Three courses are taught in the preparatory period on various aspects of French society, with several cross-section or transversal themes common to all three as a response to the specificities and opportunities presented by the Strasbourg context. These themes include a French regional point of view and the accessibility of the local-scale, both quite different from a Paris-based experience Another theme is the European dimension involving institutional presence, the so-called Europe of regions, Alsace’s past as a bi-national region, etc. All three courses are required elements in the program.

The three courses are scheduled sequentially instead of concurrently. Each course involves lecture-seminar sessions in the morning, followed by workshop sessions in the first part of the afternoon, featuring press reviews, discussion and debate, oral presentations by students, and the like. The professor who leads the workshop remains the same across the entire schedule of three courses. The second part of the afternoon is divided among site visits, documentary films, and free time.

Course I

A Political History of France: Transformations in the state and political life since Napoleon This course is designed to provide students with several important keys to understanding France today, chief among them being the development of the French notion of the State as well as changes in this central concept over time. Taking a historical and political approach, the course demonstrates how the notion of the State has structured and continues to structure French political life and French society, even as it is undergoing transformation as a result of pressure from new forms of integration, from Europe, from forced changes in the French model of the welfare State, etc.

Course II

France in Europe and the World This course provides students with fundamental keys to understanding France today in terms of its colonial past, its real and perceived role on the world stage, and the several versions of the question of decline that currently color the French outlook. Its successful adaptation in the face of the upheavals of the 20th century, its transformation into an industrial power, and its leadership role in establishing a peaceful Europe have, in turn, led to further challenges and questions of French identity. These include the question of nation and European community, the notion of State in a modern context, and others. Domestic and foreign policies overlap and interact. This course uses France’s place in Europe and the world to lead students to an understanding of the new political and social makeup of France that is slowly emerging, a source of both doubt and hope.

Course III

French Society: Problems and prospects The key to understanding contemporary French society that is provided to students by this course lies in grasping the paradox between the democratic ideal that is at the foundation of all the institutions of modern, post-revolutionary France on one hand and, on the other, the current crisis of those institutions – and even of deep societal values – which is provoked by the pressures of global economic liberalism and the transformations taking place in Europe and in its Union. Through this course students become familiar with the effects these pressures are having on the specific institutionalized relations that exist between French citizens and culture, work, education, immigration, and other facets of life and society.

During the 12-week internship period student interns follow a course on globalization, meeting once weekly at the end of the day.

Course IV

Globalization: Myth and reality from a European perspective This course will draw on the foundations that students acquired during the preparatory session as a standpoint from which to broaden and deepen the examination of the world, and France and Europe’s place in it, keeping in mind the interplay among local, regional (EU), and global levels as well as the place of the nation-state. The course is structured along three main types of regards or focal lengths: an overall approach to globalization that studies the many different ways to divide – or join together – the world space; a closer look at the major elements of this space as seen from Europe; and finally a closer look at local/global interactions using European cases, including from Alsace. Concomitantly, a European humanist perspective is used to analyze from an ethics-and-justice point of view some of the important specific facets of globalization such as culture and identity; immigration, delocalization and work; interdependence and clivage; free trade and economic imbalance; agriculture; international civil society and governance; and others.

STRUCTURE, SUPPORT, CONTACT, ADVISING, ENSURING SUCCESS

Far from being an isolated experience as arranged by an agency, the Strasbourg Field Study and Internship Program is a fully-structured academic program.

The preparatory courses are taught at BCA’s Strasbourg Center. Housing is arranged through by the Center, and the Center’s staff are ready to help with the practical details of daily life, as well as advice, tips, places to go and things to do, etc.

IFE’s Paris-based staff members organize and participate in the initial orientation meeting, and thereafter are regularly present in Strasbourg including for individual meetings concerning placement or any other aspect of the program. In between visits, IFE staff are in close contact by email with students in the program. An IFE staff member accompanies student interns on an initial contact meeting with prospective host organizations, during the preparatory session. An IFE staff member also conducts an on-site evaluation of each placement 4-6 weeks after the internship has begun, which involves a three-way meeting among intern, on-the-job supervisor, and IFE staff, to ensure that all parties are satisfied and to address any difficulties arising.

Each student intern also meet regularly with their research advisor to identify a topic, develop an approach to it and an outline, identify possible sources of information, and write the paper. Each student intern also presents to a “jury” of IFE staff and advisors an oral of summary of the work in progress one month before the end of the program, and benefits from ensuing discussion and comment.

With BCA staff available day-to-day, IFE staff involved in all academic and internship aspects, making frequent visits to IFE, and contact as often as desired with their research advisor, students in the Strasbourg Field Study and Internship Program enjoy an ideal combination of support and independence as they accomplish great things!