French

This course studies key aspects of contemporary French culture and civilization. The course covers topics that are pertinent to the functions of French society such as state organization, the educational system, the press and media, and demographics.

This course introduces Francophone literature through the reading of two different works: Tahar Ben Jalloun's L'ENFANT DE SABLE (1985) and Marima Bâ's UN SI LONGUE LETTRE (1979). Through these texts, the course examines the themes of sexuality, the question of masculine and feminine roles in francophone society (notably in Morocco and Senegal), while also analyzing how their culture and religion may have affected the author's upbringing and writing.

This course covers the recent developments in experimental and behavioral economics as well as their extension into neuroeconomics. It demonstrates how developments in cognitive psychology and neural exploration in the subjective representations of the stakeholders have enriched the discipline at the microeconomic and macroeconomic levels. The course investigates several iterations of this young sector which is being shaped by a never-before-seen cooperation between the hard sciences and the social sciences by showcasing several applications: monetary incentivization, entrepreneurship behavior and attention control, behavioral finances, risk attitudes, the rules of cooperation, the role of knowledge and belief in decision making, the mechanisms of coordination, et cetera.

This course highlights the unique link between the school and the Republic. It first investigates the origins of the school in the West and the eventual establishment of elite education systems by the Church. It then examines how the political landscape throughout the centuries and the call for education for the masses evolved into the school model of today, particularly during the Fifth Republic following the election of the president by direct universal suffrage. The course addresses the web of crises and tensions surrounding the democratization of education that persist today.