Featured Alumna: Claire Jenson
Featured Alumna: Claire Jenson
Art History Major, Oberlin College 2012
CUPA Year 2010-2011
Students have been traveling to Paris to study for centuries; I, too benefited from the scholarly heritage of the Middle Ages’ foremost university city. With the art historical resources of Paris at my fingertips, and the invaluable guidance and support of generous faculty mentors, I was able to take on the task of identifying and re-ordering the separated leaves of a French illuminated missal. Unlike other textual studies, however, my work began with one serious disadvantage: I had only one leaf of the manuscript. The rich academic resources of Paris allowed me to carry out a scholarly investigation, and the experience of being an international student required me to take charge of my studies in a new, independent, way. CUPA’s organization stresses the autonomy of the student; each undergraduate creates his or her own curriculum from the offerings, including graduate level courses, at numerous Parisian universities. This opportunity, and the encouragement of the CUPA staff, allowed me to register for Master-level seminars. The professors I met supported my work, shared advice, suggested resources, and offered encouragement. I owe much of the success of my research to these generous scholars.
Related articles
Featured alumna: Jessica Meyers
Jessica Meyers looks back at her semester in Paris and her experiences at ENSAPLV.More
Featured Alumna: Katie Fackler
My semester at CUPA in Paris affected my path beyond college and opened my eyes to the possibility of an international life. I found that I loved numerous aspects of studying and living abroad – immersing myself in a different culture, exploring...More
Mariah Phillips, CUPA alumna, on Elle.com
When I announced my move to the City of Lights, nearly everyone mentioned Josephine Baker, perhaps the most prominent example of a Black woman surrendering to la vie française. Older Black women nodded their heads and murmured, “Oh, they love us there,”...More
Featured alumnus: Isidore Bethel
Following his semester at CUPA and his graduation from Harvard, Isidore Bethel came back to France to pursue his graduate studies. Since then he has started a successful career in cinema and has produced and directed multiple critically acclaimed feature documentary films.More