go
to
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Angers 2004 - 2005
The following notes (items arranged in
alphabetical order) are designed to help
you both before and after your arrival
in Angers. They have been compiled from
various current and recent documents and
from fairly long experience of the needs
of intercalary students. Our particular
thanks to previous UNE students for supplying
facts and comments. Please help us to
help your successors by responding to
calls for up-to-date information and for
improvements to this booklet.
A university presence in Angers goes back
over six hundred years, but the modern,
public Université d'Angers was
formed only in 1971 and now has some 16,000
students enrolled in Angers and in the
nearby town of Cholet. The main campus
is at Belle-Beille, on the north-west
side of the city, across the River Maine
from the CBD, while the Faculty of Medicine
and Pharmacy is on the same side of the
river but nearer the city centre, close
to the major teaching hospital, the Centre
Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU). The Faculté
de Droit, Economie et Sciences Sociales,
as well as the Vice-Chancellor's office
(la Présidence), are now on a new
campus at Saint-Serge, close to the centre
of town. The separate Université
Catholique de l'Ouest ('la Catho') occupies
a 5.5-hectare site near the city centre
and has about 10,000 students, including
some in other towns in the region.
The Université d'Angers (UA) -
UNE exchange agreement, signed by both
Vice-Chancellors in 1994, renewed in 1999
and currently being renegotiated, allows
for the movement of up to five students
(of any Faculty and level) each way in
any one calendar year. UA is likely to
continue to send us mainly students of
LEA (see DEGREE STRUCTURES below), who
have European levels of language experience
and training and are probably at Maîtrise
level (see DEGREE STRUCTURES below). UNE
students, with generally rather lower
linguistic competence on departure and
being at earlier stages in their degrees,
will find the period of study and residence
challenging but rewarding. Work hard;
enjoy yourself!
Chris Gossip
November 2004
ADDRESSES
----- Résidence Universitaire Belle-Beille,
8-10 boulevard Victor Beaussier, 49045
ANGERS Cedex 01. Tel 02.41.48.27.45. Fax
02.41.36.27.50. Phone-box 02.41.73.94.53.
614 rooms, most ‘traditional’,
some ‘renovated’. Mixed.
----- Résidence Universitaire Lakanal,
rue Lamarck, 49045 ANGERS Cedex 01. Tel
02.41.48.38.04. Fax 02.41.48.56.82. 305
renovated rooms with private shower room.
Mixed.
Remember to have ‘Chambre n°
...’ included on mail sent to you.
All UA residential accommodation is provided,
not by the University but by the CLOUS
(Centre Local des Œuvres Universitaires
et Scolaires), a version of the CROUS
(Centre Régional ...) found in
larger cities. This is a national, government-funded
organisation which runs the system of
student restaurants and various kinds
of student accommodation.
----- UFR (= Unité de Formation
et de Recherche, sometimes called Faculté)
des Lettres, Langues et Sciences Humaines,
11 boulevard Lavoisier, 49045 ANGERS Cedex
01. Tel 02.41.35.21.21. Fax 02.41.35.21.19.
This consists of the following Departments
or Sections: Allemand, Anglais, Espagnol,
Histoire, Langues Etrangères Appliquées
(LEA = Applied Foreign Languages, i.e.
languages related to business, etc), Lettres
modernes et classiques (= French and Classics),
Linguistique, Psychologie.
ARRIVAL IN ANGERS
From the railway station (Gare SNCF: Angers
St Laud), if you are not being met, take
a taxi to the Résidence (remember
the 10% tip), or bus 1 (Belle-Beille Technopole)
which passes Belle-Beille (stop: Cité
Universitaire) and has its terminus adjacent
to Lakanal (stop: Lakanal).
ARRIVAL IN FRANCE
On arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport
at Roissy outside Paris, there are Air
France buses from Terminals 1 and 2 to
(i) central Paris (place de l'Etoile,
at the corner of avenue Carnot, via place
de la Porte Maillot) and (ii) via the
Gare de Lyon to Montparnasse, adjacent
to the Gare Montparnasse from where trains
leave for Angers. The buses to Etoile
via Maillot operate every 12 minutes from
05.40 to 23.00 with an average journey
time to 30 minutes to Porte Maillot, 35
minutes to Etoile. Both stops provide
easy access to the métro/RER system.
The Air France service from CDG to Montparnasse
(rue du Commandant René Mouchotte,
near the Hôtel Le Méridien)
runs every 60 minutes from 07.00 to 09.00,
then every 30 minutes to 14.00, then every
60 minutes until 21.00, with an average
journey time of 45 minutes.
Slightly cheaper routes to central Paris
are (i) by Roissybus direct to the Opéra
and (ii) by rail (RER - Réseau
Express Régional - Line B) from
the airport station direct to the Gare
du Nord and, if necessary, on from there
by RER (same Line B train), connecting
further on to other RER lines or the conventional
métro. Through tickets available.
The airport has two RER stations: Charles
de Gaulle 1 for Terminal 1 and Charles
de Gaulle 2 TGV for Terminal 2 and at
which long-distance high-speed trains
(TGV) also call.
Angers is served by numerous direct trains
each day from Paris-Montparnasse, mostly
TGV Atlantique services bound for Nantes
and on which prior reservation is necessary
(Non-TGV trains in France do not require
reserved seats). Provided accommodation
is available, TGV seats can be booked
in person until a few minutes before each
departure. Reservations can also be made
by phone (collection and payment at the
station) and from automated machines at
Montparnasse, although these are not as
easy to use as is claimed since they ask
you a lot of questions ... Prices vary
according to the day of the week, the
time of day and how far in advance you
book . The SNCF does not accept ISIC cards
as a form of student identification. Payment
is readily accepted by credit card. Average
journey time: 90 minutes. Remember that
all train tickets issued in France have
to be inserted into one of the orange
date-stamping machines (composteurs) on
or near the platforms before use, otherwise
you will be travelling without a valid
ticket and be liable to a fine or supplement
or both from the unforgiving contr ôleurs
on board. This applies to outward and
return journeys and after any authorised
break of journey.
It is now possible to reach Angers by
rail without changing in central Paris.
One or two TGV operate daily from Lille
via Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV through to
Angers on the line via Marne-la-Vallée
Chessy (the stop for Disneyland Paris)
and Massy TGV, south-west of Paris. Or
you can take the RER from the airport
to Massy (58 minutes) and connect there
into TGV to Angers from Lyon.
In the opposite direction, through services
from Angers offer hassle-free rail travel
to the UK or Belgium and Holland, transferring
to Eurostar London-Paris trains or Thalys
services to Brussels and Amsterdam at
Lille-Europe station, avoiding the need
to change stations in Paris. For all rail
times, consult the SNCF website: www.sncf.fr
ATMOSPHERE
Even in what, by French standards, is
a fairly small university, you will find
that UA has a very different feel from
UNE. French university students, trained
for the rigours of the baccalauréat
at the end of seven years of secondary
education, consider themselves - and are
treated as - more independent than most
Australian school-leavers. The largely
open-entry system for bacheliers (except
in medicine, pharmacy and in the IUT or
Instituts universitaires de technologie),
defended as a Republican right, and the
consequent inadequate staff/student ratios
lead to a high drop-out rate (up to 50%),
especially in the first two years of study,
although reforms have increased orientation
and counselling in the premier cycle (le
DEUG), and attempts have been made to
provide tutorial support (le tutorat)
by employing senior students to help younger
ones. Most classes will be considerably
larger than you are used to, and on the
whole (there are exceptions) academic
staff see pastoral care as less important
(or certainly as less part of their job)
than do their colleagues in English-speaking
countries. Timetables and exam arrangements
will often be ... well, less organised
... You will be less spoon-fed and will
be made to rely on your own initiative.
But if in any doubt, ask - there is always
some administrative person in the department
or Faculty if the academic staff member
is not available. For UNE students, the
person to approach would be Mme Barreteau
(see KEY PERSONNEL IN ANGERS).
Equally the cités or résidences
are designed more as dormitories and study
spaces than as centres of social life
or community spirit, as in Australian
colleges. The rules sometimes seem to
be a little strict. About half of all
French students live at home, while most
others attend their nearest university
and often return home at weekends. For
these and other reasons you may find it
hard, at least initially, to strike up
friendship with local French students
Student union organisation, too, is different
from what you find at UNE, although one
advantage of being a fully-enrolled student
in France is that many student activities,
including cultural ones, are heavily subsidised
by central government.
Finally, our strong advice would be to
avoid the temptation to stick with either
native English-speakers or those foreign
students for whom English may be a lingua
franca. Try to join groups or clubs, both
in UA and particularly in the city, and
get immersed in the life of real French
people, students and non-students.
BANKING
A French bank account, into which you
or your family may deposit funds, will
be necessary, if only in order to obtain
the carte de séjour or the allocation
de logement rent subsidy. Open one as
soon as you have all the required documents.
There is not much to choose between the
major institutions: BNP, Crédit
Agricole, Crédit Lyonnais, Société
Générale etc. You are likely
to have to pay bank charges, but should
be eligible for a cheque account. Alternatively,
you might wish to explore the various
banking facilities offered by the French
Post Office (La Poste), with its convenient
opening hours.
Having funds transferred from Australia
by parents or other family members can
be done by post (by sending a bank draft
in euros) or, more quickly and conveniently,
by electronic/telegraphic transfer straight
into a nominated account. Charge: about
$20-$25.
An alternative is to have funds transferred
into a Visa/Mastercard debit card account
which you should open through your Australian
bank before leaving. With this you cannot
overdraw and you do not pay interest .
There is, however, a small transaction
fee per withdrawal.
Remember that in France it is a criminal
offence to write cheques that bounce (chèques
sans provision).
BOOKSHOPS
One of the best in Angers is the FNAC
at 25 rue Lenepveu in the city centre
(tel 02.41.24.33.33), part of an excellent
national chain. Another, called Librairie
Contact, specialises in student books:
it is at 3 rue Lenepveu (02.41.24.15.00)
and at the Maison des Etudiants, boulevard
Beaussier (02.41.36.52.05). A third is
Librairie Richer, 6 rue Chaperonnière
(02.41.88.62.79).
BUSES
Angers city routes are operated by COTRA,
based at Espace Lorraine, place Lorraine,
where you can get full information, including
a useful timetable booklet. The best buy
is the 3-month pass valid on all urban
routes all day, every day. Those over
27 years of age should ask at COTRA what
their situation is. A photo and your carte
d'étudiant, plus identification
(passport) and an attestation or justificatif
de domicile (supplied by the résidence
universitaire or landlord), will be required.
In the evening, one of two routes, 1/S,
serves Belle-Beille hourly on weekdays
until just after midnight.
Various country routes operate from the
Gare routière (tel. 02.41.88.59.25).
The Carte Jeunes Anjou-Bus offers cut-price
travel.
CONTACT WITH LOCALS
Consider signing up with the Accueil Familial
International de l'Anjou (AFIA), 73 boulevard
Charles Détriché, in the
south-east corner of Angers, before Ponts-de-Cé
(tel 02.41.68.37.75) for its welcome service
Accueil Familial des Etudiants Etrangers.
A very worthwhile initiative. There is
a short form to fill in (available at
the university) and a small fee. The result
should be invitations to meals or visits
with local families, although you may
only be invited once.
The student welcoming service, Melting
Potes, based at the Maison des Etudiants,
2 boulevard Beaussier, on campus just
beyond the Belle-Beille halls of residence,
is good if you want to meet other foreigners
(particularly Germans) and French students.
They have a conversation night every week
in a really accessible location and arrange
outings.
COST OF LIVING
Expenses are a very individual matter,
but a single person with a room in a residence
at the cheapest rate, living modestly
and taking advantage of available student
concessions, should be able to manage
on the euro equivalent of about A$800-850
per month, once initial, one-off Angers
administrative costs and Armidale charges
for sitting UNE exams externally in France
(cost: around $100) have been met. This
estimate of ordinary running expenses
includes the rent of the room, payable
by the 10th of each month, and does not
take into account any rebates you may
receive (see FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE). To
reduce costs, it is recommended that you
photocopy rather than buy most textbooks
in Angers and that you take your Collins-Robert
or other bilingual dictionary with you.
CULTURE
Angers has a number of theatres, regular
concerts both classical and less classical,
and a range of city-centre cinemas: L'Ariel
(7 screens), Le Gaumont-Variétés
(5 screens) and Le Gaumont-Colisée
(5 screens), all on the boulevard Foch,
and Les 400 Coups (4 screens), rue Claveau.
Reduced student rate available Monday-Thursday
before 6pm (student card required). The
Gaumont-Colisée and Les 400 Coups
(an excellent cinema, cheaper than the
others) also show foreign films en version
originale (en v.o.).
DEGREE STRUCTURES AND TEACHING METHODS
Until now the first two years in Arts,
the premier cycle, have formed the DEUG
(Diplôme d'Etudes Universitaires
Générales), followed by
the deuxième cycle: the Licence
in year 3 and, in year 4, the Maîtrise
(the very rough equivalent of Honours;
it includes a mini-thesis or mémoire).
These university years are often referred
to as Bac +1, Bac +2, Bac +3, Bac + 4.
The troisième cycle, after the
Maîtrise, has included various postgraduate
diplomas, masters and doctorates. French
universities are carrying out the staggered
implementation of an EU-wide course restructuring,
divided into an 8-year study pattern:
Licence (3 years), Master (another 2)
and Doctorat (a further 3), abbreviated
as LMD.
Courses in what were the first two cycles
comprise a number of units or unités
de valeur (UV, sometimes called certificats
or éléments or modules or
matières), some of them compulsory
(UV obligatoires), some drawn from a limited
range of choices (UV optionnelles), some
chosen from an unrestricted list (UV libres).
Units can have different weightings or
coefficients.
In the languages area, awards are split
between traditional study of language,
civilization and literature/culture (Langues
et Civilisations Etrangères [LCE]
or Langues Vivantes Etrangères
[LVE]) and more multidisciplinary, professionally-orientated
programmes such as LEA (Langues Etrangères
Appliquées, two languages with
elements of accounting, economics, marketing,
management, and business studies). Your
basic area will be Lettres modernes, which
covers French language and literature
and possibly elements of comparative literature.
Attending lectures and other classes and
taking notes in French is an often bewildering
experience. In addition, you may be daunted
by the apparently very rigid methodology
required (or expected) in an exposé
or a commentaire de texte. One way to
familiarise yourself with these rather
different teaching methods is to include
in your programme a unit, preferably at
introductory (DEUG 1) level, entitled
Techniques d'expression écrite
et orale or similar.
E-MAIL
E-mail contact with UNE is essential,
as you will find it is with the rest of
the world! Unless you tell us otherwise,
we'll continue to use the current e-mail
address we have for you. There's a Salle
Informatique in the Fac des Lettres, Bâtiment
A, second floor - preferable to using
computers in the Library, which is crowded
and airless.
EMBASSY
The Australian Embassy in Paris is at
4 rue Jean Rey, 75015 PARIS (near the
Eiffel Tower; métro Bir-Hakeim).
Tel 01.40.59.33.00. Website: www.austgov.fr
ENROLMENT
Remember that, on arrival in Angers, you
will need documents and sums of money
to complete your university enrolment
(see the UA booklet which will be sent
to you) and for administrative procedures
(including obtaining the carte de séjour).
Translations of birth certificates and
relevant sections of insurance policies
can be undertaken by the School prior
to your departure, provided sufficient
notice is given. All translations done
by UNE appear to be acceptable in Angers,
including the paperwork for the carte
de séjour.
EXAMS FOR UNE
Normally, you will sit any UNE exams in
Angers on the same day as students in
Australia, but the date may have to be
changed because of public holidays in
France at that time (see PUBLIC HOLIDAYS).
If so, local staff will make appropriate
alternative arrangements and notify you.
Your written papers will be photocopied;
a copy will be retained in Angers and
the originals will be airmailed to Armidale
for marking. Any queries: see Madame Joncheray,
Dépt. LEA.
EXCHANGE STUDENTS
You will find that Angers, like all other
French universities, has many students
from a range of European countries studying
for a semester or a full year under various
European Union mobility schemes: ERASMUS
(the original scheme), LINGUA, SOCRATES,
TEMPUS etc. American students are also
present, under ISEP (pronounced 'eye-sep')
programmes. As you are part of an official
exchange agreement (une convention bilatérale),
you may be referred to, or find it useful
to refer to yourself, as un(e) étudiant(e)
ERASMUS - it could, quite legitimately,
open some doors closed to foreign, non-exchange
students. Any queries about this to Mme
Barreteau.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
You should be entitled to a rebate on
the rent of your résidence universitaire
room, under a scheme called ALS (allocation
de logement sociale). Unfortunately it
is possible that this will not be be claimable
until you are in possession of the full
carte de séjour. The office which
deals with the rebate is the Caisse d'Allocations
Familiales, 32 rue Louis Gain, near the
Palais de Justice. (tel 02.41.88.30.30.
Website: www.caf.fr). If necessary, you
could make preliminary enquiries on campus
at the AIE (Angers Inter-Etudiants) office
in the Maison des Etudiants, 2 boulevard
Beaussier, from 09.00 to 12.00 on weekdays.
Another scheme, APL (aide personnalisée
au logement) relates to housing subsidy
for rented student flats. When eventually
granted, the rebate will be paid into
a bank account (you will still need to
pay the full rent to the residence by
the 10th of each month). To apply for
the rebate, you can get a form from the
residence and that, together with a certificat
de scolarité, carte de séjour
and a couple of other items listed on
the form, should be taken to the CAF office.
If everything is in order, payments will
start coming through, back-dated to when
you applied for the carte de séjour.
The city of Angers also offers low-income
residents a Carte Partenaires which gives
numerous useful reductions. You can get
this at the Hôtel de Ville, boulevard
de la Résistance et de la Déportation
(in the Hall d’accueil central: tel
02.41.05.40.00) or at local mairies, e.g.
the Belle-Beille one at 5 rue Eugénie
Mansion (tel 02.41.48.12.81). You’ll
need to present photo ID, a passport-size
photo, and a Caisse d’Allocations
Familiales (see above) document proving
your penniless status/eligibility for
rent subsidy
FORMALITIES
---- Students travelling on a non-European
Union passport must, before leaving Australia,
obtain a long stay visa (visa long séjour)
from the French Consulate-General in Sydney.
This will require submission of a passport,
birth certificate, various documents relating
to studies, financial resources, home
address and insurance, passport-size photos
and a sum of money (confirm details with
the Consulate-General: www.consulfrance-sydney.org/visas/index.en.htm).
---- Students travelling on a European
Union passport need only the valid passport
to enter France in order to study.
---- After arrival in France, ALL students
have to obtain a residence permit (carte
de séjour). In the case of students
travelling on a non-European Union passport,
a medical will also be required. A tip
is to take with you a copy of the medical
report you may have had to get in Australia
for the French visa. As this medical will
have been done by a French Embassy-approved
doctor, the Angers doctor may simply copy
the information from the previous report
to his own.
---- To get the obligatory residence permit
(carte de séjour). you will, once
you have enrolled at UA and obtained your
student card, have to make a request at
the Maison des Etudiants (Amphigouri)
on the Saint-Serge city-centre campus
at 4 allée François Mitterrand
(tel. 02.41.96.23.96). For the carte de
séjour you are likely to need:
three photos; a copy of a justificatif
de domicile (a statement from the résidence
or landlord); a French version of your
insurance policy; an attestation d'inscription
(certificat de scolarité) proving
your UA enrolment; a statement (justificatif
de ressources) that a certain amount of
money will be available to you each month;
a stamped, addressed envelope; your passport
and a photocopy of your passport; a photocopy
of your visa; a fee. It definitely helps
to have an opened French bank account.
In addition, it could help to possess
and show a current credit card. Although
the police paperwork may appear to require
you to go to a certified translator (traducteur
habilité/traducteur assermenté),
you should be able to get away with documents
translated and authenticated by UNE. Indeed,
if necessary, you can translate a document
yourself and get it stamped by UA. You
must also produce the originals along
with the (to-be-retained) translations.
Never, EVER, leave original documents
with bureaucrats.
The French appear congenitally incapable
of rapidly issuing residence permits:
you will almost certainly be given first
a receipt (un récépissé)
proving that you have applied for a carte,
to be used until the real document arrives.
All this is good, clean fun, familiar
to generations of intercalary students.
If all forms are obtained promptly and
returned immediately, you increase your
chances of getting back-payments on your
housing subsidy.
FREE LANGUAGE CLASSES
The Institut Municipal, 8 rue du Musée,
in the city centre (tel 02.41.88.07.38)
offers free cours publics de langues vivantes,
late afternoons and evenings. If interested,
get a leaflet with levels and times. German,
Italian, Portuguese and Spanish are offered
as well as English.
GLOSSARY
See in Appendix A the useful Glossary,
taken from R Cousins, R Hallmark and I
Pickup, Studying and working in France.
A student guide, Manchester University
Press, 1994.
Important university and administrative
terminology includes:
Année universitaire ---- Academic
year (October-June)
Antenne Branch ---- campus or centre (UA
has one in Cholet)
Assiduité ---- Regular attendance
(at classes)
Caution ---- Deposit
Contrôle des connaissances ----
Assessment
Contrôle continu ---- Continuous
assessment, coursework
Copie certifiée conforme ---- Certified
photocopy
Cours ---- Class, lecture
Cursus ---- Whole course or programme
Dispensé(e) d'assiduité
---- Exempt from regular attendance
Epreuve ---- Test, exam
Etat des lieux ----- (Room) inventory
Examen de la 2e session ---- Re-sit (usually
September)
Examen terminal ---- Full end-of-year
exam (May/June)
Filière ---- Subject strand or
pathway
Insuffisant ---- Fail (see Mention below)
Jury ---- Small panel of examiners, examining
board
Mention ---- Grade, as in
mention passable ---- 50-60%
mention assez bien ---- 60-70%
mention bien ---- 70-80%
mention très bien ---- 80%+
(NB French universities mark assignments
out of 20)
Module obligatoire/optionnel ---- Compulsory
module/Option
Partiel ---- Mid-session/end-of-semester
exam (Jan/Feb)
Pièces à joindre au dossier
---- Supporting documents
Tarif passager ---- Temporary daily rate
(rooms, meals ...)
Travaux dirigés (TD) ---- Tutorial
Travaux pratiques (TP) ---- Practical
Tronc commun ---- Core (subject/programme)
HEALTH
The Student Health Centre or Service Universitaire
de Médecine Préventive et
de la Promotion de la Santé (SUMPPS)
is at the Maison des Etudiants, 2 boulevard
Beaussier (tel 02.41.22.69.10). Open Mondays
to Fridays, 08.45-17.45. SUMPPS is free,
but they cannot give out prescriptions:
they can only advise you to go and see
another doctor..
INTERNET
Much information about Angers can be found
on the Web, for example at the Université
d'Angers site (www.univ-angers.fr), at
a site describing the city and its facilities:
(www.ville-angers.fr/accueil.htm) or at
the tourist office site (www.angers-tourisme.com).
The UA site will not describe undergraduate
units in the same detailed way as the
UNE one does.
KEEPING IN TOUCH
School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics,
University of New England, ARMIDALE NSW
2351. Tel 00 61 2 6773 2494 (Gloria Model).
Fax 00 61 2 6773 3735. E-mail: lcl@metz.une.edu.au
French intercalary coordinator until 31
January 2005: Professor Chris Gossip (00
61 2 6773 2700 or cgossip@metz.une.edu.au).
From 1 February 2005: Dr Lee Brotherson
(00 61 2 6773 2395 or lbrother@metz.une.edu.au).
Please e-mail Dr Brotherson, as intercalary
coordinator, within a fortnight of starting
classes with details of the UA units you
intend taking. For each unit indicate
which level it is at, the number of hours
of teaching per week and, if possible,
the name of the staff member involved.
Either your programme will be approved
or you will be asked to modify it. Please
notify any changes after approval has
been granted.
KEY PERSONNEL IN ANGERS
---- Our main link is with Madame Catherine
Joncheray, of the Département des
Langues Etrangères Appliquées
(LEA); phone and fax 02.41.35.21.67; Catherine.Joncheray@univ-angers.fr
Her home address - an easy walk from the
campus across the Etang Saint-Nicolas
- is 14 avenue Emile Savigner, 49240 AVRILLE
(an inner suburb of Angers) and her home
phone number is 02.41.69.37.60. A further
contact is the very helpful Head of LEA,
Monsieur Michel Darmon, who is the person
in charge of American exchange students
but who is interested in Australia and
gives classes which UNE students invariably
find worthwhile. (NB: in French universities
it is customary to address academic staff
as Madame, Mademoiselle, Monsieur and
not use titles such as Dr or Professor.)
---- The person in the UFR des Lettres,
Langues et Sciences Humaines who is in
administrative charge of foreign exchange
students is Madame Catherine Barreteau,
of the Bureau d'Accueil des Etudiants
Etrangers de Jumelage, part of the Dean's
office. Her office phone number is 02.41.22.64.31
and fax number 02.41.22.64.19; Catherine.Barreteau@univ-angers.fr
---- The Service des Relations Internationales,
the Angers equivalent of the UNE International
Office, is part of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor
(La Présidence) and situated at
40 rue de Rennes. The Director of the
Service is Monsieur Dominique Dubois but
our immediate contact person there is
Madame Lydie Jouis; the office phone is
02.41.96.23.02, and the e-mail address:
lydie.jouis@univ-angers.fr
LIBRARIES
The Belle-Beille university library (Bibliothèque
universitaire) houses the collections
in Arts and Science. It’s at 5 rue
Lenôtre (tel 02.41.22.64.00) and
is open Monday to Saturday 9am-7pm. Loans
(up to five items) are for up to 3 weeks.
The central public library (Bibliothèque
municipale), at 49 rue Toussaint, near
the Musée des Beaux-Arts in the
old town (tel 02.41.24.25.50), is pleasant,
if often crowded. Free access, but you'll
need to get a reader's card (small charge;
identification needed) to borrow books.
Opening hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Thursdays 9.30am-6.30pm; Fridays 1.00-6.30pm;
Saturdays 9.30am-5.30pm. The Belle-Beille
branch library is in the rue Eugénie
Mansion.
An English-language Library (Bibliothèque
anglophone, formerly called the Bibliothèque
américaine), is at 60 rue Boisnet,
off the place Molière beyond the
Gare routière in the city centre
(tel. 02.41.24.97.07). It stocks 28,000
English-language books and other documents
and some 40 current newspapers. Open Mondays
2-6pm, Tuesdays to Fridays 10am-6pm and
Saturdays 10am-12 noon and 1-6pm.
ORIENTATION/COUNSELLING
The Service Universitaire d'Information
et d'Orientation (SUIO) exists for academic
counselling. It is at the Maison des Etudiants,
2 boulevard Beaussier (tel 02.41.36.52.20)
and is open Mondays 09.00-17.00, Tuesdays
to Thursdays 09.00-12.00 and 14.00-17.00
and Fridays 09.00-12.00.
PART-TIME WORK
The CLOUS, at 35 boulevard du Roi-René
in the city centre (02.41.25.45.80), the
Maison des Etudiants at 2 boulevard Beaussier
on the campus, notices in the various
UFR, Resto-U and Résidence buildings,
ads in local paid-for and free newspapers,
even the local ANPE (employment agency)
offices are all sources of baby-sitting,
English lessons and other part-time work.
Direct application to supermarkets, pizza
and other fast-food outlets, restaurants
and bars may provide un p'tit job, evenings
or weekends. Word-of-mouth is often the
best solution. Take care about framing
and responding to advertisements, but
equally make sure that you get the going
rate for services you provide. Cash payments
are obviously the best thing to aim at.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
In France, if a public holiday falls on
a Saturday or Sunday (except for Pâques
and Pentecôte), the weekend day
is taken as the holiday, and not the next
working day (as compensation). But if
a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or
a Thursday, faire le pont (bridging the
gap) is frequent, with widespread absenteeism
on the adjacent Monday or Friday, thus
creating an unofficial 4-day weekend.
RESIDENCE FACILITIES
Remember to take a change of (single bed)
sheets. You can safely ignore the stern
injunction not to use ANY electric appliance
as long as you ensure that you have the
right plug or adaptor, do not overload
the circuit and do not make excessive
noise. To borrow the iron, you may need
to leave your uni card with the concierge.
Although cafeteria meals (see RESTAURANTS
UNIVERSITAIRES) are reasonably copious
and good value, you will no doubt frequently
want to do your own cooking. Residences
provide only minimal facilities. However:
Ask at the Résidence Belle-Beille
office about the UNE boxfuls of goodies
kept in the bagagerie specifically for
your - and your successors' – use.
This collection of pots, pans, cutlery
and lots of other essentials has been
built up by UNE students in Angers over
the past few years and the Directrice
of Belle-Beille kindly agreed to house
them for us at no charge. Please maintain,
and if possible add to, this valuable
collection. Items from it are available
on loan to all UNE students, not just
those living in Belle-Beille.
RESTAURANTS UNIVERSITAIRES
There are several in Angers, and you should
be able to use whichever resto-U is most
convenient, depending on where you are.
On campus, the RU Belle-Beille is in the
boulevard Lavoisier. It offers a restaurant
(for traditional, 3-course meals covered
by the standard-price tickets), open 11.30-13.30
and 18.30-20.00, a brasserie (for salads,
pizzas etc), open 11.30-15.00 and 18.30-20.30,
and a cafétéria-bar open
11.30-14.30 and 18.30-20.45. The same
three types of facility, with slightly
better food and more choice, are available
in the city centre, at the RU Beaux-Arts,
35 boulevard du Roi-René. Times
there are (respectively) 11.30-13.30 and
18.15-20.00; 11.30-14.00 and 18.30-20.30;
09.00-14.30 and 18.00-20.45. A third complex
is the RU Saint-Serge, at 55 quai Félix
Faure, on the Saint-Serge campus.
Tickets for the traditional 3-course meal
are available in carnets of 10, on sale
12.00-13.30 Mondays to Fridays. In theory
you will need to show your carte d'étudiant.
Cost: approximately _26.
SOCIAL CUSTOMS
Unless you already know them well, don't
phone French adults or families or visit
unannounced at normal mealtimes or, in
most cases, after about 21.30. If invited
for a meal, take a small gift, but avoid
chrysanthemums (associated with funerals)
or bottles of wine (their knowledge and
taste here are probably better than yours).
Be careful to use vous to all adults unless
otherwise instructed.
SPORT
---- Organised on campus by la FNSU (Fédération
Nationale du Sport Universitaire), Cité
Universitaire Pavot (tel 02.41.87.52.33)
and le SUAPS (Service Universitaire des
Activités Physiques et Sportives),
6 boulevard Lavoisier, next to the kiosque
(tel 02.41.73.50.49; open Mondays 09.00-13.00
and 14.00-17.30, Tuesdays to Thursdays
08.30-13.00 and 14.00-17.30 and Fridays
08.30-13.00 and 14.00-17.00). SUAPS costs
a few euros in membership for the year
and allows you to participate in sporting
activities. It is good to get in early.
Note that SUAPS also offers cheaper photocopying
than the university library.
---- The City of Angers has a Service
des Sports et Loisirs de la Ville d'Angers,
85 rue du Mail, near the Hôtel de
Ville - free or reduced-rate access for
students.
---- The Piscine Belle-Beille is in the
rue Eugénie Mansion. The Piscine
Jean Bouin (Piscine Olympique) is boulevard
Pierre de Coubertin, adjacent to the Stade
Jean Bouin, about 1 km south-east of the
Université Catholique.
TELEPHONES
To phone France from Australia, dial 0011,
followed by the international access code
for France, 33, then the subscriber's
10-digit number minus the initial 0. From
France, dial the international access
code 00, then 61 (the code for Australia)
followed by the Australian area code without
the 0, then the 8-digit number.
All French numbers are 10-digit, the first
two digits being the area code. For Paris
and the Paris region, numbers start with
01. For the rest of France, numbers begin
with 02, 03, 04 or 05 depending on the
location. 06 indicates a mobile number.
Numbers in the Angers area start with
02. If dialling a French number from outside
the country, omit the initial 0.
Virtually all public phones only take
phonecards (télécartes),
obtainable in 50 units and 120 units from
post offices, railway stations and tabacs
(which also sell postage stamps).
Phone numbers for anywhere in France can
be consulted in post offices, either in
hard-copy annuaires or in the annuaire
électronique using the Minitel
system. The annuaire électronique
can be accessed from anywhere on the Internet
at www,pagesjaunes,fr/pb.cgi?
To keep in touch with home, one of the
best methods is to get a calling card
from your phone provider. This allows
calls to be charged to the Australian
number you dial.
TIPPING
Unlike in Australia, you will be expected
to tip taxi drivers, hairdressers, porters
and some others. 10% is usually enough.
In cafés and restaurants, service
compris (sometimes 15%) is almost always
included on the bill; if so, no more is
required.
TOURISM
The Angers tourist information office
(Office de Tourisme du Grand Angers) is
at 7 place du Président Kennedy,
BP 15157, 49051 ANGERS Cedex 02. Telephone
02.41.23.50.00.
Angers is 300 km south-west of Paris and
just 75 km from Laval, 90 km from Nantes,
95 km from Le Mans, 110 km from Tours,
120 km from Rennes - all towns and cities
well worth visiting. The Maine joins the
Loire, the longest river in France (1010
km), just south of Angers; to the east,
almost as far as Orléans (215 km),
are the famous medieval and Renaissance
châteaux: Saumur, Langeais, Azay-le-Rideau,
Villandry, Amboise, Chenonceaux, Blois,
Chambord, Beaugency ... This is also the
land of good food (fish, fruit, pork,
vegetables) and wine (the reds of Bourgueil
and Chinon, the many different whites,
and the rosé d'Anjou), due to the
rivers, the fertile soils, and la douceur
angevine of which the poet Du Bellay wrote.
There are also direct TGV services from
Angers to Lyon (4 hours) and points south,
bypassing Paris and opening up easy access
to the French Alps, Provence and the south-west.
Lyon is just 45 minutes from Saint-Etienne,
where a student exchange programme between
UNE and the Université Jean Monnet
has been operating since 1997.
TRANSLATORS
In the (unlikely) event of documents not
being accepted, you may need to have recourse
to a traducteur assermenté. Try
Yvon HEMERY, 15 rue Jules Dauban (2e étage)
(tel 02.41.87.15.14), Marcel MICHEL, 12
impasse Hamelin (tel 02.41.48.19.94),
Linda PINON, 33 rue des Fours à
chaux (tel 02.41.60.55.34), or Terence
ATKINSON, at the Université Catholique
de l'Ouest (tel 02.41.81.66.00).
TRAVEL
For rail travel within France, enquire
at the Gare SNCF about the range of reductions
available, depending on your age, or contact
OTU (Organisation pour le Tourisme Universitaire:
www.otu.fr; nearest agency to Angers is
in Nantes) which also gives good prices
on air and coach tickets and car hire.
For rail travel outside France, you should
get 20-30% reduction by asking for a billet
BIGE (Billet International Groupe Etudiant).
Or enquire about the various rail passes
(Eurail, or a pass specific to each European
country), which may provide a better deal.
While there are plenty of buses into neighbouring
villages and towns, inter-city coach travel
is virtually non-existent within France,
given the subsidised domination of the
SNCF and its connecting buses. Long-distance
coach services across France and into
other countries, including the UK, are
provided by Eurolines (www.eurolines.fr);
the Angers pick-up is at Quai H, Gare
routière, place de la Poissonnerie.
The nearest main airport to Angers is
Nantes-Atlantique (NTE) (www.nantes.aeroport.fr),
which has internal flights and serves
some foreign destinations, e.g. London.
But in most cases it will be as convenient,
and cheaper, to depart from one of the
two Paris airports, Charles de Gaulle
(Roissy) (CDG) or Orly (ORY).
And last but certainly not least ...
UNE REQUIREMENTS
---- The Bachelor of Languages intercalary
year, made up of the semester units OSLS
391 and OSLS 392, is worth 48 credit points,
i.e. a full-year internal load. This gives
you some idea of the necessary 'weight'
of the programme you will be required
to confect for yourself (with our advice),
although some allowance is made for the
fact that you will be following a range
of classes, given in normal-speed French.
Units in France often require only one
hour of face-to-face teaching per week
and have fewer assignments than in Australia,
so we suggest that students be enrolled
in seven (7) units at any one time.. We
will expect you to take a suitable mixture
of classes related to your UNE studies
but which can include other subjects as
well. The level should be 1st-year (première
année or premier niveau or DEUG
1) and/or 2nd-year (deuxième année
or deuxième niveau or DEUG 2),
i.e. units forming part of the DEUG or
premier cycle. You are likely to find
most classes at licence (3rd-year) level
too advanced, although nothing prevents
you from sampling one or two. Your intended
list of units needs formal approval by
UNE French soon after the start of classes
(see KEEPING IN TOUCH). You may, if you
wish, take not more than two (2) units
from CUFCO, Angers's Continuing Education
arm, but a minimum of five should be taken
in the main university.
We expect you to do coursework/assignments
- i.e. say oui when asked if you require
notes -, to attend classes regularly,
and to sit (passer) and - why not? - even
pass (réussir à) relevant
exams. UA will provide you with a final
transcript and, in some cases, an individual
attestation for each subject, with or
without a staff comment (appréciation)
(see Appendix B). We will need copies
of this paperwork on your return to Australia.
Check a couple of weeks before the end
of the semester or academic year (as appropriate)
to ensure that these documents will be
available to you.
---- Bachelor of Arts students, except
those taking the full-time package deal
OSLS 391 and/or OSLS 392 (see previous
dot point), will need to attend regularly,
do assignments, sit AND pass relevant
exams if the UA units, with the prior
permission of the UNE Faculty of Arts,
Humanities and Social Science, are to
count towards advanced standing at UNE.
Remember that undertaking less than the
equivalent of a UNE full-time load at
Angers may affect any entitlement you
have to Austudy or other allowances.
Among units taken by recent UNE students
are a mixture of language (French-English/English-French)
classes - Thème anglais (LEA, Licence
- M. Arnaud); Thème anglais (LEA,
DEUG II - M. Darmon); Version anglaise
(LEA, DEUG I - M. Baylon); Français
- expression écrite et orale (LEA,
DEUG I - M. Menou); Version anglaise (Anglais,
DEUG II - Mme Merrien); Version et Méthodologie
de la traduction (Anglais, DEUG I - M.
Ebener, 2 hours/week); Traduction journalistique
(Anglais, DEUG II - M. Darmon) -, supplemented
by classes in French literature and/or
civilisation. Virtually all teaching staff
welcome English speakers into their classes,
as they believe it helps local students.
It is legitimate to keep up a second subject,
e.g. another language, but limit this
to two of your units at most.
Your first few weeks will be disconcerting,
as you settle in, come to grips with French
bureaucracy (university and civil), attend
a range of classes before finally choosing,
and do necessary revision for any UNE
exams. IT IS HIGHLY DESIRABLE THAT ALL
OUTSTANDING UNE ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD HAVE
BEEN SUBMITTED BEFORE YOU REACH FRANCE.
Throw yourself wholeheartedly into the
process of life in France. There will
be difficult moments, but the end of your
stay will come round very quickly, and
you will want to get involved as much
as possible with local people and events
as well as attending classes and undertaking
further study.
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