The Barat Foundation course curriculum featuring French language and culture immersion is taught within the context of a three-fold learning method, including: 1) Exposure; 2) Experience; and 3) Expression.

Exposure:
First, the student is exposed to new material in classes and workshops including French conversation and literature, writing, art, cuisine, photography, cinema, dance and movement, music and theatre.

Experience:
Second, the student experiences the material, tangibly, on site, in person, in the form of field excursions, accompanied by teachers and staff. Visits to monuments, churches, nature preserves, museums, the Mediterranean sea, medieval villages, ancient and modern cities, businesses, vineyards, and theatrical events reinforce the initial exposure to the new material, and make it personal relevant and alive.

Expression:
Third, each student creates his or her own individual expression of the new material, by articulating the learning in his or her own voice. This opportunity for self-expression takes place in a series of ateliers or workshops, based on artistic exploration including subjects as diverse as drawing, photography, dance and movement, fashion design, film making, architecture of the natural world, history of the Middle Ages, creative writing, sound art, art and technology, French cuisine, theatre, and music.  Each year, new and exciting workshops are offered, providing each student the opportunity to pursue and develop his or her particular interests.

The Barat Method expands formal academic study to include personal and cultural exchange and communication through artistic expression. Each student is empowered with a more profound sense of self, an ability to break comfort zone barriers, and the ability to interact within a group as both an individual and a team member.  Our award-winning teaching staff, drawn from both academic and artistic disciplines, work together with students, both in and out of class time, to create a fully rounded French language, art and cultural immersion program.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
                        -- Pablo Picasso

24-Hour Learning
In a typical academic setting, learning is over at the end of the lesson.  The Barat Methodology is very different. The Barat Method is a 24-hour journey that begins with breakfast and ends with a nightly evening circle, where students and staff gather together to discuss the events of the day.  Barat teachers are more than professors with a lesson plan. Our staff is dedicated to teaching by allowing students to experience the material first hand, and developing rewarding relationships that extend beyond the traditional classroom.  The same professor who teaches French philosophy in the morning, may lead a workshop in photography in the afternoon, and sit with students in the evening to laugh about the events of the day.  Close relationships are formed in a learning environment dedicated to self-expression and individual growth.

“Thank you for this experience. Thank you for the excursions, and thank you for this magnificent summer. This summer was truly the best summer of my life. You have shown me a new and remarkable path. You have changed me forever, and forever I will be grateful.”
                        -- Nadan Sehic, originally from Sarajevo, Bosnia