Module SGIA49030: The Politics of Global Europe

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA49030: The Politics of Global Europe

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide students with an advanced understanding of the European Union’s external relations, foreign and security policies, and their evolution in response to geopolitical change and internal developments.
• To develop students’ ability to analyse how the EU’s institutions, member states, and international actors shape its role and influence in international affairs.
• To familiarise students with major theoretical and empirical approaches to studying the EU as a global actor, including its pursuit of strategic autonomy and responses to crises.
• To enhance students’ capacity to evaluate the tensions between the EU’s internal governance, its external policies and actions, and the interests of key international actors.
• To strengthen students’ research, analytical, and debate skills through critical engagement with contemporary policy challenges and debates about the EU’s global role, regional neighbourhood, and future direction.

Content

• Building on the module’s focus on the European Union as an international actor, the content examines how the EU’s external relations, foreign and security policies, and responses to geopolitical challenges shape its global role, legitimacy, and strategic autonomy. It introduces key theoretical and conceptual approaches to understanding European integration, external action, and crisis response, and applies these to major political, security, and policy developments influencing the EU’s evolution and resilience. The module also considers how the EU’s internal structures, member state interests, and domestic politics shape its international engagements and relations with key partners and regions, including the United Kingdom, China, the United States, and its regional neighbourhood.

Learning Outcomes

• On completion of this module, students will acquire knowledge of:
• Key debates on the EU’s external relations, foreign and security policy and its role in global governance.
• Theoretical and analytical perspectives explaining the EU’s external relations and its response to regional and international challenges and crises.
• The institutional, political and strategic dynamics shaping EU external policy and their connections with member states and external actors.

• By the end of the module students should be able to:
• Apply theoretical frameworks and analytical tools to interpret the EU’s external relations.
• Accurately and effectively describe how institutional and member state dynamics influence the EU’s role and capabilities in external relations, including tensions between national, EU and global interests and commitments.
• Critically evaluate competing explanations of the EU’s responses to regional and international issues and its relations with external actors.

• Independent learning and self-directed research within a defined framework of advanced study.
• Critically analyse, synthesise, and evaluate ideas, arguments and evidence from existing scholarship and primary sources on EU external relations.
• Communicate research findings and policy insights clearly and effectively in written and oral formats.

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

• The module is taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, and a simulation-based workshop. The module consists of lectures designed to introduce students to key theoretical and empirical debates in the study of the EU’s external relations. These lectures ensure that students develop an understanding of the conceptual and analytical foundations needed for advanced study of the EU’s external relations.
• The seminars provide opportunities to apply and deepen understanding of issues covered in the lectures through focused discussion of academic readings. Seminars will involve individual and/or small group presentations. The workshop will simulate EU-level crisis decision-making, within the European Council, allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge in a practical setting and develop negotiation and teamwork skills. Seminar activities and the workshop support the development of subject-specific knowledge, critical thinking, and argumentation skills, and enhance students’ ability to communicate complex ideas effectively.
• The module is assessed through a combination of formative and summative components, which are designed to reinforce the development of subject-specific knowledge, analytical skills, and transferable research and communication abilities.
• The summative assessment consists of a 3,500-word analytical policy essay, submitted at the end of the module. A list of essay questions will be provided. Students are required to evaluate both primary and secondary sources to construct and support evidence-based arguments. The essay provides students with the opportunity to develop policy-oriented insights, linking analysis to practical implications for the EU’s external relations.
• The formative assessment consists of an essay plan of approximately 1,500 words linked with the summative assessment to allow students to plan their approach, identify key sources and structure evidence-based arguments. This formative task provides early feedback on students’ ability to research topics, gather and analyse empirical material, and communicate findings effectively.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

The formative assessment will consist of an essay plan linked to the summative assessment of up to 1,500 words in length.

■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.