Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po)

This course examines the ambivalent role of digital technologies in our societies and interrogates the future by questioning their relevance. It considers where we come from and how the pre-web world prepared us for this new reality, notably through science fiction. Then, it discusses what is happening in our daily lives by deciphering the announced technological advances and their effects on reality; in particular, a "synthetic horizon" where the Metaverse, crypto-assets, and artificial intelligence coexist to help humanity meet the challenges ahead. Finally, it considers whether these technologies will really help and explores a horizon that seems the most desirable for all. 

This course introduces the issue of differentiation within the European Union. The first part of the course examines the various forms that differentiation takes within the European Union as well as outside of it. The second part of the course focuses on the Economic and Monetary Union as the most advanced examples of differentiated integration. It considers its various components and includes debates on ongoing reform discussions and open legal debates including the innovative NextGenerationEU program deployed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This course introduces the field of environmental economics, which is concerned with the impact of the economy on the environment, the significance of the environment to the economy, and the appropriate way of regulating economic activity so that a balance is achieved among environmental, economic, and other social goals. It discusses how economic analysis can guide public policy to efficient utilization of these resources in a world of increasing scarcity and competing demands. The course investigates why unregulated markets cause environmental problems, what the socially optimal degree of environmental protection is and how can it be determined, and how the government can regulate the economy to protect the environment more efficiently. It equips the toolkit of an environmental economist and discusses the major environmental problem of our time: global warming. Moreover, the course discusses other environmental issues such as air pollution and biodiversity loss.

This course places special emphasis on recent macroeconomic history and data, as well as how to retrieve and analyze macro data from publicly available sources, using the R statistical software. It covers core aspects of macroeconomics such as GDP, consumption, investment, the trade balance, and inflation through the lens of macroeconomic evidence, and discusses different macroeconomic theories (neoclassical and Keynesian) in light of this evidence. The course also discusses policy-relevant topics such as fiscal and monetary policy, public debt, and budget and trade deficits. An introductory economics course is a prerequisite.

This course provides an overview of the goals institutional actors are pursuing when they design and reform an electoral system. Conceptual dimensions and criteria for categorizing and comparing electoral systems are discussed. Specific national cases are studied to assess the impact of electoral laws on party systems, legislator behavior, and interbranch relations. After completing a long series of case studies, a comparative perspective is adopted to discuss recent scholarly research in this field. Electoral systems are made up of rules that govern a variety of issues related to how elections work, including rules about how candidates get access to the ballot; the extent to which voters can disturb the ballot presented to them; to what level votes will be pooled before seats are awarded; whether voters can select individual candidates or just party banners; how seats are allocated within a district; whether certain thresholds must be met etc. Therefore, electoral rules incentivize certain behaviors and are strategy oriented. Finally, both aspects of intraparty and interparty politics are explored.

This multi-disciplinary course covers three broad topics: the architecture and various state and non-state actors of formal peacebuilding processes; negotiation between states as a key diplomatic function; and the phenomenon of third-party mediation in conflict resolution. These topics are covered from both the theoretical and practical perspectives, so the course literature, lectures, and exercises provide a balance between what the academics state and what actual diplomats, mediators, and non-state actors experience in the field of peacebuilding. The course also involves detailed case studies of contemporary conflicts in the Middle East region in order to explore these various processes in action and provide a degree of area studies specialization, including the conflicts in Lebanon, Palestine-Israel, Libya, Yemen, and Syria.

In Western culture, the city is the epitome of political and cultural expression, which gives the urban question a complex, diachronic, and dialectical character; it mirrors major economic, social, and political tensions. This course deciphers the fundamental elements of this complexity in tension with the fields of geopolitical thought applied to territories, in the decisive context of the environmental transition. In a dynamic and interactive way, the course takes on a contemporary political culture of the urban condition, allowing a political approach to urban citizenship, more diasporic or mobile where the network prevails over the territorial continuity. Instruction alternates between the classroom and the city.

This course provides an overview of the various theories of voting behavior in the context of the United States, as well a critical assessment of the role of U.S. public opinion in modern democratic politics. This course addresses three major questions in the context of United States politics: what is public opinion and how do people form their political beliefs, what is the impact of public opinion on the broader U.S. political system, and is the public to blame for the rise of inequalities and right-wing populism?

This course is designed to explore what it takes to be a successful diplomat. The course works under the premise that many "qualified" leaders too often disqualify themselves by lacking the basic communication, presentation, leadership, empathy, and listening skills amongst many others. This workshop-style seminar highlights the most essential soft skills that are needed to make it in the world of politics. Toward that end, this course includes the teaching of advanced techniques for delivering great speeches as well as successfully taking charge and winning complex communication settings like negotiation, mediation, interviews, and debates. Media training, body language, emotional intelligence as well as negotiation strategies are the common thread underlying all lectures to practice the art of public speaking and negotiating. While this course develops these skills in a political and diplomatic setting, all techniques described and taught are applicable to any communication setting regardless of the occupation and background of the communicator. All skills reviewed in this course are presented from a theoretical point of view and taken into consideration with different layers of analysis: social, cultural, educational, religious, and generational background to name a few. In addition, the course offers a specific lecture designed for future women diplomats and political leaders to discuss the different pressures placed on them in a political communication setting and to raise awareness among male students.

The course deals with substantive, procedural and political issues relating to international criminal justice, its origins, reach, legitimacy, and articulation with (post-) conflict management and peace making. It covers historical and recent international and national efforts undertaken to address these crimes. After presenting the framework and principles of international criminal justice, the course discusses contemporaneous issues. Experts and practitioners contribute to equipping students with the tools necessary to understand the role and impact of justice in international affairs.