Module overview
This module focuses on the European Union (EU) as a system of public policy-making and aims to provide students with a working knowledge of the history of European integration, the main EU institutions, the EU policy process, main theoretical debates as well as the key EU policies, such as the Monetary Union, Human Rights and Enlargement, or the EU’s growing activity in Justice and Home Affairs. Towards the end of the module, students will have the opportunity to discuss some of the key current issues and challenges confronting the EU’s future direction: its democratic legitimacy; the process of Europeanization; the Eurozone crisis and Britain’s relationship with the EU.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Demonstrate appropriate cognitive, communicative and transferable skills, including understanding core concepts and theories, developing the capacity for independent learning through access to general learning resources, making individual seminar presentations.
- Apply conceptual tools to analyse the policy and decision-making processes of the EU.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the history of European integration since 1945, theories of European integration including neofunctionalism and intergovernmentalism, the main institutions and policies of the European Union, and some key issues and debates in European integration.
Syllabus
The module will be taught via a set of 12 weekly lectures followed by fortnightly seminars (5 in total). The content of the module (i.e. lectures) is structured in weekly lectures focusing on 12
key topics.
PART 1: HISTORY, INSTITUIONS, THEORIES
Lecture 1-Introduction and key themes: intergovernmentalism, neofunctionalism and supranationalism
Lecture 2 -Historical evolution of European integration
Lecture 3 -Key institutions (1): European Commission, Council of Ministers, European Council
Lecture 4 -Key institutions (2): European Parliament, European Court of Justice, Agencies
PART 2: POLICIES
Lecture 5- Understanding EU Governance and the Policy Process
Lecture 6 -Freedom, Security and Justice
Lecture 7 -Economic Governance in the EU and the Eurozone crisis
Lecture 8- EU enlargement
Lecture 9- Human rights
PART 3: ISSUES
Lecture 10 -Europeanization
Lecture 11 -Democracy
Lecture 12 -The future of the EU and module conclusion
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
2 hours of lectures per week. All will be recorded and posted on Blackboard. Lectures will be delivered either face to face or online only depending upon University and Public Health England Guidance at the time. Total of 24 hours of lectures (2 hours per week X 12 weeks) per module.
Weekly student participation in online discussion boards. 1 hour per week delivered asynchronously. (1 hour X 12 weeks)
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Teaching | 36 |
| Independent Study | 114 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
Journals. • Journal of European Public Policy • Journal of Common Market Studies • Western European Politics • Journal of European Integration • European Union Politics
Internet Resources
UK Office of the European Parliament.
University Association for Contemporary European Studies.
C Gateway to the European Union.
Foreign Office: Britain in the EU.
Textbooks
Richardson, J. (ed.) (2005). European Union: Power and Policy-Making. London: Routledge.
Wallace, H., Pollack, M., Young, A. (eds) (2010). Policy-Making in the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bomberg, E. and Stubb, A. (ed.) (2012). The European Union: How Does it Work?. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nugent, N. (2010). The Government and Politics of the European Union. Basingstoke and London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bache, I., George, S. and Bulmer, S. (2011). Politics in the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Buonanno, L. and Nugent, N. (2013). Policies and Policy Processes of the European Union. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Cini, M. and Perez-Solorzano Borragan, N. (eds.) (2013). European Union Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Group presentation | 40% |
| Essay | 60% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External