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Academics in France

By mcbitter

During my time here in Paris, I’ve been able to check out academics at not only Sciences Po but also at my friend’s university in Lille, France (I visited the campus and sat through her constitutional law class). Experiencing both these schools has made me realize that there are some things people back at home might wonder about school in France!

Do Sciences Po students have an equivalent to dreaded all-nighters at Gelman?

  • Yes and no. The library on campus (which is full ALL the time) is only open until about 9:30 pm on weeknights, which we were all stunned to discover! The French students have told me that when they have a ton of work, they just go home at the end of the day to finish it (and yes, they do have those late nights too).

What are French classes like?

  • What I’ve heard is that the typical French style of teaching is a professor lecturing at you for two hours. This was exactly what happened during my friend’s constitutional law class in Lille. I’m not sure if I would be able to stand that - thankfully there’s a lot of interaction in all of my classes!
  • Another important part of classes at Sciences Po is the exposé. Here’s how I understand it. In about a half hour’s presentation, you’re working off a discussion question (the “problematique”) given to you by a professor. You have to give your opinion, frame your argument, and provide evidence to back it up. You can also engage the class in discussion after you’re finished. I have an exposé slotted for mid-November, so we’ll see how it goes!

What are professor-student relationships like in France?

  • The French students in my program are absolutely amazed at how personal American students are with their professors! French students don’t really know much about their professors aside from the material that their teaching. My GW marketing professor (hi Professor Maddox!) demonstrated the exact opposite of this, as she would give examples from her daily or personal life to add to whatever we were talking about in class. Professors still provide letters of recommendation and such for their students, but overall, the two groups are very distanced.

Overall, it’s been really cool to see the differences between colleges in the States and in France. I’ve still got a month and a half to go though, so I’m bound to discover more!