Sciences Po Reims

This course re-presents indigenous South and North American voices in a global ecological debate by discussing specific study cases of these groups' negotiations with environmental entities in light of key cosmological, ecological, political, and social categories prevalent among these groups. Using insights drawn from anthropological research, the course deconstructs Western commonplaces pervading the ecological debate, such as collective ownership and co-existence with Nature in non-modern societies, and problematizes the Nature/Culture dichotomy that stands at the core of our environmental imagination. Considering these groups’ economic situation and development aspirations, the course discusses the equation of cultural preservation with ecological conservation. The course questions the possibility and implications of granting indigenous ecological knowledge scientific validity and, taking into account the colonialist reverberations of a global ecological perspective, considers if it can be embraced without violating indigenous sovereignty and rights to territorial integrity and self-determination.

This course endorses an interdisciplinary approach to the various issues that Europe (as European Union and non-European Union) must address, combining traditional and critical security studies, politics, political sociology, media studies, and European studies. It considers whether, through crises, Europe not only builds policies but shapes its collective polity, as well as the risk of European collapse. It looks at key elements related to European unity and disunity to explore various crisis scenarios faced by the continent and create a place for students to exchange ideas about current affairs and the future of Europe. 

This course overviews the challenges and opportunities for the international community in contemporary Africa. Taught by a former ambassador with wide Africa experience, the course exposes students to the major themes in the world’s interactions with Africa, including humanitarian intervention, economic opportunity, struggles against terrorism and instability, and great power competition. The course is intended for future practitioners in diplomacy, business, or media with an interest in Africa, and more widely for those seeking to understand global engagement with a great continent.