This week, I was finally inaugurated as a Sciences Po student as I had my first presentation of the semester. I think I wrote about this a few weeks earlier, but presentations are an integral part of the Sciences Po method. Each class requires presentations that are at least ten minutes long. In addition, most classes require students to use the Sciences Po method of presentation, which requires students to state their topic, define the meanings of essential words in the said topic, and come up with a problématique. A problématique is essentially a research question that further focuses the topic.
The presentation I had this week was for my Introduction to Public International Law seminar. In that class, we were assigned cases to read and summarize to the class in twenty-minute presentations. This class is extremely different from any other courses I have ever taken, especially because it is my first law course, however, it is incredibly interesting.
After working on my case all week and reading over one hundred pages of the case in the old library, I’ve attached pictures of it and it seriously looks like Hogwarts, I was ready to present my case. My professor actually was unable to attend class because she had business in the United States, but another professor lectured and graded the presentations. I found that a bit odd because I feel as if this would be very odd in the United States. Most teachers have very different grading styles and criteria, so I felt a bit uneasy about being graded by a different professor who I was completely unfamiliar with. Nonetheless, my presentation went smoothly. After an incredibly stressful week, I finally feel relieved, despite the fact that midterms are coming.
After my presentation, some friends and I drank wine, made delicious pasta, and watched Heathers to celebrate and relax. I finally feel like a student at Sciences Po.
