College junior Chris Utecht is studying at the University of Paris this semester, but his class hasn't met in six weeks.
Instead, the campus -- now barricaded with furniture to prevent anyone from entering -- has become a battleground for French students protesting a new labor law.
Utecht is one of 28 Penn students currently studying abroad in France, some of whose studies have been affected by massive --and sometimes violent -- protests.
Since February, millions of French students and youths have been fighting a new law that they say allows employers to fire them too easily. After the law -- signed April 2 -- goes into effect, employers will not need to provide a reason for firing anyone under 26 during a two-year trial period after hiring that person.
The riots have forced a number of French universities to close. Among them are two campuses of the University of Paris, where eight Penn students are taking classes, said Marcia Henisz, the Office of International Programs' overseas program manager.
In the wake of the protests, the Penn students were not sure of getting credit for the classes that have not been meeting.
But the American-run programs through which they take the majority of their classes have simply hired tutors to teach them replacement classes.
This allows the students keep up with the work they would have been doing had the protests not disrupted their classes.
Still, students say that being in France during the demonstrations has been a valuable learning experience in and of itself.
Utecht said that they provide a chance to "see how French culture is very different from America."
"What is most surprising is ... how many French people consider these events to be normal, whereas from an outsider's perspective they seem bizarre and sometimes incomprehensible."
College junior Emily Magnuson -- who has been in France all year and is taking a class at the University of Paris this semester -- said that the protests have made her more interested in French politics and inspired her to keep reading French newspapers.
And OIP officials are optimistic that the study abroad programs help students to learn from the protests as well.
Henisz said that program professors help the students understand events and appreciate "how the French protest."
Both Utecht and Magnuson have seen the demonstrations firsthand.
Magnuson said in an e-mail interview that after the controversial measure was signed, the area around her university was "more or less under siege."
She said students were throwing bottles at police, setting bonfires and defacing storefronts and that police retaliated with tear gas.
Henisz said that although strikes are fairly common in France -- she usually warns study-abroad students that they will experience some kind of strike, including transit or postal -- the current situation is exceptional.
These protests have lasted much longer than a typical strike and have "galvanized students across the country," she said.
To help study-abroad students cope with such situations, the Office of International Programs sends out general recommendations on how to stay safe.
Officials stress that students should avoid getting involved in the protests and strongly suggest they try to blend in with the locals as much as possible, Henisz said.
Nevertheless, Utecht and Magnuson say they are not worried about their safety at this point.
Utecht said he is not scared to go out, but he is careful to avoid crowds, especially at night.
