore on your own! You might choose to remain in Paris, explore some of the other nearby towns and countryside of France, or travel further afield to places such as Normandy, Provence, Alsace, Loire Valley, French Alps, French Riviera, or visit another European city or country, and much, much more! 

Why Should I Participate in an Education Abroad Program?

• Enhance your global awareness
• Enhance your academic learning
• Develop your leadership skills
• Advance your career
• Experience personal growth
• Learn another language
• Immerse yourself in a new culture
• Learn through experience while earning credit hours
• Explore the actual geographic landscapes you're learning about in class
• Experience first-hand masterpieces of art, architecture, and great historic venues
• Build your resume
• Make new friends
• The opportunity to study abroad is a life-changing experience! Check out these testimonials from KSU students who have participated in previous education abroad programs! 
• For even more reasons, see Why Should I Participate in an Education Abroad Program from the KSU Education Abroad Office

Where is Paris?

• Check out this Google Map (be sure to view the accompanying photos and also zoom in on the map) and Google Earth link!

More Information about Paris and France

• Paris Guide from RickSteves.com
• France Guide from RickSteves.com

Videos about Paris and the Surrounding Region

The following are episodes about Paris and other regions of France from Rick Steves' Europe.