Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University (), also known as Paris 1 or Panthéon-Sorbonne University is a public research university in Paris, France. It was created in 1971 from two faculties of the historic University of Paris after the May 1968 protests, which resulted in the division of the university. Most of the professors of the faculty of law decided to found the Paris 1 University, along with professors of the faculty of humanities and faculty of economics.
Panthéon-Sorbonne has three main areas of specialization: Economics and Management, Human Sciences, and Legal and Political Sciences. It comprises several subjects such as: Economics, Law, Philosophy, Sociology, History, Geography, Cinema, Plastic arts, Art history, Political science, Development Studies, Mathematics and Management.
Panthéon-Sorbonne's headquarters is located on the Place du Panthéon in the Latin Quarter, an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. The university also occupies part of the historical Sorbonne campus. The current name of the university refers to these two symbolic buildings: the Sorbonne and the Panthéon (Saint-Jacques part). Overall, its campus includes over 25 buildings in Paris, such as the Centre Pierre Mendès France ("Tolbiac"), the Maison des Sciences Économiques, among others.
History
The historic University of Paris () first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was reorganised in 1970 as 13 autonomous universities after the student protests of the French May.
The split of the University of Paris In 1945, at the end of the World War II, the University of Paris was faced with its own problems, which had been exacerbated by the war and foreign occupation. Students were crammed into overcrowded classrooms and lecture theatres, and the teaching staff, who were too few in number, did not have the resources to monitor and supervise them properly.
The decentralisation of university campuses and centres in and around the capital was mainly the work of the Fifth French Republic in the early years of its existence. This policy achieved its objectives, in particular by responding to the problems posed by student numbers. The government also believed it could control student access to university, by organising a strict selection process at the entrance to faculties and creating university technical institutes (IUT) in the Paris suburbs. As this reform had not been negotiated with all the interested parties, it was rejected by students in an unfavourable political and social climate, and provoked a veritable insurrection in faculties in Paris and the other regions.
During the French May and following months of conflict between students and authorities at the University of Paris at Nanterre, the administration shut down that university on 2 May 1968. Students of the University of Paris protested the closure and the threatened expulsion of several students at Nanterre on 3 May 1968.
In Paris, where the university had become very difficult to manage due to the sheer number of professors and students, the law of 12 November 1968 led to the creation in 1969 of thirteen universities to succeed the University of Paris (nicknamed "the Sorbonne"), which ceased to exist.
At the instigation of professors François Luchaire (public law), Henri Bartoli (economics), and Hélène Ahrweiler (humanities), the three official co-founders of the university, the Paris 1 "Panthéon-Sorbonne" University was created in 1971 from the merger of part of the Faculty of Law and Economics (Panthéon) and part of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sorbonne).
While Paris-Sorbonne University (now Sorbonne University) and Sorbonne Nouvelle succeeded the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Paris, Panthéon-Assas University the Faculty of Law,Conac, pp. 177–178 and Pierre and Marie Curie University (now Sorbonne University) and Paris Descartes University (now Paris Cité University) the Faculty of Sciences, Panthéon-Sorbonne University was founded as an interdisciplinary university.
The majority of the law professors from the faculty of law and economics at the University of Paris desired to restructure their faculty into a university.Conac, pp. 177–178. However, most of the faculty's economists and political scientists, whose disciplines were secondary in the Faculty of Law of Paris, wanted to join a multidisciplinary universityConac, p. 178. they hurried ahead of their colleagues and established Paris I and were joined by professors of the faculty of humanities and a few professors of the faculty of law and economics.
The name of the university shows this interdisciplinarity: the Sorbonne building is the traditional seat of the Humanities studies in Paris (hence it is also used by Sorbonne Nouvelle and Sorbonne University), and the Panthéon Centre is, with the Assas Centre,Conac, p. 191. the traditional seat of the law studies (hence it is also used by Panthéon-Assas University).
Campuses
+Student distribution across the university's campusesFirst two years locations (L1, L2)3rd years and graduates locations (L3, M1, M2, PhD)Port-Royal Centre (13th arrondissement of Paris) It houses courses for 1st and 2nd year students of:
the Sorbonne Law SchoolPanthéon Centre, Latin Quarter campus (5th arrondissement of Paris) Centre shared with Panthéon-Assas University. It houses the University Head Office, the Presidency, the Sorbonne Artgallery and third-year undergraduate (L3) and master's-level courses of:
the Sorbonne Law School (and the Sorbonne's Economic, Social Administration Institute and Paris Insurance Institute)Pierre Mendès-France Centre, commonly known as "Tolbiac" (13th arrondissement of Paris) This centre is home to the majority of first (L1) and second-year undergraduates (L2). It is the obligatory step for many students before accessing third-year (L3) and masters courses. 1st and 2nd year students of:
the Sorbonne School of Management the Sorbonne School of History the Sorbonne School of Economics the Sorbonne Department of Philosophy the Sorbonne Department of Sociology the Sorbonne Department of Geography the Sorbonne School of Political Science the Sorbonne School of Art History and Archaeology the Sorbonne Mathematics and Computer Science DepartmentSorbonne Centre, Latin Quarter campus (5th arrondissement of Paris) Campus shared with Sorbonne University and the Chancellery. It houses the Sorbonne Library and courses. Reserved for third-year undergraduates (L3), masters and doctoral students (PhD) of:
the Sorbonne School of Management the Sorbonne School of History the Sorbonne Department of Philosophy the Sorbonne School of Political ScienceInstitute of Geography Building, Latin Quarter campus (5th arrondissement of Paris) Reserved for third-year undergraduates (L3), masters students of:
the Sorbonne Department of GeographyMichelet Centre (6th arrondissement of Paris) Centre shared with Sorbonne University It houses the Michelet Library. Reserved for third-year undergraduates (L3), masters students of:
the Sorbonne School of Art History and ArchaeologySorbonne Economic Sciences House (13th arrondissement of Paris) It houses master's-level courses of:
the Sorbonne School of Economics the Sorbonne Mathematics and Computer Science DepartmentSaint-Charles Centre (15th arrondissement of Paris) It houses all undergraduates (L1 to L3), masters and doctoral students courses of:
the Sorbonne School of ArtsBroca Centre (5th arrondissement of Paris) It houses all undergraduates (L1 to L3), masters and doctoral students courses of:
Sorbonne Institute of Judicial Studies Sorbonne Institute for Research and Higher Studies in Tourism (IREST)
Latin Quarter campus
Panthéon Centre
The Panthéon Centre, which should not be confused with the Panthéon itself, was the building of the Faculty of Law of the former University of Paris and is located opposite the Panthéon. It was designed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot in 1760 as part of a new architectural ensemble for the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève. The Faculty of Law building was completed in 1744.
At the end of the 19th century, when the Sorbonne was undergoing major reforms, an extension was planned for the Panthéon Centre, designed by Louis-Ernest Lheureux. The extension took place in two phases, 1876–1878 and 1891–1899, and gave rise to the construction of a large new building connected to the 18th century facade. Together, they now occupied the entire city block. The construction of the Cujas wing, an 8-storey building on rue Cujas designed by the architect Jacques Becmeur, comprising a car park, an amphitheater, and 4 floors of offices, is connected to the historic buildings by a monumental staircase which was later decorated by the students of the Sorbonne Fine Arts Department (UFR d'Arts Plastiques). The main courtyard and the facades of the original building were listed as Historic Monuments in 1926.
The Panthéon Centre is home to the prestigious Sorbonne Law School and is shared with the Assas Law School of Paris-Panthéon-Assas University. The Panthéon Centre houses the head office of the university.
Sorbonne Centre
The Sorbonne Centre houses multiple departments of Panthéon-Sorbonne University, including the Department of Management (École de Management de la Sorbonne), History (École d’histoire de la Sorbonne), Philosophy (UFR de Philosophie), Political Science (UFR de Science Politique) and part of the Economics and Law departments. It is one of the main campuses of the university. It is shared with Sorbonne University.
Institute of Geography The Institute of Geography was built between 1914 and 1926 by Henri-Paul Nénot. The institute was designed to bring together in a single building the collections, teaching, and research in geography, hitherto divided between the faculties of arts and sciences. The building is connected to the neighboring Oceanographic Institute by a double arch to form the Curie campus.
The occupation of the Institute of Geography results from a decree of 1 December 1980, concerning joint ownership between the three universities Paris 1, Paris 4 (today Sorbonne University), Paris 7 (today Paris Cité University), and the Sorbonne Library. Today, the building houses students of the Geography department from the 3rd year of their bachelor's degree.
Other campuses in Paris
Michelet Centre (Institute of Art and Archeology)
The Institute of Art and Archeology was built on the site of the former Institute of Applied Chemistry of the Faculty of Sciences by the architect Paul Bigot (1870–1942). The building offers, in particular, for the gaze of walkers, at the base of the large arcades, a frieze formed of terracotta bas-reliefs reproducing famous works of world art (Parthenon, Ara Pacis Augustae, etc.). The syncretism desired by Paul Bigot gives the Institute of Art and Archeology an educational virtue that resonates with the function of the building. Inside, the entrance vestibule, the amphitheater and the large reading room of the library, which occupies the heart of the building, have retained their volumes, but, on the floors, the galleries which housed the collections The heritage structures constituted in the Sorbonne and Paul Bigot's plan of Rome were abolished in the 1970s in favor of a partitioning of spaces into classrooms and teachers' offices, following the massification of higher education.