Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the best way to get to Strasbourg?

You will want to contact a reliable local or college travel agent to find the most economical plane flights. Generally, the best possibilities are: by plane to Strasbourg via London or Paris; or by plane to London, Paris, or Frankfurt and then by train to Strasbourg. The one-hour plane flight from London or Paris to Strasbourg is quite inexpensive if purchased in conjunction with transatlantic flight tickets. The train trip from London to Strasbourg involves the Eurostar from London to Paris (3 hrs) and then the new TVG bullet train from Paris to Strasbourg (just over 2 hrs. and 20 minutes). From Frankfurt to Strasbourg is just a two-hour train trip. To be sure, other routes are perfectly possible, especially if you wish to do some European tourist travel before or after the Academy session.

2. How early should I arrive in Strasbourg?

You need to arrive during the business day (before 5 p.m. local time) on the Monday preceding the beginning of instruction. (Classes begin at the AUP on Tuesday at 10 a.m.) Address of the AUP (Aumônerie Universitaire Protestante): 7, avenue de la Forêt Noire; phone: 03-88610723.

3. How do I get to that address?

If you fly into the Strasbourg (Entzheim) Airport, take the airline connecting bus to the Strasbourg train station (gare) or the central square of the city (Place Kléber), and then take a taxi to the AUP. The total cost should not be more than 50 Euros, including a tip for the cab driver (say, 10%). If you arrive by train, take a taxi from the train station (there is a cab rank just outside the station on your right as you exit from arrivals).

4. Suppose I must (or want to) arrive in Strasbourg earlier than the Monday preceding the start of classes?

You will need to arrange accommodations at a nearby hotel, since the University rooms are not available before Monday night. We suggest the inexpensive, clean Hôtel Esplanade, 1 boulevard Leblois; telephone: 03-88613895; fax: 03-88606687. (Note that if you are telephoning or faxing from outside of France, you need to substitute the country code 33 for the initial zero. From the U.S., one dials 011-333, followed by the local number, such as 88613895.) The Hôtel Esplanade will reserve for you on receiving your fax, but will not send a faxed confirmation; thus, you may prefer to phone them to place your reservation. Naturally, you can arrange a room elsewhere through your travel agent if you prefer.

5. Can my spouse stay in the University Residence with me?

Only if your spouse registers, as you do, in the Academy programme, and pays normal tuition. University rooms and meal cards are available only to those registered in approved programmes (such as the Academy). The Academy session is so excellent that we strongly recommend that both husbands and wives take part! If this is not possible, and the couple wish to occupy the same room, the only choice is independently to obtain hotel accommodations for the two weeks (see above). Unhappily, this will not reduce the Academy registrant's tuition fee, since that fee applies to everyone registered in the Academy programme whether staying in University residences or not. An alternative chosen by some past participants is for the spouse to arrive on the day that the Academy programme ends (the final Saturday) for subsequent tourist travel—but the ideal is surely for husband and wife to share the entire Academy experience!

6. Can my children stay in the University Residence with me (or with me and my spouse)?

Not unless they are themselves registered in the Academy session (see above).

7. Can I stay beyond the final Friday night at the University residence?

You can stay Saturday night with no problem, and, by special permission, Sunday night as well (as long as you vacate your room by 9 a.m. on Monday morning). During the day on Monday, other students will be arriving to occupy rooms, so Sunday night is the last possible night to stay in the residence. If you need (or want) to remain in Strasbourg longer, you will need personally to arrange hotel accommodations (see above).

8. Is there an Academy dress code?

There is not. Dress is informal in Strasbourg, though jeans and T-shirts will identify you as American tourists! Slacks and pant suits are fine for the ladies, and gentlemen wear sport coats without ties in the summer, even for church. The weather is variable—it can be quite warm, but rain is not uncommon (with corresponding sudden drops in temperature). It is suggested that you bring summer weight clothing, but put in a sweater and an umbrella just in case! Ladies: be careful with hair dryers and other electrical devices; it is not just a matter of using a U.S. (or U.K.) to French converter plug; the device must work on 240 volts (a transformer is much too cumbersome to bring with you).

9. Can I use my laptop?

Yes—as long as it operates on 240 volts and not just 120 (same for any peripherals you will have with you). As for internet and e-mail, you will not be able to plug into a telephone line at the University residences; for sending and receiving e-mail and for on-line connections, you will need to go to a nearby internet café.

10. How do I increase my academic credit from 6 to 9 semester hours?

You must not only pass the 3-hour written examination on the final Saturday morning of the session but also prepare a term-paper length essay on an apologetic topic falling within the nine subject areas treated in each Academy session. That paper is prepared after you return home from the session and needs to be submitted for a Pass/Fail reading within the calendar year of your attendance (i.e., by 31 December). If the paper is considered a Pass, your academic credit for the July Academy session is increased from 3 to 6 (undergraduate) or 9 (graduate) semester hours. Details on submission of the paper are provided at the July session.

11. Is the academic credit I earn at the Academy transferrable to my local university, college, or theological seminary?

U. S. undergraduate academic credit for participation in the program of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights may be arranged through Patrick Henry College, accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). TRACS is recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE). Credits earned through Patrick Henry College are therefore transferable to other academic institutions. (Participants desiring graduate credit for Academy attendance should contact the Academy directly.)

12. How do I become a fellow of the Academy?

You need to attend two July sessions (not necessarily in contiguous years). At the end of the second July session, you will sit not only for the written examination on the final Saturday morning but also for an oral examination that afternoon. On passing it, you will become a Fellow and can use the letters F.C.A. after your name. The expectation is that you will do extensive reading in the literature of apologetics between the two sessions you attend and will thus be well prepared for the oral examination conducted by the professors who are teaching during the second week of the July session when you sit for your oral.

13. How do I obtain the Diploma of the Academy?

By the presentation and oral defense of a thesis during a second July session of Academy attendance. The thesis topic must be approved in October of the year preceding your second July attendance, the first draft accepted by 1 March, and the final draft by 1 June. The candidate presents a lecture on the subject of his/her thesis at the Academy session, and is publicly questioned by the professors in residence, fellow students, and guests. If the defense is successful, the candidate supplies bound copies of the thesis to Patrick Henry and may employ after his/her name the designation Dipl.C.A. (if the thesis is in apologetics) or Dipl.H.A. (if the subject matter is human rights). Theses are normally of Master's length (approximately 125 pages), but can be considerably longer. Details are provided to candidates at the July Academy sessions.

14. Is there a recommended reading list in preparation for Academy sessions?

There is, and it will be sent to you as one of the items in the packet of materials you receive on registration.

15. How do I register?

By sending a non-refundable personal cheque for $300, made out to "M. le Pr J. W. Montgomery" (if there is an "item" line in the lower left-hand corner of the cheque, write there "Apologetics Academy"). The cheque should be sent by ordinary airmail, NOT by registered mail or by a mailing service such as FedEX or UPS requiring signature.


The mailing address is:

    M. le Pr J. W. Montgomery
    2, rue de Rome
    67000 Strasbourg
    France


Subsequent payments are made in exactly the same way and must reach us by the deadlines set out in the Academy brochure. On registration, you will receive a full packet of materials in preparation for the July session.

16. Can I contact someone personally if I have other questions?

Yes.


For students from the United States, Craig Parton can be reached at parton1@juno.com.


For U.K. or European students, Prof. Dr Montgomery is available at either +333-88610882 or +333-88867370.

17. What does my payment for the Academy sessions cover? How do I handle money matters?

Your payment for attendance at the Academy session covers tuition, your accommodations (in University facilities) for the ten days of the session, and a University meal card for the University restaurants, covering the same time period; the excursion on 14 July is also included. Thus, only your travel to/from Strasbourg, a few meals (when the group plans voluntary social occasions in town or otherwise), and personal purchasing will not be covered in what you pay to the Academy. In bringing money with you, it is best to bring U.S. dollars, British pounds sterling, or other local currency and to exchange them into Euros at bank outlets in Europe, since your home bank will generally charge a high exchange fee for doing this. Bank outlets will be available in the airports, train stations, etc.; do not use private exchange services even if they seem to give better exchange rates (they don't, when hidden fees are taken into account). Travelers' cheques are not recommended, since they can be cumbersome to cash. Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere, but ATM fees are high, so it is best to bring enough cash with you to handle your needs while in Europe. At the end of your European sojourn, change your left-over Euros (if any!) before returning home; Euro coins are not generally exchangeable outside of Europe.

18. About how much is a reasonable per diem for personal expenses in Strasbourg during the Academy programme? If I want to travel in Europe before or after the programme, how expensive would that be?

In Strasbourg, the only expenses beyond what you pay for the programme would be about 10 Euros per day for food (the university restaurants expect students to catch light breakfasts on their own), plus your lunch on the 14th during our excursion into the Vosges (25 Euros?), plus transport to/from the train station at the beginning and end of your stay (around 50 Euros total). There are three optional restaurant evenings in town; if you do these, each will cost about 25 Euros each. Naturally, any personal purchasing, movie-going, etc. that you do would add to this.


If you expect to do a bit of tourist travel in Europe before or after the programme, it's hard to estimate how much you will be spending, since this would depend on where you go and the level of accommodations you want. Decent hotels will cost a minimum of 50 Euros a night. A Eurail or student pass can be purchased for train travel, but you may have to get such a pass before arriving in Europe — check on this with a local travel agent. Standard tourist guides to Europe (such as Frommer's or the "Rough Guide" series) can be helpful in indicating the relative per diem cost of inexpensive tourist travel in the countries you want to visit; be sure to use the latest edition of any guide book, since prices change from year to year!

19. What will the final exams will be on? Will they be on the sessions or will they be on the reading done beforehand?

The final 3-hr written examination consists of 9 essays questions, one each on the mini-courses you have attended. You choose 6 of the 9 questions and write on each for approximately one-half hr (thus a 3-hr examination). The focus, then, is on the content of the class sessions; but, to receive an A or B (rather than a C) grade, it is essential to show in your answers that you have assimilated readings relevant to the material and ideas presented in the class sessions.

Laptops or other computers may not be used during the final examinations. Please bring adequate paper to handwrite your answers to the final exam questions.

20. What is Strasbourg like?

For a delightful introduction to the city where the International Academy's summer study sessions take place, check out the city's official website. To see it in French go to www.strasbourg.fr/accueil. To see it in English go to www.investir-strasbourg.com/index.php/en/.

Copyright © 2007 International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism & Human Rights