The notion of risk has become a central concern of today's societies, as Ulrich Beck predicted in the 1990s. Global crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the crisis climate, have further reinforced a perception that natural, biological, geopolitical technological risks are essential components of our daily lives and major concerns for governments. States are increasingly facing uncertain and complex issues, each of which could become a crisis, and which needs to be addressed and prepared for. First developed in the realm of insurance, the language and techniques of risk management, such as risk prediction and anticipation, measurement and evaluation, reduction and mitigation, have become key to modern governance and to the operation of contemporary states.
Using case studies from different domains (environment, health, technological/industrial accidents, security, new technologies etc.) and different countries, this course explores how social sciences have conceptualized risk over time and how risk has become a central object of public and political attention. It accounts for the evolution of sociological debates and explores how social sciences have contributed to risk analysis and to the understanding of the risks we face today. The course is also interested in describing and analysing the instruments of the government of risks, their advantages and their limits.
Anne-Laure BEAUSSIER
Séminaire
English
There is no specific pre-requisite for this course. An introduction to the sociology of risks, it aims to familiarize students with classic and more recent works on risk, as well as notions such as danger, uncertainty, crisis, vulnerability, resilience. It offers an overview of recent approaches and debates associated with the notion of risk.
Autumn 2024-2025
- Weekly oral presentations (20%) introducing the case-study of the session and the collective discussion (using the required reading and the recommended readings of the session as a starting point for the collective discussion).
- Mid-term test (multiple choice questionnaire) (20%) based on the concepts and ideas discussed in class and on the required readings.
- Final essay (+/- 5000 words) (60%) on a topic of your choice (based on the critical analysis of a specific risk, using one of the conceptual approach discussed in class).
Students are asked to read one text before each session. These texts are referenced in the class syllabus and available on the class moodle platform. Recommended readings are also offered to students for each session.
For those who would like to prepare the class ahead of the beginning of the semester, we recommend to have a look at the following books:
Beck U. (1992), Risk society: towards a new modernity, Sage.