Economic, legal, social and political issues in English-speaking countries [ LGERM2421 ]

Prerequisites: B1+ level of listening and reading and B1 level of speaking (Common European Framework of Reference).

The course touches on the economic, legal, social and political issues in English-speaking countries. It describes the political institutions and the different actors (parties, trends) and tackles the important legal questions discussed in society. During the course, we will describe the major recent social trends by studying the different participants (employers, trade unions, etc.) Finally, the economic underpinnings of the country will be tackled (finance, employment, the structure of companies, management, etc.), in order to speed up the economic immersion in the economic life of these countries. This course also has a seminar component (15 hours) where different aspects of the course are discussed in English using articles and videos.

By the end of the course, students should have acquired a solid knowledge of the economic, legal, social and political issues in English-speaking countries. They should be able to describe in detail the political institutions, the different social actors (employers, trade unions, etc.) and the important social questions discussed in the English-speaking countries.

Written and/or oral examination: the written part consists of a case study that the student will write on a legal, social or political topic chosen by the student. The oral part of the exam will be based on the formal lectures (30 hours).
 

1. The teacher will, whenever possible, invite members from the business, diplomatic and journalistic world to come and speak to the students.
2. Part 2 of the course (15 hours) is taught by the Institut des Langues Vivantes (ILV).

The course explores the economic, legal, social and political issues in English-speaking countries using a variety of sources: newspaper articles, videos, internet sites, etc. There is a lot of emphasis on the analysis of current events.