University Diploma in International & Comparative Studies

University Diploma in International & Comparative Studies

Accéder aux sections de la fiche

Call to actions

In the aim that we contact you back

This field is optionnal. If you do not fill it, the sample above question will be send.

enter the word in the caption

Sending the message...

Message sent.

An unexpected error occured during the processing of your request. Could you please try reaching us by phone ?

Details

Introduction

This program is open to international students that have completed at least one year of higher education studies and offers a university diploma – the DU INTERNATIONAL – which corresponds to 60 ECTS. 

It has been designed for students coming from our partner universities who are enrolling at Sciences Po Toulouse for an international exchange, and/or for those students who are enrolling as free-movers.  It offers a high-level of qualification dedicated to international relations & comparative political studies and deals with numerous global themes.  Students may choose the language of instruction by specifying at time of registration which linguistic branch they prefer: English Track or French Track.

Specificities

International students have access to a wide choice of courses that cover all fields of the Sciences Po Toulouse degree: political science, law, international relations, sociology, history, economics.

Students can choose to study in English (English track) or in French (French track). A B2 level is required in the chosen language branch.

Compulsory French and methodology courses provide you with the necessary skills during your study stay. These French language and method conferences in small groups favor exchanges and interactions.

Admission

Prerequisite

Prerequisites for enrolment

Bac +1

Prerequisites training

A minimum of one year (60 ECTS) in higher education.

  • English proficiency: B2 Level or equivalent (for English Track) ;
  • French proficiency: B2 Level or equivalent (for French Track) ;
  • Spanish proficiency (optional): B2 Level or equivalent (for French Track)


Survival French is a minimum requirement for acceptance in this programme as all applicants must be in a position to get on while living in France, enabling them to integrate into French culture and daily life. For those students that do not have any knowledge of French whatsoever, please note that beginners’ classes shall only be provided with a minimum number of people enrolling.

List of English language proficiency documents required for admission

Conditions of applications

Nomination deadlines

Fall Semester:  April 30th   
Spring Semester: October 15th

Partner universities are invited to send in their nominations to incoming@sciencespo-toulouse.fr with the following information : SURNAME and First name, date of birth, duration of stay, academic e-mail address, chosen language track.
 

Application deadlines

Fall Semester:  May 15th    
Spring Semester: November 1st

Students are asked to send their application form and enclosures to incoming@sciencespo-toulouse.fr before the indicated deadline. 

Download the application form for the full academic year (2023-2024) and the Fall 2023 semester :

The application forms for the Spring 2024 semester will be made available in April 2023.

Tuition fees

Free movers: from about € 1,164 (European students with a European Health Insurance Card) to about € 1,200.

Erasmus students and non-European students coming from a partner University are exonerated from payment of fees.

Program

Content of the academic programm

Semester 1

Core courses: Fall semester = 1st semester

Contemporary Political Debates in the UK | 20h - 5 ECTS

1. What does the UK correspond to ?
2. The British Constitution
3. The British Monarchy
4. The British Parliament
5. Elections and political parties in the UK
6. The British Government
7. The people : giving ‘the people’ a voice in a parliamentary democracy such as the UK
8. The Scottish independence debate
9. Northern Ireland back in the spotlight

The Political Regime of France | 20h - 5 ECTS
The current political regime of France, the Fifth Republic, was established by the 1958 Constitution. After two centuries of political and constitutional instability, the Fifth Republic is often presented by its numerous supporters as the expression of a political maturity and equilibrium between the principles of liberty and authority. Even if this judgement has to be balanced, it is undeniable that the political regime of todays France, which is neither a "presidential regime" like the USA nor a classic "parliamentary regime" following the Westminster model, is a quite original and peculiar combination of presidentialism, democracy and rule of law. Its various components and its balance of powers will be presented and discussed in this course.
From Biological Racism to the Construction of Systemic Racism : A Comparative study between France and the USA | 20h - 5 ECTS
NC
Education and Democracy | 20h - 5 ECTS

NC

Law & Literature in Britain & in the United States | 20h - 5 ECTS

The general objective of the course is to explore the intersection between law and literature through the analysis of the plots of five novels and a novella by 19th-century English and North American authors. Along with the massive political and social changes which took place in the age of capital (in Eric Hobsbawms terms), the nineteenth century was also marked by decisive developments and the consolidation of legal systems in Europe and in the Americas.

Through the study of excerpts supported by a secondary bibliography and multimedia resources, we will aim at determining the ways in which the law is depicted in the fiction of George Eliot (Middlemarch, 1872), Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, 1837-38), Thomas Hardy (Jude the Obscure, 1895), Mark Twain (Puddnhead Wilson, 1894), Rebecca Harding Davis (Life in the Iron Mills, 1861) and Herman Melville (Bartleby the Scrivener, 1856). Our main goals are to understand how legal elements are embedded in the plots; to identify how the idea of law interferes and guides the outcome of the narratives; and to discuss whether the central presence of the law in these stories might engage the authors and their readers in an imaginary, and perhaps desired new social order. Our discussion of the texts and of the secondary sources will be guided by four themes: property and inheritance; marriage and divorce; the poor and the law; lawyers and judges.

Furthermore, the course will provide the students with an overview of the field of law and literature as it developed in the United States, and its repercussions in Europe.

  • Immigration and diversity management in Britain and France from 1930 to present | 20h - 5 ECTS

  • Stories that stick: Personal, political, & cultural narratives | 20h - 5 ECTS


Obligatory courses

Methodology of Writing | 5h - 2 ECTS

This class is designed and intended to aid students who are not familiar with the methodology of writing in France and in particular at Sciences Po. Structure and writing skills are the key to successful completion of a course of study in France and students will be guided in the elaboration and development of how to formulate and put forward a thesis statement correctly with a plan.

The importance of building a strong foundation in the conceptualization and operationalisation of research, with the need to take into account of how to design a project that is to be presented either orally or in written format will be dealt with in a hands-on approach through activities in small groups of students. We shall focus on the predominant emphasis that should be provided in the opening sentence of the introduction, the significance of the definition of the terms to define the framework and scope of the piece that is being written as well as need to back up arguments with critical academic research references.

French as a Foreign Language | 20h - 5 ECTS

The course objectives in the English-speaking University Diploma are to pass along language tools that will allow students to communicate as quickly as possible in an everyday environment.

The course is in French-language medium using basic grammar as well as role-play for communicative competency, both of which are used in a progressive manner.

Diverse audio and visual aids will be used.


 

Semester 2


Core courses: Spring semester = 2nd semester

  • The psychology of contemporary issues | 20h - 5 ECTS
  • The Evolution of American Political Campaigns | 20h - 5 ECTS
  • Media and Society | 20h - 5 ECTS
  • Ireland : Beyond Borders | 20h - 5 ECTS
  • Comparative Public Administrations in Europe | 20h - 5 ECTS
  • Management of Rewards in the Public Service | 20h - 5 ECTS
  • The United Kingdom and the European Union : from membership to partnership ? | 20h - 5 ECTS
  • Relations between the United States & Latin America: an Overview | 20h - 5 ECTS
  • Global Environmental Governance | 20h - 5 ECTS

Obligatory courses

Methodology of Writing | 5h - 2 ECTS

This class is designed and intended to aid students who are not familiar with the methodology of writing in France and in particular at Sciences Po. Structure and writing skills are the key to successful completion of a course of study in France and students will be guided in the elaboration and development of how to formulate and put forward a thesis statement correctly with a plan.

The importance of building a strong foundation in the conceptualization and operationalisation of research, with the need to take into account of how to design a project that is to be presented either orally or in written format will be dealt with in a hands-on approach through activities in small groups of students. We shall focus on the predominant emphasis that should be provided in the opening sentence of the introduction, the significance of the definition of the terms to define the framework and scope of the piece that is being written as well as need to back up arguments with critical academic research references.

French as a Foreign Language | 20h - 5 ECTS

The course objectives in the English-speaking University Diploma are to pass along language tools that will allow students to communicate as quickly as possible in an everyday environment.

The course is in French-language medium using basic grammar as well as role-play for communicative competency, both of which are used in a progressive manner.

Diverse audio and visual aids will be used.