Political History of the EU (module 1)

Teacher(s)

Defacqz Samuel;

Language

English

Main themes

This course aims at tracing the history of European political integration, from the end of the 2nd World War to the present day, through several strands of analysis:

• The European context : political and policy dynamics specific to Member States, their leaders and civil societies;
• Global geopolitics: relations with other great powers (USA, Soviet Union/Russia), international organisations (UN,…), emerging powers (China,…) and developing countries.   

It contextualises the origins and the evolutions of the functioning of the main EU institutions and the main EU policies, while looking at Member States’ capabilities and strategic interests regarding peace and stability, growth, cohesion, rule of law, power and security. Zooming out, the course also addresses the impact of the shifts in the global world order and emerging security threats on the EU’s integration process.  
The course sheds light on the peculiarity of the EU political integration and its inherent tensions, such as between unity and diversity, supranationalism and intergovernmentalism, deepening and widening processes, soft and hard power, values and interests.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

At the end of this course, students are able to: understand the evolution of the EU’s political integration, from its inception to today understand the needs and constraints underlying the creation and the functioning of the main EU institutions and policies, through European and global dynamics demonstrate a critical understanding of the political issues and challenges the EU is facing today, as regards its institutional functioning  and the means of expressing its political power.

Teaching methods

The course takes a historical perspective to examine the political dimension of European integration. The pedagogical approach includes lectures, discussions, and the execution and presentation of a short research project based on archives or artworks related to the political history of the European Union. To maximize the benefits of in-class sessions, students are encouraged to critically engage with the readings and peers' work, and to participate actively in discussions.

Evaluation methods

The examination for this course comprises a graded research production (50% of the overall grade), developed throughout the quadrimester, a written feedback on a peer’s research production (10% of the overall grade), and a written open-book exam (40% of the overall grade). Guidelines and evaluation criteria for both the research production (formative and summative) will be detailed during the first session.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems is not encouraged in this course. However, if AI systems are used during assessments, students are required to submit a print-screen or transcription of the exchange had with the chosen AI system(s), together with a paragraph explaining the reasons for resorting to AI and the advantages and disadvantages found in the use of this method.

Online resources

Course materials, including academic readings, will be made available on the course's Moodle page at least one week prior to each class. When required (and specified on Moodle), students are expected to review these materials in advance to prepare for the lectures and discussions. The lecture slideshows will be made available online after each session.

Faculty or entity

> IEEB