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2020/2021

European Integration: Theory and Political Process

Code: 42453 ECTS Credits: 10
Degree Type Year Semester
4313335 Political Science OT 0 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Ana Mar Fernández Pasarín
Email:
Ana.Fernandez.Pasarin@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)

Teachers

Antoni Durà Guimerà
Nuria Font Borrás
Berta Barbet Porta
Enrique Hernandez Perez

External teachers

Javier Arregui
Matteo Berzi
Nuria González Campana
Xavier Ferrer

Prerequisites

Students enrolled in this course are expected to have a Bachelors degree level in Political Science or in any other social science discipline. Basic knowledge on the process of European integration is also required.

 

 

 

Objectives and Contextualisation

The purpose of this module is to introduce students with the history and institutional processes of the European Union, as well as to provide them with theoretical and methodological tools that are required for studying the process of European Integration. The module is intended to help students successfully write a research paper and develop research skills for PhD applications.

The module overviews the different phases of European Integration, the modes of EU governance and the different conceptualizations applied to EU policy, politics and policies. The module is divided in a set of thematic lectures by professors from the UAB and visiting scholars from other universities.

 

Competences

  • Applied theoretical knowledge acquired from the analysis of real situation and using political analysis generate useful orientations for decision-making.
  • Demonstration reading comprehension for specialist texts in English.
  • Recognise the complexity of politics today, its diversity and the tensions to which it is exposed, with special emphasis on the Spanish and European contexts.
  • Understand the design, operation and consequences of the political institutions and their relation to processes of governance.
  • Work in international and interdisciplinary teams whose members have different origins and backgrounds.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the most relevant European policies from the point of view of economic and social cohesion and sustainability.
  2. Apply the different theories on integration and European governance to specific cases.
  3. Define theories of governance in the European Union and on europeanization.
  4. Demonstration reading comprehension for specialist texts in English.
  5. Differentiate between the different agents operating in the European Union: their actions, interest and resources.
  6. Identify the role of political agents at different levels of government in the drawing up and implementation of European policies.
  7. Recognise the different regulatory, economic and social elements that are necessary for understanding European Union policy.
  8. Work in international and interdisciplinary teams whose members have different origins and backgrounds.

Content

The calendar will be available on the first day of class. Students will find all information on the Virtual Campus: the description of the activities, teaching materials, and any necessary information for the proper follow-up of the subject. In case of a change of teaching modality for health reasons, teachers will make readjustments in the schedule and methodologies.
 
The course is divided into seven main sections:
 
I.European integration: An Introduction
The idea of Europe and the historical process of European polity building
 
II. Government and Governance in the EU  
The EU institutional system before and after the Lisbon Treaty
Institutions and EU policy-making
 
III. Theories of European integration
Federalism, supranationalism, intergovernmentalism, liberal intergovernmentalism, new intergovernmentalism, multi-level governance
New institutionalism as an intermediate theory
 
IV. EU Policy-making
Policy-making in the EU (1)
Policy-making in the EU (2)
 
V. Democracy in the EU
Democracy and legitimacy (1)
Democracy and legitimacy (2)
 
VI. Themes and Perspectives
European Elections
Populism and Euroscepticism
Brexit
Migrations
Internal Secession (1)
Internal Secession (2)
 
VII. Multilevel governance
Regional Policy
Rural spaces: Common Agricultural Policy
Urban policies
European Territorial Cooperation
Cross-Border Cooperation
External Borders: Mediterranean
 

Methodology

The methodology is based on the following learning activities:

- Activities in the classrroom directed by the faculty, during the scheduled time during the semester. These ativities can be theoretical or practical. Theoretical activities consist of presentations by professors followed by discussions. For proper development of the activity, prior reading of the literature and related materials is required. Practical ativities will consist of oral presentations and data collection exercises.

- Activities performed by students under the supervision of the professor. These activities mostly include the elaboration of papers.

- Autonomous activities performed by students, both individually and collectivelly. Students will organize their time and work. These activities include readings and study of bibligraphy, data search, preparation of oral presentations and preparation of evaluation activities.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures and seminars 63 2.52 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 50 2 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation of assigned readings 90 3.6 4
Preparation of course assignments 34.5 1.38 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Assessment

The evaluation is based on three elements:

1. Active participation during the course (10%)

2. Individual assessment of compulsory readings (40%)

3. A final research assignment of 3,000 words (50%).

Students must choose a topic and submit a 3-page paper proposal by December. The paper proposal should include:

  1. A clearly stated research question
  2. A hypothesis or expected answer to the research question
  3. A brief review of the theoretical debates on the topic
  4. A short description of how to answer the research question

IMPORTANT:

-Attendance is compulsory (at least 80% of the sessions)

-Students will be entitled to the revaluation of the subject. They should present a minimum of activities that equals two-thirds of the total grading.

-The student who performs any irregularity (copy, plagiarism, identity theft...) will be qualified with 0 in this assignment or exam. In case there are several irregularities, the final grade of the subject will be 0.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Final research paper 0,50 2 0.08 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Individual assessment on compulsory readings 0,40 10 0.4 3, 4, 6, 7
Participation 0,10 0.5 0.02 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Bibliography

At the beginning of the course a list with compulsory readings will be uploaded on the virtual campus. 

 

Remedial readings:

Aspinwall, M. y G. Schneider (2000), ‘Same menu, separate tables: The institutionalist turn in political science and the study of European integration’, European Journal of Political Research, Vol. 38, pp. 1-36

Bachtler, J.; Begg, I. (2018): Beyond Brexit: Reshaping policies for regional development in Europe. Papers in Regional Science, 97, 151-170. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/pirs.12351

Bomberg, E., J. Peterson and A. Stubb (eds) (2008), The European Union: How Does it Work?, Oxford University Press.

Bullock, Steve (2017) ‘Bloody difficult’ Britain has already blown its chances of a good deal from the EU27". LSE Blog. Available at  http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2017/07/05/bloody-difficult-britain-has-already-blown-its-chances-of-a-good-deal-from-the-eu27/

Cini, M. (ed) (2009), European Union Politics, Oxford University Press.

Dinan, D. (2010), ‘Institutions and Governance: A New Treaty, a Newly Elected Parliament and a New Commission’, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol 48 Annual Review pp. 956-118.

Dinan, D. (2011) ‘Governance and Institutions: Implementing the Lisbon Treaty in the Shadow of the Euro Crisis’, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol.49, Annual Review, pp.103-121.

Durà, A.; Camonita, F.; Berzi, M.; Noferini, A. (2018). Euroregions, Excellence and Innovation across EU borders. A Catalogue of good practices. Bellaterra: Department of Geography, UAB.

Guiraudon, Virgine (2018) "The 2015 refugee crisis was not a turning point: explaining policy inertia in EU border control", European Political Science. doi:10.1057/s41304-017-0123-x

Harteveld, Schaper, De Lange, Van Der Brug (2018) "Blaming Brussels? The Impact of (News about) the Refugee Crisis on Attitudes towards the EU and National Politics", Journal of Common Market Studies, 56:1 , 157–177

Hix, S. And B. Hoyland (2012), The Politial System of the European Union, New York: Palgrave.

Hobolt, S.B., de Vries, C.E., 2016. Public Support for European Integration. Annual Review of Political Science 19, 413–432.

Hobolt, S.B., de Vries, C., 2016. Turning against the Union? The impact of the crisis on the Eurosceptic vote in the 2014 European Parliament elections. Electoral Studies 44, 504–514.

Kassim, H. et al. (2013) 'The European Commission of the 21st Century', OUP.

McGowan, Lee (2017) Preparing for Brexit: Actors, Negotiations and Consequences. Palgrave Macmillan.

Moravcsik, A. (1998) The Choice for Europe: Social Purpose and State Power. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Van Middelaar, L. (2013) 'The Passage to Europe. How a Continent Became a Union', Yale Univ. Press.

Wallace, H., W. Wallace and M.  Pollack (2005), Policy Making in the  European  Union, New  York:  Oxford  University  Pres.

Wassenberg, B.; Reitel, B.; Peyrony, J.; Rubió, J. (2015). Territorial Cooperation in Europe - A Historical Perspective, Brussels: European Union. Chapter 1, pp. 17-46.

Zaun, Natascha (2018) "States as Gatekeepers in EU Asylum Politics: Explaining the Non-adoption of a Refugee Quota System", Journal of Common Market Studies, 56:1,44-62.