Political Theories and Systems of the European Union

mspri2162  2017-2018  Mons

Political Theories and Systems of the European Union
5 credits
30.0 h + 0.0 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
Aoun Elena;
Language
English
Prerequisites
MSPOL1119 Political Science
MSPOL1232 Comparative political systems
MDROI1310 European Union institutional law
MSPOL1331 Political history of the European integration
Main themes
This course is interested in the dynamics of European integration and the theories that have been devised to make sense of it and of European policies. It will focus on the EU from a comparative perspective, using the tools that Political science has developed overtime in order to understand how political systems operate in general. In doing so, the course will review: the three major powers within the EU and their institutional interactions; the interplay of the variety of actors who act on the European multilevel arena in order to contribute to the definition of the policies that are produced by the EU; a mix of domestic and outward-oriented EU policies. The course will also explore the idiosyncrasies of the EU as a governance sphere that borrows from a diversity of government models and modes of interactions between the actors of the political and social realms. 
Aims

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

1

This course is interested in the dynamics of European integration and the theories that have been devised to make sense of it and of European policies. It will focus on the EU from a comparative perspective, using the tools that Political science has developed overtime in order to understand how political systems operate in general. In doing so, the course will review: the three major powers within the EU and their institutional interactions; the interplay of the variety of actors who act on the European multilevel arena in order to contribute to the definition of the policies that are produced by the EU; a mix of domestic and outward-oriented EU policies. The course will also explore the idiosyncrasies of the EU as a governance sphere that borrows from a diversity of government models and modes of interactions between the actors of the political and social realms. 

 

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
History and theories of European integration. The institutional settings. Internal and External EU policies.
Teaching methods
Alternation between lectures and presentation and debates conducted by the students
Evaluation methods
Oral presentation, quizzes, research paper and policy brief
Bibliography
Hix, Simon et Hoyland, Bjorn, The Political System of the European Union, Basingstoke, New York; Palgrave Macmillan, 3ème edition, 2011.
Cini, Michelle and Nieves Perez-Solorzano Borragan (eds.), European Union Politics, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 5th edition, 2016.
Saurugger, Sabine, Theoretical approaches to the European integration, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014
Faculty or entity
PSAD


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [60] in Political Sciences: General

Master [120] in Political Sciences: International Relations

Master [120] in Public Administration