France

This course studies Robert Dahl's DEMOCRACY AND ITS CRITICS, a modern classic of democratic theory, to develop the ability to think about democracy in a critical and informed way. It considers how the concepts presented in the work frame issues facing contemporary democracy. Through deep reading, the course provides an opportunity to understand every aspect of and engage in a dialogue with this modern classic to discover its full richness.

This course examines the stakes of microfinance development in developing countries, as well as in Europe. It analyzes the links between financial inclusion and poverty reduction. The course addresses specific needs of targeted populations, the specifics of financial and non-financial services offered to these populations, and the challenges of the stakeholders who gravitate towards microfinance institutions (public donors, investment funds, regulators, rating agencies). Issues of social performance and impact are analyzed to identify best practices and discuss controversial issues.

This course introduces the range of historical, political, and cultural frameworks that define the region of the Balkans. Guided by critical geopolitics and critical heritage studies, it maps the turning points and minor stories that make this region. The mapping exercise provides an opportunity to use multi-scalar and multi-temporal approaches and explore territories, practices, events, and communities from the mid-19th century to contemporary initiatives such as the Open Balkans. The course investigates the discrepancies between dynamics around the making of a region, and the spatial entanglements in the culturally and historically charged urban heritage sites. Through these places, it examines spatial categories, borders as part of everyday life, notions of politics of the past, heritage as a tool of geopolitics, and the democratic potential of heritage.

This workshop is for advanced level students (C1-C2). It helps with oral expression and understanding in an academic context. Content focuses on presentations, summaries, and writing academic papers.

Lacking the basic grammar of “Western” modern constitutionalism, such as the separation of powers and judicial constitutional review, the Chinese constitutional law is key to understanding many controversies about China in the international community, especially those concerning human rights protection and the governance of autonomous regions (such as Xinjiang and Tibet) and special administrative regions (notably Hong Kong). To help better understand the characteristics of China's political and legal system and reflect on the role of the constitution in a state and how it should be enforced, this course provides a comprehensive introduction to the historical trajectory of constitution making and amending in China, the features of the current constitution, and the latest developments of its implementation, understood in the social, political, and economic contexts of China and from a comparative perspective vis-à-vis the “West.” At the same time, the course introduces some basic concepts in legal theory and constitutional law, as well as various approaches of comparative legal studies.

This course comprises a thematic and comparative approach to French civilization. It focuses on issues relating to local geography (Bordeaux and it's region), secularism in France, the educational system, and French institutions. Students produce written and oral descriptions of French cultural and economic aspects, explain the cultural differences between their own country and France, and improve their French speaking and writing levels through document analysis.

This course focuses on the study of corporations. Topics include: the structure of productivity and human relations, the business environment, business as a cultural project, and the management of human resources. It provides an introduction to how corporations are set up in France, including an explanation of multiple cultural differences that happen in the French business world compared to the rest of the world.

This intermediate French course focuses on intensive instruction in written and oral French through audio-visual method and group work with an instructor. The oral part of the course studies pronunciation, vocabulary for daily and university life, and simple and more complex sentence structure. Written work includes grammatical review, spelling, and expression. The course includes regular exercises to train comprehension and expression.

This class has an innovative approach to European institutions and politics. Unlike a theoretical university presentation, the class provides students, regardless of whether they have extensive knowledge of the subject, with a concrete overview of the daily functioning of European institutions and true ratios of power between all the stakeholders involved. Using numerous enlightening examples, some of which are unknown by the general public and the media, the aim of the course is to challenge misconceptions and preconceived ideas about Europe and to help students form their own points of view. It may occasionally call upon external speakers to debate with students and share their experience.