Learning experiences

This course brings together 60 to 500 students in a lecture theatre for two or three hours per week, with 12 sessions over a full year or half-year. Disciplinary or multidisciplinary lecture courses are offered in first year and second year. They are delivered by one or more Sciences Po professors, lecturers or teaching assistants.

The idea is to address a general theme using the fundamental concepts and benchmarks specific to each discipline, or a subject through the lens of several disciplines. Time for student-teacher interaction may be offered in the form of a question & answer session.

Assessment is by final examination (written or oral) at the end of the semester. Lectures are usually associated with a mdethodology class. 

This course brings together 20 to 60 students for two hours a week over 12 weeks. Taught by a Sciences Po professor, lecturer or teaching assistant using a combination of lecture and discussion.

In first year, the exploratory seminar course aims to address current political, economic, social and cultural issues from a multidisciplinary perspective. In second year, seminar courses are specific to each major and address more specialised content, including through an introduction to research.

In both first and second year, students are evaluated by continuous assessment throughout the semester, involving several types of coursework.

It may be either a lecture or seminar depending on student numbers. The advanced course provides the disciplinary foundation for the majors in second year.

It aims to consolidate students' academic and methodological learning, including through an introduction to research. The 12-week course takes one of two formats: three hours of lectures or seminars per week, or two hours per week combined with 12 hours of tutorials. Advanced courses are taught by a Sciences Po professor, lecturer or teaching assistant using a combination of lecture and discussion.

Students are evaluated by continuous assessment throughout the semester, involving several types of coursework.

Confronted with digital saturation of our daily lives, the College proposes an alternative approach to learning with the introduction of device-free classes. This format aims to improve students' concentration and their ability listen as well as to increase the quality of in-class discussions. We are confident that the result will be better knowledge and skills acquisition.

By choosing courses labeled "device-free," students pledge to use neither computers, tablets, nor telephones (except for therapeutic reasons). They will take notes by hand, remain actively engaged in the classroom, and disconnect from the Internet and their phones during the course's meeting time.

Associated with a lecture course. Classes are for 20 to 22 students, two hours a week over 12 weeks. They are delivered by a Sciences Po professor, lecturer or teaching assistant.

These classes encourage students' active participation, group reflection and well-argued discussion. They aim to consolidate students' disciplinary and methodological learning (written and oral) and develop core expertise.

Students are evaluated by continuous assessment throughout the semester, involving several types of coursework.

In conjunction with economics, sociology and political science courses, this quantitative methods class brings together 20 to 22 students for 12 weekly two-hour sessions.

It is taught by a Sciences Po professor, lecturer or teaching assistant and ensures students are familiar with the data processing tools required for understanding the contemporary issues they study.

Students are evaluated by continuous assessment throughout the semester, involving several types of coursework.

Associated with the first-year Political Humanities lecture course, this class is for 20 to 22 students and takes place throughout the year, alternating with the lectures, for 12 sessions of two hours.

Delivered by a Sciences Po professor, lecturer or teaching assistant, this class calls for personal, sensitive and critical reading of texts and images in the fields of literature, philosophy, history and art history.

Students are evaluated by continuous assessment throughout the semester, involving several types of coursework.

Organised by level with an average of 16 students per class, two hours per week for 12 weeks in first and second year.

Language classes are taught by a teaching assistant and cover oral and written expression, listening and reading comprehension in the chosen language. Current social, political, economic and cultural issues are addressed in more depth as students progress in language competency.

Students are evaluated by continuous assessment throughout the semester, involving several types of coursework.

Offered in second year in conjunction with the disciplinary course for each major. Two hours per week for 12 sessions.

Workshops are run by a Sciences Po professor or lecturer or a teaching assistant and aim to consolidate methodological approaches to processing information in all its forms (text, image, figures), and written and spoken communication.

Students are evaluated by continuous assessment throughout the semester, involving several types of coursework.

This workshop is offered in first and second year, two hours a week for 12 weeks.

It aims to address the issues, objects and concepts of the humanities and social sciences through an artistic approach, including the study of classic and contemporary works and a personal project of artistic expression. Supervised by an author and professional artist, this introduction to artistic practice—writing, live performance (theatre, dance, music) or visual arts—favours students' active participation and collective reflection.

Students are evaluated by continuous assessment throughout the semester, involving several types of coursework.

Read the Arts workshop charter (PDF, 276 Ko).

Each semester, students can benefit from specific tutorials in literature-based research, methodology, cartography or languages. Teachers, librarians and cartographers offer personalised tutoring in the use of the documentary research tools and the methods required to complete assignments. These tutorials are offered on a voluntary basis.

In the first semester, in conjunction with the first-year lecture courses, students can take advantage of disciplinary tutorials in small groups taken by a Sciences Po lecturer or teaching assistant. These tutorials allow them to improve their grasp of core concepts and methodology, and are offered on a voluntary basis.

In conjunction with artistic workshops, group projects or student associations, students with a film/documentary/report project have the opportunity to attend a two-hour training session in small groups (eight students) on the use of professional cameras and video editing software. This course is offered by Sciences Po's Audiovisual Unit on a voluntary basis.

Students complete their entire third year abroad, pursuing the study of their multidisciplinary major at one of Sciences Po's 480 partner universities.

At the end of their first year, students are required to complete a full-time internship over summer (June, July or August) for a period of four consecutive weeks. The internship must have a purpose in the public interest. It can be completed in France or internationally, in the public, private or voluntary sectors. The internship agreement may be established with different types of institution: associations, organisations or companies.

Students with an approved professional or research project related to their multidisciplinary major can complete an international internship in the second semester of the third year, in addition to the semester studying at a Sciences Po partner university.

The Undergraduate College wishes to emphasize the importance of active learning both citizenship and social responsibility through the Civic Learning programme, a central element of the new curriculum.

All first year students will be required to work independently to develop an individual project on a subject of general civic interest.

They are asked to measure the multifaceted complexity of social realities at different scales and to link the conceptual and factual, disciplinary and multidisciplinary, course content with the empirical experience of field missions.

This project is carried out throughout the three years of study in a process of constant reflection and in-depth learning.

Find out more about the Civic Learning Programme.

In first and/or second year depending on the campus, students have the opportunity to take part in a group project for a few hours a week. Projects are designed and supervised by a Sciences Po partner institution, in collaboration with the campus management. This module offers an introduction to project design, monitoring and evaluation, and involves assignments in real-world conditions in a professional setting

Some campuses organise annual week-long study trips to European capitals. The idea is for students to enhance their disciplinary and multidisciplinary learning in the field, by discovering political, economic and cultural institutions and meeting specialists of the subjects they've covered.

Students have the opportunity to participate in simulation exercises around a topic or issue. Through role plays, they learn to debate and understand the complexity of the issues involved from a variety of viewpoints (e.g., simulation of the United Nations, COP21, etc.).

These educational periods of two to five days each semester are dedicated to intensive courses (disciplinary or multidisciplinary), introduction to research modules or specific projects such as orientation week, simulations or study trips supervised by a Sciences Po faculty member.

Second-year and Master's students at Sciences help welcome and support first-year students, or students enrolled in the university exchange programme, through a number of different schemes.

Students can not only join a Sciences Po student association, but also participate in setting up and/or running a voluntary project (humanitarian, artistic, etc.) by serving on the board of the association. Preliminary training in association management is offered by the Campus Life Office.

Students are invited to attend the numerous debates and lectures organised throughout the year by the Undergraduate College and Sciences Po graduate schools, student associations and research centres (Centre for Socio-Political Data - CDSP, Centre d'études européennes - CEE, Centre for Political Research - CEVIPOF, Centre for International Studies - CERI, Centre for History, CHSP, Centre for the Sociology of Organisations - CSO, Department of Economics, Observatoire sociologique du changement – OSC, L'Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques - OFCE).

These events address historical, political, economic, social, artistic and cultural subjects and feature renowned French and international specialists.