Understanding contemporary french politics

Lectures: 1 session / week, 3 hours / session

There are no prerequisites for this course.

This course examines French politics since 1958. It analyzes how politics has deeply influenced cultural and social life in France, including daily interactions between its citizens and residents. France is often described as a country of salient ideologies, where conflict prevails over lobbying. The course will deconstruct such a prejudice by revisiting public controversies and historicizing political cleavages, from the Algerian war to postcolonial issues, from the birth of the European construction to the recent financial crisis, and from the moral "revolution" of the seventies to the recognition of new families. Moreover, the class will show that, despite the decline of political participation, French people remain more than ever steeped in politics: they are now involved in public life through new channels, in particular the new media. The course argues that the Fifth Republic is more than a political regime: it is a mirror of French society.

To discover French institutions and understand the impact of political issues in contemporary France, students will run for the French presidency! They will prepare historical notes, deliver speeches, participate in a first-round presidential debate, and submit a final political statement.

Sessions will be divided between:

Final grade will be determined from four types of required exercises:

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