Studying at Sciences Po Grenoble-UGA

C1 and above are exempted from this class and should select another one to replace it (CF or CS in French).

Track 1: French Language
Track 2: French for the social sciences
Track 3: French for academic purposes

Seminar: 2 hours a week, all assessment finished by Dec 18. The program will vary according to the teacher and the level.

You will be assigned a group on Tuesday or Thursday afternoon according to your level. It will not clash with the CS or Multisport slots. 

France, Etat, Institutions, Société - Wednesday 8-10 OR 10.15-12.15 (you will be placed in a group)

2 hours a week, all assessment finished by Dec 18.
The program will vary according to the teacher and the level.
A1, A2, B1.1 students will study this course in English, otherwise it is taught in French.

Examples of subjects taught in the class:

• History of France (for example WW1, Vichy, resistance movements, Algerian war)
• The foundation of the Nation State, the Republic (5 Republics), symbols
• Semi presidential regime + elections
• Foreign policy
• Human rights, social welfare...
• Institutions
• Territorial policy, centralization/decentralization + reform
• Fundamental principles (secular state...)

If you are staying for a year, you will only study FEIS in semester 1.

ONLY one CMINT per semester per student.
Certain CMINT are repeated S1 then S2.
You will be assigned a group (we will try to respect the choice on your learning agreement, depending on student numbers).
2 hours a week.

CMINT S2 Comparative regionalism - Wednesday 10.15-12.15

Fabien Terpan

Regional integration has become an important feature of world politics since the mid1980s and the explosion of various forms of regional organisations on a global scale. While the European Union appears to be one of the most integrated forms of organization, regional integration is a worldwide phenomenon with many examples in Africa (ECOWAS, SADC), Asia (ASEAN, SAARC, Shanghai Cooperation Organization) and Latin America (MERCOSUR, Pacific Alliance, CARICOM).

The aim of this course is to understand the dynamics of regionalization, the rise of regions but also their vulnerability or disintegration, by comparing their institutional and normative features (concentration of powers, delegation of competences, sources of law, enforcement mechanisms, citizens representation and participation...), and their embeddedness in global politics. 

OR

CMINT S2 Change in Global Politics - Monday 15.15-17.15

Mayeul Kauffmann

The course addresses key aspects of change in structures and processes, as well as in issues of international and global nature. It focuses on the variety of actors and highlights how diverse their strategies and repertoires of actions can be. The study of the latter will include not only acts of commission (doing), but also acts of omission and of expression; all of them illustrating ways to cooperate or not cooperate among actors of change in global politics, in coercive or persuasive manners.

A significant part of the course time will be devoted to the study of specific cases, including the methodology of applied research in this field, through participating in a real research project, which is likely to be published. Considerable time will be spent doing online research and analysis. Aspects of theoretical background will mainly be covered through required readings selected to enable students to make up for any missing knowledge compared with older students in the group, thanks to self-study (some class time will be devoted to answering questions related to the readings).

OR

CMINT S2 Foreign & Security policy - Monday 13.00-15.00

Delphine Deschaux-Dutard

Foreign and security policies - International security challenges in a turbulent world.
This 20-hours class aims at introducing students to the main questions raised in the area of 13 foreign and security policy by our contemporary multipolar world. The class focusses on understanding the major debates and challenges on international security issues and the players involved. It is based on a multi-faceted approach combining international relations, political science and international public law. The lectures will mix theoretical aspects and case studies on foreign policy and security issues in the 21st century.

OR

CMINT S2 International Policy Lab - Tuesday 15.15-17.15

Vincent Caby

The objective of this course is twofold:

• Firstly, the course aims to provide students with the basic working methods necessary for training in political science and social sciences. How to read and discuss a scientific paper? How to search for, collect, organize and analyze various information sources. How to apply political science and social sciences theories and concepts.
• Secondly, the Policy Lab introduces the sociology of public problems and public policy analysis. The full list of concepts and methods that students should master at the end of the course can be found in the columns "Concepts and Methods" of the "Course agenda" section. The course will answer the following questions: Which specific steps do troubling conditions have to go through to become a public problem? How and why does attention to public problems rise and fall? How to identify and map claims, claimmakers and coalitions? The ultimate goal is to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills for critically thinking about and responding to public problem claims in the media and the public sphere. 

OR

CMINT S2 Policy Lab 3 - European Union - Tuesday 13.00-15.00

Christophe Bouillaud

Policy Lab 3 - European Union will articulate two lines of inquiry :

• a reminder of the basic facts, helping to understand what actually is the European Union, what it does (and does not do), why and how (institutional history; main classical theories of European integration [neo-functionalism, liberal intergovernmentalism, federalism, etc.]; main European policies [Common Agricultural Policy, Single Market, Monetary Union, etc.]).
• a special focus on the looming June 2024 European Elections. The policy lab will monitor, at both European and national levels, on a weekly basis the electoral campaign during the late Winter 2024 and early Spring 2024 (protagonists, issues, events), aiming to introduce students to present European political life.

OR

CMINT S2 Crime and Security, ONLINE ONLY, BY ZOOM (this seminar is part of our virtual campus bringing together students from all French IEPs) - Monday 13.00-15.00

François Bonnet - 9 sessions

Crime and security is a general course in 'punishment and society' studies, which discusses large-scale issues (penal paradigms, historical developments in crime control, explanations for the variation of punishment in time and space), different sorts of crime (from homicides to burglaries and drug trafficking, sex work, domestic violence and employee theft), and crime control policies (policing, prisons, situational crime prevention).
The course will discuss theories, concepts and controversies with an emphasis on existing policies and empirical data. It will mobilize readings from different disciplines (sociology, economics, history, criminology) and using different methods (ethnography, econometrics, meta-analysis), so as to maximize the intellectual benefit for students who are enthusiastic about learning.

ONLY ONE per semester.
You can choose your group when you register (places are limited per group).
2 hours a week.
 

Method Conferences (MC) are spaces where students give presentations, lead debates and take part in discussions ("Soft Skills") based on scientific knowledge, dossiers and bibliographies ("Hard Skills") provided by the teaching teams.

Social science methods (1st year CM - quite difficult but easier than a 3rd year CM)

Course code: CM1 S2

There are several slots (10) and teachers for each CM, and each can have a separate syllabus.

The analysis of numerical information, like that of the discourse produced by stakeholders (citizens, users, consumers, etc.), is nowadays encountered at all stages of the expertise and decision-making processes.

Knowing how to construct or use survey data to explain people's behaviors and opinions is therefore a strong skill that can be leveraged by both private and public sector employers.

The social sciences (economics, history, marketing, political science, sociology) share a corpus of methods, in which we classically distinguish between quantitative surveys (home, postal, telephone or online questionnaire surveys) and qualitative surveys (individual interviews, focus groups, ethnographic observation).

The aim of the conference is twofold: to help students understand the differences and
complementarity between these methods; and to give them a practical understanding
of the statistical analysis of quantitative data and the analysis of semi-structured interviews.

OR

International and comparative politics (3rd year CM - more difficult than 1st year CM)

Course code: CM3 S2

There are several slots (3-4) and teachers for each CM, and each can have a separate syllabus.

This method conference focuses on international relations (or affairs) and comparative politics (global politics). Its aim is to provide students with an insight into the main players, issues and dynamics of international life. In particular, it will look at types of political regimes, the dynamics of inter-state and transnational cooperation (in particular via international organizations in the broadest sense), forms of conflictuality, and diplomatic negotiations and relations. This conference will draw on all the knowledge accumulated on these issues, as well as reflections on major contemporary events. The skills acquired by students will enable them to take a global view of political problems around the world. The conference is also highly recommended for those wishing to pursue careers with an international dimension.

CF1S1 Sociology - Tuesday 1pm - 3pm

Sidonie Naulin

The aim of this course is to enable students to grasp the specific nature of sociological reasoning. It will present the main methods and theories that enable us to think about the social world through the study of objects central to sociology: norms and deviance, the economy, social stratification, inequalities, culture, the school, the family, the city, the state and gender. The theories of the discipline's classic authors (K. Marx, É. Durkheim, M. Weber, H. Becker, P. Bourdieu, etc.) will be studied through the themes that were central to their work. The aim is to show how it is possible to think scientifically about the social world and its evolution, and what results have been established after more than a century of sociological investigation.

Review:

Written (session 1 in January, session 2 in June)

CF1S1 Macro-economics and national accounting - Friday 10:15am-12:15pm

Fanny Coulomb

Objectives :

• Acquire fundamental economic notions and understand basic economic concepts.
• Understand the links and differences between the main currents of economic thought.
• Understand macroeconomic reasoning and acquire the first notions of economic policy.
• Know the basics of national accounting and understand the main economic tables. 

Contents:

• Presentation of liberal and Keynesian theory, from the perspective of the history of economic thought.
• Some elements of contemporary economic history: Keynesianism and the neoliberal revolution of the 1980s; economic and financial globalization.
• Presentation of the IS/LM model and its use as a macroeconomic policy simulation tool.
• Discussions on the effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy, with links to current events.
• Introduction to the basics of national accounting: institutional sectors, sector accounts...
• The two main summary tables of national accounting: the overall economic table (TEE) and the input-output table (TES). Examination: written exam (session 1 in January, session 2 in June)

CF1 S1 Comparative politics (taught in French) - Wednesday 10:15am - 12:15pm

Politicians

This fundamental course is designed as an introduction to political science. Intended for first-year students, it aims to introduce the most classic objects and concepts of this discipline, which is concerned with the phenomena of power. The overall aim of the course is to provide a foundation of knowledge that will be useful in all other political science courses, and even in other disciplines. To achieve this, the course takes an open approach, giving equal place to all the sub-disciplines of political science: political institutions, political sociology, public action, international relations and political thought.

Course problem :

This course is organized around the dynamics of representation in the construction of the political field. Modern political institutions are born of a desire (benevolent or malevolent) to efficiently produce and administer common goods (security, fundamental rights, etc.). On this basis, they involve a delegation of power from citizens to public authorities, making it possible to administer and produce common goods over a wide territory. But at the same time, this delegation takes away a form of freedom from citizens, and can therefore be considered illegitimate, as it misrepresents citizens' interests. The course is structured around this tension, which lies at the heart of all political phenomena.

Course organization :

This fundamental course offers a number of pedagogical innovations, such as the sharing of sessions between several teachers, flipped classroom sessions, the use of serious games, and assessment based on presentations on scientific controversies.

Review:

The Comparative Politics exam will take place, as in previous years, during the January exam week, i.e. after the Christmas vacations. It consists of a pre-prepared presentation, followed by an MCQ. Examination: written exam (session 1 in January, session 2 in June)

CF1S1 Comparative Political Economy - taught in English - Wednesday 10.15-12.15

Sophie Panel

Why are there so many states today? Do parliamentary regimes produce better outcomes than presidential regimes? Why are hereditary monarchies more stable than military dictatorships? Does it make sense to vote? This course covers twelve central topics in comparative political economy and the many questions they raise. "Comparative political economy" studies political institutions but analyzes them with tools borrowed from economics. It means that, from a theoretical perspective, the unit of analysis is the individual, who is motivated to achieve goals but must act under the constraint of political institutions. Therefore, the main aim of CPE is to understand how institutions affect individual behavior and produce specific outcomes. From a methodological perspective, knowledge about the origins and effects of political institutions is drawn from statistical analysis or from experiments. There are no prerequisites to attend this lecture, but you need to be somewhat comfortable in English (e.g., be able to take notes). Exam : oral (in January or end of December)

CF1S1 Sociology of International Relations - Wednesday 15H15 - 17h15

Franck Petiteville

This course provides an introduction to the sociology of international relations. Following an introduction to the main currents in international relations theory (realism, liberalism, transnationalism), the first part of the course looks at the fundamentals of the international system and how they are currently evolving: state sovereignty, power, diplomacy, international organizations. In the second part, the course examines the changes in violence in international relations since the end of the Cold War: inter-state wars, civil wars, terrorism and the status of nuclear weapons. In this respect, it raises the debate on "just war" and the legitimization of the use of violence. The third part of the course looks at three major issues in contemporary international cooperation: the protection of human rights, the environment and the regulation of migration.

Review:

MCQs (session 1 in January, session 2 in June)

CF1S2 Transnational history of Europe, 19th-20th century - Wednesday 1-3pm

Nathan Rousselot

This course offers an introduction to the history of Europe from the 19th to the 20th century through the prism of transnational studies. Emphasizing the close links between subaltern studies and inter- and transnational networks, it will highlight the role of popular movements as actors in the construction of the European idea and European international institutions since 1848.

The course will be structured into four thematic blocks. The introduction will first look at semantic issues and the differences between the international or supranational experiences of contemporaries and the transnational analysis of historians. The first part of the course will address the question of European geographies (Europe of the Communists; Europe of the colonial empires). The second part will present the construction of Europe through culture, while the third will examine it through the social and environmental stakes of the development of a specifically European capitalism (social Europe; environmental history of Europe). Finally, the last part will highlight the contribution of networks of actors (women, young people, LGBTQ+ movements), inscribed in the "interstices of nations" (P.Y. Saunier), to the incarnation of European projects and ideas.

The aim is to break away from a purely institutional perspective, focusing on the history of the post-1951 European communities. Particular attention will be paid to the way in which Europe is constructed "from below", over the long term. The transition from ideas to European constructions will be analyzed from a truly transnational perspective, paying close attention to the circulation of men, women and ideas, as well as their hybridization across national borders, to give rise to a cultural and institutional system that distinguishes the European space from the rest of the world.

Examination: Written (session 1 in May, session 2 in June)

CF1S2 Microeconomics - Wednesday 10.15am - 12.15pm

Sophie Panel

The aim of this CF is to introduce the basic concepts of microeconomics and a few tools (market equilibrium, surplus, etc.) for analyzing how markets work and how governments can intervene. The course begins by examining the behavior of consumers and producers in a situation of perfect competition, followed by the main market failures (public goods, information asymmetries and externalities) and finally the different forms of industrial organization (monopoly, oligopoly, etc.).

Review:

MCQs (session 1 in May, session 2 in June)

CF1S2 Political and administrative institutions - Tuesday 1pm - 3pm

Marie-Julie Bernard, Dorian Guinard

This two-part course presents and examines the legal framework that defines our political and administrative institutions. With regard to the elements relating to law, the aim is to set out the elements for understanding what law is, constitutional law: the different constituent powers and sovereignty, analysis of the power of judges, the EU and the relationship with the French constitution and the law. With regard to political institutions, the aim is to shed light on the characteristics of the Fifth Republic, in particular its dominant feature, presidentialization, and the situation of executive power. With regard to administrative institutions, here again, the aim is to address key themes/concepts in French administrative organization: decentralization, deconcentration, new public management, independent administrative authorities.

After establishing a certain number of benchmarks (distinction between public and private law, presentation of France's jurisdictional organization), the aim is to examine the strategies and concepts designed to provide a framework for the exercise of political power (constitutionalism on the one hand, sovereignty on the other).

We will then question the legal singularities attributed to the Fifth Republic and its constitution. It will then be examined in terms of both its history and its evolution. We will examine the strengthening of the executive at the expense of the legislature. Finally, we will look at administrative institutions. Two institutions in particular will attract our attention: the Conseil d'Etat, often presented as a French exception, and the Défenseur des droits, an independent administrative authority enshrined in our Constitution since 2008. Local autonomy and State reform will also be addressed.

Examination schedule (session 1 in May, session 2 in June) :

The course is assessed by a final test in the form of 2 questions. Both questions are treated as such. This is not a dissertation with an apparent plan in parts and sub-parts.

CF3S1 Public Policy - Monday 1pm - 3pm

Hélène Caune

The public policy course enables us to understand public action as a fundamental component of political power, and therefore of change in contemporary states. Part of the trilogy that defines political science - polity (the political system and its rules), politics (the political game and its elections) - public policies refer more generally to what the state does in society, and under what conditions.

Review:

• A Multiple Choice Questionnaire: 40% of the final mark. Time limit 30 minutes.
• Cross-reading (1,500 words): 60% of final mark

CF3S1 Institutional economics - Tuesday 3.15pm-> 5.15pm

Arnaud Buchs

Since the 1980s, the idea that institutions matter in economics (North, 1989) has been widely accepted. Many authors, including several Nobel Prize winners (e.g. Ronald Coase in 1991, Douglass North in 1993, Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson in 2009, Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmström in 2016, etc.), make more or less direct reference to institutionalist approaches. Today, even authors who have historically favored standard economics approaches recognize the importance of taking institutions into account (Tirole, 2017), whether to understand the formation of actors' rationality, to understand coordination mechanisms (in particular the market and the modalities of competition expressed in it) and the functioning of organizations (in particular companies, whatever their form), or to understand the role of the state in the economy.

Considered as systems of formal and/or informal rules, institutions enable and constrain individual behavior, organizations and macroeconomic dynamics. Nevertheless, there is no single way of looking at institutions and their role in economic processes.

The aim of this course is to situate, characterize and criticize the main approaches in economics that seek to understand the mechanisms of coordination, regulation and governance - in other words, collective action. By questioning fundamental categories in economics (market, money, actor, state, firm, etc.), it aims to provide theoretical and conceptual tools to shed light on a number of contemporary controversies, and to facilitate dialogue between economics and other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

Review:

A 3-hour test (essay or questions). For international students, the test is the same, but it will be possible to write in English.

CF3S1 Contemporary sociology - Wednesday 8am->10am

Gilles Bastin

The aim of this course is to approach the study of contemporary sociology through theoretical questioning of research traditions, concepts and methods that are the subject of discussion in the discipline as it is practiced today. The aim of this course is both to describe the changes taking place in contemporary societies, and to examine the tensions that these changes provoke in the discipline of sociology. In the course of the course, we will interrogate these tensions as an exercise in "sociological imagination": a reflection on the tools by which we can all try to understand the social world in which we live and - by doing so - act upon it. The course is also motivated by the questions that have recently taken hold of the social sciences in a world marked by the resurgence of radical forms of social criticism, notably terrorism. Does sociology, which was born at the time of the great wave of anarchist attacks in Europe at the end of the 19th century, have anything to say about the crisis society is going through today? If so, why is it so little heard? These questions will serve as a thread running through the course, leading us step by step to the formulation of the great secret of contemporary society: the existence, maintenance and reproduction of inequality.

Students can follow the hashtag #soc_cont and the @gillesbastin account on twitter for additional food for thought on the course between each session. Each week, they are invited to ask the teacher questions on twitter or by e-mail (gilles.bastin@iepg.fr). A discussion of the questions asked during the week is organized at each session.

Validation :

This course is followed by a 3-hour final exam. During this exam, students must answer fifteen questions, each graded on 1 point and requiring a brief response (so-called "course" questions), as well as one question graded on 5 points, which requires further reasoning based in part on a commentary on a series of documents (statistical tables, texts, graphs, etc.). International students take the same exam, but can write in either French or English.

CF3S2 European Union Law - Tuesday 3.15pm - 5.15pm

Fabien Terpan

Against a backdrop of economic and political crisis (Euroscepticism, Brexit), is the European Union increasingly influenced by states, and particularly by the most powerful states? Has the "Community method", which made the European model of regional integration original, given way to modes of operation that are more respectful of state sovereignty? On the contrary, is the expansion of competences transforming the Union into a quasi-federal organization? Although not a state, can the Union be a democracy and an international power? The aim of this course is to provide an analytical framework for answering these and other questions. The aim is not only to describe the European Union, but also and above all to analyze it, to explain its transformations, and to grasp its main driving forces, beyond the caricatured debates between supporters of integration and sovereigntists, defenders and critics of neo-liberalism.

Assessment:

• In the first and second sessions: 2-hour essay with a maximum of four pages

  - A choice of two topics. These can be cross-cutting topics (covering several chapters of the course) or topics covering a specific chapter of the course (in the latter case, it is nevertheless advisable to use knowledge from the other chapters, as long as it is relevant to the topic). Please include titles of parts and sub-parts, and a conclusion.

  - Compulsory readings, as well as the oral course, are among the elements likely to be assessed in the final exam.

  - Use examples given in class or from your own reading. International students take the same exam, but can write in either French or English.

CF3S2 European Union Law - taught in English - Thursday 12.30-14.30

Fabien Terpan

In the context of economic and political crises (euroscepticism, Brexit), is the European Union increasingly influenced by its states, particularly the most powerful ones? Has the "Community method," which has been the hallmark of the European model of regional integration, given way to operating methods that are more respectful of state sovereignty? Conversely, is the expansion of competencies transforming the Union into a quasi-federal organization? Although not a state, can the Union be a democracy and an international power? The objective of this course is to provide an analytical framework to answer these and other questions. It is not only about describing the European Union but also, and above all, about analyzing it, explaining its transformations, and grasping its main drivers, beyond the caricatured debates between integration supporters and sovereigntists, defenders and critics of neoliberalism.

Assessment:

Essay in 2 hours and a maximum of four pages. Two topics to choose from. These can be cross-cutting topics (covering multiple chapters of the course) or topics focused on a specific chapter of the course (in the latter case, it is still advisable to use knowledge from other chapters, as long as it is relevant to the topic). Please include section and subsection titles, and write a conclusion. Mandatory readings, as well as the oral course content, are part of the elements that may be assessed during the final exam. Support your arguments with examples given in class or drawn from your personal readings.

CF3S2 Global history of the contemporary world (19th-20th centuries) - Monday 1-3pm

Claire Marynower

This course will present a social and political history centered on the Middle East North Africa (MENA) zone, from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 21st century, at the dawn of the "Arab Springs". The chosen perspective is that of global and connected history, but also of postcolonial studies: we will endeavor to study a history of modernity that is not written solely from and by Europe.

The course will trace the endogenous processes of modernization in areas that remained outside the European empires (in the Ottoman Empire, then in Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt) or outside European influence (through the cultural movements of the Nahda, Islamism and Arabism). Europe will not be left out, however, as we study the circulation of its actors and influence in the area through colonialism and, more broadly, imperialism.

The course will also address the issue of ethnic and religious minorities, the role of religion and ideologies, and social dynamics in general.

Review:

The basic course is based on a final test: a 3-hour written exam (essay, choice of 2 subjects). It is permitted to write in English.