Method conferences (CM)

To understand how the options for subject areas and introductory courses in the third year are presented, please refer to the dedicated guide.

Area 1: Management, Economics, and Organizations

• Strategic management of organizations

The objectives of the course are to explore strategy and strategic management, to understand and acquire the theoretical and practical foundations of strategic management, to understand the organizational mechanisms related to strategy, and to develop critical thinking skills.

• Finance and corporate governance

The link between finance and governance is central to capitalist companies, where shares are both a source of remuneration and decision-making power. This methods conference analyzes this link, addressing contemporary issues such as the financialization of corporate strategies, the 2008 crisis, ecological challenges and the various responses (CSR, green finance, etc.). It also provides the basics of general accounting, essential for financial analysis. The objectives are: to understand how accounting documents are produced, to provide an introduction to financial diagnosis, to study current issues combining finance and governance (reforms, social responsibility, shareholder activism, etc.) and to enrich students' economic culture.

• In-depth macroeconomics

This course introduces the major concepts and mechanisms of macroeconomics by combining theory with the study of empirical evidence and by analyzing the implications of observed realities for macroeconomic policy. It will present the main models, followed by an examination of the effects of economic policies on their outcomes, taking into account developments in contemporary macroeconomics resulting from the profound economic upheavals caused by recent crises. The course is designed to establish a constant link between the concepts covered and current economic events.

Area 2: Societies: Regulation and Innovation

• Applied social sciences

The Methods Seminar (CM) in Applied Social Sciences (SSA) aims to train students in the use of various social science methods: observation, interviews, literature review, and questionnaires. To this end, the course will emphasize practical application through the conduct of a field study throughout the semester, in parallel with class sessions. Classes are structured around the reading of one or more texts presented by the students, a theoretical contribution from the instructor, practical exercises, and feedback from the students. The selected texts are either articles on methodological reflection or scholarly articles that employ the method under study. The goal for students is both to understand the challenges, contributions, and limitations of various research methods in the social sciences, and to learn how to apply them in their own research projects. Particular attention is given to establishing evidence based on empirical data and to developing a critical perspective on scholarly work. The main focus of the course is the practical application of the methods studied through the conduct of a sociological study.

• The Welfare State and Solidarity

The 2008 financial crisis, the “migration crisis,” the Yellow Vests movement in France, and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic: solidarity is regularly put to the test. Behind these defining events, the mechanisms of solidarity are undergoing continuous, profound, and often silent transformations: structural unemployment, aging populations, and widening socioeconomic inequalities are leading to a resurgence of social insecurity; governments are implementing reforms that strike at the heart of the welfare state while simultaneously carrying out a series of territorial reforms that are reshaping the political landscape of solidarity. The resurgence of the “social question” calls into question the future of social policies and casts doubt on the state’s capacity for redistribution and protection, raising the question of whether the very idea of a public framework for solidarity is not in the process of unraveling. Is the public sector still capable of organizing solidarity? Are we witnessing an update or a reversal of conceptions regarding the management of the social question? In the context of Europeanization, decentralization, and recentralization, how can we make sense of the restructuring currently underway?
Through these questions, this methodological seminar aims to help students develop a nuanced understanding of the theoretical frameworks and underlying logic behind the construction of solidarity that define the welfare state. To this end, it places significant emphasis on the study of initiatives by public and private actors that complement mandatory mechanisms and, in the current climate, help offset the erosion of collective protections.

• Altereconomy and development

The Alter-Economics and Development course aims to provide students with the tools to understand contemporary issues related to the theories and practices of an alternative conception of the economy, to collectively analyze the main arguments put forward, and to identify their theoretical roots, recognizing that axiological neutrality is illusory. In doing so, the course aims to give students the opportunity to participate in contemporary debates on the major themes of alternative economics while adopting a well-founded critical perspective. This objective is achieved by organizing debates between opposing viewpoints during each session on a specific topic. Beyond the knowledge acquired collectively, the seminar thus aims to foster the argumentation skills and creativity necessary to be persuasive. The sessions are organized around five major themes: business, money, labor, growth and development, and distribution and inequality.

Area 3: Politics

• Applied political science

Beyond the acquisition of fundamental knowledge in the major disciplines of the social sciences, the Education at Sciences Po Grenoble aims to provide future decision-makers and experts in public policy with solid analytical tools. With this in mind, this methodology seminar seeks to open the “black box” of political science researchers (and social scientists more generally). This shift in perspective is designed to help you better understand the results of research conducted on social and political phenomena, prepare you to conduct your own research, and support you as you enter the job market. The ability to generate, collect, analyze, and present data rigorously are valuable skills sought after by employers in both the private and public sectors. Proficiency in quantitative methods is particularly important for anyone wishing to pursue careers in public opinion research, consulting, or the offices of elected officials, as well as in a wide range of private and public organizations that must both know and understand the society in which they operate.

• Political theory

The Political Theory seminar aims, on the one hand, to help students discover (or rediscover) the major currents of (Western) political philosophy that underpin the liberal-democratic experience of the past three centuries and, secondly, to introduce students to contemporary debates in political theory (or applied ethics) and their potential applications in the political life of a country such as France. Through the exercises provided, the course also aims to enable students to develop their ability to argue their case in public debate. However, given the limited time available relative to the rapidly evolving field, the course will not cover all the issues currently under debate in political theory or those that are the subject of controversy in the public sphere.

• Public policy in Europe

As citizens, inhabitants of a country and a territory, we are confronted on a daily basis with the various dimensions of public policy. Public policy is an important branch of political science, since it is a major link between those who govern and those who are governed. Understanding and analyzing public policy is essential not only for a better understanding of current political events and the issues at stake, but also for developing a critical and informed perspective in our present and future professional, political, associative and civic activities. One of the objectives of the Method Conference is to acquire the tools of public policy analysis. The CM also proposes to understand and discuss research approaches in the field of public policy. One of the objectives of the CM is to apply these tools to concrete cases of public policy.

Area 4: Institutions and Changes in Public Policy

• Administrative law

 The course will cover the major concepts of administrative law (public service, police, administrative acts, liability, summary proceedings), primarily through oral presentations (lectures and discussions of current issues at each session, as well as group discussions on the topics).
Topics covered (for example): The principle of legality: internal sources of administrative legality / The principle of legality: external sources of administrative legality / Administrative justice and the oversight of administrative judges / Administrative organization and the oversight of the Council of State / Contentious appeals / Review of the legality of administrative acts: the role of the trial judge / Review of the legality of administrative acts: the role of the judge in summary proceedings / Unilateral administrative acts / Administrative policing / Public services.

• Law and public policy

Like any social science, political science has, over many years, developed its own distinctive approaches and perspectives that enable us to study public action in depth. Drawing on the key concepts and analytical models of political science and the sociology of public action, the “Law and Public Policy” methods seminar aims to examine the dynamics of the relationships between citizens, the law, and public action. The goal is to analyze how rules shape actors’ behavior and, conversely, how these actors engage with the law or influence it in the conduct of public affairs. Ultimately, this course will provide students with a better understanding of the major challenges facing contemporary political systems: the transformation of states, the growing role of courts or private actors in public decision-making, the emergence of new public issues, and the role accorded to citizens in the process leading to political decision-making. This methods seminar has two main objectives: to examine public policy from the specific perspective of law and to deepen students’ general knowledge of public policy.

• Economic policies

The aim of the "economic policy" method conferences is to address the objectives and means of action available to governments, central banks and European institutions to limit imbalances in national and European economies. As economic policy is certainly one of the most hotly debated topics among economists, the aim is to assess the conditions and possibilities for state intervention, as well as the effects of macroeconomic, cyclical and structural policies. We will focus on the tools used to analyze the economic policies implemented and the underlying theoretical frameworks. We will go beyond the purely cyclical aspects, by looking at the dynamics of economies, in other words, the growth and fluctuations that economies have experienced since the end of the Second World War.

Opening commercial (your choice)

• Marketing: New Challenges in Marketing Within Organizations

This method conference looks at the new challenges facing marketing within organizations. It explores the dynamics between new market subjectivities and consumer responses to them. First, it uses the notion of power to trace the evolution of marketing over several decades. It then examines the transformations in consumer practices and the challenges posed by postmodern consumption, in relation to central marketing concepts such as positioning, targeting and segmentation. It also presents new market research methodologies such as netnography, projective methods and implicit association testing. In a second phase, the lecture is devoted to the analysis of concrete cases, enabling students to criticize the situations studied, propose solutions and envisage extensions to other contexts, audiences or markets.

• European institutions and policies

Over the past decade, the European Union has faced a number of crises: an economic crisis, a new crisis in its migration regime, the Brexit, democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland, the COVID-19 pandemic, and most recently, Russia's war in Ukraine. All these crises raise questions about the European integration project, its resilience and the risks to which it is exposed. To answer these questions, it is essential to understand and assess the resources that the EU can mobilize in the face of these challenges. This means looking back at the history of the Union, understanding its institutional structures and legal framework, and the dynamics of decision-making. The aim of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the European Union's political system, its institutions, its players, its judicial system and its law, by tracing historical developments and highlighting contemporary issues. The course offers an in-depth analysis of (inter)institutional dynamics in Brussels, as well as relations with national governments, member state administrations and agencies, and representatives of third countries. Particular attention is paid to how the EU governs or responds to the multiple crises it has experienced in recent years. The course also presents theoretical perspectives to better understand a process of European integration increasingly structured by crisis management.

• European Institutions and Policies

Over the past decade, the European Union has faced several crises: an economic crisis, a renewed crisis in its migration system, Brexit, democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland, the COVID-19 pandemic, and, more recently, Russia’s war against Ukraine. All of these crises raise questions about the European integration project, its resilience, and the risks to which it is exposed. To address these questions, it is essential to understand and assess the resources the EU can mobilize in response to such challenges. This requires examining the history of the Union, understanding its institutional structures and legal framework, as well as the dynamics of its decision-making processes. The aim of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the political system of the European Union, its institutions, actors, judicial system, and legal order, by tracing their historical development and highlighting contemporary issues. The course offers an in-depth analysis of the (inter)institutional dynamics in Brussels, as well as the relationships between EU institutions and national governments, member-state administrations and agencies, and representatives of third countries. Particular attention is paid to how the EU governs and responds to the multiple crises it has faced in recent years. The course also presents theoretical perspectives that help explain a process of European integration increasingly shaped by crisis management.

• Ideologies, cultures and political sensibilities

Since it would be pointless to study a political ideology and culture outside a given social context, this opening method conference is part of the profound methodological renewal currently underway in the social history of political ideas. The historicity of doctrinal corpuses is thus at the heart of an approach that pays close attention to the media used to produce and disseminate systems of thought, as a result of power relationships between actors, the interaction between these systems of thought, or conflictual events during which actors may make certain ideas visible. Thus, ideas are inscribed in their social context of enunciation and dissemination: far from limiting itself to the study of ideas in themselves, this conference invites us to think about the social conditions of the appropriation of ideologies by different actors (activists, etc.), and the redefinitions or deformations of these ideas when they are discussed in different social spaces. We also need to understand how ideas are impregnated and disseminated through the use of different original sources, drawn from social and cultural political practices, over and above canonical texts (testimonies of ordinary actors, graphic representations, etc.). To give just a few examples, republicanism, liberalism, feminism and political ecology are approached from thematic angles. This CM also introduces students to research by having them build their own corpus of archives, thanks to familiarization with various conservation centers.