Learning outcomes

The aim of this course is to introduce students to politics, both as a discipline - hence the concept of 'science', which will be clarified - and as a practice, hence the emphasis on the actors, instruments, frameworks and processes, necessarily multiform, of political action.

Content

More specifically, the course has three main objectives: (1) introduce political science and its basic concepts (power, political parties, pressure groups, state, regime, system, etc.), introduce its main fields of research; (2) to develop students' ability to understand the political nature of an event; (3) show, through specific examples, the normative implications of political action. In terms of learning outcomes, it is envisaged that, at the end of this course, students will be able to define very precisely the key concepts of political science, to illustrate them with examples drawn from national, European and international political news, and to establish the necessary relationships between different sections (i.e. different practices) of the subject.

Assessment method

The evaluation of students is done at several levels and takes into account both active participation and mastery of the course content. The evaluation is carried out by means of a multiple-choice questionnaire asking about the understanding of the subject matter through the analysis of graphs, identification of concepts in a press extract, critical analysis of a speech, application by comparison, etc. For students in the Department of Political, Social and Communication Sciences, this assessment combines the results of the MCQ (2/3 of the final mark) and the practical work (1/3 of the final mark). Participation in these assignments is compulsory. There is no rule of exemption in this matter. A student who fails the examination because of insufficient participation in the practical work has no choice but to bring his or her effort in the MCQ examination up to the mark needed to pass the whole course. In other words, the mark obtained in participation is automatically renewed in case of a second session. For students exempted from practical work, the MCQ examination on the lecture material is the only mode of assessment.

Sources, references and any support material

Aristotle, La politique, Paris, Vrin, 1982. Aron, Raymond, Démocratie et totalitarisme, Paris, Gallimard, 1965. Basso, Jacques-A., Les groupes de pression, Paris, PUF (Coll. "Que sais-je?"), 1983. Berstein, Serge, Démocraties, régimes autoritaires et totalitarismes au XXe siècle, Paris, Hachette (Coll. "Carré histoire"), 1992. Birnbaum, Pierre, Dimensions du pouvoir, Paris, PUF, 1984. Braud, Philippe, Sociologie politique, Paris, L.G.D.J., 2004, 7th edition. - La science politique, Paris, PUF (coll. "Que sais-je?"), 1994, 5th edition. Denquin, Jean-Marie, Introduction à la science politique, Paris, Hachette (coll. "Les fondamentaux"), 1992. Duverger, Maurice, Les partis politiques, Paris, Le Seuil (Coll. "Points politiques"), 1981. Hobbes, Thomas, Leviathan, Paris, Sirey, 1971. Lefebvre, Rémi, Leçons d'introduction à la science politique, Paris, Ellipses, 2013, 2nd edition. Milbrath, Lester, Political Participation: How and Why People Get Involved in Politics, New York, Rand Mc Nally, 1977. Oberschall, Anthony, Social Conflict and Social Movements, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall, 1973. Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg, Sociologie politique, Paris, Montchrestien, 1988, 4th edition. - L'Etat spectacle 2. Politique, casting et média, Paris, Plon, 2009.

Language of instruction

Français