Admission requirements
This course is designed for the minor Global Affairs. It is not possible to follow single courses of this minor. You need to be enrolled in Usis for the minor to be accepted to this course. There are 300 places open for registration, on a first come first serve basis, where LDE students are given priority.
This course is also open for inbound exchange students if they wish to take the entire minor Global Affairs; it is not possible to take single courses from this minor. Exchange students must be admitted by the FGGA International Office prior to the start of the minor; priority will be given to direct exchange partners of FGGA. For more information about the application procedure for exchange students, please contact the FGGA International Office.
Description
This course will introduce students to the European Union as an external power and the various ways in which the EU makes an impact in the international arena. The EU has been described in the past as inadequate and weak in foreign policy, partly due to the great expectations ascribed to it given its size and economic power. Arguably, the ‘capability-expectations’ gap is still a problem, as security challenges in Europe have become more pressing than any time since the end of the Cold War. Since 2015, the EU has designed a Global Strategy and specific strategies, institutions and instruments to develop its hard power next to the soft power which it claimed for the first several decades of its existence. Beyond the foreign and defense policy realm where the security situation changes faster than the EU efforts to develop its security muscle, the Union has also different ways to make an impact beyond its borders. These are based on different policies and different instruments: from enlargement governance – exporting rules and norms to enlargement candidates, to external governance - engaging in regulatory networks and association agreements with third states. Therefore, next to the institutions and capabilities that constitute the EU’s still uneven foreign policy, the Union’s engagement with neighbours and candidates for accession will be discussed and analysed in this course. In addition, the course will look at perspectives and perceptions of the EU beyond its borders and examine to what extent the EU’s own view of its power is shared by others. Bringing these different aspects together, the course will enable students to critically assess the EU’s impact in the world.
Course objectives
After successful completion of this course, students should:
Demonstrate knowledge of the various ways in which the European Union interacts with third states;
Demonstrate knowledge of key developments in recent years that affect the Union’s power in the international arena
Be familiar with various theories and concepts used to assess the EU’s role and impact in the international arena
Understand the dynamics of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and the European Security and Defense policy and the way the institutions and capabilities have evolved over time
Be knowledgeable of the different modes of governance that the EU has developed in addition to foreign policy that contribute to its impact
Apply knowledge of developments in the EU’s external action to make arguments accessible to a broader public in the form of a blog or a policy briefing
Critically assess the EU’s impact in the world using different analytical perspectives.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
7 lectures of 2 hours, complemented by online video materials where appropriate.
Total course load: 140 hours
Hours spent on:
7 lectures x2= 14
Preparation for each lecture: 2 readings, approximately 25 pages each, 7 hours before session, for 7 sessions: 49 hours
2 smaller assignments with video material and writing a blog or policy paper online: 32 hours
Writing the final paper, including research: 45 hours.
Participation in lectures, discussions and exercises is required in order to obtain a grade. One lecture may be missed. Being absent more than once may likely lead to expulsion from the course.
Assessment method
Assignment 1 A choice between a blog post or a policy brief
30% of total grade
Resit not possible
Grade must be compensated
Final paper (assignment 2):
70% of total grade
Grade must be 5.50 or higher to pass the course
Resit possible
Resit will take the same form
Students will also be permitted to re-sit the long essay if they have a calculated overall course grade lower than 5.50 or with permission of the Board of Examiners. The short assignment needs to be compensated.
Late hand in penalty: 0,5 minus per day, and after seven days we do not accept papers any longer.
*The Course and Examination Regulation Security Studies and the Rules and Regulation of the Board of Examiners of the Institute of Security and Global Affairs apply. *
Reading list
Articles and papers available via the University electronic journals library or open access.
Registration
Registration via MyStudymap or uSis is possible from August 1st 13.00 h, after registration for the entire minor.
Leiden University uses Brightspace as its online learning management system. Important information about the course is posted here.
After enrolment for the course in uSis you are also enrolled in the Brightspace environment of this course.
Contact
Remarks
All sessions will be in English.
Essays need to be written in English