Courses

Courses taught as part of the IFE Program in Paris are intended for non-specialists, as students prepare for integration and participation in their internship regardless of their subject of concentration.

Workshop at the IFE center on Theater and Body Expression

THE FOUNDATIONS OF FRENCH POLITICS, POLICIES AND INSTITUTIONS, YESTERDAY AND TODAY

Through this course students grasp fundamental notions of French society today by studying the roots and the development of the main institutions and ideas that structure political life in France. The course also extends this analysis to France’s international policies, past and present, focusing on several key themes.

For more than two centuries, France has constructed its political identity through continuous, ongoing modification of its institutions and a broad variety of forms of political experimentation. This grand-scale political laboratory has forged unique forms of political behavior and doctrines, many of whose influence has extended well beyond the borders of France.

(Syllabus)

STRUCTURE, TRANSFORMATION AND CRISES IN FRENCH SOCIETY

The course equips students with a simple sociological toolkit to grasp French society and the main issues crucial for France today, regardless of the student's concentration. Students also acquire a basic understanding of French society from a cultural perspective since culture and cultural policy are central social elements. Topics include social stratification and transformations in the welfare state, to the rise of spatial segregation, to the question of the "destiny" of French society in the face of immigration, the existence of institutionalized racism, the changing place of women in French society, and metamorphosis of the French school system.

(Syllabus)

TOWARDS A EUROPEAN SOCIETY

Through this course students deepen their understanding of Europe, developing a panorama of the meaning of the term ‘Europe’ by examining historical/cultural material alongside institutions and policies. Students acquire the basic knowledge needed to be an informed citizen of/in Europe, able to read and interpret accurately European current events.

Drawing on this broad understanding, the course goes on to reflect on the political, economic, social and even cultural convergence constituting the European integration which has been taking place over the past seventy years.

(Syllabus)