Curriculum of the Undergraduate Fall/Spring Study Abroad Program

Core course

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to France – to French history, French culture, French politics, and France’s position in the world. The best introduction, of course, is France itself, which is all around us. Paris is the classroom for much of the course, which includes field trips to many important French institutions. We will analyze how those institutions work, discuss how they came to be, and see how they are facing the challenges of the twenty-first century, both at home and abroad. Some of the topics covered include French political institutions and actors, French foreign relations and diplomacy, with special reference to France and Europe, the French legal system, and the French media. Contemporary issues in French society that will be discussed include the debate over French anti-Americanism, immigration and integration, and the question of religion in French public life and education. Through the course readings and discussions, site visits and guided tours, and writing and presenting an essay addressing a major issue confronting France today, students will develop their understanding of the history, politics, and diplomacy of France.

Elective courses

Current Issues in International Relations

This course will look at certain ongoing international issues, including but not limited to: approaches to globalization; the WTO and its critics; the IFIs and their critics; the United Nations, its political structures, and proposals for their reform; the United Nations and its agencies; the US as a military power; the US in the world economy; humanitarian intervention and the Responsibility to Protect; the European Union as a system of international relations; the European Union as a player in international relations. Secondly, there are a number of global crises: the financial crisis, the oil crisis and the food supply crisis. Thirdly, there are a number of more localized events which are unlikely to be resolved any time soon: Israel/Palestine; Iran/US; Afghanistan and Pakistan; the rise of a Latin American left, and its enemies; the cycle of poverty and war in much of Africa. Fourthly, there are recent and current events (some of which may not even have become manifest as yet) which require discussion.

International Public Law

Knowledge of basic legal concepts is essential for anyone working in or studying international relations and diplomacy. This course will examine these concepts.

Students will learn how International Public Law (IPL) is created through treaties, customs and general principles. Other possible sources of IPL will be discussed such as equity and unilateral acts. The course will look at the different actors on the international scene. States will be studied on many levels including what a State is, its different attributes, how its responsibility can be engaged. The course will look at the importance that international organizations have obtained and will see how individuals are becoming subjects and not just objects of IPL through International humanitarian law and International criminal law. Finally, methods of resolving international conflict will be analyzed from simple informal negotiations to the use of the international court system. The possibility, legality and desirability of non-peaceful methods will also be discussed.

Modern French Thought

This course guides students through some of the richest of modern French thought between the Enlightenment and the present day. It will be a semester in Paris reading, translating, and analyzing “French thinkers.” This will entail a survey of writers, philosophers, sociologists, jurists, historians, intellectuals, ideologues, ethnologists, structuralists, and postmodernists. Combining secondary English-language translations (readings) with primary French-language sources (analysis done in class), this course narrates the history of French human & social sciences during the modern era, i.e. from sixteenth century, theoretically placing contemporary “French theory” within the multiple contexts of its nationalism, humanism, radicalism, positivism, and rationalism. Students will finish this course by knowing (1) the life of the authors, (2) their main ideas and, (3) their exact words — all useful for intelligent conversation with French

Clash of Cultures

How different is France to the rest of the world? Is there such a thing as ‘the French exception’ l’exception française? Basing itself on both French (in translation) and English-speaking sources, this course will select a number of areas where the French are perceived as being a little different to their European and Trans-Atlantic neighbors. Each theme will be dealt with exclusively of others. There will be an emphasis on history, as a mirror through which much of the present can be seen, contextualized and thus better understood. The class will also use the city of Paris and its surroundings through tours and visits as a manner to illustrate some of the topics covered. Students will finish the course with a deeper understanding of France, its history and its ‘exceptions’. The course aims to take students on a journey through France’s rich history and point out the impact this history has had on French society, culture and politics. It would meet the needs of History majors and many other Humanities majors.