SLC.edu / International and Exchange Programs / Paris Program / Academic Program / French Institutions / Social Sciences Intensive Programs

Intensive Programs in the Social Sciences

Designed for students specializing in the social sciences and seeking to pursue independent research in Paris, Sarah Lawrence intensive programs allow each student to construct an individualized curriculum centered around a specific area of interest. These comprehensive programs include academic courses and fieldwork.

A typical intensive program (8 credits per semester, for 10 to 15 class hours per week) consists of the following:

Two Academic Courses
SLC Conference Work
One Optional Elective
Independent Research Project (fieldwork)

Students in intensive programs also take one SLC seminar of their choice and a required French language course (see Sample Intensive Programs).

These programs enable students to approach the study of the contemporary world from a European perspective and provide extensive training in French methodology. Fieldwork complements the work carried out in class by putting students in contact with local communities and organizations. Independent research done in an SLC intensive program may serve as valuable preparation for a senior thesis, graduate school or a career in a related field.

Students in SLC intensive programs choose from a large array of classes at two of the world’s leading research institutions in the social sciences, the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (IEP or Sciences Po). Due to the rigor of these institutions, students in intensive programs must demonstrate an advanced level of written and spoken French.

The following provides a list of sample intensive programs. Each student constructs his or her own program under the guidance of the SLC Paris Program Director and a specialist in the given field.

Discipline	Course 1	Course 2	Elective
Anthropology* Sample Intensive Program at EHESS	Anthropology of Western Knowledge Professor Stoczkowski	Social History of Cultural Models Professors Revel and Loriga	Anthropology of the Gaze: Documentary Filmmaking and the Ethnological Experience Professor Breton
Economics* Sample Intensive Program at IEP	International Commerce and Globalization Professor Mayer	Globalization, States and Financial Markets Professor Rachline	The Financial and Economic Crisis, 2007-2010 Professor Jacquillat
European Studies* Sample Intensive Program at IEP	The European Union: Political System and Life Professor Bourlanges	European Law Professor Burgorgue-Larsen	The Crisis of the European Union Professor Germanangue
International Relations* Sample Intensive Program at IEP	Global Space Professor Baudie	Introduction to the Contemporary Arab World Professor Bahout	The Geo-economic Dynamic of the Persian Golf Professor Tétart
Sociology* Sample Intensive Program at IEP	Religion and Society Professor Pouthier	Major Scientific Issues Professor Le Deaut	Thoughts in Action: a History of Philosophical Problems in Contemporary France Professor Simon-Nahum

*Each intensive program is accompanied by SLC conference work sessions and an independent research project (fieldwork) on a topic chosen under the direction of the conference professor.

Application Process

All students applying to intensive programs in the social sciences must be approved by and receive initial guidance from the SLC Paris Program Director.

For further information, please e-mail Monique Middleton, Paris Program Director.