France

This course introduces a field of sociology which is rapidly developing in France: ethnic and racial studies, the study of ethno-racial inequalities, and the process of racialization. The course provides an initial introduction to the field of race studies, as well as the main conceptual and methodological debates that are at the heart of this discipline, and more largely, in the public debate.

The extensive independent study field research paper produced by the student is both the centerpiece of the intern's professional engagement and the culmination of the academic achievements of the semester. During the preparatory session, IFE teaches the methodological guidelines and principles to which students are expected to adhere in the development of their written research. Students work individually with a research advisor from their field. The first task is to identify a topic, following guidelines established by IFE for research topic choice. The subject must be tied in a useful and complementary way to the student-intern's responsibilities, as well as to the core concerns of the host organization. The research question should be designed to draw as much as possible on resources available to the intern via the internship (data, documents, interviews, observations, seminars and the like). Students begin to focus on this project after the first 2-3 weeks on the internship. Each internship agreement signed with an organization makes explicit mention of this program requirement, and this is the culminating element of their semester. Once the topic is identified, students meet individually, as regularly as they wish, with their IFE research advisor to generate a research question from the topic, develop an outline, identify sources and research methods, and discuss drafts submitted by the student. The research advisor also helps students prepare for the oral defense of their work which takes place a month before the end of the program and the due date of the paper. The purpose of this exercise is to help students evaluate their progress and diagnose the weak points in their outline and arguments. Rather than an extraneous burden added to the intern's other duties, the field research project grows out of the internship through a useful and rewarding synergy of internship and research. The Field Study and Internship model results in well-trained student-interns fully engaged in mission-driven internships in their field, while exploring a critical problem guided by an experienced research advisor.

This course introduces tools from cognitive sciences to study human behavior. It presents classical and more recent experimental measures used in cognitive sciences to study social and individual behavior, as well as the constraints to consider while designing such experiments. It also presents general concepts in cognitive sciences that are key for studying the psychological underpinnings of human behavior.

This course focuses on improving communication skills in oral French to reach the B1 level. The first part of the course focuses on oral comprehension, including listening and analyzing audio and video documents in French, such as daily life and media documents. The second part of the course focuses on oral production and consists of activities and games to practice the oral language and lexicon appropriation. Finally, the third part of the course focuses on phonetics and pronunciation, including sound recognition, pronunciation exercises, and reading. The course provides an opportunity to practice the French language in a relaxed atmosphere. 

Situated within the field of the sociology of sexualities, this course addresses the historical, cultural, and social construction of sexuality. Part 1 of the course investigates conceptual foundations of the social construction of sexuality. Part 2 of the course looks at the changing historical meanings of sexual categories and at the ways in which LGBT social movements have sought to politicize them. Part 3 examines the social regulation of sexuality through an analysis of topics such as sexual violence and harassment, women's sexualized imagery in the media, and controversies around same-sex marriage. At the end of the course, students have a solid knowledge of the core concepts in the field of sociology of sexualities, they are able to apply these concepts to contemporary controversies about sex and sexualities, and they understand the ways in which sexuality shapes our social world.

This class focuses on the proper pronunciation and enunciation of French words. Students listen to audio files on the computer and respond to various questions that indicate and improve the level of their French auditory distinction.