Course syllabus autumn 2013
Course syllabus autumn 2013
Title
Institutions and Governance in the European Union
Swedish title
Institutions and Governance in the European Union
Course code
ES610L
Credits
15 credits
Grading scale
UA / Excellent (A), Very Good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D), Pass (E) or Fail (U)
Language of instruction
English
Decision-making body
Faculty of Culture and Society
Syllabus approval date
2012-03-01
Syllabus valid from
2012-09-03
Entry requirements
To be admitted to the course, students must have 180 credits (BA degree) thereof 90 credits within humanities or social sciences subjects.
Level
Advanced level
No main field.
Progression level
A1N
Course contents
The course aims to provide the students with a deeper understanding of the political institutions and processes at the foundation of the European project and its current functioning. Furthermore the course is intended to introduce different theories for explaining European political governance, the political system of the EU seen in its historical context and its policy-making processes. The course also sets out to provide the students with an insight into a selection of concrete areas for which the EU establishes policies.
The course is organised around four themes:
- the historical development of the European project after World War II
- integration theories that explain the institutional development of the EU and theories of governance
- the legislative, executive and judicial bodies of the EU including their structure and modus operandi
- EU policies in areas such as the internal market, currency regulation, enlargement, justice, freedom and security.
Students are expected to be able to conduct an in-depth study of a specific issue in European politics by writing an individual essay assisted by a supervisor.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the course the student should:
Knowledge and understanding
- be able to give a knowledgeable account of issues, history, theories and research relating to the political system of the EU and its policy-making processes
- be able to describe the institutional structures of the EU and the distribution of power between them
- be able to explain the concepts of political governance and policy and discuss concrete examples of processes and decisions of relevance for these two concepts
Skills and abilities
- be able to interpret and critically review scholarly work on the political system, players and decision-making processes of the EU
- be able to independently carry out information searches on the subject and, using relevant sources, write a research essay on the political system and policy of the EU
- be able to present, in a competent manner and within specified time limits, his or her knowledge and research findings, orally and in writing, to different kinds of audiences, such as colleagues, conference participants, potential employers etc.
Critical judgement and evaluation
- be able to critically apply different social science theories (such as a democracy theory and integration theory) in order to understand the political structures and processes of the EU
- be able to conduct a critical discussion of the political traits deemed to be unique to the EU and to place them in a wider theoretical and analytical context
- be able to approach the course material critically and identify her or his need for further learning
Learning activities
Learning activities consists of lectures, compulsory seminars, individual, supervised projects and individual studies.
Assessment
The examination is in the form of:
a) Portfolio I: Weekly papers + group activities with oral seminar presentations (7, 5 credits)
b) Portfolio II: Individual home assignment (7, 5 credits)
Course literature and other study material
- Bomberg, Elizabeth, John Peterson, Alexander Stubb (Eds.). 2008. The European Union: How Does it Work? 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, 288 pages
- Green Cowles, Maria, James Caporaso, Thomas Risse. 2001. Transforming Europe: Europeanization and Domestic Change, Cornell University Press, 272 pages
- Mueller, Jan-Werner (Ed.) 2002. Memory and Power in Post War Europe. Cambridge. 288 pages
- Wallace, Helen, Mark Pollack, Alasdair Young (Eds.). 2010. Policy-Making in the European Union, 6th edition, Oxford University Press, 648 pages
- Wiener, Antje and Thomas Diez (eds.) 2009. European Integration Theory, Oxford University Press, 346 pages
Recommended reading:
- Bache, Ian and Matthew Flinders (eds). 2005. Multi-level Governance, new edition. Oxford University Press, 252 pages
+ Articles and other material up to 300 pages