Objectives of Programme's Learning Outcomes

• Understand the fundamentals (theories and tools) in human and social sciences
• Identify and explain the basic theoretical trends in various fields of human sciences (law, economics, management, history, psychology, etc.) and their applications.
• Understand the social environment and the way it works, as well as the role played by different social, economic and political agents
• Political Science option : Understand the fundamentals in the field of political science
• Apply understanding of the political field to sociology, anthropology, economics, management and statistics.
• Sociology and Anthropology option : Understand the fundamentals in the field of sociology and anthropology
• Have a critical view of theories, concepts and methods specific to sociology and anthropology.
• Avoid the pitfalls of ethnocentrism, sociocentrism and chronocentrisme.
• Communicate in a clear, structured and justified manner on issues related to human and social sciences
• Develop and structure reasoning and arguments by mobilising concepts and methods specific to disciplines of human and social sciences.
• Put English language skills and skills of at least one other language other than French into practice.
• Read and understand the overall meaning of non-specialised texts, listen and understand the overall meaning of audio documents.

Learning Outcomes of UE

At the end of the class, students will be able to relativize their absolute certainties concerning the economy. They will be able to perceive the limits and the issues generated by the mere transposition of their knowledge to different societies, where the "economic fact" is of a strikingly different as that which is observed in the frame of the monetarized market economy. Doing so, they will be forced to acknowledge that there exist various rationalities and will be steered towards deconstructing several commonplaces (that of rarity, notably) as well as establishing links between social dynamics (kinship, for instance) and economic behaviour.  
 

Content of UE

5 themes are tackled during the class: 
-access to natural resources and to production means 
-timetable and proceedings of work processes 
-circulation and redistribution of the work products 
-modes of consumption and expenditure   
- the creation of valor and the commoditization process

They are approached through five lessons:  
Lesson 1:      Hunter-Gatherers societies: the issue of resources rarity/abundance and of cultural choices 
Lesson 2:      Farmer Societies:  subsistence and cash crop agricultures  
Lesson 3:      Reciprocity and Market: logic and forms of gift and counter-gift 
Lesson 4:      Logics halfway between barter, market economy and gift: consumption and expense behaviors
Lesson 5:        Cultural objects and commodities, the biography of things, exchange spheres
 

Prior Experience

Not applicable

Type of Assessment for UE in Q1

• Written examination

Q1 UE Assessment Comments

The exam consists in 4 of 5 open questions + one question with fact/fiction proposals. The final score highly depends upon the ability the student will demonstrate in restituting the contents appropriately, and his capability to build links  with content of readings (required to be done during the teaching period)
 

Type of Assessment for UE in Q3

• Written examination

Q3 UE Assessment Comments

Same as Q1

Type of Resit Assessment for UE in Q1 (BAB1)

• N/A

Q1 UE Resit Assessment Comments (BAB1)

not applicable