Questions approfondies de sociologie politique [ LOPES2246 ]

This course aims at three objectives that will structure the entire course

- Analysis of the founding principles of the liberal tradition;

- Overview of contemporary criticisms against it;

- Attempt to renew these criticisms, on basis of a reflection on what it means to be subject-in-society

The objective of this course is to enable students to deepen the knowledge acquired during the course "Politics, Actors and Decisions" (LOPES 2175) by building up a conceptual and critical reflection about what, by the end of the Cold War, constitutes the dominant political tradition, i.e. liberalism. The starting point of this course is in fact to consider that the liberal tradition neglects the problem of what social and cultural conditions are necessary for the realization of the democratic ideal and thereby maintains a relationship to violence that is little (or not at all) problematized. In this perspective, the course is similar to a seminar on the sociology of politics. Indeed, it aims at mobilizing the achievements of a critical theory of society to question the meaning and conditions of the political field today. To this end, the study of authors (both classic and contemporary) will be given much attention and will be illustrated with examples taken from the everyday news.

After a presentation of the course and some ordinary class sessions, the course will be based on cross-presentations by the students and the professor illustrating texts by various authors which will be fortified with up to date issues taken out of the media. The final evaluation will be based upon: (i) the participation of students in class (presentations in small groups), (ii) the ability to use the contents of the course to address a current issue (individual work).