Encyclopedia
- For other Institut d'Etudes Politiques, see IEP.
Institut d'études politiques de Paris , often referred to as
Sciences-Po , is a
Grand Établissement in
Paris,
France. Sciences-Po has traditionally educated the French political and diplomatic elite, but its academic focus spans not only the political and economic sciences, but also law, communications, finance, business, management, and journalism. Its campus is just off the
Seine River, and within walking distance of
Notre Dame de Paris,
Panthéon, and
Assemblée Nationale. It comprises 17th and 18th century mansions located on and around
rue Saint-Guillaume in the
VIIe arrondissement of the Left Bank.
History of Sciences-Po
The name
Sciences-Po refers to three distinct, yet complementary institutions:
- École Libre des Sciences Politiques , which was replaced in 1945 by
- Fondation nationale des sciences politiques , a research foundation; and
- Institut d'études politiques de Paris, often referred to as Sciences-Po, is a Grand Établissement [i] ...
, a teaching school.
1872-1945
Sciences-Po was established in February 1872 as the
École Libre des Sciences Politiques by a group of French intellectuals, politicians and businessmen led by Emile Boutmy, and including
Hippolyte Taine,
Ernest Renan, Albert Sorel, Paul Leroy Beaulieu, and
François Guizot. Following defeat in the 1870 war, the demise of
Napoleon III, and the
Paris Commune, these men sought to reform the training of French politicians. Politically and economically, people feared France's international stature was waning due to inadequate teaching of its political and diplomatic corps.
ELSP was meant to serve as “the breeding ground where nearly all the major, non-technical state commissioners were trained.”
ELSP developed a
humanistic and pragmatic teaching program: instructors included academics as well as ministers, high civil servants, and businessmen. New discipines such as International Relations, International Law, Political Economy and Comparative Government were introduced. In August 1894, the
British Association for the Advancement of Science spoke out for the need to advance the study of politics along the lines of
ELSP.
Sidney and
Beatrice Webb used the purpose and curriculum of
Sciences-Po as part of their inspiration for creating the
London School of Economics in 1895.
The situation since 1945
As per ordinance 45-2284, issued by
Charles de Gaulle on 9 October 1945, two entities were created from
ELSP:
Fondation nationale des sciences politiques or
FNSP and Paris Institute of Political Studies or
IEP Paris. Both entities were tasked by the French government to ensure “the progress and the diffusion, both within and outside France, of political science, economics, and sociology”
The epithet
Sciences-Po was applied to both entities, which inherited the reputation previously vested in
ELSP. France's Legislature entrusted
FNSP with managing
IEP Paris, its library, and budget, and an administrative council assured the development of these activities. The curriculum and methodology of the
ELSP were also the template for creating an entire system of institutes of political studies across France, namely in Strasbourg, Lyon, Aix, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Toulouse, and then in Rennes and Lille.
FNSP further strengthened its role as a scientific publication center with significant donations from the
Rockefeller Center.
FNSP periodicals such as
la Revue française de science politique,
le Bulletin analytique de documentation,
la Chronologie politique africaine, and the
Cahiers de la Fondation as well as its seven research centres and main publishing house,
, contribute to the notoriety attained by
Sciences-Po research.
Recent Reforms
Sciences-Po has undergone myriad reforms under
Richard Descoings, Director of
Sciences-Po .
Sciences-Po has introduced a compulsory year abroad component to its undergraduate degree, and now offers a multilingual curriculum in
French,
English, and other languages. New educational sites have been set up in
Nancy,
Dijon,
Poitiers, and
Menton.
Sciences-Po also set the length of its undergradate program to three years and its graduate program to two years in line with the Bologna Process.
Sciences-Po also implemented reforms in its admissions process. Previously,
Sciences-Po recruited its students almost exclusively from elite schools in France, but in March 2001, the school's governing council widened its admissions policy. From September 2002,
Sciences-Po began accepting a small batch of students from economically depressed suburbs of Paris on the basis of their school record and a 45-minute interview, rather than the name-blind examination all other students must pass to be admitted. The reform is intended to broaden the socio-economic characteristics of
Sciences-Po student-body, and gained national and international media attention for being the first affirmative action experience in France, though it remains highly controversial.
Teaching
Premiers Cycles
In 2000,
Sciences-Po set the length of its undergraduate program to three years and the length of its graduate program to two years in line with the Bologna Process. The first three years of study are referred to as the
premiers cycles, which focuses on the full-range of the
social sciences, particularly public policy, International Relations,
economics and political economy, management studies,
finance,
geography, constitutional and administrative
law,
philosophy, and
sociology. Students generally spend their third year of the
premier cycle abroad, at one of Sciences-Po's nearly 300 partner schools around the world. Students are, however, also given the option of spending the year interning for an institution related to their field of study. In addition to academics, Sciences-Pos curriculum incorporates more practice-oriented skills like teamwork, effective oral communication and presentation skills, and nuturing leadership potential. Sciences-Po's student-body is active, with more than seventy student clubs, councils, and organizations.
Instruction is provided by a staff of around 1,400 teachers, a majority of whom are practitioners in their respective fields. Most recently, instructors included current French Prime Minister
Dominique de Villepin, current WTO president
Pascal Lamy, former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former French foreign minister
Hubert Védrine, and
Dominique Strauss-Kahn. These instructors are anchored by around 800 tenured professors. As of 2004, approximately one third of the student body was foreign. In recent years,
Sciences Po has adopted a multi-lingual education policy: students are expected to be proficient in at least two foreign languages. More than one-third of classes are provided in languages others than French, including . Currently, however, fluency in French is required for admission to most
Sciences-Po degrees.
Master de Sciences-Po
After the three year
premiers cycles,
Sciences-Po students enroll in their final two years of study, which leads to the
Diplôme de Sciences-Po.
Sciences-Po offers twelve masters degrees for those fluent in French, and two additional masters degrees for those fluent in only English. Fourty-five percent of
Sciences-Po students re-enroll for the masters degrees, while the remainder of students accepted into the masters degrees have completed undergraduate studies in France and abroad. Science-Pos twelve masters degrees taught primarily in French include: International Affairs, French Public Policy, Culture and Media Management, Urban and Regional Studies, Judicial and Legal Careers, Journalism, European Affairs, Finance and Strategy, Communications, Human Resource Management, and social science research. The final two masters degrees, the Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Affairs, are taught solely in English, and generally only accept students with at least two years of work experience and a prior undergraduate degree.
Dual Master's degrees currently offered
Sciences Po students can enroll in specific programs to get the diploma of another university. Currently, Sciences Po offers such programs with
Columbia University, the
London School of Economics, the Freie Universität Berlin, the Universität St. Gallen HSG, the Moscow-based
MGIMO, the
Warsaw School of Economics and the Universita
Bocconi.
Doctoral School
The Doctoral School is headed by Marc Lazar and includes 175 faculty members and 600 doctoral students.
Global Public Policy Network
Sciences-Po offers dual master’s degrees with the
London School of Economics and the
School of International and Public Affairs at
Columbia University. This collaboration has existed since the early 1990s, but was formalized in September 2005 with the official launch of the Global Public Policy Network in
Beijing,
China. The partnership is meant to foster greater academic collaboration between students, faculty, and research centers of three leading public policy schools in what could arguably be termed the three world capital cities. The network is further intended to facilitate collaboration on public policy research, student and faculty exchanges, and international conferences and fora with policymakers from the
USA,
UK, and
France. This alliance has produced five degree programs with LSE, including masters degrees in International Relations, Negotiation, International Political Economy, Public Affairs, the Practice of International Affairs, and Urban Policy and two degree programs with Columbia, specifically a Masters of International Affairs and a Masters of Public Affairs.
Satellite Campuses
Although the vast majority of Sciences-Po’s student-body study at the Paris campus, the school has four additional campuses in France. Each of these four campuses has its own distinct cultural identity and academic focus. They are designed to widen the academic concentration of the wider Sciences-Po community, and allow students enrolled in the three-year Sciences-Po undergraduate program, the
premier cycle, to specialize in a given region. Students who wish to study at either of the four satellite campuses must apply directly to the campus in question, each of which maintain separate admissions policies and procedures from that of Sciences-Po Paris.
East-European Premiers Cycles
The East-European premier cycle is located in Dijon, which is the capital of the Burgundy region of France. The area is renowned for its winemaking and gastronomic heritage. The campus, opened in 2001, recruits students from more than twenty-five nationalities, including
Hungary,
Czech Republic,
Slovakia,
Poland,
Bulgaria,
Russia, and
France. This premier cycle initiates students into the challenges of the widened European Union, and Central European politics and history. Courses are taught in English and French, but students must also study at least one Slavic language.
Franco-German Premiers Cycles
The Franco-German premier cycle is located in Nancy, which is at the centre of the Lorraine region of France, and maintains close ties to the German-speaking world given its proximity to the German border. Strasbourg and the European Parliament are also located nearby. This premier cycle focuses on the history of Franco-German relations, and its relevance for the future integration of the European continent. The main languages of instruction on campus are English, German, and French, and the student body is primarily made up of students from France and German-speaking countries.
Middle Eastern Premiers Cycles
The Middle Eastern premier cycle is located in Menton, a town on the French Riviera minutes from Monaco and the Italian border. This premier cycle gathers students from North Africa, the Middle East, the Gulf, Israel, and all European nations. In particular, it focuses on the study of relationships between the northern and southern sides of the Mediterranean, as well as the analysis of the links between Europe and the Middle East. Courses are taught in French, English, and Arabic.
Ibero-American Premiers Cycles
The Ibero-American premier cycle is located in Poitiers, a small city in western France. This premier cycle specializes in the politics and history of Iberia and Latin America. Courses are taught in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and English. The majority of students come from Spain, Portugal, and Latin America.
Research
Research centres
FNSP manages the research faculty and facilities of
Sciences-Po, and is one of the largest
social sciences research bodies in Europe.
FNSP manages research centres, a doctoral school, a library and a publishing house. The FNSP manages eight research centres . The foundation of Sciences-Po predates by a few decades the creation of political science, as such the Institute focuses on all the social sciences that study the political field.
- History
- Centre d’histoire de Sciences-Po
- Sociology
- Economics, including economic policy
- International Relations
- Political Science in France and Europe
Library
Founded in 1871, the nucleus of the school’s research is
Bibliothèque de Sciences-Po, which houses a million-volume collection of works in the
social sciences. The
Bibliothèque is also the hub of the Documentary Service which maintains 16,000 press dossiers on a wide range of sub-topics, and which each years abstracts and indexes some 21,000 articles from 9,500 periodicals each year. In 1982, the National Ministry of Education made the
Bibliothèque the Centre for Acquisition and Dissemination of Scientific and Technical Information in the field of political science, and since 1994, it has been the antenna associated with
Bibliothèque Nationale de France is the National Library [i] of France [i]. ...
.
Bibliothèque de Sciences-Po is also the main French partner in the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, which is based at the
London School of Economics.
Publishing House
is the publishing house of
Sciences-Po. It publishes academic works related to the
social sciences, and is the leading French publisher in the fields of public policy, international relations, political history,
French government, and
economics. It publishes 6 French academic journals in the social sciences, and has 900 titles in its catalogue, with 30 new titles added annually.
Notable Faculty & Alumni
- See List of Sciences Po People
Sciences-Po alumni and former staff include twenty-eight heads of state or government, specifically three past or present French presidents, thirteen past or present French prime ministers, twelve past or present foreign heads of state or government, and a former United Nations Secretary-General. Nearly every French politician or diplomat has attended
Sciences-Po since its inception; however the school has also educated fourteen current CEO's of France's forty largest companies. Graduates of
Sciences-Po are usually referred to as
Sciences-Po but may be referred to as
sciences-potistes or
sciences-potiches. Some French students further their studies at École nationale d'administration , which is often viewed as the compulsory educational step before serving in French politics or diplomacy.
Notes
- “Sciences-Po 1945-1979”
- “Sciences-Po 1945-1979”
- “Sciences-Po 1945-1979”
- "LSE: A History of the London School of Economics and Political Science, 1895-1995", Oxford University Press, June 1, 1995.
- "Consolidation de L'autonomie de Sciences-Po" , 1996.
- "Le statut juridique de Sciences-Po: la dualité FNSP et IEP de Paris"
- “Sciences-Po Paris Overview: Introducing Sciences-Po” , 2001.
- “Sciences-Po Paris Overview: Introducing Sciences-Po” , 2001.
- “Sciences-Po Paris Overview: Introducing Sciences-Po” , 2001.
- "IBSS Boosts Coverage of French Social Science Journals", , 2005.
- "Presses de Sciences-Po", , October 21, 2004.
- "Columbia University, LSE and Sciences-Po launch Global Public Policy Network", PRNewsWire, September 19, 2005.
- "Sciences-Po’s Joint Degrees", , October 21, 2004.
- "Sciences-Po ? an elite institution's introspection on its power, position and worth in French society" , September 09, 2003.
External links
