| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
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• to give students an in depth understanding of the political processes and major policies of the EU
• to introduce students to key debates about states co-operating at an international level
• to give students an understanding of the processes of integration and the corresponding support and opposition to that process
• to introduce students to debates about the EU’s role in the world
This module aims to introduce students to the key challenges facing the European Union in the 21st century. It will outline key internal and external policy areas and discuss the political debates surrounding these.
Historical Background
Challenges to the European Integration Process
2) Understanding European Integration
3) Democracy, Power and Legitimacy in the EU
4) Citizenship and Identity in the EU
5) Member States: Power and Influence
6) Limits to European Integration
Internal Politics and the Policies in a Changing Era
7) The Policy Process and Europeanisation
8) Budget Politics and Interest Representation in the EU
9) The Single Market
10) Economic and Monetary Union
11) Social Europe, Cohesion Policy and the Impact of the Financial Crisis
12) The Euro and the Sovereign Debt Crisis: Roots, Outcomes and Consequences
13) Justice and Home Affairs: Big Brother or Necessary Response to Security Threats?
14) Looking to the Future: Research and Technology Policy
The EU as an International Actor
15) The EU and International Negotiations: the Challenges of Consistency
16) The EU and the Developing World
17) The EU and its Neighbours
18) Mars and Venus? The EU and the US
19) The EU as a Security Actor
20)The EU Today: Challenges and Opportunities
21)Revision Lecture
At the end of the module students will have an understanding of
• the process of European integration and the challenges to it
• the main policy areas and their impact on the Member States
• key concepts in integration theory
• the main features of the EU’s international relations
Students will have developed
• skills of teamwork, oral presentation and discussion in the seminars through presentations
• skills of synthesising and understanding complex information
• writing and methodological skills
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 60:00 | 60:00 | 2 office hours weekly for guidance with module leader |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 0:00 | 0:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 2 | 2:00 | 4:00 | Briefing paper surgeries in project groups |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 104:00 | 104:00 | Seminar/Lecture readings & exam revision |
| Total | 200:00 |
The lectures are designed to introduce students to the key external and internal EU policy areas as well as discussing the European integration process and the challenges to it.
The seminars will provide an active learning environment in which this understanding of the lecture material will be enhanced and in which empirical, conceptual and theoretical controversies surrounding European integration and EU policies introduced in the lectures can be critically explored in depth by students. Group presentations in the seminars will enhance the students’ teamwork and negotiation skills.
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 90 | 1 | A | 50 | unseen |
| Oral Presentation | 20 | 1 | M | 25 | NOT TO BE SCHEDULED BY EXAMS OFFICE (IN HOUSE) Group presentation of briefing papers findings |
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 1 | M | 25 | Group briefing paper (4000 words). |
The unseen examination will assess students understanding of key concepts, theories and empirical material across the entirety of the syllabus
The 4000 word group report and presentation will provide students with the opportunity to explore an aspect of the EU or the European integration process in greater depth. The report will provide a means of assessing their ability to place and synthesise the material gained from lectures and seminars in addition to empirical, conceptual and theoretical understandings derived from their own independent study. The reports will also assess students’ ability to critically and succinctly evaluate such material. The presentation will assess oral presentation skills and both report and presentation will assess their team-working skills. Students will be divided into groups of 3-5 students. Each group is asked to prepare a 4,000 word ‘briefing paper’ on a topical issue and to present their findings to the rest of their seminar group.
Exchange Students:
An alternative form of assessment will be set for exchange students from non-English speaking home institutions replacing the examination. The alternative form of assessment is set in accordance with the University Assessment tariff.
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Disclaimer: The information contained within the Module Catalogue relates to the 2019/20 academic year. In accordance with University Terms and Conditions, the University makes all reasonable efforts to deliver the modules as described. Modules may be amended on an annual basis to take account of changing staff expertise, developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Module information for the 2020/21 entry will be published here in early-April 2019. Queries about information in the Module Catalogue should in the first instance be addressed to your School Office.