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Saint-Etienne 2004
- 2005
The
following notes (items arranged in alphabetical
order) are designed to help you both
before and after your arrival in Saint-Etienne.
They have been compiled from vaious
documents, comments by previous students
(to whom our grateful thanks), and from
fairly long experience of the needs
of intercalary students. Please help
us to help your successors by responding
to calls for up-to-date information
and for improvements to this booklet.
Saint-Etienne, the 11th city in France
by size of population (200,000, in an
agglomération of almost 500,000),
has changed considerably in the last
twenty to thirty years. Founded in the
12th century and transformed during
the Industrial Revolution into a major
centre, focusing on coal, textiles (especially
ribbons, velvet and haberdashery) and
metal products (principally bicycles
and firearms), the city has diversified
into electronics, medical technology
and agribusiness since the mines shut
down. The former ville noire, built
on seven hills and situated 520 metres
above sea level, has also undergone
a physical renovation, with nineteenth-century
buildings being cleaned, parks established,
and the old quarter in the centre improved
and pedestrianised. The inhabitants
(les Stéphanois, aka les gagas)
are hardworking, realistic and above
all friendly, extending a warm welcome
to foreigners.
The Musée d'Art moderne has the
best collection of contemporary art
in France outside the Centre Pompidou
in Paris. The Musée d'Art et
d'Industrie offers a panorama of Saint-Etienne's
industrial and social past, while the
former huge Manufrance factory/mail-order
business on the Cours Fauriel, built
on the site of the Manufacture des Armes
et Cycles de Saint-Etienne, has become
a conference and shopping centre and
planetarium. The Maison de la Culture
et de la Communication (l'Esplanade)
which offers opera, concerts and dance
shows, the famous Comédie Nationale
de Saint-Etienne theatre company founded
by Jean Dasté, the annual October
book fair (la Fête du livre),
the Palais des Sports and the celebrated
soccer team les Verts (whose Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
was one of the venues for the 1998 World
Cup) indicate the range of artistic
and sporting activities on offer. On
the edge of the city are the 60,000-hectare
Parc Naturel Régional du Pilat,
the Monts du Forez and the Monts du
Lyonnais, the Gorges of the Loire and
the nature reserve of the Forez region.
Mountain-biking (VTT), windsurfing at
Saint-Victor-sur-Loire and cross-country
skiing at Le Bessat (ski de fond) are
just a few minutes from the city-centre
university campus.
Saint-Etienne, préfecture of
the Loire département and second
city of the Rhône-Alpes region,
has the advantage of a position in south
central France, affording easy access
to the Alps to the east, Provence and
Italy to the south, Auvergne to the
west and a variety of landscapes, towns
and cities to the south-west as far
as the Pyrenees and Spain. Just 60km
from Lyon, a major rail, road and air
hub, it offers the opportunity of living
in a 'real French' urban environment,
yet surrounded by hills and with the
countryside at the city's door in each
direction.
The Université de Saint-Etienne
was established in 1969, although various
tertiary institutions had existed in
the city since 1961. It was re-named
Université Jean Monnet in 1989
in honour of one of the founding fathers
of the European Community (1888-1979).
The UJM-UNE exchange agreement, signed
by both Vice-Chancellors in 1997 and
renewed in 2002, allows for the movement
of up to five students (of any Faculty
and level) each way in any one calendar
year. UJM sends us mainly students of
LEA and LCE (see DEGREE STRUCTURES below),
who have European levels of language
experience and training, but also law
students. UNE students, with generally
rather lower linguistic competence on
departure and sometimes being at earlier
stages in their degrees, will find the
period of study and residence challenging
but rewarding. Work hard; enjoy yourself!
Chris Gossip
August 2004
ADDRESSES
There are three main UJM halls of residence
run by the Service Logement of 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 operates the system
of student restaurants and various kinds
of student accommodation. Bed linen
is provided.
- Résidence
universitaire de la Cotonne (standard
study-bedrooms with washbasin), 17
boulevard Raoul Duval, 42023 SAINT-ETIENNE
Cedex 2 (tel 04.77.57.30.14). 300
rooms. Arrivals possible Monday-Friday
07.30-21.00, Saturdays 07.30-16.00,
18.00-21.00, Sundays 13.00-21.00.
Admission by night porter also possible,
21.00-05.30 daily.
- Résidence
universitaire de la Métare (standard study-bedrooms with washbasin),
25 rue du Dr Paul Michelon, 42023
SAINT-ETIENNE Cedex 2 (tel 04.77.25.14.62).
300 rooms. Arrivals possible Monday-Friday
07.30-21.00, Saturday 09.00-14.00,
16.00-21.00, Sundays 09.00-13.00,
17.00-21.00. Admission by night porter
also possible, 21.00-05.30 daily.
- Résidence
Tréfilerie (18m2 studios,
with bathroom and cooking facilities),
18 A, B to 20 A, B rue Richard, 42100
SAINT-ETIENNE (tel 04.77.81.85.50).
Register at CLOUS, Monday to Friday
09.00-12.00, 13.30-16.00. No weekend
arrivals. Housing insurance (assurance
habitation) required for this Résidence.
- A
fourth, non-university hall of residence
supplies blankets but not sheets and
allows only weekday, office-hours
arrivals (09.00-12.00, 13.30-16.30)
- Résidence
Chantegrillet,
33 allée Chantegrillet, 42100
SAINT-ETIENNE (tel 04.77.47.03.33)
- The Faculty of interest to you is
the Faculté des Arts, Lettres
et Langues. It is on the Tréfilerie
campus, 33 rue du 11 Novembre, 42023
SAINT-ETIENNE Cedex 2. Tel 04.77.42.16.00.
Fax 04.77.42.13.XX. There is a Bureau
Accueil Etudiants on the ground floor
of the Centre Administratif, Bâtiment
G. On the same campus are the Faculté
des Sciences humaines et sociales,
the Institut Supérieur d'Economie,
d'Administration et de Gestion (ISEAG),
the Faculté de Droit, the Institut
Universitaire Professionnel (IUP),
the Maison Rhône-Alpes des Sciences
de l'Homme (MRASH; research institutes),
and the Service Universitaire de la
Formation Continue (SUFC; adult education).
The campus is conveniently situated
in the city on part of the main north-south
artery known as la Grand'Rue which
is successively named (from north
to south) rue Bergson, rue De Gaulle,
rue du Président Wilson, rue
du Général Foy, rue
Gambetta, rue du 11 Novembre and rue
des Docteurs Charcot.
- The
Faculté des Sciences et Techniques
and IUP Télécommunication
are on the Métare campus, 23
rue Dr Paul Michelon, on the south-east
edge of the city, together with the
Institut Universitaire de Technologie
(IUT).
- A
third campus, at the southern end
of the Grand'Rue, is Bellevue, with
the Faculté de Médecine
et des Sciences de la Santé,
15 rue Ambroise Paré, beside
the Bellevue teaching hospital (CHU
Bellevue).
The CLOUS office is at 11 rue Tréfilerie,
42023 SAINT-ETIENNE Cedex 2 (tel 04.77
81.85.50) and is open Mondays to Fridays
09.00-12.00 and 13.30-16.00.
ARRIVAL IN FRANCE
On arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport
(CDG) at Roissy outside Paris, there
are Air France buses from Terminals
1 and 2 to central Paris (place de l'Etoile,
at the corner of avenue Carnot, via
place de la Porte Maillot). 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.
Direct métro or RER connection
from Etoile to the Gare de Lyon (for
trains to Saint-Etienne). Or the same
station can be reached by the separate
Air France coach connection CDG - Montparnasse
via Gare de Lyon, which operates every
30 minutes at peak times.
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 station Gare
RER Charles de Gaulle 2 is linked directly
to Terminal 2. From Terminal 1, a free
shuttle bus (navette) takes you to RER
station Gare RER Charles de Gaulle 1.
Saint-Etienne is served by four through
TGV daily from Paris (Gare de Lyon).
Journey time 2 hours 50 minutes. Many
other TGV services are available from
Paris (Gare de Lyon) to Lyon (Part-Dieu
and Perrache stations) - a 2-hour trip
- with connections from there to Saint-Etienne
(45 minutes or so). There are also a
number of through TGV from Lille via
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport mainline
station (Aéroport Charles de
Gaulle Gare TGV, linked to Terminal
2) to Lyon, avoiding the need to change
in Paris. TGV services need prior reservation,
whereas 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 stations, 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. A full-price
instant purchase second-class single
would be an aller simple. The SNCF may
not accept ISIC cards as a form of student
identification. Payment is readily accepted
by credit card. 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 contrôleurs
on board. This applies to outward and
return journeys and after any authorised
break of journey.
In the opposite direction, through services
from Lyon to Lille offer hassle-free
rail travel to the UK or Belgium or
Holland, transferring to Eurostar London-Paris
trains or Thalys high-speed services
to Brussels and Amsterdam at Lille-Europe
station, avoiding the need to change
stations in Paris.
Details of SNCF trains can be found
in the online timetable at <www.sncf.fr>.
There are also direct Air Jet flights
from Paris to Saint-Etienne, but these
leave from Orly (ORY), not Roissy (Charles
de Gaulle), which means a change of
airport for most overseas arrivals.
For those travelling to or from France
via England, Ryanair offers direct flights
from London (Stansted) to Saint-Etienne.
ARRIVAL IN SAINT-ETIENNE
To reach your résidence you may
well prefer to take a taxi. By public
transport from outside the main railway
station (Gare de Saint-Etienne Châteaucreux),
proceed as follows: to Résidence
de la Cotonne, bus 10 (Cotonne-Soleil)
and get off at the 'arrêt Résidence
Universitaire' (about 20 mins); to Résidence
de la Métare, bus 10 (Cotonne-Soleil)
to the 'arrêt Dorian', then bus
9 (Dorian-Métare) to the 'arrêt
Faculté des Sciences' (10 + 20
mins); to Résidence Tréfilerie,
bus 7 (Châteaucreux-Bellevue)
to the rue Antoine Durafour ('arrêt
Bouillet'); to Résidence Chantegrillet,
bus 7 (Châteaucreux-Bellevue)
to the rue Etienne Mimard ('arrêt
Caserne des pompiers').
ATMOSPHERE
Even in what, by French standards, is
a fairly small university (15,000 students),
you will find that UJM 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, and attempts are being
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.
Equally the cités or résidences
are designed more as dormitories and
study spaces than as centres of social
life or community spirit, as in Australia.
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 UJM and 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 (Banque
Nationale de Paris), Crédit Agricole,
Crédit Lyonnais, Société
Générale etc. You are
likely have to pay bank charges but
should be eligible for a cheque account.
The French post office (La Poste) also
runs accounts which could reward investigation.
Having funds transferred from Australia
by parents or other family members can
be done by post (banks will charge about
$10 for a draft in euros, irrespective
of the amount) or, slightly more quickly
and conveniently, by electronic/telegraphic
transfer straight into a nominated account.
Charge: about $20.
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 it is a criminal offence
in France to write cheques that bounce
(chèques sans provision).
BOOKSHOPS
Main bookshops include Librairie Joseph
Gibert, 18 rue Pierre Bérard
(tel 04.77.21.07.77; new and second-hand);
FNAC, 1 rue Louis Braille (tel 04.77.43.43.43;
a branch of the excellent national chain);
Librarire de Paris, 6-8 rue Michel Rondet
(tel 04.77.32.89.34); Librairie Forum,
2 rue du Général Foy (tel
04.77.32.36.59); Librairie Le Henaff,
2 rue de la Résistance (tel 04.77.32.05.91);
Librairie Culture et Foi, 20 rue Berthelot
(tel 04.77.80.48.70 - for religious
and humanities books).
Foreign newspapers can be obtained from
the Librairie de Paris, from Agena,
6 avenue de la Libération (tel
04.77.33.61.06), and at the Maison de
la Presse, 56 rue Gambetta (tel 04.77.32.40.04).
CONTACT WITH LOCALS
Among many cities worldwide with which
Saint-Etienne is officially twinned
are Coventry (UK) and Des Moines, Iowa
(USA). Two clubs meet for English conversation
(but not classes) at 4 rue A. Malraux
(tel 04.77.25.88.50): the Amitié
Franco-Américaine and the Club
Franco-Britannique. Your help as an
English speaker could be useful, or
you might at least find your way into
a local family through invitations.
There is even a Club Forez-Ecosse if
you need to trace your Scottish ancestry
... German speakers might care to consider
the Club Franco-Allemand (same address),
which organises lessons, lectures etc,
or the Association France-Autriche,
Espace Boris-Vian, 3 rue Jean-Claude
Tissot (tel 04.77.41.07.26), while students
of Italian are catered for by the AFI
(Amicale Franco-Italienne), 2 place
du Peuple (small library), the Cercle
Franco-Italien, 2 rue J. Desgeorges,
and Loire-Italie, 4 rue A. Malraux.
The City Council runs a 'welcome service'
for newcomers. It's Saint-Etienne Accueil
AVF, at 11 rue du Président Wilson
(tel 04.77.25.26.65).
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 about A$800-850 per month,
once initial, one-off Saint-Etienne
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 monthly, and does not take into
account any rebates you may receive.
Hall rooms vary in price, from 140 euros
a month at Métare and Cotonne
for those under 26 and 180 if over 26
to 205 euros at Chantegrillet and 323
euros at Tréfilerie (all ages).
These prices include room, bed linen
and cleaning; meals are extra.
CULTURE
The Comédie de Saint-Etienne
(Centre dramatique national) is at the
Théâtre Jean Dasté,
7 avenue Emile Loubet (tel 04.77.25.01.24).
The Maison de la Culture et de la Communication
(now renamed L'Esplanade) is in the
Jardin des Plantes (tel 04.77.47.83.47).
You'll find the Salle Jeanne d'Arc at
16 rue Jean-Claude Tissot (tel 04.77.25.01.13)
and the Théâtre de Poche
at 44 rue de la Mulatière (tel
04.77.38.09.77). The Palais des Spectacles
et des Sports is boulevard Jules Janin
(tel 04.77.42.87.53). Among museums:
Musée d'Art moderne, at La Terrasse
(tel 04.77.93.59.58), the Musée
d'Art et d'Industrie, place Louis Comte
(tel 04.77.33.04.85), the Musée
Couriot (mining museum at a former pit),
boulevard Franchet d'Esperey (tel 04.77.43.83.23),
the Musée des Amis du Vieux Saint-Etienne,
13 bis rue Gambetta (tel 04.77.25.74.32)
and the Musée de la Manufacture
d'Armes, rue J. Pagnon (tel 04.77.74.91.88).
Cinemas include: Cinémathèque,
24 rue Jo Gouttebarge (tel 04.77.43.09.77);
Eden, 3 rue Blanqui; Le France, 8 rue
de la Valse (04.77.32.76.96); Gaumont,
2 rue Praire; Le Méliès,
38 rue Gambetta ('le cinéma indépendant
de Saint-Etienne', tel 04.77.32.32.01);
Le Royal, 33 avenue de la Libération.
Undubbed, sub-titled foreign films are
shown at the Cinémathèque,
the France and the Méliès,
which offer subscriptions and student
reductions.
DEGREE STRUCTURES AND TEACHING METHODS
Basically the first two years in Arts,
the premier cycle, form 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 sometimes referred to as Bac
+1, Bac +2, Bac +3, Bac +4. The troisième
cycle, after the Maîtrise, includes
various postgraduate diplomas and doctorates.
Courses in 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 culture (Langues et
Civilisations Etrangères [LCE])
and more multidisciplinary, professionally-orientated
programmes such as LEA (Langues Etrangères
Appliquées, two languages with
elements of accounting, economics, marketing,
management, and business studies). Robert
Colombet, of the Département
LEA, was involved in early discussions
on the UJM-UNE exchange and remains
our principal academic contact at UJM,
although he will shortly be handing
over to a colleague, Béatrice
Bijon. Your basic area is likely to
be Lettres modernes, which covers French
language and literature and possibly
elements of comparative literature.
It, and Lettres classiques, are at UJM
taught within the Département
des lettres, which is broken down into
the following sections: Grammaire française;
Langues anciennes; Littérature
comparée; Littérature
française. In addition, English,
German, Italian and Spanish are taught
in the Lettres modernes/Lettres classiques
areas. UJM does not currently teach
philosophy, psychology or sociology.
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.
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 Saint-Etienne,
you will need documents and sums of
money to complete your university enrolment
(see the information sent to you) and
for administrative procedures (including
obtaining the carte de séjour).
Translations of birth certificates,
passports, insurance policies (relevant
sections of) can be undertaken by the
School prior to your departure, provided
sufficient notice is given. It is almost
certain (though not guaranteed) that
translations done by UNE and bearing
correct wording and a rubber stamp will
be acceptable in Saint-Etienne, including
the paperwork for the carte de séjour.
EXAMS FOR UNE
UNE semester 2 exams in 2004 start on
10 November and run till 24 November.
Normally you will sit your UNE exams
in Saint-Etienne 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 Saint-Etienne and the originals
will be airmailed to Armidale for marking.
Queries: see Mme Bijon.
EXCHANGE STUDENTS
You will find that Saint-Etienne, 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), 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.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
You should be entitled to a rebate on
the rent of your résidence room,
under a scheme called ALS (allocation
logement à caractère social).
You may not be able to claim this until
you are in possession of the full carte
de séjour. The office which deals
with the rebate is the Caisse d'Allocations
Familiales (CAF), in the CPAM (Caisse
Primaire d'Assurance Maladie) building,
3 avenue du Président Loubet
(tel 04.77.42.25.00). Another scheme,
APL (aide personnalisée au logement)
relates to housing subsidy for rented
student flats. The rebate, when eventually
granted, will be paid into a bank account
(you will still need to pay the full
rent yourself monthly). To obtain ALS/APL,
you will require a completed application
form, details of what you pay, details
of income, and identification. It is
likely that you will be able to claim
ALS/APL by November; payments will be
back-dated to when you applied for your
carte de séjour. Monthly rebates
are approximately 40 euros at Cotonne/Métare,
100 euros at Chantegrillet and 137 euros
at Tréfilerie.
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. 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
Consulate-General).
Students travelling on a European
Union passport need only a passport
to enter France in order to study.
After arrival in France, ALL students
have to obtain a residence permit (carte
de séjour). This involves applying
to the Bureau des Etrangers at the Préfecture
de Police, 7 rue du Président
Wilson (04.77.32.15.36). In the case
of students travelling on a non-European
Union passport, a medical is also required
and may be carried out at the Office
des Migrations Internationales in Lyon
(04.72.77.15.40). 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 Saint-Etienne/Lyon doctor
may simply copy the information from
the previous report to his own
UJM will advise on procedures, but be
prepared to make more than one trip
to the Bureau des Etrangers, and possibly
to the Commissariat Central de Police,
99 bis cours Fauriel (tel 04.77.25.22.21).
You are likely to need (but check locally
or in the paperwork sent to you by UJM):
a birth certificate; a photocopy of
your passport's main pages; a photocopy
of your UNE student card; a photocopy
of the UJM student card; a justificatif
de ressources; a justificatif de domicile/attestation
de logement (a statement from the residence
or your landlord); a photocopy of your
insurance cover; four (4) recent, identical
passport-size photos (no sunglasses
or hats); a stamped envelope with your
name and French address. Most important
in some ways is the justificatif de
ressources, proof (in the form of a
parental letter or other evidence) that
a certain amount will be available to
you each month, or, basically, that
you have, or will have, the means to
support yourself during your stay. 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
might require you to go to a certified
translator (traducteur habilité/traducteur
assermenté - see TRANSLATORS
below), you should, on recent experience,
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 UJM.
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.s If all forms are obtained
promptly and returned immediately, you
increase your chances of getting back-payments
on your housing subsidy.
For academic enrolment at UJM, you will
probably need: 2 photos; a photocopy
of passport pages; a photocopy of your
insurance cover; a photocopy of your
UNE student card. It certainly helps
if you can have these items, and most
if not all of those mentioned in the
previous paragraph, to hand when you
attend the welcome/enrolment day for
overseas students. If in doubt or if
you have a problem, a prior visit to
the UJM International Office (see KEY
PERSONNEL IN SAINT-ETIENNE, below) is
advised!
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
Assiduité --- Regular attendance
(at classes)
Caution --- Deposit
Contrôle des connaissances ---
Assessment
Contrôle continu --- Continuous
assessment, coursework
Copie certifiée conforme ---
Certified photocopy
Cours --- Class
Cours magistral (CM) --- 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 Centre
de Médecine Préventive
Universitaire is at 14 rue de la Charité,
42000 SAINT-ETIENNE, (tel 04.77.32.40.43).
Open Mondays to Fridays from 09.00 to
11.30 and 14.00 to 16.30.
INTERNET
Much information about Saint-Etienne
can be found on the Web, for example
at the Université Jean Monnet
site <www.univ-st-etienne.fr>,
at a general site about the city and
its facilities <www.mairie-st-etienne.fr/fr/index.html>,
and at the tourist office site <www.st-etienne.pagestourisme.com>.
KEEPING IN TOUCH
School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics,
University of New England, ARMIDALE
NSW 2351. Tel 00 61 2 6773 2494 (office),
6773 2700 (Professor Chris Gossip, intercalary
coordinator). Fax 00 61 2 6773 3735.
E-mail: lcl@metz.une.edu. au (office),
or cgossip@metz.une.edu.au
Please write to Professor Gossip, as
intercalary coordinator, by the first
week in November with details of the
UJM units you intend taking. For each
unit indicate which level it is at (DEUG
1, DEUG 2, Licence ...), 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. I will
be on study leave from February to September
2005; you will be informed of who will
be your correspondent then.
KEY PERSONNEL IN SAINT-ETIENNE
The Service Commun des Relations Internationales
(SCRI), the Saint-Etienne equivalent
of the UNE International Office, is
on the 5th floor of the university's
administrative headquarters (Maison
de l'Université), 34 rue Francis
Baulier, 42023 SAINT-ETIENNE Cedex 2,
a five-minute walk north-east of the
Tréfilerie campus towards the
city centre. It is part of the Office
of the Vice-Chancellor (La Présidence).
This should be your first port of call.
The Director of the Service is Monsieur
Dominique Mellet (tel 04.77.42.17.53)
but our immediate administrative contact
person there is Madame Jacqueline Guyomard
(tel 04.77.42.18.01; Jacqueline.Guyomard@univ-st-etienne.fr),
the person who keeps in day-to-day touch
with UNE. Our academic contact is the
very pleasant Madame Béatrice
Bijon (tel 04.77.42.16.00; fax 04.77.42.13.29;
Beatrice.Bijon@univ-st-etienne.fr ),
who commutes from her home in Grenoble.
You will find that all SCRI staff are
extremely obliging. Should you have
any practical questions or problems,
do not hesitate to speak to one of them.
Office e-mail: scri@univ-st-etienne.fr
The SCRI office is open Mondays to Fridays
from 09.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 17.00.
LIBRARIES
The section of the Bibliothèque
universitaire or BU dealing with Lettres,
Droit, Sciences Economiques is at 1
rue Tréfilerie (tel 04.77.42.16.18),
adjacent to the Faculté des Arts,
Lettres et Langues. It is normally open
Mondays to Fridays from 08.30 to 18.30
and Saturdays from 09.00 to 17.00 in
term-time and at advertised times during
vacations. Closed public holidays. An
inter-library loan service (Prêt-Inter)
is available. Books are catalogued according
to a modified version of the Dewey Decimal
System used at the Dixson Library at
UNE, e.g. 840... for French literature.
Do NOT expect the range of stock or
service levels, or the quiet atmosphere,
you are used to in Australia.
The central public library (Bibliothèque
municipale or BM) is in a modern building
at 24 rue Jo Gouttebarge (tel 04.77.43.09.77).
Branch libraries are at 26 rue Raoul
Follereau, 3 boulevard Augustin Thierry,
rue Edouard Vaillant, and within the
BU, rue Tréfilerie. There are
also libraries in the Maison de la Culture
and the Musée de l'Art et de
l'Industrie, at Culture et Bibliothèque
pour tous, 15 rue Michel Rondet, and
there is a Bibliothèque sonore
at 3 rue Emile Littré.
ORIENTATION/COUNSELLING
The Service Commun Universitaire d'Information,
d'Orientation et d'aide à l'Insertion
Professionnelle (SCUIO) exists for academic
counselling. It is at the Maison de
l'Université, 34 rue Francis
Baulier (tel 04.77.42.17.16; fax 04.77.42.17.94;
e-mail: scuio@univ-st-etienne.fr; www.univ-st-etienne.fr/scuio)
and open from 09.00 to 12.00 and 13.30
to 18.00 Mondays to Thursdays Appointments
are possible but not necessary.
PART-TIME WORK
The 'Emplois temporaires' service of
CLOUS, at 11 rue Tréfilerie,
next to the Tréfilerie campus
(tel 04.77.81.85.50; fax 04.77.81.85.59;
open Mondays to Fridays from 09.00 to
12.00 and 13.30 to 16.00), notices in
the various Faculté, Resto-U
and Résidence buildings, ads
in local paid-for and free newspapers,
even the local ANPE (= ex-CES) offices
are all possible 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 source, however. 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.
PHOTOCOPYING/PRINTING/WORD-PROCESSING
An open-access lab, equipped with Macs,
PCs and printers and with Internet facilities,
is available in the Centre Informatique
Tréfilerie, 5 rue Tréfilerie
or 6 rue Basse des Rives, Bâtiment
G (tel 04.77.42.19.00), open 08.00-19.00
Monday to Friday.
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 stern
injunctions 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 an iron,
you may need to leave your uni card
with the concierge.
Although set-price cafeteria meals (see
RESTAURANTS UNIVERSITAIRES) are quite
copious and good value, you will frequently
want to do your own cooking. Traditional
residences provide only minimal facilities;
you will need to buy or borrow everyday
utensils, or take the basics with you
(pan, mug, cutlery etc).
Do think of leaving anything you
purchase for use by your successors,
a system which has worked well in Angers.
where several boxfuls of utensils, sheets
and so on are stored in the luggage-room
(bagagerie) of one of the residences
at no cost to UNE. Perhaps the SCRI
might store for you or suggest a storage
space?
UNE cannot be responsible for payment
of any university or other accommodation
you use. If you encounter financial
problems, please discuss with the SCRI
or contact us direct.
RESTAURANTS
UNIVERSITAIRES
These are operated by CLOUS and offer
a traditional, 3-course meal at a fixed
price in the restaurant prepaid by a
ticket or, in the cafétéria,
a wide choice of hot and cold dishes
and drinks, payable by cash or in some
cases a ticket. On the Faculté
des Lettres campus, the RU Tréfilerie
is at 31 bis rue du 11 Novembre (tel
04.77.37.44.52). It offers a restaurant
(for traditional, 3-course meals covered
by the standard-price tickets), open
11.30-13.30 and 18.30-19.30 Mondays
to Fridays and 12.00-13.00 Saturdays,
and a cafétéria open 08.30-18.30
Mondays to Fridays. On the Métare
campus the RU Métare at 25 rue
du Dr Paul Michelon (tel 04.77.25.14.62)
offers a restaurant open 11.15-13.15
and 18.30-19.30 Mondays to Fridays and
12.00-13.00 Saturdays and a cafétéria
open 11.15-13.30 Mondays to Fridays.
Finally, a caféteria is open
on the Bellevue campus at 15 rue Ambroise
Paré, beside the Hôpital
Bellevue (tel 04.77.42.14.18) 08.30-15.30
Mondays to Fridays.
Tickets for the traditional 3-course
meal are available at 2.50 euros each
and in carnets of 10, on sale 11.30-13.00
Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays at each
RU. In theory you will need to show
your carte d'étudiant.
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 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 le SUAPS (Service
Universitaire des Activités Physiques
et Sportives), 34 rue Francis Baulier
(2nd floor), 42023 SAINT-ETIENNE Cedex
2 (tel 04.77.42.17.96). Open to students
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
from 09.00 to 12.30. Membership for
the year costs a few euros (plus 2 photos)
and allows you to participate in sporting
activities. It is good to get in early.
The city has a department dealing with
sporting activities (Département
Sport Animation Vie Associative de la
Ville de Saint-Etienne) at 6 rue de
la Résistance (tel 04.77.42.89.70).
A 50-metre pool is available at the
Piscine Raymond Sommet, at the Palais
des Sports complex at Parc de la Plaine
Achille in the north-east of the city
(tel 04.77.38.21.21). There are 25-metre
pools at Piscine Grouchy, 179 rue Bergson
(tel 04.77.74.37.13), Piscine de la
Marandinière, boulevard K. Marx
(tel 04.77.25.01.81), Piscine P. Poty,
38 rue P. et L. Gadoud (tel 04.77.80.41.23)
and Piscine Villeboeuf, allée
Shakespeare (tel 04.77.25.17.65). An
ice rink is at 45 boulevard Jules Janin
(tel 04.77.34.14.11).
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 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 Saint-Etienne
area start with 04. 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 some 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 <http://wfc.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.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, the
service charge (often 15%) is now always
included in the prix net you are asked
to pay.
TOURISM
The Saint-Etienne tourist information
office (Office du tourisme et des congrès)
is at 16 avenue de la Libération,
42000 SAINT-ETIENNE. Telephone 04.77.90.43.26
Fax 04.77.32.71.28. Open Mondays to
Saturdays 09.00-12.30 and 13.30-19.00
and Sundays 10.00-13.00. If requesting
information by mail, send at least a
couple of International Reply Coupons
(obtainable from any post office) to
cover postage.
Saint-Etienne is 550 km south of Paris,
330 km north of Marseille and just 40
minutes by motorway from Lyon. Situated
between the Massif Central to the west
and the Rhône Valley to the east,
it is surrounded by the attractive countryside
of the Loire, Haute-Loire, Ardèche
and Puy-de-Dôme départements
. Rail services link Saint-Etienne not
just to Lyon and beyond but south-west
to Le Puy (with its unique volcanic
peaks) and from there to the south on
the Clermont-Ferrand - Nîmes line,
or north to Roanne, Moulins, Nevers
and Paris, using the same central north-south
railway line.
There are also direct TGV services from
Lyon and points south to Angers (4 hours)
and Nantes, bypassing Paris and opening
up easy access to Brittany and the west
coast. There is a student exchange programme
between UNE and the Université
d'Angers.
TRANSLATORS
In the (we hope unlikely) event of your
needing documents officially translated,
you would need to have recourse to a
traducteur assermenté.
TRANSPORT
Saint-Etienne's buses, trolleybuses
and the famous trams which service the
6 kilometres of the main north-south
artery, la Grand'Rue, are operated by
STAS (Société des Transports
de l'Agglomération Stéphanoise).
A 'Point infomation-vente STAS' is at
2 rue du Grand Moulin, beside the Place
Dorian transport hub in the city centre
(tel 04.77.33.31.35), open Mondays to
Fridays 07.30-18.30 and 08.30-12.30
Saturdays. Enquire here about routes,
timetables and a wide range of cost-effective
season tickets (les pass).
Country buses to various towns and villages,
from Le Puy to Lyon, leave from different
points, but principally from the Gare
routière Chavanelle, place Chavanelle.
TRAVEL
The OTU (Organisation pour le Tourisme
Universitaire) office is open daily
except Saturday from 09.00 to 16.00
at the RU Tréfilerie, 31 bis
rue du 11 Novembre (tel 04.77.33.68.05).
The CLOUS (through OTU) can deliver
the International Student Identity Card
(ISIC), scheduled and charter airline
tickets, rail tickets (see below), as
well as a range of travel packages.
For rail travel within France, enquire
at the Gare SNCF, or at OTU, which also
gives good prices on air and coach tickets
and car hire. Purchase of the Carte
Jeune 12-25 allows 50% off all train
travel in France for one year and there
are other cartes for older students.
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.
Long-distance coach travel is not particularly
common within France. Enquire, though,
about Eurolines services which pass
through France en route to/from countries
to north and south.
The airport at Saint-Etienne-Bouthéon
(EBU) has scheduled flights to Paris
(Orly) and Toulouse as well as direct
services to London (Stansted) operated
by the Irish airline Ryanair. The nearest
international airport is Lyon-Saint-Exupéry
(LYS), formerly known as Lyon-Satolas,
which serves a wide range of international,
European and French destinations. A
shuttle bus service from Saint-Exupéry
to Saint-Etienne and return is operated
by Satobus (tel 04.72.68.72.17 in Lyon,
04.77.25.97.79 in Saint-Etienne). But
in many cases it will be as convenient
to depart from one of the two Paris
airports, Charles de Gaulle (Roissy)
or Orly.
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 normally 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) and/or
2nd-year (deuxième année
or deuxième niveau), i.e. units
forming part of the DEUG or premier
cycle. You are likely to find some 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
by around the middle of November, or
mid-March for second-semester arrivals
(see KEEPING IN TOUCH). Not more than
two (2) units may be included from CILEC
(Centre International de Langue et Civilisation),
Saint-Etienne's Continuing Education
arm, i.e. 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. UJM 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 UJM units are to count
towards advanced standing at UNE. Remember
that undertaking less than the equivalent
of a UNE full-time load at Saint-Etienne
may affect any entitlement you have
to Austudy or other allowances.
UJM units which have been taken by your
recent UNE students and which you might
like to consider include, at first-year
level (DEUG, 1ère année):
Expression française and Langue
française (both in Langage) and
Traduction écrite (in Anglais),
and at second-year level (DEUG 2e année):
Traductologie (in Anglais - difficult!),
Creative Writing and Traduction écrite
(also in Anglais), and Traduction écrite
(in LEA). All these are normal classes,
attended by local students. 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. Talk to Béatrice
Bijon and/or Jacqueline Guyomard, who
will know what previous UNE students
have found useful and suitable.
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 your UNE exams in November. IT IS
HIGHLY DESIRABLE THAT ALL OUTSTANDING
UNE ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED
BEFORE YOU REACH FRANCE. Once the November
exams are out of the way, throw yourself
wholeheartedly into the process of life
in France. There will be January (or
November) blues, 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. |
