Description
The European Union is facing unprecedented challenges. Instead of the anticipated calm after the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon, the EU is faced with a lack of solidarity between North and South and an institutional struggle for finding new roles between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. External and internal economic instability and the inherent imbalance between the economies of the member states have destabilized the euro, the common currency shared by nineteen of the twenty eight member states, has put in several member states the question of an ‘exit’ on the table, with one member states negotiating its exit of the Union. Next to a financial and economic crisis, a geopolitical crisis is unfolding at the borders of the EU, with rising tensions between the EU and Russia, together with a refugee crisis. In short, the EU is facing several crises to which it can either respond or, according to some commentators, slide into disintegration and economic stagnation.
It is especially important in such times to understand how the EU works and how the interaction between member states and institutions produces policy outcomes that affect every single citizen of the Union. The course builds on the first year course ‘Openbaar Bestuur en Bestuurswetenschap’ (Public Administration I) in which the European Union is introduced in the context of the internationalization of governance structures in the Netherlands. Exchange and minor students without any previous knowledge on the EU are advised to consult the additional reading list and inform themselves on the basics of the institutional set-up of the European Union.
Course objectives
Students are able to describe the functions of the main EU institutions, the interactions between EU institutions in EU level decision making processes, new challenges and current issues of governance in the EU, new challenges and current issues with policy fields on which the EU is active, the union’s presence in the world and geographical expansion.
Students are able to describe and apply the most important theoretical approaches for explaining European integration.
Students are able to hold a structured debate with their peers on current issues of European integration
Timetable
On the right side of the programme front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis en Blackboard.
Mode of instruction
Lectures; working groups, self study. Attendance at working groups is compulsory for all students.
Course Load
Total study load: 140 hours
contact hours: 21,5 hours (7 weeks, 2 hrs per week lecture + 3 hours working group per week. First week for the group as a whole (=3 hours), remaining weeks are debates in smaller groups, with groups participating in an 1,5 hour debate every other week =(4,5 hours)
Examination: 5 hours
self-study hours: 113,5 hours (preparing for lectures, studying literature, preparing debates of working groups, preparation exam).
Students may not miss any of the working groups in which they have to debate for a grade, without a valid reason. If a student misses a working group in which the student should debate, without a valid reason, the student is excluded from further participation in the course.
Assessment method
Written examination with essay questions based on the readings and the lectures, 60% of the final grade; Group debates in the working group, 40% of the final grade.
Both components need to be sufficient to pass the course. A re-take is possible for both components. The retake of the written examination has the same format as the first opportunity, i.e. a written examination with essay questions based on the readings and the lectures. The retake of the group debates consists of a group reflection report based on the debates students participated in.
More information about participation in exams can be found in the Rules & Regulations.
Resit written exam
Students that want to take part in a resit for a written exam, are required to register via uSis. Use the activity number that can be found on the ‘timetable exams’.
Blackboard
The page of the course is available a month before the course starts. Blackboard is used as the main communication channel with students.
Reading list
Cini, M. and Solorzano-Borragan, N.P. (2016 or later editions) European Union Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press..
Registration
Register for every course and workgroup via uSis. Some courses and workgroups have a limited number of participants, so register on time (before the course starts). In uSis you can access your personal schedule and view your results. Registration in uSis is possible from four weeks before the start of the course.
Also register for every course in Blackboard. Important information about the course is posted there.
Contact
Dr. Rik de Ruiter
E-mail:r.de.ruiter@fgga.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Sufficient partial grades (for the group debates or the exam) are valid for 1 year. For example: if a student has an insufficient grade for the exam in the previous academic year and a sufficient grade for the working group debates in the previous academic year, this student only needs to retake the exam in the subsequent year to pass the course. In this example attendance in the working groups for this student is not required.