Face-to-face , first term, 22,5 hours of theory.

First term
Friday from 17:00 to 19:00 at 43 Botanique 7
Friday from 17:00 to 19:00 at 43 Botanique 6

French

The central aim is to initiate to the study of human sciences.

Firstly, the aim is to initiate the students to the fundamental techniques of academic work. By the end of the course, the students should have revised the techniques for writing a summary, an outline, a synthesis. They should also have learned how to incorporate quotes and why it is done, how to provide references and be able to write a bibliographic reference in accordance with one of the reference conventions available. Lastly, the students should have acquired the reflex to use encyclopaedias and reference dictionaries in human sciences, and more generally, to use some of the bibliographical research tools available in libraries. The students will be brought back to the study of reading from the specific point of view of human sciences (how to analyse a text, how to use different tools to understand it, how to compare it to others, etc.).

Secondly, the aim is also to initiate to work methods, both in terms of organisation of personal work and in terms of initiation to the methodology in human sciences. Therefore, the students should have acquired a certain proficiency in note taking and in the use of techniques that optimise their management of knowledge. In the introduction to the reflection specific to human sciences, the students will become aware of the need to question the common perceptions, to suspend the obvious, and take a critical step back from everyday reality. They will also have started to understand that this decoding of social reality faced by researchers, cannot be done without referring to paradigms. They command fundamental concepts. The students will be able to master a systematic definition of some of them, identified collectively. They should also be able to contextualise the reference authors.

This seminar considers the academic training as an evolving project taking into account the different logics of the actors. Therefore, the aims specific to academic work techniques and personal work management will be developed to a greater or lesser extent depending on the acquired knowledge and requests of the students.

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As this seminar is fundamentally based on and designed for interaction with students, the contents presented here below may be modified according to the students' reactions. However, the leading structure will be respected.

It seems appropriate to link the initiation to methodology in human sciences to the epistemological questioning on knowledge. To do this, we will work on the concept of “crisis”. The seminar begins by making the students aware of the fact that individuals comprehend what surrounds them through representations, and thus there is an epistemological necessity, for the researcher to develop critical procedures, procedures that put the initial representations into crisis, in order to decrypt this reality. Therefore, we will develop a conception of the representation both as an obstacle (to be criticised) and a resource (of the process of knowledge).

After starting with an etymological exploration of the terms “crisis” and “critic” (cfr necessity to judge), we will continue our initiation by reading a series of texts:

- Two excerpts from Hannah Arendt that present the crisis as an opportunity to re-question prejudices (usual answer) in order to find the essence (the question) of the phenomenon in crisis.

- An excerpt from Peter Berger and a presentation by Gaston Bachelard and his book “La formation de l'esprit scientifique”, that enable to introduce criticism as a methodological conception. The work of the scientist is presented as putting representations under suspicion through specific methods. This way we will develop the notion of epistemological obstacle and the theme of the break with common sense, be it radical or partial, in the context of the development of a scientific knowledge.

- A text from an anthropologist, Régis Meyran, “'La crise des banlieues' : fantasmes et réalités” which encourages us to take a critical look at a phenomenon widely covered by the media.

- An interview conducted by Jean-Marie Colombani, with Pierre Rosanvallon that mainly develops the idea that the current crisis is also a crisis of the political representation. This text will be completed by an excerpt from Claude Dubar out of his book, “La crise des identités” and the introduction from the book of Philippe Braud, “Science politique. 2. L'Etat”.

- The article by Kant, « Qu'est-ce que les Lumières », which, through its presentation of themes such as the exit from minority, the necessity to develop a public use of reason, etc., raises questions about the emergence of the modern critical tradition and allows us to emphasise the epistemological, moral and political importance of a public space of deliberation.

- Finally, the introduction from the book by Jean-Louis Missika and Dominique Wolton (La folle du Logis, 1983) will give us the opportunity to exercise our critical skills on the subject of the role played by an important media such as television in today's societies.

- The students are divided into sub-groups. They prepare the collective sessions by completing the requested exercises: preliminary readings, drafting outlines, summaries, comparisons, lexicographical and bibliographical researches.

- The desks are arranged in a U shape in order to encourage exchanges during the collective sessions.

- To encourage a reflective appropriation of the process, each session starts with the presentation of what will be studied that day. Then the structuring elements of the previous sessions will be reminded and the possible difficulties encountered during the exercises will be addressed.

- Each student can put together a glossary-file containing the key concepts and authors studied.

- During the semester, audiovisual material that is directly related to the objects and concepts of the reference texts will be proposed and discussed during the sessions, to diversify the pedagogical approach and to organise structured and reasoned debates. This support includes different television reports and film excerpts.

- A special session will be devoted to a fundamental initiation to the use of the computer system (e-mails, surfing the internet, use of Claroline and Word software…).

- A visit and presentation of the libraries is also foreseen.

On the one hand, there is a continuous formative assessment: correction of works commented in class and regular refocusing of the process. The participation of the students and the achievement of the works are taken into account for the final assessment, however execution mistakes are part of the training.

On the other hand, there is a summative assessment at the end of the academic year. It is composed of a final written work presenting, in part, the common theme of the seminar (i.e. the articulation of the different themes and methods studied) and the critical synthesis of articles that have not been studied in class. These works will be defended during the oral examination, which will also check the understanding of the vocabulary and the compliance with bibliographical instructions.

ANY PLAGIARISM WILL CAUSE THE FAILURE OF THE FINAL WORK AND POSSIBLE OTHER MEASURES (CFR. ARTICLE 28 OF ACADEMIC EXAMINATION REGULATIONS).

See syllabus

A syllabus-reading portfolio is made available for students.