Monash University Handbook 2011 Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Notes

Synopsis

Taught at the Monash Prato Centre in Italy, the unit will allow students to benefit from the experience of EU practitioners and highly qualified specialists from the European University Institute and other European Universities with which Monash has agreements. Under the guidance of Monash staff from the Faculties of Arts, Business and Economics or Law, students will attend lectures and seminars on economic, political, legal or cultural aspects of the European Union. Where feasible, the unit will include a study tour of European corporate and EU institutions, and will be open to students from other Australian universities. Students can also elect to conduct an autonomous research project.

Objectives

Students will gain:

1. in-depth appreciation of the European Union's functions and powers and of some of its key-institutions (such as the European Council, the Council, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Court of Justice, the European Central Bank, the Committee of the Regions, the European Environment Agency), as well as of key European corporate institutions;
2. in-depth knowledge of some key areas of EU policy in their field of specialization (Competition Policy, Common Commercial Policy, Common Agricultural Policy, Economic and Monetary Union, Environmental Policy, Social Policy, Common Foreign and Security Policy/European Security;
3. awareness of the key debates and internal as well as external challenges facing the EU;
4. strong skills in the critical reading of a variety of texts and the academic scholarship based upon those texts;
5. strong skills in 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 those assessments;
6. a capacity to devise, plan and successfully complete a research essay;
7. a capacity to reflect upon and make critical use of a range of resources including, where relevant, on-line materials, especially those produced by the European Union itself.

Assessment

Written work (inc.Seminar presentation): 80%
Take home exam: 20%

Contact hours

3 weeks

Off-campus attendance requirements

Two hours of preparatory lecture at Caulfield campus, 32 hours of lectures and seminars in Prato over two and a half weeks, plus 24 hours private study. Also, one hour of individual consultation with the unit coordinator upon return to Australia.

Prohibitions

APG4442