Welcome from the Director

Welcome to InPerpignan.net, a multimedia website that explores the culture, food, people and traditions of Perpignan, France, a Catalan city in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southeastern France.

InPerpignan.net is a publication of The Perpignan Project, a four-week multimedia study-abroad program co-sponsored by the Institute for Education in International Media (ieiMedia) and the San Francisco State University Journalism Department. In the summer of 2011, 15 students from the United States and Canada came to Perpignan to study a range of multimedia journalism skills, including video reporting and production, blogging and feature writing. The program was based at the Academie de Langues France Méditerranée (ALFMED), a language academy that provided French language instruction, interpretation services and cultural programming.

Every year for the past decade, ieiMedia has taken groups of student journalists to European villages and small cities where relationships with local community leaders and educators have permitted us to get behind the postcard facades presented to most tourists. In Cagli (2001-2008), Camerano (2006) and Urbino, Italy (2009-2011); and Armagh, Northern Ireland (2007, 2009), we recounted stories that revealed each location's distinct regional identity. You can also find the website from 2010's Perpignan Project.

The students of the Perpignan Project explore the winding streets and hidden crannies of this historically strategic city near the Spanish border. They interview artists and farmers, community leaders and ministers, who help them piece together a mosaic of Perpignan. We hope you enjoy the stories they collect.

For more information about next year's ieiMedia/SFSU study-abroad programs go to ieiMedia.com.

Rachele Kanigel
Director, The Perpignan Project
Associate Professor of Journalism, San Francisco State University

 

Perpignan Project Photos

To see the images full-size, visit our online photo album.

About the Program

Fifteen college students came from North America to Perpignan, France, in June 2011 to produce these videos and stories. To find out more, read a welcome letter from program director Rachele Kanigel, meet the program faculty and explore the 2010 website.