Contemporary phenomena such as misinformation on political and social events (conspiracy theories, "fake news", uncontrolled use of social networks) are giving rise to growing concerns and reveal the need to raise public awareness. An educating in argumentation and rhetoric can offer people a tool to understand and counter such fallacious forms of communication: an education in democratic citizenship based on the rhetorical model of the Ancients.

The course will concern war and representations of violence, a particular hot topic in the current geopolitical situation. Various sub-themes will be tackled, giving this subject an interdisciplinary dimension at the crossroads of history, religion, philology and philosophy: especially war and religion, exile, immigration, women and war etc.

The course will have a diachronic approach (from Antiquity to the present day) to the subject of rhetoric and address issues related to the representation of war and communication in times of war, with the aim of stimulating critical reflection among participants and developing their technical skills. 

The development of cognitive and relational abilities, such as critical thinking, empathy, tolerance, creativity and self-confidence are other learning goals of the program. 

This BIP will consist of 12 online lectures, that will be followed by a 5-day workshop bringing the students and instructors together in person in Lausanne. 

The workshop will be held in Lausanne, between 16-20 June 2025.

• Day 1: recap of material studied in distance learning + training in public speaking (actio 1): 6 hours
• Day 2: training in public speaking (actio 2) + drafting of final declamations on the theme of war: 8 hours
• Day 3: Visit to the Fondation Jean Monnet or the Musée romain de Vidy and participation in the Rhetoric Festival (Grange de Dorigny). BIP participants will declaim the speech they will have composed on the theme of war: 8 hours
• Day 4: Visit to the Cinémathèque suisse (film screening) + debate on the theme of war (rhetorical improvisation exercise): 8 hours
• Day 5: Visit to the UN Palais des Nations and/or the Red Cross Museum: 6 hours

Total: 36 hours, including student work-sessions.

The online courses will take place between 21 February and 23 May 2025 - 12 session of 2 hours each (on Fridays, between 14:15-16:00 CET): 

• 21.02.2025: Introduction à la rhétorique antique I - Les Tétralogies d'Antiphon: un manuel d’argumentation (Anne Balansard)
•  28.02.2025: Introduction à la rhétorique antique II - "Logos, pathos, ethos", les trois piliers du discours persuasif selon Aristote (Isabelle Koch) 
• 07.03.2025: Introduction à la rhétorique antique III - "Quid sit rhetorice?" Quelques problèmes de rhétorique latine (Benjamin Sevestre-Giraud) 
• 14.03.2025: Introduction à la rhétorique antique IV - Les progymnasmata, exercices de rhétorique préparatoires (Danielle van Mal-Maeder) 
• 21.03.2025: Lecture
• 28.03.2025: Exercice de l’éloge et blâme: La rhétorique religieuse de la guerre en Grèce et à Rome (Alessandra Rolle et Julie Dainville) 
• 04.04.2025: Exercice du parallèle: La rhétorique religieuse de la guerre en Grèce et à Rome (Alessandra Rolle et Julie Dainville) 
• 11.04.2025: Exercices sur les lieux: "Des hommes illustres ont pour tombeau la terre entière" (Thucydide). Pourquoi et comment faire l’éloge des morts? (Sabine Luciani) 
• 02.05.2025: Exercice de la description: Faire voir la bataille qu’on n’a pas vu: récit de bataille et ekphrasis (Benoît Sans)
• 09.05.2025: Exercice de l’éthopée: "Guts to grease the threads of our tanks" (George S. Patton): la harangue militaire à travers les âges (Benoît Sans) 
•  16.05.2025: Exercice de la réfutation: Réfutation et Auditoire Universel (Sébastien Chonavey)
•  23.05.2025: Vers l’exercice-roi: la déclamation (Danielle van Mal-Maeder et Alessandra Rolle)