The American University of Paris - Miscellaneous

Conference Program and Abstracts

Sara Wynn — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 11:47:44 +0000

Download the Program

Download Book of Abstracts

The Common Read

Sara Wynn — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:49:12 +0000

All new degree-seeking students are eligible to participate in AUP’s Common Read.

This is a program that aims to foster critical thinking, imagination and debate in and around our Liberal Arts-based community.

On arrival, students will be presented with a book to read and, as the semester progresses, invited to attend a rich program of informal discussions, seminars and talks by guest speakers. The book will also be used by Student Advisors and Mentors as part of First Year Success workshops. Instructors might also use the book in their First Year academic classes.

For the 2025-2026 Academic year, the Common Read book is Encounter on the Seine (2024), a volume of essays by the African American writer and activist James Baldwin (1924-1987). Baldwin’s writing reflects on race, sexuality and what it means, as he did, to arrive in France as a foreigner to live and work.

You’ll be given your own copy of Encounter on the Seine at the Welcome Day when you arrive in Paris. If you’re interested in finding about more about James Baldwin, the Poetry Foundation obituary is a helpful starting point, as is Raoul Peck’s documentary I Am Not Your Negro(2016), which can be found on many streaming platforms, including Netflix. You might also be interested in reading one of Baldwin’s novels: Giovanni’s Room (1956) would be an excellent starting point.

Yesterday’s Stories, Tomorrow’s Tools

Sara Wynn — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 13:07:53 +0000

As artificial intelligence transforms the future of knowledge, work, and communication, students at AUP are harnessing it to reshape the past. Last semester, Assistant Professor of Law and Society Mariana Dias Paes guided students in her World History from 1500 course in using state-of-the-art digital AI tools to transcribe and analyze archival documents, bring them into public discourse, and contribute to a more inclusive understanding of history.

Dias Paes, a legal historian specializing in former Portuguese colonies, brings deep expertise in standard preservation practices. Before joining AUP last fall, she served as a research fellow for the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History in Germany, working in African and Portuguese archives to digitize court records. She observed that even the best-resourced institutions struggle to make their collections accessible. At Portugal’s national archive, Torre do Tombo, she recalls, “they had documents from the 18th and 19th centuries and had never even opened the boxes… they always need to prioritize.”

When she discovered the Citizen Archivist program of the United States National Archives, Dias Paes saw a meaningful opportunity for students to be part of the solution. The initiative invites the public to help make historical documents more accessible by transcribing and tagging them with searchable metadata.

She also recognized a chance to connect the project to the broader conversation unfolding across campuses and workplaces about AI, moving beyond a binary choice of whether to adopt it towards how to engage with it ethically and impactfully.

“I don't think that prohibiting is the way to go,” she says, noting that students born in the digital world don’t always know how tools like Google and ChatGPT work. “The best thing to do is explain how it works and show them legitimate ways to use it.”

Dias Paes guided students in using Transkribus, a comprehensive platform developed by a consortium of European universities that supports the digitization, text recognition, transcription, and searchability of historical records. It greatly accelerates transcription—Dias Paes notes that the 70 court cases that consumed much of her PhD could now be processed in about a day—yet the process is far from automatic: users must train the machine learning-powered tool to recognize each unique handwriting. Once trained, “it allows us to read many more documents to produce a book or an article.”

Students say the experience shifted their perspective on AI. Raneem Grira ’26 shared that she generally feels strongly against its use, “particularly in history due to how easily it can be manipulated.” But she noted that Transkribus “did not have that element of easy misuse, as it was more of a practical tool—it works alongside you. You are still doing the analytical process.”

Students selected documents relevant to the course’s pre-19th-century timeline, such as US veteran registers. Many drew from the Archives’ curated “missions”—dozens of special-interest topics ranging from the Nuremberg trials and pirates to First Lady Bess Truman’s recipes and women in space. Some discovered surprising finds, including the contract between the US and France for the sale of Louisiana, and the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war between the US and Mexico. Other artifacts—such as slavery records—are more challenging to engage with, yet offer vital and practical insights into contemporary issues like citizenship and immigration.

For Dias Paes, every document presents an opportunity to talk about inclusivity and illuminate the experiences of historically marginalized groups. She notes that some archives “are not considered priorities for certain reasons. So it's important work of historians to take one step back.” Cultural bias also plays a role, as many AI tools–including Transkribus and ChatGPT– are better in English. “You find things in English easier. So we also had conversations about inequalities within knowledge production.”

Dias Paes says the project helps students understand the role of historians, countering the common impression that “they just read books.” Aakash Jayam, a visiting student from the University of Southern California, shared: “I’m grateful to contribute to the effort to digitize documents that might otherwise be lost to history. Transkribus is helping the academics of the future access the information of the past.” Grira, a double major in Environmental Data Science and Middle Eastern Pluralities, noted that parts of her studies benefited from the assignment. “I struggled with this assignment, but recognized it was integral to understanding the work historians go through to interpret primary sources… I strangely think it is one of the most important things any individual interested in understanding historians should do.”

Dias Paes plans to bring the project into her Latin American History course this fall and continue engaging students in the transformation–and democratization–of knowledge. “It’s an enormous revolution,” she says.

AUP Professor Mariana Dias Paes guides AUP students in using AI to transcribe historical documents and broaden access to the past.

Student & Faculty Collaboration

Miscellaneous

91��ý Use AI to Transform History

Provost Newsletter Archive

Sara Wynn — Wed, 28 May 2025 08:51:43 +0000

Getting to Paris

Lisa Palazzolo — Mon, 26 May 2025 09:37:37 +0000

Indicating your interest and confirming your participation

If you are interested in the Paris Scholars Program as a pathway to transfer to GW in your sophomore year, please let GW know by April 10, 2025. You can authorize GW to release your application information directly to AUP; there is no further application or application fee. The instructions to indicate your interest are located in your GW Declaration of Intent information from GW. Remember this is an indication of your interest and not a binding confirmation of participation in the Paris Scholars Program.

We will send you instructions on how to confirm your participation with AUP after you have indicated your interest with GW. The deadline to confirm your participation with AUP is May 1, 2025. Although space is limited in the Paris Scholars Program, expressions of interest received after May 1 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Once AUP receives your information, you will begin receiving pre-arrival information on housing, roommates, confirming your enrollment, life in Paris, payment plans, everything you need to prepare for your study abroad in France.

AUP has over 60 years of experience working with the families of students who are coming to live and study in Paris from the US and other countries and will do everything possible to make the process fast, efficient and as comfortable as possible.

Preparing for arrival

Once you confirm your attendance at AUP, your admissions counselor will be there to guide and support you through the pre-arrival process. We are accustomed to working with students from around the world and are prepared to support you as you plan your arrival in Paris. The Move-in Date for visiting students is August 22, 2025.

France is one of the most popular destinations in the world for study abroad. AUP will provide the documents and explain the process required to obtain your student visa. Citizens of the European Union do not require a visa to study in France at AUP.

Please know that federal regulations prohibit AUP from administering US federal loans (Subsidized/Unsubsidized or PLUS loans) for any student using this program during the time spent at AUP. This will NOT affect any loan eligibility in the future at GW, primarily because of its US location. We have verified this with The Foreign Schools Team with the Department of Education. US citizens and permanent residents who qualify may still apply for a private Sallie Mae Smart Option Loan for all legitimate educational and living expenses.

A Note for Families

We realize that the thought of sending your child to live and study in a foreign city can be daunting, but we’d like to reassure you that AUP offers support services to make the transition as smooth as possible. From academic advising to guidance counseling, tutoring and health services, your students will have access to a number of resources.

At AUP, we understand family members are an essential part of their student's journey, even after they have ventured far from home. As your on-campus partner, our Parent and Family Relations Office serves as your connection to our campus in the 7th arrondissement. We foster this partnership through a variety of communications and international events and always look forward to welcoming you to our little corner of Paris.

We also welcome parents and families of incoming students to discover the University and campus life through AUP Family Orientation. Through a series of virtual and in-person events, our faculty and staff will guide you through important topics and welcome you into our global community.

Preparing for Reed

Lisa Palazzolo — Mon, 26 May 2025 09:36:54 +0000

Preparing for Reed while in Paris

Your First Year Curriculum

You will enroll in four 4-credit courses in each of both semesters during your first year at AUP, earning 32 semester credits. GW endorses the AUP courses you will be offered, so you are assured that your AUP credits will transfer and fulfill equivalent coursework in the GW General Education Curriculum or GW elective credit.

AUP offers a large selection of courses that will fulfill GW transfer recommendations. In the Paris Scholars Program you may choose the unique opportunity to explore several courses that incorporate Paris, France or Europe into the curriculum across a wide range of disciplines: history, political science, business, art history, and social sciences for example. And of course you may choose to build French language skills, or choose among several other languages offered at AUP.

Paris Scholar Program students will pre-register for courses online during the summer and prior to arrival. AUP will contact you about this process in May or June.

Transfering to GW

Following your year at AUP in the Paris Scholars Program, GW will automatically admit students who meet the following conditions:

Completion of 32 transferable semester units in the program.
A first-year cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, with no individual grade below C.
Completion of at least two AUP courses fulfilling GW’s general education requirements.

Your advisor at registration in the Paris Scholars Program will ensure that you have access to sufficient courses to exceed this requirement.

Your AUP academic advisor will be familiar with the conditions of your intended transfer to GW through the Paris Scholars Program.

Live like a Parisian

Lisa Palazzolo — Mon, 26 May 2025 09:35:59 +0000

Why study in Paris?

Paris is a global center for innovation and creativity. From literature and philosophy to business, fashion, music, and the performing arts, Paris is where people come to shine. At AUP, you’ll be exposed to a wide variety of experiences and perspectives in a cosmopolitan capital of business and culture.

Our centrally-located campus in 7th arrondissement gives you easy access to some of the city’s most famous cultural sites—including the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais and the Musée d’Orsay. As you walk between our seven modern buildings, you’ll be immersed in a vibrant Parisian neighborhood full of culture, shops and cafés.

AUP Housing

AUP housing options are fully furnished and located in safe neighborhoods with an easy commute to the University. These options have been vetted and visited by members of our housing team, whose main priority is the comfort and safety of students. We know that housing is an important aspect of the AUP experience, and for that reason, our housing options are designed to serve as a safe and supportive living community for our students as they transition to Paris and AUP.

We offer two types of residences for incoming students: AUP Residences are managed by the University, house only AUP students and include one or two Resident Advisors. Partner Residences are apartment-hotels and French student residences that have partnered with the Housing Office to offer quality housing to our students and include Residence Representatives selected among the residents to help foster community.

Our housing offering usually includes single apartments or studios, twin studios, and single and shared rooms in co-living apartments. No two Parisians experience their city the same way, so we’ve made sure each of our housing options highlights a unique aspect of life in this beautiful city.

Each spring, AUP releases detailed and specific residence hall information to all admitted students to review before the enrollment deadline. This year, the housing offer for Fall 2025 will be published on April 23. You will be invited to attend an online housing information session on April 24.

Why spend your first year abroad?

Lisa Palazzolo — Mon, 26 May 2025 09:34:26 +0000

Benefits of spending your first year abroad

Spending your first year abroad at AUP is a transformative experience that will set you up for future success. You’ll gain independence, develop problem-solving skills, and learn how to adapt to new situations. Not only are these skills that will help you as you advance in your university career, but they are skills that can set you apart when you start applying for internships.

Studying at AUP also give you the option to take GW pre-approved classes in an international setting, allowing you to study these topics with an added global perspective you might not be able to get anywhere else. Studying abroad early also gives you the opportunity to plan additional study abroad options in later semesters or give you more time to do internships before you graduate.

A challenging pathway

Starting your university career is a huge transition–it will likely be your first time living away from home, and the first time you are responsible for your own schedule. This can be tough regardless of where you choose to attend, but it’s important to acknowledge that starting abroad comes with its own set of challenges.

You will find yourself in a different country and cultural context as well as a different learning environment, where expectations in and around the classroom call for quick thinking and flexibility. This requires a certain level of maturity, confidence and independent thinking that might not suit all students, but if you do have these qualities, you can expect to thrive at AUP. It is a wonderful opportunity to grow intellectually, personally and in a way that will enhance both your future studies at GW and the rest of your life.

World-renowned Journalist Kim Chakanetsa Continues to Empower Global Voices

Sara Wynn — Mon, 05 May 2025 09:52:24 +0000

Recording for The Conversation, BBC Studio, London

For broadcast journalist and writer Kim Chakanetsa ’05, journalism is about having the necessary conversations to elevate voices that often go unheard. With two master’s degrees from Columbia University and the University of Oxford and more than a decade of award-winning media production under her belt, Kim Chakanetsa has used her international education, curiosity and deep connection to the African continent to excel at storytelling across media. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, she began her academic journey at AUP with a Bachelor’s degree in International Communications and Political Science.

“I always loved writing,” says Chakanetsa of her early years in Zimbabwe, “and I was inspired by women in journalism such as Christiana Amanpour.” Indeed, Chakanetsa had already decided on a career in journalism when she arrived in Paris, and AUP gave her with the liberal arts foundation she needed to pursue that path. “It really set me up academically,” she explains, citing the intimate atmosphere of a smaller university and the accessibility of the knowledgeable professors she worked with as the highlights of her experience. “I knew all my professors, and it felt very intimate. I had meetings with them and felt that I was part of a community,” she recalls. This personalized approach to education is one of the strengths of the program, which gave her the foundational understanding of communication and the diverse perspectives that would shape her approach to the world and its stories.

Chakanetsa’s career took off after she completed her MSc in African Studies at Oxford University thanks to a Terence Ranger Fellowship. She took a job conducting research for a consultancy firm for three years in order to “feel out” what she wanted to do journalism-wise. While freelancing, she realized that she needed more technical skills and, thanks to a Pulitzer Africa Fellowship, began an MSc in broadcast journalism at Columbia University. She then won a Margaret Moth Fellowship and a placement at CNN where she was invited to stay on as an international assignment editor in the newsroom in Atlanta, Georgia, covering major global stories such as the Syrian uprising in 2011.

Following her time at CNN, Kim joined the BBC, where she spent a decade as a multimedia journalist with a particular focus on radio, which she has always loved. One of the highlights of her career at the BBC was hosting The Conversation, a radio program that brought together in each episode two women from around the world with different lives but similar experiences. The show, which Kim hosted for nine years and more than 450 episodes, saw her interview the likes of Íngrid Betancourt and Amanda Lindhout, Simon Biles and Nadia Comaneci, and won three prestigious awards for the ‘conversations’ it sparked about the struggles and triumphs of women around the world.

“There is a real ease and intimacy with audio,” she explains. While images can be powerful and sometimes shocking, Chakanetsa believes that the voice has a different power. “There’s just something about listening to people speak,” she says. “When you ask someone something off the cuff, there is a real difference in how people react when you have a camera versus when you have a microphone.”

In 2020, Kim co-created The Comb, the BBC’s first African narrative-led podcast, which proved hugely popular for its focus on African voices. The podcast, which ran for six seasons, explored a wide range of topics, from political disappearances and the Ebola epidemic to issues of gender and identity across the African continent. But Kim Chakanetsa did not stop at radio and television. In 2022, she published Africana, a children’s encyclopedia about Africa, which has since been translated into nine languages. Her book aimed to present a contemporary and accurate reflection of Africa, dispelling outdated stereotypes and showcasing the richness of African cultures and history.

As she continues to work on various writing projects, Chakanetsa is sometimes alarmed by the changing landscape of journalism. While she remains optimistic about the future, she acknowledges the major challenges facing the industry. The rise of low-quality podcasts, the fragmentation of the media market and a lack of media literacy have all reshaped the journalistic landscape, not to mention the risks associated with AI. But she remains optimistic, believing that new models are emerging, with new platforms giving journalists the freedom to produce authentic and independent work.

For students studying at AUP today, Kim offers valuable advice: “Take advantage of being in such a unique place, surrounded by people who bring different perspectives.” For future journalists, she stresses the importance of understanding different points of view, especially in a world where truth has become so difficult to decipher. “Stay curious, read widely and listen to things you don’t agree with. It will make you a better writer and a better journalist,” she advises.

Reflecting on her own career, Chakanetsa considers herself lucky. “I’ve been so lucky to have had the career I’ve had,” she says. Her work has taken her to places she never imagined, introduced her to new worlds and people, and allowed her to have a direct impact on how the stories she cares about are told.

Currently based in New York City, Chakanetsa is focusing on new projects. She recently launched a newsletter about African arts and culture called Africa Unbound. As she continues to explore the world of writing, her career remains driven by a clear mission: to amplify voices, tell stories that matter, and bridge the gap between cultures and continents.

Kim Chakanetsa ’05 has built a distinguished international journalism career dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices and reshaping global narratives through storytelling, radio, and writing.

Alumni

Miscellaneous

Membership Dues

Sara Wynn — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 08:18:47 +0000

CHEIRON Society

Spring, 2025

Greetings, Cheironian!

For the past few years, the Society has been shifting to payment of dues at the time of the annual Conference. This has proved to be efficient and convenient. As before, dues are $35.00 for members and $10.00 for students. Payment of membership dues enrolls you in the Society. Life members are dues-exempt. Along with dues, Cheiron offers several options for additional contributions to the work of the Society. These are (a) the Al Smith Fund, which supports grad student travel; (b) the Elizabeth Scarborough fund, which supports honoraria for invited speakers; and (c) the as-yet-unnamed fund for the support of the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology at the University of Akron.

Payment for Society dues and contributions (only! Payment for the conference itself goes to a different place and has its own spot on the Registration Form) may be made via PayPal (preferred): the address is cheironsocgmail.com. Along with your contribution, if practicable, note electronically to which fund you wish contributions directed.

Should you wish to pay dues and contributions by check, do so by sending the check along with a note indicating where contributions should be directed to

David Devonis, Treasurer, Cheiron, 22 Beruk Hill Rd., Hinsdale, NH 03451 (USA).

Questions regarding membership may be addressed directly to the Treasurer at devonis1953gmail.com. As always, thanks for your generosity!

Best regards, David Devonis, Treasurer, Cheiron

ESHHS Society

SHP Society

Membership of SHP (APA Div. 26):

https://join.apa.org/divisions?division=26

TO JOIN SHP WITHOUT ALSO JOINING APA. After clicking the link: create an account with APA (which does SHP's admin), click the verification link that's sent to the email address you give during account creation, login, fill in your address details, and choose either "international affiliate" or "student affiliate." From the list of Divisions, choose "Division 26 - Society for the History of Psychology." Choose how you want to receive the History of Psychology journal: electronic or electronic & print. Then "Add to cart." And press "continue to payment" (yellow) to complete the process. At the time of writing, international shipping for the journal is free. Total cost should be US $40. (Students get a discount.)

The American University of Paris - Miscellaneous

Conference Program and Abstracts

Related Links

Download the Program

Download Book of Abstracts

The Common Read

Yesterday’s Stories, Tomorrow’s Tools

Related Links

Provost Newsletter Archive

Please find the Provost Newsletter archive below:

Getting to Paris

Indicating your interest and confirming your participation

Preparing for arrival

A Note for Families

Continue Exploring

Explore More Content

Learn More

Preparing for Reed

Preparing for Reed while in Paris

Your First Year Curriculum

Transfering to GW

Continue Exploring

Explore More Content

Learn More

Live like a Parisian

Why study in Paris?

AUP Housing

Continue Exploring

Explore More Content

Learn More

Why spend your first year abroad?

Benefits of spending your first year abroad

A challenging pathway

Continue Exploring

Explore More Content

Learn More

World-renowned Journalist Kim Chakanetsa Continues to Empower Global Voices

Related Links

Membership Dues

Related Links

CHEIRON Society

ESHHS Society

SHP Society