Leader: Pascaline Winand

Offered

Caulfield First semester 2008 (On-campus block of classes)

Synopsis

Now enlarged to 27 countries, the European Union is a key player in the world. Students will explore its genesis, its major historical milestones, its institutions and decision-making from an interdisciplinary perspective. They will examine EU policies including in the trade, agricultural, environmental, social, educational, monetary, development and security fields. They will be exposed to the main concepts and theories formulated to account for the development of the EU. They will be given guidance to pursue the exploration of specific EU policy outcomes at EU and member state level and be encouraged to make autonomous use of a wide range of resources including on-line material.

Objectives

Students who successfully complete this unit will be expected to demonstrate:

1. an understanding of the history of the European Union and of the socio-cultural norms that have informed European integration as well as of the tensions that have beset the process;
2. a developed understanding of the conceptual difficulties associated with the study of the process of European integration leading up to the creation of the European Union;
3. informed appreciation of the novelty of the European Union as a post-national mode of governance;
4. understanding of the main theories of European integration, their limitations and their place in the wider debate surrounding globalization
5. understanding of EU institutions and decision-making
6. knowledge of major EU policies and their impact on the national policies of EU member states and on non-EU countries
7. strong skills in the critical reading of a variety of texts and the academic scholarship based upon those texts;
8. strong skills in critical oral and written assessment of the academic scholarship, including methods, assumptions and uses of evidence, and in organising and defending a verbal and written argument based upon these assessments;
9. a capacity to devise, plan and successfully complete a research essay;
10. a capacity to reflect upon and make critical use of a range of resources including, where relevant, on-line materials.

Assessment

A critical review of articles and books relevant to a seminar theme, given first as a seminar presentation: 20%; The seminar presentation will then be revised into a written research paper in light of seminar group comments and an assessment by the coordinator (2500 words): 40%; A reflective response to a set question, in a take-home examination (2000 words): 40%.

Contact hours

22 hours per semester offered in block mode

Prohibitions

EUM5010