Module POLI3041: POLITICS & POLICY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Department: GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (POLITICS)

POLI3041: POLITICS & POLICY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Prerequisites

• Democratic Government or Dynamics of Change in International Relations

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• This module aims to develop a sophisticated understanding of the governance and policy processes of the European Union system, and the intellectual and public debates which surround it.

Content

• The period since the second world war has seen the creation of a European system of transnational governance. This module aims to develop a sophisticated understanding of the governance and policy processes of the EU system and the intellectual and public debates which surround it. Among the areas to be examined will be the EU institutional structures, selections from EU policy output (both internal and external), the role of interest groups and citizen linkages, explanatory theories and models, and debates about legitimacy and reform. Typical topics will include institutional analysis of the Commission, Council & COREPER system, Parliament, and Court of Justice; common agricultural policy, single market and single currency, common foreign and security policy; neofunctional, intergovernmental and multilevel governance theories; debates on democracy, accountability, legitimacy and constitutionalisation.

Learning Outcomes

• Through the module students should develop subject specific knowledge and understanding, including:
• Detailed and sophisticated knowledge of the EU as a specific subject area;
• Important elements of explanatory political theory relating to European integration;
• Political analysis of institutions, policy processes and events in the EU;
• The interaction of structures and actors in the pursuit of goals;
• The operation and main lines of contestation within this regional political system;
• The contested and dynamic nature of politics as a field of human activity and an academic discipline.

• Students will also develop some subject specific skills, including the ability to:
• Describe political institutions, processes and concepts in the context of the EU;
• Apply appropriate methods of analysis to political problems in support of analytical arguments about the EU;
• Utilise diverse sources, including appropriate primary sources;
• Analyse and evaluate competing conceptualisations and explanations of political phenomena;
• Develop a critical and independent approach to learning.

• Students will also develop some key skills, including the ability to:
• Retrieve information and ideas from a wide variety of sources, both directed and self selected;
• Assess the relevance and quality of sources;
• Plan and complete assignments on time and with appropriate formats;
• Adapt their knowledge and subject specific skills to the specific requirements of the module;
• Review and integrate their knowledge independently in preparation for an examination;
• Demonstrate their subject specific knowledge and skills under time constraints and without supporting materials;
• Take responsibility for their own learning and work.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching and learning activities in this module take place through a programme of 13 two-hour seminars. The first 2 are used for the presentation and discussion of material about terminology, structures and sources. The following 11 are each led by two student presentations presenting opposing interpretations of the specified topic, followed by collective discussion, and concluding with a reasoned vote. Each presenter receives feedback in the form of a completed proforma identifying strengths and weaknesses in terms of the main objectives. The preparation for these sessions and participation in them contribute to the development of knowledge & understanding of the EU, analytical, conceptual and theoretical approaches, and an appreciation of the contested nature of the subject matter. They also develop oral presentation and group discussion skills, the ability to identify and use appropriate sources, and a critical and independent approach to learning.
• Formative assessment is by 2 essays of 2000 words. Each is returned with feedback in the form of annotations plus a completed proforma identifying strengths and weaknesses in terms of the main categories of subject specific knowledge and skills. These reinforce and test all aspects of the appropriate subject specific knowledge & understanding and skills.
• Summative assessment is by a 2 hour unseen written examination. This requires students to demonstrate acquisition of empirical knowledge, conceptual understanding and analytical capacity, and to show the ability to organize and present recalled material under pressure of time.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

2 oral presentations to seminar class. 2 written essays to be submitted.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University