Individuals and society

From the study of a general theme ("Individuals and Society"), this course aims to present the approaches of the Human and Social Sciences, as for their modes of investigation and their fundamental concepts. Beyond an introduction to human and social sciences, the goal is to provide students tools to analyse the human and social situations they face. Far from providing them with ready-made answers, the intention is to lead them to carry out a questioning that is well-constructed and well-argued serving their understanding of human and social issues. A secondary objective consists in enhancing the capabilities of the students to analyse a human and social sciences ‘text, and, more broadly, of topicality.

The lectures present methods and concepts from the social sciences that are useful for future engineers. The main themes covered are: the humanities and social sciences; the deconstruction of social representations; the construction of norms; socialisation and forms of deviance; the influence of groups on individuals and social change; the coexistence of an egalitarian society and social inequalities; hierarchies and social groups; gender, etc. TDs consist of analyses of texts to explore a theme in greater depth and prepare for the exam.