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Pre-College Programme Core Courses
As part of their core courses in the social sciences, all Pre-College students attend a series of 2.5-hour Master Classes, taught by different guest speakers from Sciences Po's faculties. Each Master Class addresses a key contemporary issue through a multidisciplinary approach, typical of Sciences Po education. Structured into a interactive lectures with a question-and-answer period, Master Classes encourage lively discussions among students and renowned professors. Through the diversity of topics addressed by the Master Classes, students learn to understand the complexities of the world through the lens of the social sciences.
In preparation for Master Classes, students participate in interactive, small-group tutorials, which develop their understanding of the material and themes addressed in the Master Classes, including key concepts and required readings. Tutorials also prepare students for university studies in France and abroad by introducing them to the academic methodology that they will encounter in higher education.
Below are the Master Classes on offer in 2025:
- Professor: Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh
- Master Class Overview: Why does peace fail and conflicts and insecurities abate? Is the problem the conceptualization of the ultimate goal of “peace” or the way that peacebuilding is conducted in practice? This Master Class encourages students to reflect critically on the meanings that have been attached to the concept of peace from different perspectives.
Download the Course Overview for Human Security (PDF, 170 KB).
- Professor: Emanuele Ferragina
- Master Class Overview: This Master Class provides students with a clear understanding of the economic and social dynamics that influence the labour market and the capacity of citizens to participate in social and political life. Throughout the Master Class, students learn how protests and social movements, particularly involving young people, seem to be increasingly related to these dynamics.
Download the Course Overview for A New Social Divide (PDF, 131 KB).
- Professor: Benoît Pelopidas
- Master Class Overview: This Master Class provides students with tools to assess the validity of claims regarding nuclear weapons to which they may be exposed. The lecture offers a framework for projecting the scope of possible nuclear futures, which are illustrated with untapped primary sources from global nuclear history.
Download the Course Overview for Nuclear Weapons Challenges (PDF, 154 KB).
- Professor: Jan Rovny
- Master Class Overview: The main objective of the course is to introduce the complexity of social change in Europe and its implications for political competition and democracy in the context of European integration and
globalization in general.
Download the Course Overview for Contemporary EU Challenges (PDF, 137 KB).
- Professor: Tancrède Voituriez
- Master Class Overview: This Master Class aims to strengthen student's critical thinking on the climate crisis and the options available for tackling it. This class will delve into the latest mapping of consensus knowledge, data sources, and will hone student's much-needed contribution to solving this global crisis.
Download the Course Overview for Climate Crisis (PDF, 153 KB).
Download the Academic Schedule for the 2025 On-Campus Pre-College Programme (PDF, 106 KB).
