France

This course examines the influence of colonizer religions on countries in Africa and how these religions are used in political relationships between African countries, specifically Senegal, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, the Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria. It primarily focuses on Islam and Christianity but also includes indigenous religions found in various regions. Topics include missions and colonization, African Pentecostalism, political Islam and radical movements, and Islamo-Christian relations.

The seminar provides insight in the political situation of various states such as Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine, and analyzes reasons for flight and implications for the receiving states. It outlines opportunities and challenges for the integration of refugees and explores human rights, especially refugee rights in the world. Students define a research question and investigate reasons for refugee movements and the paths of forced migration (especially in the Mediterranean Sea). The course provides an international perspective on displacements in other parts of the world (especially Southeast Asia, the European Union, and West Africa). It discusses these questions with experts and active NGO members in an open atmosphere to analyze and consider the situation of refugees today.

This course is about money and Central Banking: what money is; how it is created; how it moves around and what impact it may have on the economy. Students are introduced to the basics of money creation, the role of Central Banks, the theory of inflation and monetary policy. The following topics are analyzed: the impact of digital technologies on the forms and nature of money; the recent actions of major Central Banks to address the consequences of the Covid crisis and their long run implications; the relationships between money, the Governments, and the society in this new environment

This interdisciplinary course examines historical and current social movements in Paris against social and economic disenfranchisement and discrimination based on citizenship, migratory status, racialization, gender, and sexuality. It introduces a wide range of activist tools and historical and current struggles for the access to health, education, and labor rights and against police violence, detention, and incarceration. The course introduces and reflects on a variety of ways of documenting social justice and injustice in France, ranging from documentary film and photography; reports and investigations led by state agencies and non-profit organizations and networks; and museography and artistic expressions. Through urban walks, the course explores spaces of disenfranchisement and gentrification and pays attention to official and non-official memory work, such as monuments, graffiti, and street art in the Parisian city-scape that contribute to commemorate of render invisible specific struggles for social justice.

This course provides an experimental approach to psychology. It introduces the use of probability and common tools to analyze and synthesize data and apply various methods involved in the practice of the discipline.

This course provides an overview of the origins and the evolution of the European Union’s legal system, as well as the main features of its governance framework. It also provides an opportunity to debate relevant questions and news items as they unfold during the course. Considering the strong influence European norms have on national legal systems today, the knowledge acquired in this course is useful both to more advanced study in European Union law and to better understand how national and European norms are defined and how they should be applied. The course provides the key to understanding current debates related to democracy, economic integration, and the respect of the rule of law within the European Union.

This methodology course is designed to help UC students make the transition from the American to the French university system. For three hours a week over a course of twelve weeks, students are introduced to the essential techniques for succeeding in the typical French university class. Students acquire skills to take clear and thorough notes, compose an outline, and write a summary of materials presented in both written and oral forms. Writing skills are sharpened by learning how to conduct a stylistic analysis, develop an argument, counterargument, and a conclusion. By the end of the course, students are familiar with the expectations of French professors and their methods of assessment. The course adapts materials to target students in both literature and the social sciences. Continuous assignments allow for frequent feedback from the instructor.