Descriptif
Friday, 8:30/10:30, Amphitheatre Cauchy
Pr Nicolas Roussellier
Major Issues in Today’s World and the Place of France
The course is designed to give a broad and comprehensive view of the political and social place of France in today’s globalized world. Two themes will be addressed this year in order to understand the originality of French Politics. First, we will study the question of the French democracy and its difficulties. French Politics have gone through many different political regimes (Monarchy under different styles, two Bonapartist Empires, five different forms of Republic, Vichy’s Dictatorship) and recurrent upheavals from the Revolution of 1789 to the “Gilets Jaunes” of 2018. It is this “French instability” which is at the core of the First part of the course. Secondly, the course will address the issue of the French Secularism, the “laïcité à la française”. It was in the history and it is still today one of the great challenges of the French society and the French democracy.
Organization of the course
- Two parts, one on the question of the French Democracy, one on the issue of French Secularism (“laïcité”)
- 8 Lectures on Part One with a Midterm exam
- 3 Lectures on Part Two (French Secularism)
- Final Written Exam on both parts (Democracy and Secularism)
Sessions on ZOOM
Friday, 8:30 to 10:15
45 mn of Lecture on Zoom
15 mn of break
45 mn of discussion with questions by Zoom
This course is not open to International Exchange program students
effectifs minimal / maximal:
/40Diplôme(s) concerné(s)
Format des notes
Numérique sur 20Littérale/grade américainPour les étudiants du diplôme Echanges PEI
Vos modalités d'acquisition :
Evaluation
50% for the Midterm + 50% for the Final Exam
Le rattrapage est autorisé (Note de rattrapage conservée écrêtée à une note seuil de 10)- Crédits ECTS acquis : 2 ECTS
La note obtenue rentre dans le calcul de votre GPA.
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Bachelor of Science de l'Ecole polytechnique
Vos modalités d'acquisition :
Evaluation
50% for the Midterm + 50% for the Final Exam
Le rattrapage est autorisé (Note de rattrapage conservée écrêtée à une note seuil de 10)- Crédits ECTS acquis : 2 ECTS
La note obtenue rentre dans le calcul de votre GPA.
Programme détaillé
PART ONE: France, the Building of a Democracy
Session # 1 (February, 14): Presentation of the Course + General Introduction
done
No class on February, 21
Session # 2 (February, 28): From Liberalism to Republicanism, France in the 19th c.
done
Session # 3 (March, 06): Monarchism, nationalism: challenges to the Democracy
done
Session # 4 (March, 13): The Military in the Republic
done
SESSIONS BY REMOTE TEACHING (Lecture during 45 mn + 45 mn Forum of questions)
Session # 5 (March, 27): Changing character of wars, changing character of Democracy
Session # 6 (April, 03): From Liberal to Social Democracy: the age of the Welfare state
Session # 7 (April, 10): Communism: an alternative to the Western Democracies?
Session # 8 (April, 17): Issues and challenges for the Democracy in our time
Session # 9 (April, 24): Midterm exam on Part One (series of 3 short questions): 1 hour
No class on May, 1 and 8
PART TWO: French Secularism: a short history of the French “laïcité”
Normal sessions (to be confirmed)
Session # 10 (May, 15): French laïcité from the Old Regime to the Revolution
Session # 11 (May, 22): French laïcité between the Concordate and the Separation
Session # 12 (May, 29): French laïcité in our time: new issues, new controversies
Short bibliography
History
Jeremy D. Popkin, A History of Modern France, Routledge, 2012.
Politics
Robert Elgie, Political Institutions in Contemporary France, Routledge, 2004
Andrew Knapp, Vincent Wright, Government and Politics of France, Routldedge, 2006.
Sudhir Hazareesingh, Political Traditions in Modern France, Oxford University Press, 1994.
Pierre Rosanvallon, Democracy, Past and Future, Columbia University Press, 2007
Nicolas Roussellier, La Force de gouverner. Le pouvoir exécutif en France, Gallimard, 2015
Secularism
Edward Berenson (ed.), The French Republic: History, Values, Debates, Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 2011
Baubérot (Jean), Histoire de la laïcité en France, PUF, Que sais-je ?, 5ème édition, 2010
Scott (Joan), The Politics of the veil, Princeton University Press, 2007
Durkheim (Emile), The Elementary Forms of Religious life (a classic)
Philippe Portier, L’Etat et les religions en France, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2016.
This course is not open to International Exchange program students