School of Record for American College of the Mediterranean Aix-en-Provence

ARC/ARH 312: European & Mediterranean Prehistoric Art and Archaeology        3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Art History

This course deals with the apparition and the development of European and Mediterranean societies from the arrival of the first modern humans; known as Cro-Magnon, until the birth of the Celtic aristocracies at the dawn of the Roman conquest. Within the chronological framework of the course, illustrated by major archaeological sites and artefacts, topics discussed include art (cave art, prehistoric "Venuses"), genders, identities, power & birth of leadership, ancient religious beliefs (shamanism, Mother Goddess worshipping, solar cults...). Typically includes excursions to sites in Provence.

ART 105: Drawing and Painting (Studio Art)                       3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Beginner Studio Art

This is an introductory studio art course to the techniques and approaches related to drawing and painting. Students will be encouraged to explore a variety of media, techniques, and subject matter as a means of discovering their own creative capacities while developing their perceptual as well as manual skills. Each week a new project will be presented to expose students to the varieties of relationships found between content and form. The course will include an investigation of still life, portraiture, and landscape through treatments in pen and ink, charcoal, oil pastels, and acrylics. Additional fee required.

ART 110: Introduction to Digital Photography                   3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Beginner Studio Art

This course introduces the students to the history of photography and to the techniques specific to digital capture and the manipulation of images in Photoshop. It provides the students with basic photography skills and an understanding of focal length, aperture, shutter speed, composition, and quality of light. Students will gain an appreciation of aesthetic concerns that will enable them to express themselves in a cohesive and creative manner.

ART 309/310: Art Criticism and Aesthetics Seminar I                      3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Art History

The Art Criticism seminar offers the student access to a wide variety of images (architectural, sculptural, painted or drawn, etc.). The objective of this course is to improve critical awareness and to refine judgment based on an exploration of artistic principles through visual experience. Intensive critical analysis of selected art works with emphasis on the essential elements of color, light, volume and form. Readings include various critical and philosophical texts. Field-Studies required. 

Co-requisites: One selected painting course and one selected drawing course.

ART/ARH 201: Introduction to Art History: Prehistory to Modern Times                               3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Art History

This course is an introductory history of art survey from prehistory through the modern period. The course makes use of slide-lectures, textbooks, videos and on-site visits to develop students’ appreciation of art through the particular concepts and methodology of art historical analysis.

ART/ARH 320: Picasso, Matisse, and the Mediterranean                                            3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Art History

This course is an investigation of the development of late 19th and early 20th century modern art within the context of the south from post-impressionism through fauvism, cubism and surrealism. Field studies are an integral part of the course.

ART/ARH 340: The Mediterranean and Beyond: Cross-Cultural Studies in Medieval Art and Architecture                                     3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Art History

This course goes beyond the borders of empires, states and political history to discuss and analyze what makes the Middle Ages an artistic, architectural and intellectual momentum from the 5th to the 15th centuries CE. It studies the arts and architecture of various cultures and covers vast geographical and chronological scopes. We will deal with West Europe, the Islamic World, Iran, India, China, the Byzantine Empire, and the so-called Vikings (Danes). Field studies are an integral part of the course.

ART/ARH 342: Artistic Encounters in the Mediterranean: Cross Cultural Perspectives in European Art

3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Art History

This course explores how contact between cultures has shaped artistic production between the sixth and nineteenth centuries in the Mediterranean. It aims to show that the formation of art history as a discipline is more collaborative than compartmentalized. Among the themes to be covered in this class are: Byzantine Art and Italy (Ravenna, Venice and Sicily), Islamic aesthetics in Jewish and Christian art, Islamic art and Europe (Spain, Sicily, and Venice), the Ottomans and Renaissance art, Rembrandt and the East, and Orientalist paintings. The course is structured around discussion and students are expected to participate and present.

ART/ARH 363: Baroque Art and Architecture                     3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Art History

This course investigates European art and architecture of the seventeenth century. Known as the Baroque, this artistically rich period saw the rise of major artists including Caravaggio, Bernini, Gentileschi, Velasquez, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens, Claude and Poussin. Best known for dramatic, narrative scenes of intense psychological and emotional power, Baroque art, in its extravagant excitement, reflects the tumultuous times in which it was created. This course looks at regional stylistic variations–Italy, Spain, Flanders, Holland, France, England–within the context of historical circumstance including new ideas about the nature of time and space, the rebranding of the Catholic Church (on the offensive after the onslaught Protestantism), the consolidation of power by an absolute monarch (Louis XIV), and the creation of the Dutch Republic with a mercantile-based economy.

ART/ARH 381: The Nineteenth Century and French Impressionism                          3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Art History

An historical and critical analysis of French painting in the Nineteenth Century with a central focus on the birth and development of the Impressionist movement, its vision and the resulting form of the paintings.

BUS 301: International Business Today and Tomorrow                  3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Business

The world’s economies are now part of an integrated global system. Increasingly, firms of all sizes consider the entire world when deciding where to produce and where to sell their goods and services. Global trends, such as a greater emphasis on corporate social responsibility and sustainability, and international macroeconomic shocks, such as the on-going Covid-19pandemic, influence the decisions of business leaders all over the world. At the same time, national borders and differences remain an essential fact of the global economy. This course will study the changing world in which international business operates, with a particular emphasis on developing a global perspective through the study abroad experience. Its focus is on the ‘macro’ environment but it will also consider managerial implications.

BUS 303: Intercultural Management                      3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Management

There has been a fast-paced change in the innovative management of people in recent years. From mono-cultural to multicultural, from mono-linguistic to multilingual, the needs of global business and the hiring of global nomads and experienced expatriates, are changing our companies and organizations. This course will raise awareness as to how to manage innovative and intercultural Human Resource strategies to achieve new 21st century goals: change management, diversity and inclusion and new solutions to the challenges and opportunities international work forces can generate. Intercultural mindfulness and competence are key attributes to be developed and understood.

BUS 304: Business Ethics in the Global Market                  3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Business

From Socrates to the interpretation of ethics through cultures, from universal ethics to local applications, from Western paradigms to the globalization of values, we shall be studying, comparing and discussing the crucial role of Business Ethics in21stcentury businesses and organizations. Ethics are not only a philosophical approach to living, they are the basis for the building of sound, equitable, sustainable business, trade, humanitarian and personal standards. Historical research as well as the latest articles on how business ethics affect worlds and peoples we often do not even know exist, will be used as a basis to learn how to be a responsible decision-maker in a globalized economy.

BUS 305: Global Marketing                        3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Marketing

Exploration of basic knowledge of global marketing focusing on the impact of environment on the strategies used by firms, and the understanding of consumer behavior management as it relates to the development and implementation of global marketing strategies.

BUS 307: Luxury Management                                3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Management

This course covers the key concepts and the fundamentals of both Strategic Brand Management and Luxury Brand Management in an international and national setting. Students will study brand identity, target segmentation, the importance of creating the “right” image, how to position a Brand, how to analyze client behavior and how to market to the clients in the best way. Analysis and discovery of the most up-to-date strategies for building and maintaining brand value over time will also be covered. Students will also gain an insight into the brand management issues stemming from cross-country and cross-cultural interactions.

BUS 323: Socially Responsible and Sustainable Fashion Management                    3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Business

The objective of this course is to investigate the many social and environmental issues of today’s fast-paced, global fashion industry and to explore ways in which we can slow it down, reduce its impact on the environment and provide urgent solutions to make it sustainable. The course takes a hands-on approach, encouraging students to explore aspects of sustainability in developing strategies and methods for the future through case studies, a visit to a sustainable fashion business, videos, and class interaction.

BUS/FRE 341: Undergraduate Internship                                            3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate General Elective

Internship positions in various enterprises and non-profit organizations from small local businesses to regional chains to multinationals with offices in Aix and in the wider region. Students usually work 10-12 hours per week on site, submitting regular written reports to their professors at IAU/ACM. An upper-intermediate level of French or higher is essential. Often satisfies credit for French language requirements. Availability depends on company offers. Flexible hours according to your course schedule.

ECO/ES 301: International Economies and the European Union                 3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Economics

The European Union (EU) is a unique political and economic construction. For many economists, its defining characteristic is its four freedoms of movement of goods, services, people, and capital within the world's largest single market. Nineteen member states have gone even further in economic integration and share a common currency, the euro. The EU’s policies influence the everyday lives of those who live inside and outside its borders. This course will study the benefits and costs for the people of the EU, and indeed the world, of this ‘ever closer’ union using the tools of international economics. Its focus is the economic integration of Europe from the end of the Second World War to the present day.

ES 200: Ecology of France and the Mediterranean Environment                3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Environmental Studies

The Mediterranean biome coversca.2.0% of the global lands, making of it the smallest terrestrial biome. Yet, field surveys reveal the presence of some 48 thousand species of vascular plants, ca.18%of all known terrestrial plants, making of it the second most biodiverse behind the Tropical Forests biome. One remarkable aspect of this biodiversity is the high rate of endemism, rising in some locations to over 75%, making of the whole biome a “biodiversity hotspot”. The focus of this course is to examine the conditions, which shaped and continue to shape life in this biome and the future challenges it faces. The Mediterranean southern France is studied in this class as an example to illustrate the functioning in vivo of this biome.

ES 201: Principles of Environmental Science in Society                                 3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Environmental Science

This course will help students to prepare for living in the current and future society's mixture of technology and myth by presenting ideas and concepts about living systems and their environments. Policy makers and citizens’ awareness for understanding of environmental science principles is urgently needed in exercising community responsibilities to handle the environmental problems of our times. Water use, solid waste management, global warming, energy use, conservation of irreplaceable natural resources and the preservation of biodiversity are issues we will cover.

ES/WS 305: Chemistry and Biochemistry of Wine Production                     3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Chemistry

This course aims at providing students with a basic understanding of the scientific principles in the two broad topic areas in wine science: viticulture and oenology. Topics covered under “viticulture” include a brief introduction to the history of wine, the principles of soil science applied to viticulture and the different viticulturist techniques, the biogeography of the grapevine, the annual growth cycle of the grapevine and berry development. Under “oenology”, the course covers the structure and the chemical composition of the ripe grape berry, the step-by-step analysis of the three winemaking stages: pre-fermentation, fermentation and post-fermentation stages) and the scientific principles involved in the processes of wine maturation, conservation and aging. The main objective of this course is to provide students with the scientific principles necessary for the understanding of viticulture and oenology. Classes are tailored for students aspiring for a wine-related profession or simply as wine amateurs curious about the wonderful science behind it. Basic knowledge in chemistry, biology, ecology, biochemistry and/or any related disciplines is recommended

FLM/FRE 355: France as seen through its movies, post WWII to the 1970’s                          3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

This course proposes a historical, cultural and aesthetic approach to French films made from the end of the Second World War to the 1970's, combined with a study of the French language: how do the films reflect the dominant phenomena of an evolving society and how do they testify to representations as well as propagate them? The aim is to describe, question and understand the multiplicity of representations of France proposed by these films: each one will be apprehended under the angle of its relations with the socio-cultural events of the time of its realization and its relations with France of today. How the subjects of society approached in these films are still topical. The course will alternate common viewing sessions of sequences of films with sessions of derived linguistic exercises (synthesis of vocabulary and grammatical points).  

FRE 101/102: Practical Elementary French I then II                         6 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Beginner French

This course is designed for students with no previous knowledge of French. Students will learn the French language via spoken and written exercises, and by observing and interacting with their immediate environment in Aix-en-Provence. The initial emphasis will be on listening comprehension and oral ability, with progressively greater emphasis on reading and writing skills. The aim of this class is to provide students with the means to understand French and express themselves. Syntactical and linguistic elements are integrated into the context of the students’ daily life in France. Audiovisual and reading activities as well as in-class discussions draw upon the diversity of French and Francophone society and culture. Practical, everyday communication is emphasized in hands-on exercises in writing, speaking, listening, audio and video sessions, and during short outings in the neighborhood surrounding the IAU campus. Class is taught in French.

FRE 102/201: Practical Elementary French II then Intermediate French I                               6 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Beginner French

Intensive four hours’ classroom learning tied to two hours’ practical workshops and activities. Development of an understanding of oral French through dialogue and role-playing.

FRE 201/202: Intermediate French I then II                        6 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

This course is designed to use more efficiently French (oral and written) in order to express more complex ideas and articulate them properly. The emphasis in this intermediate French class will be to improve your communicative skills in French, in order to do so, we will work altogether the four proficiencies: oral and written oral understanding, oral and written oral expression, as well as interaction in the class. We will also deal with the local culture as you are going to live and be immersed in to the French Southern culture a whole semester.

FRE 211: Living in France: Intercultural Communication                               3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

The goal of this course is to deepen students’ knowledge of contemporary France, particularly regarding social, cultural, artistic and historical issues. The course will deepen the student’s knowledge in French and teach them how to use French more efficiently and express complex ideas in a proper fashion. The class will be entirely conducted in French and will focus on developing: listening comprehension, oral competence and socio-cultural communicative proficiency through use of video and audio-based media, movies, songs, etc.

FRE 301: Advanced French I: Structure and Expression                                  3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

Advanced written and oral practice and grammar review. Essay topics follow a simulation enriched with a variety of documentation and multimedia activities.

FRE 302: Advanced French II: Conversation and Composition                                    3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

Students improve their advanced command of oral and written French.

FRE 306: Cross-Cultural Studies in Food and Culture                       3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

This course is taught in French. Each three-hour course is divided into three parts: culture, French and cuisine, allowing students to approach intercultural studies on food and culture not only theoretically but also practically.

FRE 333: Contemporary France: Society, Politics, and Culture                    3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

The objective of this course is to understand contemporary French society. We will explore the relationship between tradition and the values ​​that are the foundation of French society as well as the evolution of these values. This reflection on current French culture will better put it into perspective American culture. This course, which aims to go to beyond the ideas about France often based on stereotypes, will take an interdisciplinary approach stemming from the social sciences, and in particular cultural anthropology, so as to explore the issues intercultural and cultural theories in the current context of globalization. This course will introduce students with the study of culture through the work of anthropologists, cultural historians, philosophers, economists or more psychologists. To this will be added the exploration of the societal tensions that have existed for decades in France and their recent developments by addressing different themes ranging from politics, education, work, immigration, the environment, discrimination or language and the story

FRE 335: The Phonetics of Contemporary French                                            3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

This phonetics course aims to teach the essential characters of phonemes and intonations of contemporary French and will focus on the particularities of oral language. Over sessions, several approaches will be applied (articulatory, comparative and verbo tonal methods), thus the students will become aware of the difference between the phonological system of French and the one of their own language.

FRE 401: Translation and Structure I: from Colloquial to Literary                                             3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Advanced French

Translation from English to French and French to English, with constant reference to technical considerations. The course includes both theory and supervised practice of translation. Using the selected texts, we will explore the challenges linked to the place of the individual in contemporary society: identity and family relationships, identity and relationships with others, social condition, normalcy, and collective consciousness.

FRE 402: Translation and Structure II: from Colloquial to Literary                                            3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Advanced French

This course is designed to provide advanced instruction and supervised practice in translation from English into French and from French into English. The course includes both discussion and practice in translation. The selection of texts will explore issues of the individual's place in contemporary society: identity and family relationships, identity and relationships to others, social condition, normality and collective consciousness.

FRE/BUS 311: Business French                  3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

Intensive training in French for business and commercial purposes, emphasizing specialized forms and vocabulary. Students will discover the world of work in France, the different types of companies in relationship with economic activity during the course but also through company visits and the stakeholder involvement. Specific vocabulary will be studied to allow a better understanding and to participate actively. This professional French course allows an enrichment of oral and written skills in the field of business French through presentations, reading of articles, and recording.

FRE/HIS/EDU 379: Deep-Dive into the French Language: History, Acquisition and Teaching     3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

This course will introduce students to the field of second language acquisition, considering specific issues in learning and teaching French. Students will understand the roles a learner's mother tongue, motivation, memory, and personality play in the learning of a new language. They will consider how social factors affect language learning. They will define the nature of the relationship between language and culture. Models of second language acquisition will be studied, as well as a variety of approaches to the teaching of French as a foreign language.

FRE/LING 412: Contemporary French: The Linguistics of Everyday Language                       3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Advanced French

The objective of this course is to understand the use of French in everyday practices or in any social field (family, youth, advertising or political discourse) to understand the interpretation of the speakers, to articulate the organization of the language (signs, textual relations) and to use effective linguistic practices (real enunciation situations). The course aims to bring the student into direct contact with the practices of French in contemporary society. It is about taking advantage of the opportunity of linguistic and cultural immersion (and all the possibilities of observation and direct investigation that it represents) in Aix-en-Provence to develop the skills of the speaker.

FRE/LIT 340: French Children’s Literature: exploring Language, Culture, and Society               3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

This course focuses on the way French children’s literature explores the creativity of language (with wordplay, for example) and the interaction between text and illustrations, while giving us an historical glimpse of French culture and society and of the underlying value system that pervades children’s literature. We will study classics (Charles Perrault’s and La Fontaine’s fairy tales, la Comtesse de Ségur, Alphonse Daudet) and more contemporary texts (Pierre Gripari, Daniel Pennac, Sempé-Goscinny) to offer a comprehensive view of this literary category. The very varied books selected for this course aim at demonstrating how this literature touches on numerous literary genres and traditions.

FRE/LIT 414/415: France and Francophone Literature, a Dialogue                            3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Advanced French

This course reflects and explores the ongoing dialogue(s) between French-language literary expressions. Indeed, this field includes authors from metropolitan France and others from countries that were once part of the French colonial empire, whether in North Africa, Black Africa, South-East Asia or in the overseas department and territories. How do we approach this “relationship” nowadays? In the era of postcolonial studies? How can we overcome the antagonistic approaches to these issues? Who are the authors who, within their own personal path and therefore, within their literary space, write and allow us to rethink these extremely complex relations?

FRE/POL 376: Contemporary French Identities                  3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

The crisis of the French national novel and the issues related to national identity in a country in mutation. Topics explored: 1.The legacy revolutionary and the republican myth, 2. Immigration and ethnic diversity, 3. The large questions of society, 4. The image that the French make of their story, 5. The impact of terrorism, 6. The contemporary political landscape.

HIS 301: European History: 1870-1918                  3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate History

This course will examine the major social, economic, political and diplomatic developments in European history from 1870 to 1918.It will concentrate primarily on the historical experience of France, Germany, the Ottoman Empire and Russia, with occasional attention paid to other European nations. Four particular themes will be explored: 1: The idea of nation and the emergence of nationalism, 2: European politics, from Anarchism to Marxism, 3: Cultural history: the evolution of European Arts, 4: The Consequences of the wars on the European perception of History.

HIS/COM 314: France during the Occupation (1939-1945)                           3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate History

France in World War II history, from the military defeat of 1940 to the Liberation, with a special focus on the German Occupation of France, and how the time period is portrayed in various media, all the way to present time. This course will examine the major social, economic, diplomatic, and political challenges that France faced during the 1939-1945 time period. Four major themes will be explored: 1.The Vichy regime & the military, economic, ideological, and political aspects of “Collaboration”, 2.How the life of the people in France was affected by the Occupation, 3.How the media shape our perception of History, Resistance and Collaboration, 4.The role played today by the ‘duty of remembrance’ in the way the French envision WWII.

HIS/FRE 328: Provencal History and Culture through its Monuments                      3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate French

Introduction to the History of Provence and a study of its most exemplary monuments. Typically includes excursions to sites in Provence. Provence is an original geographical space: a vast opening on the Mediterranean Sea, a contrasted climate and a vegetation often threatened by fires. This space often explains the human organization of the landscapes. The history of Provence is very rich and ancient. It has created a very complex regional culture that is both Mediterranean and continental, where Greeks, Gauls and Romans have mingled, and today there are relations with the other countries of the Mediterranean basin. The course approaches the history of Provence from the angle of art (painting and sculpture) and architecture, where the various monuments studied will serve as a basis for understanding Provencal civilization.

HIS/POL 321: French Colonialism in the Middle East and North Africa                    3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate History

This class will examine the region’s contemporary political foundations, with a focus on how the recent colonial past has helped shape the political institutions that were recently toppled.

HIS/SOC 304: Muslim Presence in Europe                           3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate History

Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, exaggerated fears and stereotypes towards Islam and Muslims rose in regularity and notoriety. In the United States and in Europe, this "othering" has materialized as ethnic profiling, community surveillance, and most recently, in the rhetoric of the far right. This course is an overview of the long and complex relationship between the Muslim world and the West. It will deconstruct the myth of the two as separate and irreconcilable entities and will emphasize their historic commonality. The course will cover the ongoing debates about Muslims in Europe, such as concepts of religion and secularism, tradition and modernity, immigrants versus citizens, legal issues, human rights, feminism, the headscarf (hijab), identity construction, radicalization, and more. Students will have the opportunity to meet with French Muslims and to participate in field studies to prayer spaces, mosques, and immigrant quarters in Marseilles.

IR 305/505: US Diplomacy in an Age of Change: Case Studies and Practical Exercises                 3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate International Studies

This seminar will explore contemporary U.S. foreign policy and the challenges that face its practitioners. Students will explore the context of US diplomacy today, while honing essential written and oral communication skills.

IR/COM 316: Media and Conflict                             3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Communications

This course examines the role media play in the progression and public perceptions of conflict. Relevant topics will include media and military intervention, portrayals of protest movements, and news and entertainment coverage of crime, rumors, domestic politics, violence, and ethnicity.

LIT 325: The European Novel                                    3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate English

The twentieth century saw the European novel become the dominant literary genre. It assumed its role as the narrative voice of a turbulent era. The main objectives of the course are to better appreciate the evolution of the 20th-century European novel, understand the importance of the selected works in their historical context, recognize the value of literary techniques in novelistic composition, undertake extended literary analysis and fully develop written and oral arguments.

LIT/COM/ANTH 375: The European City in Literature and the Visual Arts                             3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate English

This course will explore the rise and the establishment of the urban setting as the nexus of contemporary European culture and civilization. We will focus primarily on the late nineteenth-century up to the contemporary setting, more specifically on Rome, Paris, Prague and London. Other cities will be taken into account but only in complement to these four central urban settings. The main genres will be the novel and cinema but will not exclude poetry, music or painting.

PHI/POL 312: Ethics in Society                                 3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Philosophy

This course aims to help students in any discipline discover ways to come to terms–both individually and collectively–with the tensions of living in a modern globalized society. It draws on the wisdom we inherit from a lineage of great teachers and thinkers in the past, from different traditions, to seek guidance on how to live better as citizens of the world, and as human beings, confronted by rapid technological change, cultural diversity, environmental degradation, organized violence, and economic insecurity.

POL 307: The European Union: Integration, Enlargement, Unity                               3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Politics

The construction of the European Union represents one of the most important efforts toward peaceful international cooperation in world history. This course offers a comprehensive study of the origins, evolution, and impact of the European Union. It will equally look at the current institutions and policies that make the European Union a global actor today. The course will also examine underlying challenges facing the European Union such as nationalism, state-sovereignty, supranational governance, the fallout from Brexit, and the future of enlargement.

POL/ES 309: Global Environmental Politics                         3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Politics

The objective of this course is to understand the bases of the contemporary environmental crisis and to critically assess the role of discourses in shaping the environmental politics and to appreciate how environmental goals rest on a variety of ethical, social and political norms without which they cannot be fully understood. Students throughout the course will be briefly reminded of the current state of the global environment and will be introduced to the environmental discourses analysis approach, which they will learn how to use in the conceptual framing of contemporary environmental questions.

POL/IR 303: International Relations                       3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Politics

The study of international relations in today’s world encompasses much more than relations between governments and nation-states. This course will look at all modern actors in international affairs. Central to our approach is taking advantage of living abroad for a semester. This includes exploring the viewpoints of new friends, closely following local and international news, attending local conferences and exploring Franco-American relations. Students will read assigned texts, write short papers and give presentations.

PSY 304: Human Development in Cultural Contexts                        3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Psychology

Study of human development from a psychodynamic perspective. The course draws extensively on the theories of such psychoanalytic thinkers as Freud, Melanie Klein, Wilfred Bion, and Donald Winnicott amongst others.  The cultural context is that of a European academic approach to psychology in contrast to the behavioural/cognitive one more prevalent in the United States. Thus there will be no cross cultural comparisons nor will there be any cross theoretical comparisons: the body of theories on Human Development presented here comes from what is commonly referred to as “The English School of Psychoanalysis” whose major theoreticians are Melanie Klein and Wilfred Bion. The course will encourage reflection and debate of what is presented rather than the collecting of more and more facts and theories.

REL 301: The Problem of God                                   3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Religious Studies

This course offers a critical assessment of the contemporary relevance and plausibility of belief in God, against the background of an historical review of attempts to propose its philosophical basis and justification. Students will be invited to critically reflect on such perennial questions as: What is evil? Does God exist? What is the good life? Why do we have religion? What is the relationship between religion and science? Particular attention will be paid to situating the human spiritual experience within the philosophical discourse of modernity, assessing religious faith within the context of major political, social, and intellectual upheavals of our time.

REL 311: Early Christianity in Europe                      3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Religious Studies

Drawing on the example of Provence’s evolution from the Pagan era to the first evangelization of the region, the class will explore the history, the theology and religious practices (including art) of the first centuries of Europe’s Christianity. This course will examine the conflicts, individuals, social movements, and theologies that shaped Christianity during its formative period, the first through eight centuries. How did this religion become the official religion of the Roman Empire? What implications did this "success" have for Roman society and the evolution of Christianity? Issues we will study include the spread of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean world; martyrdoms and persecutions; Christian and Jewish relations; hierarchy and power; heresy and orthodoxy; asceticism and the body; gender and class.

REL 312: The Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity and Islam                        3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Religious Studies

This course is a comparative study of the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It examines the religions' shared aspects as well as distinct elements. The course compares the three religions along thematic lines and examines the way these three major traditions impact the modern West and the Middle East specifically. Among the themes to be discussed are Abraham, scripture and tradition, law, the creation, God, worship, mysticism, the house of God, the tradition of head covering, homosexuality, Jerusalem, and the end of times.

WS/BUS 310: International Wine Trade                                              3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate Management

The course will focus on wine commerce with some aspects of marketing across various channels and market locations worldwide. The first part of the class will focus on B-to-C sales (Business to Consumer) considering sales at the winery, in retail stores, online and in the hospitality sector. The second part of the course will focus on B-to-B sales (Business to Business) focusing on wine exports and worldwide trends, by giving an overview of the major wine markets across the world (US, China, UK, Northern Europe) and explaining the technical difficulties of exporting wines (customs, taxes, transport, technical...). The course will also explain the exception of the US Three-Tiers system and Monopoly distribution systems such as Canada or Norway. In addition, the students will gain an understanding of Provenance and study the key elements of wine USP (Unique Selling Point) across product marketing examples and case studies. Some wine tastings during the class will focus on wine quality vs price and its consequences on brand positioning and marketing.

WS/HSP 307: Wine and Food Pairing for the Sommelier                                             3 Credits

School of Record Articulation: Intermediate General Elective

Each class will focus on a specific wine style and grape varietal, and review the relevant wine regions across the globe. The students will develop their tasting skills and food pairing with regular tastings in class accompanied by matching food examples. Our tastings will focus on Old World VS New World to emphasis the difference of terroir, wine styles and AOC restrictions between Europe and the rest of the world. Students will also learn about ancient wine history, the basics of winemaking techniques, labels and the AOC system.