Prospectus

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EU Today

Course
2011-2012

Admission requirements

Minimaal BSA (40 ects).

Description

Gaining knowledge is one thing, putting that knowledge to use is quite another. The Minor EU-Studies would can only be fruitful if the students learn to put their knowledge at use by sharing it with others. The purpose of the course EU Today is precisely that. Students are required to research current issues, write and present a position paper and debate with each other.
The purpose of the course is that students learn how to research, how to opinionate and debate, how to write and present and all this in English. In addition the students will require more in-depth knowledge of certain aspects of the EU. The course builds on the theoretical information provided in the Law and Institutions of the EU course yet allows students to focus on current issues. In this way it simulates a working environment where employees are asked to follow up recent developments and place it in the required context. Thus as in the Law and Institutions of the EU course the theoretical context is laid down of a specific EU-related issue, the EU Today course requires the students to work with that issue on a specific and current matter. There will be three main ways in which the students are required to perform: they will debate various statements chosen by the lecturer; they will give a presentation on a current issue of their chose and, finally, they will write a policy paper on the area of choice.

Course objectives

  • Learn how to find relevant up-to-date (digital) material (books, articles, working papers, documents) .

  • Learn the basics of researching a policy issue: how to formulate a research question and how to answer it.

  • Learn how to select, site and make a literature review.

  • Learn how to debate and present (PowerPoint).

  • Learn how to write a position paper.

Timetable

See website.

Mode of instruction

Tutorials where presence and participation is required.

Assessment method

The final mark will be a combination of the following notes obtained during the classes weighted in the following way:

  • Debate (15%)

  • Bibliography (15%)

  • Presentation (30%)

  • Policy paper (40%)

Blackboard

Yes, see the site.

Reading list

The idea behind the course is that the students learn themselves how to find the most relevant material.

Registration

Through uSis.

Contact information

Mr.dr. K. Heede.