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EU Foreign Policy

Vak
2011-2012

Description

Course Goals 1. Students will deepen their understanding of EU foreign policy, the main EU foreign policy institutions, actors and objectives, as well as the EU’s foreign relations with other foreign policy actors. 2. Students will be given the opportunity to hone their research and presentation skills, develop their ability to critically engage with the academic literature, and learn how to assess the assumptions, methodological implications and inherent limitations / restrictions of different approaches used in understanding EU foreign policy.

Course Content What role does the European Union play on the world stage? Is the EU a “superpower”, a “quiet power”, a “normative power”, a “civilian power”, or something else altogether? Can the EU act with a unified foreign policy voice or is its external dimension subject to the whims and foreign policy decisions of its (most powerful) member states? This course takes up these questions and examines the EU as a foreign policy actor. Its point of focus is how the EU shapes its external environment. Thus, a consideration of EU foreign policy includes instances of both hard and soft power. Subjects to be studied include: EU military intervention, the fight against international crime, the promotion of democracy and good governance through enlargement and Neighborhood policy, the encouragement of regional cooperation and integration, and the promotion of human rights.

Study Material

F. Bindi, ed. (2010), The Foreign Policy of the European Union. Assessing Europe’s Role in the World, Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institute.

Methods of Instruction

Lectures and discussion of assigned readings.

Course Requirements

Term paper – 40%; Response papers – 30%; Presentation – 20%; Participation – 10%

  • Schedule:*
    Wednessday 8 Feb. till 28 March, 13.00-15.00 hrs, 6C03 and
    Friday 10 Feb. till 30 March, 13.00-15.00 hrs, 1A24 (except 10 Feb SA31, 17 and 24 Feb 1A33 and 16 March 1A47)