Who should take the CIENS International Relations and Contemporary Strategic Issues minor ?
Whether you come from the sciences or the humanities, the CIENS minor is perfectly suited to any student from the Ecole Normale Supérieure interested in international relations and strategy. DENS students and Master’s students are also welcome. This course is aimed at those who are interested in a career in the various bodies of the administration, the MEAE, diplomacy or defence, but also in research in these fields.
What motivated its creation and what makes it original?
The aim of the minor is to offer a multidisciplinary approach to the politico-strategic dimension of international relations.
In a troubled geopolitical context, which has brought the balance of power between the world’s powers back to the forefront over the last ten years or so, the aim is to offer both introductory and more in-depth courses, enabling students to familiarise themselves with strategic issues in the broadest sense of the term – nuclear deterrence, cyber defence, arms control and disarmament, strategic thinking, outer space, information warfare and AI, etc. It is a unique educational offering in the world.
This is a unique teaching offering that combines the contributions of academics and practitioners specialising in contemporary strategic issues, as well as a research-based training approach.
What skills do students acquire on completion of this minor?
By taking the CIENS minor, students will gain an in-depth understanding of the principles, concepts and different approaches relating to international security, foreign and defence policy and strategy. They will also gain a practical understanding of the challenges and issues facing practitioners in these fields and acquire the ability to critically analyse defence and security policies and their effects on the social world.
What career opportunities are there?
Thanks to its partners and contacts (including, at French level, the MEAE, Ministry of the Armed Forces / DGRIS, CEA-DAM, ANSSI; European and international organisations; NGOs and think tanksworking on international issues, etc.), CIENS provides access to interesting internship opportunities in the fields of diplomacy, security and defence.
The minor can then lead to a course of study in preparation for the competitive administrative examinations for senior civil servants (INSP, Grand Corps, MEAE), with a profile and experience that give strong credibility to a career plan focused on international affairs and/or with a strategic dimension.
It can also prepare students for a research career in the areas covered by the CIENS and international relations more generally, drawing on the seminars, colloquia and research areas developed by the CIENS.
How do I validate the minor?
Validating the minor involves obtaining a total of 30 ECTS in teaching, broken down into :
- 12 ECTS for the CIENS introductory courses;
- 9 ECTS for the CIENS in-depth course, which will include the completion of an individual or group tutoredresearch project, following on from one of the in-depth courses taken;
- 9 ECTS for the opening course on international issues, by choosing, from a list updated each year, courses offered by the ENS departments and other centres, as well as by CIENS partner universities.
In this way, the minor combines the specific contributions of CIENS with access to the very rich range of courses with an international scope offered by the School’s departments (in particular Geography & Territories; History; Social Sciences; Philosophy) and other Centres (CERES, CIEE), as well as to a whole range of courses offered by our three partner universities: Paris-Dauphine/PSL (Master Peace Studies), INALCO (Master R. I.), Panthéon-Assas (Masters R.I. and security-defence), via mutualisation agreements signed with CIENS.
No pre-registration is required, so students can keep their options open throughout their studies. It is strongly recommended that students contact the CIENS managers in advance to check that all the conditions for validation of the minor have been met.
The minor is validated at the time of graduation, and students are responsible for requesting that the minor appear on their diploma.
