France

This course addresses a fundamental question of political science: political legitimacy. The seminar is divided into three main parts. The first part is more philosophical in nature and focuses on the source and limits of political power in different types of political regimes. The second part of the course deals with some of the key concepts of political theory, including questions about political power, domination, social justice, and exploitation. The third part is composed of four thematic sessions dedicated to Turkey. Examples covered include the Gezi Park protests of 2013, as well as other moments of popular uprisings and their political meanings for different regimes in the region and beyond. The course provides the theoretical and empirical resources needed to develop the skills to critically apprehend current political events.

This course takes the form of a tour of the city and the environment near the Maison des Arts. Each session refers to two or three artists, photographers, or painters. Students learn to handle the device, exercise the gaze, and situate their work in relation to old or current references. This course alternates short exercises with visits to exhibitions and artistic places and meetings with actors of contemporary art. Topics such as device, document and fiction, photography and identity, and certain salient elements of the history of photography are discussed. Students design, produce, and present a photographic project that demonstrates a unique approach to the subject and a required minimum mastery of the photographic tool, and reflects on the place of the optical image in the field of art not as a goal to be achieved but as an exchangeable form open to the subjectivity of the spectators.

This course introduces students to the politics and controversies of environmental issues in France and their inter-connections with food and similar politics at the EU and UN levels. The course explores pressing environmental issues facing the country such as GMO politics, food wastage, air pollution, water pollution, species extinction, environmental justice, trade, climate change, and the impact of chemicals on health. The course assesses the nature of problems encountered, and discusses workable solutions for sustainable development in order to avoid a “tragedy of the commons.”

This course analyzes the media’s construction of historical discourses and their representations according to the type of media. This interdisciplinary workshop analyzes historical content from a semi-discursive approach.