PO 370-01 FRENCH POLITICS: POWER, ACTORS AND ISSUES IN THE 5 TH REPUBLIC IES Abroad Nice DESCRIPTION: The aim of this course is to provide students with the keys for understanding the current debates and events in French politics, such as the national identity debate, the rise of the Front National, the role of the State and the Republic in French politics and so on. The focus will be on developing an understanding of the main events, processes and ideas, which have shaped and influenced contemporary France and provide the backdrop to current problems and issues. The course will first present the main actors within French politics by the study of its institutions, its culture, its ideological debates, and its historical roots (session 1 to 7). The course will then undertake the presentation and analysis of recent electoral trends, and the evolution of political discourse. This task will be based on the study of key presidential elections (1981, 2002, 2007 and 2012) that will shed light on the causes and consequences of the transformation of the French party system and on current electoral trends (session 8 to 12). Finally, we will discuss the state of French politics in the aftermath of the 2017 Presidential election (session 13). CREDITS: 3 credits CONTACT HOURS: 45 hours LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English PREREQUISITES: None METHOD OF PRESENTATION: Each class will start with a press review made by students, from which a discussion of the weekly events of French politics will unfold. Following this preliminary discussion, the class will comprise of the instructor lecture, a collective discussion of the weekly readings and a Q&A session at the end of the class. Through the application Moodle, material (videos or articles) will be updated every week on the topic of the week and students will be asked to post blog comments responding, analyzing and discussing the main content of the material. Students will also be encouraged to start their own topic of discussion within the framework of French politics. REQUIRED WORK AND FORM OF ASSESSMENT: Course participation (including press reviews and class participation) 25% Midterm Exam 25% Final Exam 30% Research Paper 20% Course Participation The course participation grade will be the aggregate of 2 tasks: students press reviews and students participation in class discussion. I encourage students to actively participate in class discussion it is our privilege to be in an environment where not knowing and asking questions is normal, accepted, or even appreciated. Class interaction is an integral part of the learning process. Midterm Exam The Midterm Exam will take place online on Moodle between week 7 and week 8 and will consist of a 2 hours written exam. Students will be asked to answer 4 out of 6 questions based on the topics covered from class 1 to class 7. Final Exam The Final Exam will be a 2,5 hours written exam. Students will be asked to write an essay on the course content. Research Paper The topic of the final paper (2500 words +/- 10 percent) is free. However, it has to be closely related to the core of the course, i.e. French politics. It will be the opportunity for students to study in depth a specific aspect of the course they may be particularly interested in. Each and every student is strongly advised to discuss potential topics well in advance with the instructor. Students will
have to submit a paper proposal of maximum two pages on class 9, and a paper outline on class 11. The paper needs to be handed in on class 13 and to be sent by email to the instructor on the same day. Layout: Cambria 12 pt, lining of 1.5, page numbers, section headings and APA referencing style. LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the course students will be able to: Describe the French political system, its actors and its issues. Understand the power dynamics within the French political institutions. Explain some of the ways France s political history influences its current institutions and policies. Analyze the causes and effects of electoral results and party competition. Understand and discuss political, social and cultural debates in contemporary French politics. ATTENDANCE POLICY: Class attendance is mandatory. CONTENT: Week Content Reading Assignments Week 1 Feb. 1: Week 2 Feb. 8: Week 3 Feb. 15: Week 4 March 1: Week 5 March 15: The birth of the 5th Republic 1945-1958 Presentation of the course outline, scope, and assignments. Methodology of the press review Parliamentarism in the post-wwii years The Algeria War The return of General De Gaulle and the establishment of the 5 th Republic The institutions of the 5th Republic The relationship between the President and the Prime Minister The role of the Parliament The cohabitation Constitutional reforms State, Statism and the Republic in French Politics French Republicanism State and Statism Laicism and religion in the public space The national identity debate French elites The role of political elites Elites recruitment Elites power The Left Historical and ideological roots of the French left Conklin, Fishman & Zaretsky, France and its Empire since 1870, pp.249-282. Gaffney, Political leadership in France, pp.6-36. Cole, French Politics and Society, pp.61-80. Constitution of 1958 Béland, Society, pp.66-71. Cole, French Politics and Society, pp.45-59. Jennings, British Journal of Political Science, pp.559-75. Vince, France, Islam and Laïcité, pp.153-170. Genieys, International Political Science Review, pp.413-430 Vernardakis, Working Paper, pp.1-8 Bell, The French extreme left and the persistence of a revolutionary myth, pp.87-104.
Week 6 March 29: Week 7 April 5: Midterm April 7 or April 10 Week 8 April 12: Week 9 April 19: Week 10 April 26: Week 11 May 3: Actors, dynamics and contemporary perspectives. The Right Historical and ideological roots of the French right Actors, dynamics and contemporary perspectives. The Extreme-Right Historical and ideological roots of the French extreme-right Actors, dynamics and contemporary perspectives. 2,5 hours online midterm Voting behavior and political communication in French politics The French electoral cycle The primacy of the Presidential election A model of voting behavior in French elections Understanding electoral polarization Political communication in presidential elections The Presidential election of 1981, the Left s dream How and why did the Left win? Change of power in the 5 th Republic and democratic implications How did the Left govern the country? The Presidential election of 2002, the candidates nightmare The political earthquake of April 21 st How and why did Jean-Marie Le Pen reach the 2 nd round of the election? How did the 2002 election reshuffle party politics? The Presidential elections of 2007 and 2012 Nicolas Sarkozy and the new Right Ségolène Royal, François Hollande and the Socialist Party primaries Issues and rhetoric in these elections Cole, French Politics and Society, pp.158-165, pp.170-172. Cole, French Politics, Culture & Society, pp.29-48. Cole, French Politics and Society, pp.151-158. Cordell, Southern European Society and Politics, pp.191-206. Cole, French Politics and Society, pp.165-170. Mondon, Modern & Contemporary France, pp.301-320. Kuhn, From private lives to intimate revelations: politicians and the media in contemporary France, pp.171-183. Lewis-Beck, Nadeau & Bélanger, French Presidential Elections, pp.1-14, pp.163-176. Gaffney, Political leadership in France, pp.113-136, pp.138-153. Northcutt, French Historical Studies, pp.141-158. Kuhn, European Journal of Communication, pp.181-198. Kuhn, Representation, pp.44-56. Gaffney, Political leadership in France, pp.179-205. Hewlett, Reviving the French Exception? Sarkozy, authoritarian populism and the Bonapartist tradition, pp.39-54. Ivaldi, French Politics, pp.253-277.
Week 12 May 10: Week 14 May 17: Final Exam The Presidential election of 2017, towards a reshaping of French politics? The impact of primary elections on candidate selection The Macron phenomenon The weight of radical politics 2,5 hours in class final essay exam Cole, Parliamentary Affairs, pp.17-32. Kuhn & Murray, Parliamentary Affairs, pp.1-16. To be announced REQUIRED READINGS: Manuals: Chafer, Tony and Godin Emmanuel (eds). The End of the French Exception. Decline and Revival of the French Model, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010 Cole, Alistair. French Politics and Society. Essex: Pearson and Longman, 2 nd edition, 2005. Macmillan, 2010. Class 1 The birth of the 5 th Republic 1945-1958 Conklin, Alice, Fishman Sarah and Zaretsky Robert. France and its Empire since 1870. New York: Oxford University Press, 2 nd Edition, 2014, Chapter 10 Reconstruction at Home and Overseas, 1945-1958, pp.249-282. Macmillan, 2010, Chapter 1 «1958: The Gaullist Settlement and French Politics», pp.6-36. Class 2 The institutions of the 5 th Republic Cole, Alistair. French Politics and Society. Essex: Pearson and Longman, 2 nd edition, 2005, Chapter 4 Presidents and Prime Ministers, pp.61-80. Constitution of the 5 th Republic Class 3 State, Statism and the Republic in French politics Béland, Daniel, 2003, Identity Politics and French Republicanism, in Society, 45(3), pp. 66-71. Cole, Alistair. French Politics and Society. Essex: Pearson and Longman, 2 nd edition, 2005, Chapter 3 French political culture, pp.45-59. Vince, Natalya. France, Islam and Laïcité: Colonial Exceptions, Contemporary Reinventions and European Convergence, in The End of the French Exception. Decline and Revival of the French Model. Eds. Tony Chafer and Emmanuel Godin. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Pp.153-170. Class 4 French political culture (Citizenship Laicism Political elites) Genieys, William. The Sociology of Political Elites in France: The End of an Exception? in International Political Science Review, 26(2005), pp. 413-430. Class 5 The Left Bell, David. The French Extreme Left and the Persistence of a Revolutionary Myth, in The End of the French Exception. Decline and Revival of the French Model. Eds. Tony Chafer and Emmanuel Godin. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Pp.87-104.
Cole, Alistair. French Politics and Society. Essex: Pearson and Longman, 2 nd edition, 2005, Chapter 9.4 The Socialist Party, Chapter 9.3 The Communist Party, & Chapter 9.7 The Greens, pp.158-165 & pp.170-172. Cole, Alistair. The French Socialist Party and its Radical Ambiguity, in French Politics, Culture & Society, 29(2011), pp. 29-48. Class 6 The Right Cole, Alistair. French Politics and Society. Essex: Pearson and Longman, 2 nd edition, 2005, Chapter 9.2 The Gaullists and Chapter 9.3 The Union for French Democracy (UDF), pp.151-158. Cordell, Jim. Unity and plurality in the French right, in Southern European Society and Politics, 10(2005), pp. 191-206. Class 7 The Extreme-right Cole, Alistair. French Politics and Society. Essex: Pearson and Longman, 2 nd edition, 2005, Chapter 9.6 The National Front, pp.165-170. Mondon, Aurélien. The Front National in the Twenty-First Century: From Pariah to Republican Democratic Contender? in Modern & Contemporary France, 22(2014), pp. 301-320. Class 8 Voting behavior and political communication in French politics Kuhn, Raymond. From Private Lives to Intimate Revelations: Politicians and the Media in Contemporary France, in The End of the French Exception. Decline and Revival of the French Model. Eds. Tony Chafer and Emmanuel Godin. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Pp.171-183. Lewis-Beck Michael, Nadeau Richard and Bélanger Éric. French Presidential Elections. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, Introduction and Conclusion, pp.1-14 & pp.163-176. Class 9 Presidential election of 1981 Macmillan, 2010, Chapter 5 «1974-81: The Giscard Years», Chapter 6 «1981-88: From the République Sociale to the République Française», pp.113-153. Northcutt, Wayne. François Mitterrand and the Political Use of Symbols: The Construction of a Centrist Republic, in French Historical Studies, 17(1991), pp. 141-158 Class 10 Presidential election of 2002 Kuhn, Raymond. Be Very Afraid : Television and l Insécurité in the 2002 French Presidential Election, in European Journal of Communication, 20(2005), pp. 181-198. Kuhn, Raymond. The French Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, 2002, in Representation, 39(2007), pp. 44-56. Class 11 - Presidential elections of 2007 & 2012 Macmillan, 2010, Chapter 8 «The Presidential Election of 2007», pp.179-205. Hewlett, Nick. Reviving the French Exception? Sarkozy, Authoritarian Populism and the Bonapartist Tradition, in The End of the French Exception. Decline and Revival of the French Model. Eds. Tony Chafer and Emmanuel Godin. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Pp.39-54. Ivaldi, Gilles. Presidential Strategies, Models of Leadership and the Development of Parties in a Candidate-Centred Polity: The 2007 UMP and PS Presidential Nomination Campaigns, in French Politics, 5(2007), pp. 253-277. Cole, Alistair. Politics as Normal? The 2012 French Presidential Election, in Parliamentary Affairs, 66 (2013), pp. 17-32. Kuhn, Raymond and Murray Rainbow. France s Left Turn: Mapping the 2012 Elections, in Parliamentary Affairs, 66(2013), pp. 1-16. Class 13 The Presidential election of 2017, towards a reshaping of French politics? Readings to be announced
RECOMMENDED READINGS: Culture and Society Ardagh, John. France in the New Century. Portrait of a Changing Society. Penguin Books, 2000. Elgie, Robert and Griggs Steven. French Politics. Debates and Controversies. New York: Routledge, 2000. Fieschi, Catherine. Fascism, populism and the French Fifth Republic: in the shadow of democracy. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004. Kedward, Rod. France and the French, A Modern History. New York: Overlook, 2007. Safran, William. The French polity. Pearson Longman, 2002. Institutions Atkin, Nicholas. The Fifth French Republic. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Brouard, Sylvain, Appleton Andrew and Amy G. Mazur (Eds). The French Fifth Republic at Fifty. Beyond Stereotypes. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Conley, Richard. From Elysian fields to the guillotine? The dynamics of presidential and prime ministerial approval in Fifth Republic France, in Comparative Political Studies, 39(2006), pp. 570-598. Elgie, Robert. Political institutions in contemporary France. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. France's political institutions at 50, Special issue in West European Politics, 32(2009), pp. 243-437. Political Parties and Elections Bell, David. Parties and democracy in France: parties under presidentialism. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000. Demker, Marie. Changing party ideology. Gaullist parties facing voters, leaders and competitors, in Party Politics, 3(1997), pp. 407-426. Knapp, Andrew. Parties and the party system in France: a disconnected democracy? Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Lewis-Beck Michael, Nadeau Richard and Bélanger Éric. French Presidential Elections. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Stevens, Anne. Government and politics of France. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. France and the European Union Cole, Alistair. French Politics and Society. Essex: Pearson and Longman, 2 nd edition, 2005, Chapter 13 Europe and Europeanisation, pp.231-252. Dimitrakopoulos, Dionyssis, Menon Anand and Passas Argyris. France and the EU under Sarkozy: Between European Ambitions and National Objectives? in Modern & Contemporary France, 17(2009), pp. 451-65. Drake, Helen (ed). French Relations with the European Union. Abingdon: Routledge, 2005. Drake, Helen. France, Europe and the Limits of Exceptionalism, in The End of the French Exception. Decline and Revival of the French Model. Eds. Tony Chafer and Emmanuel Godin. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Pp.187-202. Grossman, Emiliano (ed). France and the EU After the Referendum, Special issue in Journal of European Public Policy, 14(2007), pp. 983-1149. Kassim, Hussein. France and the European Union under the Chirac Presidency, in Developments in French Politics. Eds. Alistair Cole, Patrick Le Galès and Jonah Levy. New York: Palgrave, 4th ed., 2008. Pp. 258-276. Petithomme, Mathieu. Containing the sleeping giant in EU referendums? A comparison of the strategies of confinement of EU issues of the RPR (1992) and the PS (2005), in French Politics, 10(2012), pp. 105-133. Woll, Cornelia and Balme Richard. France: Between Integration and National Sovereignty, in The Member States of the European Union. Eds. Simon Bulmer and Christian Lequesne. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Pp. 97-118. French Foreign Policy Alarcon, Antonio. French and US approaches to Foreign Policy, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Krotz, Ulrich. Three eras and possible futures: a long-term view on the Franco-German relationship a century after the First World War, in International Affairs, 90(2014), pp. 337-350.