Prospectus

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Understanding the EU as a Global Actor: the Role of Disciplines and Disciplinarity

Course
2023-2024

Admission requirements

This course is available to students on the MA International Relations EUS and Global Political Economy specialisations; and the MA European Politics and Society.
Students from other MA programmes or specialisations wishing to take this course may do so only with the approval of the course coordinator.

Description

The range of global challenges and crises impacting the EU are such that they cannot be sufficiently understood or solved by an introspective monodisciplinary study of the EU’s various policy approaches. This course therefore applies a global perspective to comprehend the wider geopolitical ecosystem within which the EU operates, applying insights from a number of connected disciplines: Economics, History, Law and Politics/IR. This innovative module globalises the study of the EU and external interactions. Through deep analysis of literature focused on complexity, crisis and disciplinarity, students will investigate the opportunities for and challenges in developing an interdisciplinary approach that can help us to deliver a more holistic understanding of the EU in the world. Through student-led flipped and problem-based learning classrooms students will explore the concepts, puzzles and methodologies associated with the four disciplines with a view to applying them to analysis of the key global historical and contemporary challenges of the EU. Guides to possible case studies are provided but students are encouraged to decide on those studies that are of most interest to them.

Course objectives

  1. To explore opportunities and imperatives to combine or integrate the insights from various disciplines into a single course, thereby examining the EU’s external relations, past and present, through a multi-, inter- or trans-disciplinary approach;
  2. To explore possibilities for developing an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of EU externally directed policies;
  3. Through analysis of a number of case studies, to develop students’ understanding of the EU’s role in the world;
  4. To identify and examine the multiple considerations, multiplicity of actors and variety of sectors impacting on the EU’s policymaking;
  5. To examine relevant primary sources and apply theoretical and empirical knowledge and understanding acquired in this and other modules to EU external relations.
  6. To develop students’ transferable skills through an innovative and challenging teaching and assessment agenda.

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

Lectures, seminars, debate, group and individual research. In addition, parts of the course may be taught using problem-based learning (PBL), incorporating independent study, prescribed reading, group discussion; and flipped classrooms in which the students take responsibility for the classroom as a whole.

Assessment method

Assessment

Active participation.
Co-authored conference paper
Portfolio (students will choose from a range of alternatives, including writing a policy review, blog or newspaper article, making a vidcast or podcast, producing a concept map or poster ).

Weighing

Active participation in class (attendance mandatory for a minimum of 10 classes) 20%
Co-authored conference paper: 40%
Portfolio: 40%
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average.

Resit

A resit is only possible if a student fails the entire course. In such a case, the student will resit only that component or components of assessment that they have failed, writing a new version of the relevant component(s). In the case of a failed conference paper, students will write an individual conference paper with the word limit adjusted accordingly. Class participation cannot be retaken.

Inspection and feedback

Not applicable.

Reading list

The full reading list will be provided shortly before the start of the class. The list below provides only an indication of the range and scope of readings the students will be required to read or are recommended depending on their particular interests.

Bennett, W. L and Livingston, S. (2018) ‘The disinformation order: Disruptive communication and the decline of democratic institutions’, European Journal of Communication, 33(2): 122-39.

Elvert, J. (2004) 'A fool’s game or a comedy of errors?: EU enlargements in 201 comparative perspective’, in W. Kaiser and J. Elvert (eds), European Union Enlargement: A Comparative History. London: Routledge.

Hutter, Swen, Kriesi, Hanspeter. (2019) ‘Politicizing Europe in times of crisis’, Journal of European Public Policy 26:7: 996-1017.

Long, David (2011) 'Interdisciplinarity and the Study of International Relations', in P. Aalto, Harle, V. and S. Moisio (eds) International Studies. Interdisciplinary Approaches. London: Routledge, pp. 31-65.

Manners, Ian and Rosamond, Ben (2018) ‘A Different Europe is Possible: The Professionalization of EU Studies and the Dilemmas of Integration in the 21st Century’,* JCMS*, Vol 56, Annual Review: 28-38. DOI: 10.1111/jcms.12771.

Newell, W. H. (2001) 'A Theory of Interdisciplinary Studies', Issues in Integrative Studies, 19:1-25.

Ramiro Troitiño, David, Kerikmäe, Tanel and Chochia, Archil (2020) ‘Foreign Affairs of the European Union: How to Become an Independent and Dominant Power in the International Arena’ in David Ramiro Troitiño, Tanel Kerikmäe, Ricardo Martín de la Guardia, Guillermo Á Pérez Sánchez (eds) The EU in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities for the European Integration Process. Cham: Springer: 209-222.

Schimmelfennig, F. (2018) ‘European integration (theory) in times of crisis. A comparison of the euro and Schengen crises’, Journal of European Public Policy, 25(7): 969-989. DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2017.1421252.

Voltolini, Benedetta, Natorski, Michal, Hay, Colin (2020) ‘Introduction: the politicisation of permanent crisis in Europe’, Journal of European Integration 42:5: 609-624.

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

Not applicable