French, Politics, and Society

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Hybrid political history, political law, political science: from our institutional heritage, how is the political life organized in France in 2019 after an unprecedented upheaval, how are articulated constitutional text and institutional practice, new and old political world? Representative democracy is questioned, referendum democracy points. The rules of the electoral competition are changing, but the presidential imperium remains or even strengthens. In this environment, how is a majority organized, an opposition to Parliament? Why revise the Constitution, why some failures, why question our institutions again? Three applications will make it possible to evoke the course of the law (the reform of the cumulation of mandates), the evaluation of the law (the Benalla affair) and ethics in politics (the laws of 11 October 2013 and 15 September 2017 ). Finally, the functioning of the parliamentary debate will be apprehended by a role play on a current legislative topic. In addition, a political or parliamentary news item will be made as needed.