Students Travel to Strasbourg, Visit the Council of Europe

On April 7^th and 8^th, the group of undergraduate students spending the Spring semester in Paris went on a two-day trip to the Alsatian city of Strasbourg, in the East of France. Strasbourg is home to some of the major institutions of the European Union, which provided students firsthand exposure to the EU political system and real-life illustration to the lessons learned in the AGS classroom about Europe.

AGS Study abroad coordinator Jennifer Wright and new staff member Wren Peyrard took the undergraduates on a guided tour of the Council of Europe, Europe’s oldest intergovernmental organization. The visit began with a presentation from Council staff, connecting the work of the Council to the European Court of Human Rights. This was followed by a visit to the Main Chamber. The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly was actually in session that week, offering the opportunity for undergraduates to attend a live session. All were able to observe firsthand procedures connected to Europe and human rights. 

As always, students also spent time exploring and enjoying the rich culture of the city. They visited the Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral, went on a historic boat ride, and did a lot of research on Alsatian cuisine!

This is one of the two trips that undergraduate students in the Arcadia-AGS Study Abroad program in Paris do every semester as one of the ways to experience France and Europe beyond classroom learning. Earlier this semester, this group went to Nice on the French Riviera.

See photos of the Strasbourg Trip: