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2023/2024

Institutions and Policies of the European Union

Code: 101083 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500259 Political Science and Public Management OB 3 2
2503778 International Relations OB 2 2

Contact

Name:
Nuria Esther Font Borras
Email:
nuria.font@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.

Teachers

Andrea Lanaia

Prerequisites

For students of the Degree in Political Science and Public Management: The student is assumed to know, at least, the concepts, theories and knowledge covered in the courses ' Political Science' and 'Administration and Public Policies'. In addition, it is recommended that the student has completed and passed the course 'Comparative Politics I'.

For students of the Degree in International Relations: The student is assumed to know, at least, the concepts, theories and knowledge covered in the course 'Political Science'. In addition, it is recommended that the student has completed and passed the course 'Public Policy Analysis.

Students are assumed to read texts in English. They are also assumed to regularly read newspapers, blogs, and other regular sources of information.


Objectives and Contextualisation

This subject is compulsory in the 3rd year of the Degree in Political Science and Public Management and in the 2nd year Degree in International Relations. Overall, the course's main objective is that students acquire basic theoretical and empirical knowledge of the European Union and learn the capacities to use it in the analysis and interpretation of European political processes. The most specific objectives are: first, learning the historical process of European integration, the evolution and current functioning of the main political institutions and the inter-institutional relations; secondly, learning the main political dynamics and decision-making processes of the EU through the analysis of some of the most relevant recent political events at European level; third, getting used to the institutional sources of data on the European Union and learning how to use them to conduct empirical studies; finally, knowing the main theoretical approaches that currently dominate the field of European studies.


Competences

    Political Science and Public Management
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
  • Assess the social, economic and environmental impact when acting in this field of knowledge.
  • Connecting the different components that shape the structure and operations of political systems and the environment where they interact.
  • Demonstrating good writing skills in different contexts.
  • Demonstrating knowledge about the structure and working of the European Union and its main institutions, as well as identifying the main political actors and recognising the main means of integration.
  • Demonstrating the comprehension of the structure and functioning of political systems in the internal and international arena, both in the analytic area and in the elaboration of intervention proposals or public policies.
  • Develop critical thought and reasoning and be able to communicate them effectively, both in your own language and second or third languages.
  • Develop strategies for autonomous learning.
  • Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
  • Interpreting and applying English texts in an academic way.
  • Make changes to the methods and processes of the area of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and wishes of society.
  • Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
  • Realising effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
  • Showing a good capacity for transmitting information, distinguishing key messages for their different recipients.
  • Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Using the main information and documentation techniques (ICT) as an essential tool for the analysis.
  • Working autonomously.
  • Working by using quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in order to apply them to research processes.
  • Working in teams and networking, particularly in interdisciplinary conditions.
    International Relations
  • Analyse the structure and operation of international institutions and organisations (political, economic, military and security, environmental, development and emergency aid) both in the universal and regional spheres, with particular emphasis on the European Union, from either real or simulated cases.
  • Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  • Learn and analyse the impacts of the globalisation process on domestic political systems and on the behaviour of the political actors and the public.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  2. Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
  3. Assess the social, economic and environmental impact when acting in this field of knowledge.
  4. Connecting the different components that shape the structure and operations of political systems and the environment where they interact.
  5. Demonstrating good writing skills in different contexts.
  6. Demonstrating knowledge about the structure and working of the European Union and its main institutions, as well as identifying the main political actors and recognising the main means of integration.
  7. Demonstrating the comprehension of the structure and functioning of political systems in the internal and international arena, both in the analytic area and in the elaboration of intervention proposals or public policies.
  8. Develop critical thought and reasoning and be able to communicate them effectively, both in your own language and second or third languages.
  9. Develop strategies for autonomous learning.
  10. Distinguish how member states and the EU implement measures and policies aimed at intervening in globalisation processes.
  11. Explain the functioning of the European political institutions, their competences and the way in which they draw up their agendas, take political decisions and implement the results.
  12. Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  13. Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
  14. Interpreting and applying English texts in an academic way.
  15. Make changes to the methods and processes of the area of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and wishes of society.
  16. Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
  17. Realising effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
  18. Reconstruct the decision-making process of community policies and evaluate the results.
  19. Showing a good capacity for transmitting information, distinguishing key messages for their different recipients.
  20. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  21. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  22. Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
  23. Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  24. Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.
  25. Using the main information and documentation techniques (ICT) as an essential tool for the analysis.
  26. Working autonomously.
  27. Working by using quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in order to apply them to research processes.
  28. Working in teams and networking, particularly in interdisciplinary conditions.

Content

CONTENTS

BLOCK 1. Creation of the European Communities and evolution of the process of European integration

Unit 1. Historical origins of the European Communities. The ECSC, the EEC and EURATOM

Unit 2. The Single European Act and the Maastricht Treaty

Unit 3. The Amsterdam Treaty, the Nice Treaty, the failed 'Constitutional Treaty'

Unit 4. The Lisbon Treaty

 

BLOCK 2. Main institutions and bodies of the European Union

Unit 5. The European Council

Unit 6. The Council of the European Union

Unit 7. The European Commission

Unit 8. The European Parliament

Unit 9. The Court of Justice of the European Union

Unit 10. The European Central Bank

Unit 11. Other bodies of the European Union

 

BLOCK 3. The decision-making process in the European Union

Unit 12. The institutional triangle Commission - Parliament - Council. The legislative process

 

BLOCK 4. The EU in times of crisis

Unit 13. Attitudes and euroscepticism

Unit 14. The Brexit

Unit 15. The EU and Turkey

Unit 16. The EU and Ukraine

 

BLOCK 5. Theories of European integration

Unit 17. The debate neofunctionalism - intergovernmentalism; the liberal intergovernmental – constructivism debate; the new institutionalism; multilevel governance; the European Union as a political system


Methodology

The methodology of the Institutions and Politics of the European Union combines various training activities designed so that the student reaches the learning outcomes. These include autonomous, directed and supervised activities. The autonomous activities include the individual study (30 hours), the reading of texts (30 hours) and the preparation of works in groups (15 hours). The directed activities include master sessions (30 hours), seminars and practical sessions (15 hours), and the public presentation of essays (7.5 hours). Supervised activities include tutorized follow-up (15 hours).

 

Type of activity

Activity

Hours

Learning outcomes

Directed

52.5 hours (35%)

Master classes with ICT support and group discussion

30

Understanding the historical process of European integration, the functioning of the institutions, the political processes of the EU and the main theories of European integration

 

Public presentation of essays

7,5

Public presentation of the knowledge acquired in a proper way

 

Seminars and practical classes

 

15

Active, informed and conceptually correct participation in the debates and practical sessions

Supervised

15 hours (10%)

Tutoring

15

Clarification of doubts and complementary supervision of the training activities

Autonomous

75 hours (50%)

Reading texts

30

Understanding the main theoretical and empirical contributions on the European Union

 

Study

30

Understanding concepts and institutional dynamics in the European Union
 

Preparation of team work

15

Demonstrate the understanding of EU political processes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Master sessions (by the professor) 30 1.2 7, 6, 4
Oral presentation of essays 7.5 0.3 2, 6, 5, 13, 14, 22, 27, 26, 25
Seminars and practical sessions 15 0.6 2, 6, 17, 19, 22, 27
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 15 0.6 16
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation of an essay in groups 15 0.6 2, 6, 13, 22, 26, 28
Readings 30 1.2 6, 14, 22
Study 30 1.2 6, 16, 14, 22, 26

Assessment

Continuous evaluation

The evaluation represents approximately 5% of the total hours, equivalent to 7.5 hours.

The assessment consists of the following deliveries by the student:

• Written exam on knowledge about the subject: 50% of the final score. It is a necessary but not sufficient condition to pass the exam in order to pass the subject

• 2 reading exams: 20% of the final score (each control has a weight of 10% of the final score)

• Submission and presentation of coursework made in a group: 25% of the final score.

• Oral participation in seminars and sessions: 5% of the final score

Important considerations:

• The exam will be made at the end of the semester, the date scheduled by the Facultad, which will be made public enough in advance

  • The schedule of sessions, activities and reading exams will be made public during the first days of the course

• Students who have not passed the final EXAM will have the opportunity to take a recovery examination. That is to say, they may take a second examination on the date determined by the Faculty, having completed the term of the second semester. Under no circumstances will students be able to take part in the recovery activities to raise their marks. None of the other evaluable activities is recoverable

• In case of detection of plagiarism in the essays delivered, the student will not pass the course. On the Virtual Campus you can consult the Guide on How to Cite and How to Avoid Plagiarism.

 

Single evaluation

The single evaluation of the assignment represents approximately 5% of the total hours, equivalent to about 7.5 hours.

The single evaluation will consist of the following evidence from the students:

  • Final exam: 50% of the final grade. It is a necessary but not sufficient condition to pass the exam to pass the subject
  • Reading control: 20% of the final mark
  • Delivery of a coursework made individually: 30% of the final mark

Important considerations:

  • All deliveries will be made on the same day at the end of the semester, specifically, the date set by the Faculty to take the final exam, which will be made public sufficiently in advance
  • Students who have not passed the final EXAM will have the opportunity to take the recovery activity. That is, they will be able to take the exam again on the day determined by the Faculty, following the end of the second semester
  • In no case will students be able to recover activities to raise their grade. None of the other evaluable activities are recoverable.
  • In case of detecting plagiarism in the submitted work, the sanction will be not passing the course. On the Virtual Campus you can consult the Guide on How to Cite and How to Avoid Plagiarism

 


Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Oral participation in seminars and sessions 5% 0.5 0.02 1, 23, 3, 2, 24, 6, 5, 9, 8, 17, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 22, 27, 28, 25
Preparation of an essay and oral presentation 25% 2.5 0.1 1, 23, 3, 24, 6, 9, 8, 17, 16, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 22, 27, 26, 28, 25
Test on readings 20% 2 0.08 1, 23, 3, 2, 7, 6, 9, 8, 10, 16, 14, 15, 18, 4, 22
Written exam 50% 2.5 0.1 1, 23, 3, 2, 7, 6, 5, 9, 8, 10, 11, 16, 15, 21, 18, 4, 22

Bibliography

Bibliografia bàsica de curs

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

Michelle Cini & Nieves Perez-Solorzano, European Union Politics, Oxford University Press, pp 157-175.

Dinan, D. (2005), Ever Closer Union: An Introduction to European Integration, Boulder (CO): Lynne Rienner.

Hix, S. & B. Hoyland (2022), El Sistema Político de la Unión Europea. McGraw Hill

Hix, S. & B. Hoyland (2022), The Political System of the European Union.McGraw Hill. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.are.uab.cat/lib/uab/detail.action?pq-origsite=primo&docID=6992939

Staab, A. (2011), European Union Explained: Institutions, Actors, Global Impact (2nd edition). Indiana University Press. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.are.uab.cat/lib/UAB/detail.action?docID=731393

 

Bibliografia complementària

Anghel, V. & Erik Jones (2023), 'Is Europe really forged through crisis? Pandemic EU and the Russia – Ukraine war', Journal of European Public Policy, 30:4, 766-786, DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2022.2140820

Ares, C. & L. Bouza García (2019), Política de la Unión Europea. Crisis y continuidad, Madrid: Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas.

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

Dinan, D. (2008), "Fifty Years of European Integration," Fordham International Law Journal, 31/5, pp. 1118-1142.

Genschel, P. (2022), 'Bellicist integration? The war in Ukraine, the European Union and core state powers', Journal of European Public Policy, 29:12, 1885-1900, DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2022.2141823

Giuli, M. & Sebastian Oberthür (2023), 'Third time lucky? Reconciling EU climate and external energy policy during energy security crises', Journal of European Integration, 45:3, 395-412, DOI: 10.1080/07036337.2023.2190588

Morata, F. (1998), La Unión Europea, Barcelona: Ariel. Caps. 1, 2.

Moravcsik, A. (1998), The Choice for Europe: social purpose and State power from Messina to Maastricht. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

Nelsen, B. & A. Stubb (eds.) (2003), The European Union: readings on the theory and practice of European integration, Palgrave Macmillan, p. 145-149.

Nugent, N. (2003), The Government and Politics of the European Union, Palgrave Macmillan.

Wallace, H., M. Pollack & A. Young (2010) (eds.), Policy-Making in the European Union, Oxford University Press, 6th ed

Zestos, G. K., & Benedict, J. M. (2018), European Monetary Integration: A History. Encyclopedia of International Economics and Global Trade. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/George-Zestos/publication/325070683_European_Monetary_Integration_A_History/links/5d715d79299bf1cb808abaa5/European-Monetary-Integration-A-History.pdf

Zeitlin, J., F. Nicoli & B. Laffan (2019), 'Introduction: the European Union beyond the polycrisis? Integration and politicization in an age of shifting cleavages', Journal of European Public Policy 26(7): 963-976. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13501763.2019.1619803

 

Webs institucionals:

Portal de la UE: http://europa.eu/

Parlament Europeu: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/default_en.htm?redirection

Consell Europeu: http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/european-council/index_es.htm

Consell de la UE:  http://consilium.europa.eu/showPage.ASP?lang=es

Comissió Europea: http://ec.europa.eu/index_es.htm

Tribunal de Justícia de la UE: http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/court-justice/index_es.htm

Observatori Legislatiu de la UE: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/home/home.do

Web European Parliament on EU institutions: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/section/187/las-instituciones-y-los-organos-de-la-union-europea

EUR-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/homepage.html?locale=es

 

Webs sobre la UE:

Politico: https://www.politico.eu/

Eurobserver: http://www.euobserver.com

Eupolitix: http://www.eupolitics.com


Software

Excel