EUR3620 - The idea of Europe: recent debates among intellectuals and policy-makers

Leader(s): Natalie Doyle

Offered

Clayton Second semester 2009 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit investigates the debates among policy-makers and intellectuals on Europe, European unity, and the relationship of Europe to the rest of the world in the 20th and 21st Century. Topics include the nature of Europe's cultural cohesion, the relationship between liberal-democratic Western Europe and the parts of Europe recently ruled by communist regimes, contemporary intellectuals' response to aspects of Europe's historical heritage, and the intellectual debates prompted by the attitudes of European and non-European policy-makers towards European unity.

Objectives

On completion of this subject students should:

1. Have a familiarity with, and an understanding of, the positions of contemporary intellectuals with respect to the ideas of Europe and European unity
2. Have a knowledge of the history of the idea of, and political moves toward, European unity, especially after 1945
3. Be familiar with the relevant debates and able to discuss contributions to them, whether scholarly, journalistic or essayistic
4. Be able to demonstrate competence in obtaining access to source materials and secondary writings through the library and other resources
5. Be able to demonstrate competence in writing (including planning, arguing on the basis of evidence, and documenting)
6. Be able to demonstrate competence in analysis and interpretation of texts, including the application of appropriate terms and concepts for the discussion of content and form
7. Be able to demonstrate competence in oral presentation of information and argument based on guided and independent reading
8. Be able to demonstrate competence in discussion of texts and oral presentations
9. Be able to demonstrate competence in assimilation of information and opinion from various sources for purposes of forming independent judgments
10. Be able to demonstrate competence in team work.

Assessment

Written work (2300 words): 55%
two hour Exam (2000 words): 40%
Class participation (200 words): 5%

Contact hours

One 1-hour lecture and one 1-hour tutorial per week

Prohibitions

EUR2620, EUR4620