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Elective Courses of the University Programmes
Elective Courses
In addition to their core studies in the social sciences or French language track, students in the June & July University Programme may take an optional elective course.
Elective classes are an opportunity for students to discover Paris and French culture from a local perspective. Some elective classes include site visits.
Students may take one elective class per session:
- Course hours: Elective courses represent a total of 24 hours per session
- ECTS credits: Students who received a passing grade of at least 10/20 and respect the Summer School academic rules and regulations will be awarded 3 ECTS
- How to enrol: Students can select their elective course while applying to the core course in either the social sciences or French language track, or add it after completing their registration to the Summer School. It is not possible to take an elective course as a stand-alone class. Admitted students are able to sign up for an elective course when they complete their registration
- Tuition fees: 500 € per session (including entrance tickets for visits)
June Session 2026
- Professor: Andréa Delestrade
- Language of instruction: English
The course combines philosophical and historical perspectives on Paris as the supposed capital of the world. Through a chronological journey through the constitution of Paris as a capital, the course actively engages students to think about what makes a city a capital, and why Paris has a special status as a sort of universal capital.
JULY SESSION 2026
- Professor: Alejandro Abbud Torres Torija
- Language of instruction: English
This course introduces students to Paris as a unique cultural ecosystem shaped by artistic production, international movements of artists, intellectual exchanges and transnational cultural flows. It examines how the city has functioned as a site of encounter and circulation, where diverse traditions have intersected and new artistic modernities were imagined and forged.
Download the Syllabus for Paris as a Cultural Crossroads (PDF, 360 KB).
Please note that students taking the Policy Lab in July are not eligible for elective courses.