France

This course uses a literary approach to political themes founded on the reflective and aesthetic values of certain works. This approach is supplemented by a philosophical, moral, and political reading of the works from an internal and external viewpoint which place them in their historical context and measure their weight outside of that context. This course develops a reflection on the political fable genre. After a general introduction (overview of Rabelais, Boccalini, Swift, Voltaire, Orwell, Huxley), the course centers on a formal, structural, and moral analysis of two famous collections of fables which use a philosophical and ironical approach: the 12 books of La Fontaine's fables and the 33 chapters of Tchouang-tseu as an art on the variation. In these different philosophical, satirical, didactic fables, the course studies the following double dimensions: political/moral, lucidity/illusion, wisdom/folly, animal/human, direct allusion/indirect allusion, and irony/humor. The art of the variation is defined in the different arts and contexts.

This course covers China's relationships with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the five Central Asian countries. The discussion does not include India and the rest of the South Asian countries. The course infers the principles of China's move and behavior toward Afghanistan and the South-Central Asian countries, historically and during Xi's era, and analyzes the effects on the South-Central Asian region and trans-regionally. Additional topics include China's geo-economic and security ambitions in South-Central Asia, counter-terrorism, and a broader picture of the World Order.

This course covers Africa's current international relations and provides a historical outlook on relations and connections between African societies or states and the world from the first Pan-African conference in 1900 until the end of the Cold War. Drawing on the global history approach, the course goes beyond the traditional imperial history that tends to focus exclusively on Euro-African exchanges and demonstrates how Africa became entwined with world politics, interacted with diversified actors across the world (in Asia, Middle East and Latin America), and tried to shape global affairs. The first part of the course focuses on Great Divergence and Atlantic revolutions to contextualize European colonial conquests. The second part considers the history of African resistance and struggles, anti-colonial and post-colonial solidarities across the world, Panafricanism(s), and African integration. The third part of the course addresses divergent paths of decolonization, Africa's role in the Third world setting, the role of technology, and the Cold War rivalries. More generally, this course combines the transnational, cultural, and diplomatic history of Africa. Each session consists of two parts: a short introduction by the seminar leader and academic discussion around required readings to analyze primary sources and documentaries.

This course explores freedom of speech and hate speech and the laws and fine lines around both. Beginning through an American lens, it then compares these concepts with an international, European viewpoint. The course investigates American cases versus European cases.

This literary research course surveys works from the French Middle Ages to the Renaissance in France through the 17th century.  The course examines French literary works as well as international scholars' critiques on works, authors, and eras and literary movements.

This course studies collections of poetry, including Louise Labé's OEUVRES COMPLÈTES and Charles Baudelaire's LE SPLEEN DE PARIS. The course focuses on poetic structures and their evolution.