Challenges and Evolution of a Master Program in Comparative Politics and Public Policy

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT PACTUM PROJECT Projecting Academic Capacities with Tunisian Universities through Master courses The Joy and Anguish of a Master Program Director Christophe Roux (University of Montpellier) Sousse, February 16th 2023 www.pactum-project.eu 1 Event Place - Date

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT The Master Program as of today Master in Comparative Politics and Public Policy University of Montpellier, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Department of Political Science An old university and faculty A quite young department Supported by a research centre ( laboratoire d appui ): the Centre for Political and Social Studies (Environment, Health, Territory), a joint centre of UM and the French CNRS www.pactum-project.eu 2 Event Place - Date

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT Old roots, but still fragile? This master program is the oldest in the department, which offers today 3 tracks (comparative politics, international cooperation, political consulting). It inherited from the very first initiatives to promote the teaching of political science when there was no undergraduate program (licence). It first started with a DEA in political science in the 1990s, then it became a master program in regimes and politics in Southern Europe in the 2000s and eventually the one with its current name starting from the early 2010s. This occurred before the creation of a BA program building the house from the roof . Event Place - Date www.pactum-project.eu 3

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT Old roots but still fragile? Difficulties rising from national higher education policies Promotion of market-oriented reforms the main goal of master programs should be the most efficient integration of the job market relevance of classes taught by non-academic professors, importance of having training experiences (stages) important to offer master programs that clearly identify a target in the market (international cooperation, political consulting, journalism) These changes questioned the old model of a 1/ general and 2/ mostly academic master thought about as a pre-doctoral training that can be used to prepare competitive exams (concours) for jobs in public administration the new context could make it less attractive Event Place - Date www.pactum-project.eu 4

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT How to be attractive? - Let us assume that the Master program is less attractive, i.e. suffers from the competition from other masters or/and other universities, domestic and foreign - The change of the early 2010s: - Change of image: the focus has been broadened, switching from Southern Europe to comparative politics and public policy - Change of linguistic policy: while the national language (French) was still used, English was introduced in order to attract a more diversified student body, to have a more diversified faculty, to offer a then missing/new skill also for national students Event Place - Date www.pactum-project.eu 5

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT Aren t we (somehow) attractive after all? There were changes, but there were things we decided not to change: Teaching is based on intense reading of academic research: no magistral courses but research seminars with discussion and presentations. They deal mostly with three subsets in the literature: research design and methods (including comparative research), political beahviour (understood broadly: elections, parties, social movements, citizenship) and public policy The teaching body is diversified but is still academic The master thesis remains central: students must write an original and empirically-grounded 100-page long piece of research. However the option to chose a stage instead has been introduced as an alternative for a provisional period. WHY? Event Place - Date www.pactum-project.eu 6

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT Why (not)? We were and are convinced that the skillset upon which the curriculum relies provides students with aptitudes that will be requested by any top position in the job market: internationalization, capacity of synthesis, criticism, information and knowledge, abstraction (hence generalization), autonomy. Though the master is research-oriented, we challenge the division between vocational and research programs The choice of a good topic may be instrumental in the quest for a good job outside the academia because of the research process itself: developing an expertise in a field, meeting/interviewing actors in a given sector Academic skills can be used fruitfully in non-academic positions capacity of hard work, Event Place - Date www.pactum-project.eu 7

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT When you are told you were right In early 2020s a new shift in French higher education policies offered a new turn for master programs Promotion of international, research-oriented programs that strenghten the link between master and doctorates Public funding to support research by students Emphasis on internationalization Back to some of the original orientation, with adaptation (integration of research priorities: environment interdisciplinarity) and health, openess to limited Event Place - Date www.pactum-project.eu 8

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT The Montpellier experience: IDIL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fvzS8BAkGc Internationalization + job market integration / training 2 master thesis (1st / 2nd year) + optional Summer stages Event Place - Date www.pactum-project.eu 9

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT Persistent challenges Recurrent challenge of communication/marketing: students are often afraid/suspicious of research-oriented masters but more often glad to be in that track. Challenge of teaching: not many BA programs in political science newcomers to the discipline Challenge of domestic/international competition: every year it is difficult to attract effectively top-quality students (they apply but the best tend to chose even more prestigious or closer universities). Event Place - Date www.pactum-project.eu 10

Erasmus+ PACTUM PROJECT PACTUM PROJECT Projecting Academic Capacities with Tunisian Universities through Master courses. PACTUM PROJECT 618888-EPP-1-2020-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. www.pactum-project.eu 11 Event Place - Date