I attended the Catho for a semester through the Central College (Pella, IA) study abroad program. Paris was the only choice for those wanting to go to France, but at the time, you had the option of studying either at the Sorbonne or the Catho. It seems that has since changed and they're only offering the Catho. Not sure what happened to the former.
When Central advertises "intensive language immersion," they mean it. I placed in the intermediate program and found that the intensity of the program coincided with my level of understanding of the language. I managed to not get lost in translation and wrapped up 18 credits after completing the following courses:
Intermediate French
Phonetics
French Experience Seminar
French Grammar and Civilization
The Media in France
French Institutions and Society
The first four were mandatory; the second two electives. All of these classes were taught by native French-speaking professors, none of whom had much proficiency in English. This forced me to have to listen, read, write, speak and think in French through the duration.
Side note: The cafeteria isn't the greatest, but does offer some unique cuisine you may not be accustomed to as an American, such as kangaroo. read more