Marc Bloch University (formerly the Human Science University of Strasbourg) boasts an outstanding tradition of research and teaching, an academic corps of 447 researcher-lecturers, 244 technical and administrative personnel and 14,000 students. It focuses on three major areas: culture, languages and society.

These three fields are a true reflection of life in the city. As we prepare to enter the next millennium, this « citizen-oriented » approach represents a gateway to the world at large, a gateway to the world's languages (26 are taught at Marc Bloch), to a broader cultural understanding - be it literary, artistic or religious - and to forging links with social organisations.

Originally an offshoot of the grammar school founded in 1538 by Jean Sturm, Lecturer in Theology at the Collège de France instituted in 1530 by Francis I, the Human Sciences University reflects the destiny of a unique region of which Strasbourg is the essence. Strasbourg has always been an open door to intellectual influences from throughout Europe - Goethe and Buchner studied here and, amongst its lecturers, we can name Jean Calvin, Albert Schweitzer, Fustel de Coulanges and Marc Bloch, founder of the Ecole des Annales. University

And the University still acts as a magnet today since 35% of its students come from outside the regional educational authority and over 25% are foreign students (one third from European Union) coming from 110 countries across the five continents.

The International Institute of French Studies enrols between 700-800 students each year, including the summer school, who all have one aim in mind: to speak French fluently. And let us not forget that the University's chequered French-German history lends it a uniqueness it is determined to preserve, since each country has endeavoured to make this university a beacon to its own culture.