Course syllabus spring 2017
Course syllabus spring 2017
Title
European Studies: The European Union as a Global Actor
Swedish title
Europastudier: EU som global aktör
Course code
ES122L
Credits
7.5 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
2017-03-09
Syllabus valid from
2017-03-27
Entry requirements
30 credits from Social sciences or humanities + English B from Swedish upper secondary school
Level
Basic level
No main field.
Progression level
G1F
Progression level in relation to degree requirements
The course is part of the main field of study, European studies, at the 31-60 credit level, and meets the degree requirements for the degree of Bachelor, main field of study: European Studies
Course objectives
The aims of this course is to develop students’ knowledge about the European Union´s (EU) role as an actor in the global arena, with the help of different theoretical perspectives and empirical examples.
Course contents
The course explores, both theoretically and empirically, the increasingly assertive presence of the European Union as an actor in world politics, evident in the development and consolidation of such policies as the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), climate change politics and as an economic giant. Focus will also be placed on issues such as diplomacy, security and civilian and military crisis management, but also on matters related to development issues and politics towards EU’s neighbours. The relationship that the Union has with non-member states as well as with international organizations is also explored in the course. The course concludes with an assessment of the impact of EU’s presence on the international system as a whole.
Learning outcomes
After completing this course, the student should be able to:
1) Demonstrate a general knowledge of the EU as a foreign policy actor in the international system.
2) Demonstrate knowledge about theories relevant to the topic of EU as a global actor and be able to apply those theories
3) Demonstrate specific knowledge of those institutional actors and policy areas discussed during the course that demonstrate EU´s behaviour in the international system and as a (possible) global actor.
4) Identify and critically assess cases of European joint actions via one of the policies studied.
Learning activities
Lectures
Seminars
Individual studies
The lectures aim to provide an overview of the relevant historical context and theories. The seminars aim to open up discussions about the theories and their application to different cases. For several of the seminars, students will be required to prepare oral and/or written presentations. Students are also encouraged to form their own study groups.
Assessment
Assessment is conducted through seminar participation and presentation, and written examination, with an emphasis on independent and critical thinking:
- ILOs 1, 2 and 3 are jointly assessed through seminar participation and presentation (2,5hp). The first seminar primarily examines students´ knowledge about EU´s global actorness in different policy areas. The second seminar primarily examines students’ ability to identify and critically assess cases of European joint actions with the help of relevant theories.
- ILOs 1-4 are jointly assessed through a written take-home exam (5 credits)
Course literature and other study material
- Hill, Christopher and Smith, Michael (eds.) (2011), International Relations and the European Union. Oxford University Press.
- Jörgensen, Knud Erik, Kalland Aarstad,Åsne , Drieskens, Edith, Laatikainen,Katie & Tonra, Ben (eds.) (2015) The SAGE Handbook of European Foreign Policy: Two Volume Set. SAGE Publications Ltd http://dx.doi.org.proxy.mah.se/10.4135/9781473915190
A list of further articles from peer-reviewed academic literature, updated annually, will be distributed at the start of the course.
Course evaluation
The University provides students who participate in or who have completed a course with the opportunity to make known their experiences and viewpoints with regards to the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarize the results of course evaluations as well as informing participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures initiated in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).
Interim rules
If a course ceases to be available or has undergone any major changes, the students are to be offered two opportunities to retake the examination during the year following the change for re-examination, based on the syllabus which applied at registration.
Additional information
The Language of Instruction is English.