University of Geneva

This course is for students at an intermediate level of French. The oral part of the course helps students understand the main points of broadcasted programs, give oral presentations in various types of discourse such as informative, narrative, and argumentative, as well as participate in a debate and work on a group project. The written part of the course guides students to better express themselves in order to properly communicate with others. Students are given methods on how to express themselves with precision and improve the quality of their written expression. Exercises focus on comprehension and production of texts in various forms including informative, narratives, descriptive, expressive, and argumentative, chosen in everyday life or professional and social situations. Students study and produce literary texts, news articles, official letters, and reports. The course also focuses on the principal and basic difficulties of the language.

This focuses on the study of francophone cultures through different thematic workshops that expose students to a francophone cultural point of view. Looking at several francophone countries, it provides an initial overview of Swiss German literature and includes two theater outings in Geneva.

The institution and the development of international organizations constitutes a major phenomenon of contemporary international society. This course introduces the law of international organizations including their constituent treaties; the role of states within them; the functioning of their components; and the methods of production and implementation of the law they offer. The course also reflects on the functions of international organizations within contemporary international society to discuss if they are places of governance, regulation of the international community, or simple mechanisms structured by coordination of the interstate relations.

Because there is a high concentration of international actors in Geneva, it is often known as one of the capitals of global governance. This course offers an understanding about the world of international organizations and nongovernmental organizations while detailing the main issues of global governance. In order to fully comprehend what is at stake, this course adds academic training to general information. Students benefit from the extensive experience of well-known officials belonging to international organizations and nongovernmental organizations as well as an analysis from professors. The pedagogical approach in this course is interdisciplinary including history, political science, economy, and law, and includes visits to several international organizations. Topics include human rights and humanitarian law, global health, science and diplomacy, migrations and international labor, and international trade and development.

This course is for students at an intermediate level. It develops students' abilities to participate, be at ease, and make themselves understood in simple daily professional and social interactions. The activities are based on oral productions such as media, films, and songs in order to give students the opportunity to practice pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, clarity, spontaneity, fluency, and interaction through role-plays, songs, and presentation. The objective of the written part of the course is to help students read and write short texts of various types. Students learn how to describe events and express feelings and wishes in a letter. Grammar is studied through the observation of various texts, such as letters, novels, short stories, and news articles. Exercises of French grammar are also part of the course.

This course addresses a range of issues related to the acquisition of a second language. It starts by examining the nature of the task by looking at how sound systems, words and word forms, sentence structure, and the meaning of phrases and sentences are learned. It then explores further topics such as language use by language learners (comprehension, discourse, sociolinguistic aspects), the role of the input in second language learning (exposure, instruction, correction), and the effect of the starting age on learning second languages.

This course introduces the analysis of the foundations of public order from the perspective of analytical political theory. This basis provides the conceptual tools for approaching a central issue in political theory: the justification of political obligation and contestation. The study of the justification of public institutions reviews some of the key approaches in political philosophy (deontology; consequentialism) and analytical political theories (contractualism; utilitarianism). The course addresses questions of moral right to command and a moral duty to obey; whether individual autonomy and political authority are compatible; whether voluntarily accepting an obligation is to be bound by it; why must we obey the laws even if the personal costs of obedience are very high; whether we are ever morally justified in disobeying unjust laws; and if exemptions from the law for reasons of conscience can ever be justified.

This course explores the social, cultural, and political history of the global Cold War through the lens of forced migrations and humanitarian aid. While traditional Cold War narratives perpetuate images of refugees fleeing from Eastern Europe to the West, the course challenges this clear-cut dichotomy. It expands the geographical range of forced displacement to include emergencies in the Global South by paying attention to entanglements across and within different regions. It studies major organizations like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees across other agents, such as non-governmental organizations, regional, and national institutions. It takes into consideration refugees' agencies, trajectories, and cultural production. It then situates refugees within local communities, stressing the challenges and the opportunities of integration. Sessions are organized through a combination of lectures, discussions of primary and secondary sources, and students' presentations.

This is an advanced level C2 French course focused on perfecting grammar, writing, vocabulary, and oral expression. The course covers understanding and analyzing texts (news articles, scientific literature, literary excepts), speaking skills (debate, presentations), and writing (synthesis, supporting arguments, literary expression).