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

Teacher(s)

Arblaster Paul;

Language

English

Prerequisites

B2 level of listening and reading and B2 level of speaking (Common European Framework of Reference).

Main themes

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.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	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.

Content

The course explores the economic, legal, social and political issues in English-speaking countries using a variety of sources, with a considerable emphasis on the analysis and contextualisation of current events.
The course is in two parts: plenary lectures primarily focusing on the UK (part 1), and work in smaller groups primarily focusing on the US (part 2). Students should ensure they attend both parts and are assessed for both parts.

Teaching methods

1. Part 1 of the course (30 hours) consists of plenary lectures providing instructions, context and feedback regarding independent coursework undertaken by the student outside class.
2. Part 2 of the course (15 hours) is taught by the Institut des Langues Vivantes (ILV).

Evaluation methods

To obtain the credits linked to this course, students must participate in all parts of the assessment for each part of the course.
Part 1 (UK): an oral exam during the exam session (60%) on the basis of a portfolio of coursework submitted by the student during the teaching weeks of the first semester (40%).
Part 2 (US): a written assessment during the teaching weeks of the first semester, followed by an oral exam during the exam session.
The final mark for the course is a weighted average of the marks for the UK part (2/3) and the US part (1/3).
In the event of an overall mark that is insufficient to pass, only those parts of the assessment that were failed are to be retaken in the summer resit session.
Summer resits are on the same basis as the January exam: a written component and an oral component.

Online resources

See Moodle

Bibliography

Notes de cours

Faculty or entity

ELAL