Admission requirements
Registration for the Minor European Union Studies or admission to the pre-master European Union Studies.
Description
While central to many crises facing the European Union (EU) today, its formal foreign policies are much younger and significantly more limited than other areas of European integration. This course explores the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) amidst its underlying tensions. Many of these relate to EU member states wanting to retain as much foreign policy independence as possible, all while realizing the necessity for the EU to act collectively.
Against this backdrop the course will introduce students to the history, development, functioning and relevance of EU foreign and security policies. Using the examples of important international crises, such as the so-called migration crisis or Russia’s annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine, as well as more recent developments, the course explores both the limits and potential of collective EU foreign policy action.
It then culminates in a simulation exercise of EU crisis decision-making which requires students to step in the shoes of EU decision-makers and to apply their new knowledge of the EU’s CFSP and CSDP.
Course objectives
Upon successful completion of the course, participants can:
Explain the unique development of the EU’s foreign and security policies and their functioning;
Identify and interpret conflict amidst EU member states over the EU’s foreign affairs integration and positions on key foreign policy issues;
Consider and analyse current foreign affairs challenges against the set-up of the EU’s foreign affairs regime;
Present insights on EU foreign affairs issues to policy-makers in presentation and policy brief formats;
Defend unique country perspectives and find collective solutions in an EU simulation setting;
Research academic sources and analyse a specific foreign affairs challenge academically and present the results in a written format.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
A presentation and policy briefing on a foreign policy issue affecting the EU (30%)
Preparation for and participation in the EU foreign policy simulation (10%)
A final paper (40%)
Active class participation (20%)
Weighing
The final grade for the course is established by determining the weighted average.
Resit
If the final grade is insufficient (lower than a 6), students have the possibility to retake the final course paper.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
A reading list will be made available via Brightspace for all enrolled students at the beginning of the course.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga
Remarks
N/A