Political Sociology of Elites

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course deals with the major issues in the sociology of elites, based on a reading and discussion of the "classic" authors who founded the analysis of : - circulation/renewal of elites - power elites and ruling classes - who governs in pluralist democracies? The acquisition of this knowledge is designed to develop a critical sense of the major simplifications (the "fault of the elites", the dictatorship of technocracy and the financial oligarchy...) put forward by part of the political class as well as certain media around the elite question. It also includes a practical application of this knowledge, via research carried out by students, through case studies of anti-elitism in France, the UK and the USA (3 Research Topics to choose from).