21G.053 | Spring 2014 | Undergraduate

Understanding Contemporary French Politics

Course Description

This course examines the changes in contemporary French society through the study of political debates, reforms and institutions since 1958, and analyzes the deep influence of politics on cultural and social life, despite a decline in political participation. Public controversies and political cleavages, from the …

This course examines the changes in contemporary French society through the study of political debates, reforms and institutions since 1958, and analyzes the deep influence of politics on cultural and social life, despite a decline in political participation. Public controversies and political cleavages, from the Algerian war to postcolonial issues, from the birth of the European Union to the recent financial crisis, and from the moral “revolution” of the seventies to the recognition of new families are revisited.

This course is taught in English.

Learning Resource Types
Written Assignments
Presentation Assignments
Instructor Insights
Black print with light background poster depicts a caricature of Charles de Gaulle holding a riot truncheon behind his back while patting an image of France as one would a small child.
Revolutionary poster from the May 1968 protests in France depicting President Charles de Gaulle holding a riot truncheon behind his back while patting an image of France as if a small child. The text is translated: “Just vote, I will do the rest.” (Image is in the public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.)