Formation/Cours

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course, students will have developed both theoretical and practical competencies in ethics, critical thinking, and public engagement while also acquiring some basic knowledge of the importance of foresight for policymaking. They will understand the fundamentals of ethical reasoning and argumentation, gain expertise on a specific ethical or policy issue, and acquire the ability to construct persuasive ethical arguments. Students will also learn to develop a project proposal and suitable deliverables, aiming to deliver impactful research. Through a collaborative project, students will enhance their teamwork, organizational, and project management skills, while also mastering public communication and deliberation strategies. They will learn to better manage their schedules and conflicting deadlines and timelines, as well as navigate professional team dynamics. The course fosters creativity and analytical thinking by encouraging students to synthesize academic literature, reflect and engage critically with current societal debates. Ultimately, students will learn to bring their message to a broader audience through accessible, well-crafted public-facing deliverables.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Wikifactory: Ethics, Foresight, and Public Policy Innovation invites students to collaborate across disciplines to explore urgent ethical and political challenges. Each student will join a small team of max 10 students. Working in small, interdisciplinary teams, students will define their own research question at the intersection of ethics and strategic foresight, also learning to collaborate based on a specific role decided in tandem with a rapporteur.

The course unfolds over the two semesters. The first semester focuses on developing the project proposal, while the second semester centres on project implementation and the development of the deliverables. Each group will develop two core outputs: an academic/scientific deliverable and a public-facing deliverable, such as a podcast, video, workshop, or magazine article.

The course begins with joint introductory sessions exploring what constitutes an ethical question and identifying today’s key policy challenges. Students then form groups, select a research question, and frame it through an ethical lens. Subsequent sessions include meetings with the supervisor to shape the proposal. A mid-semester presentation offers feedback on each team’s direction.

In the second semester, groups meet with supervisors to refine and produce their deliverables, receiving input on structure, expert interviews, and communication strategies. A final joint session is dedicated to presenting and critiquing the drafts of both academic and public-facing outputs.

Some of the sessions are joint, while other sessions are divided by group. Joint sessions will introduce foundational concepts, foster inter-group dialogue, and provide feedback through speed debating, project presentations, and peer reviews. These sessions are crucial for encouraging cross-pollination of ideas and collective reflection. Group sessions allow targeted support and are meant to ensure that project development and implementation follow the plan and expected timeline.

Examples of Ethical Questions

• Environment: Should we phase out nuclear power? Should individual carbon quotas be implemented?
• Economy: Should we introduce a universal basic income? Should corporate law require attention to social and environmental outcomes?
• Gender & Race: Should paternity leave be made equal to maternity leave? Does France owe reparations to its former colonies?
• Secularism: Should public servants be allowed to wear religious symbols such as the headscarf?
• Digital Ethics: Should anonymity be banned on social networks? Should platforms be allowed to censor