Institutions and Politics of the European Union
Code: 106199 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics | OB | 3 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Marta Gallina
- Email:
- marta.gallina@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.
External teachers
- Paula Zuluaga Borrero
Prerequisites
Students are assumed to know, at least, the concepts, theories and knowledge covered in the courses 'Political Institutions' (1st year) and 'Public Administration' (2nd year).
Students are assumed to have adequate oral and written skills in English. They are also assumed to regularly read newspapers, blogs, and other regular sources of information.
Objectives and Contextualisation
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 decisionmaking
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
- Apply theoretical trends and classical and recent analytical approaches to international relations in practical case studies.
- Describe the origin and development of the main current social, political and economic conflicts.
- Explain and summarise knowledge acquired in English language at an advanced level.
- Explain the structure and functioning of the European Union, its main institutions, political actors and means of integration.
- Integrate historical, political and economic knowledge in the search for global solutions to current world problems.
- Manage and apply data to solve problems.
- 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.
- Work cooperatively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams implementing new projects.
Learning Outcomes
- Carry out analyses to provide concepts and tools for measuring poverty, understand its causes and consequences and evaluate the impact of policies on its reduction.
- Critically evaluate the impacts of globalisation in different areas: security, environment, human rights, migrations and peace.
- Demonstrate capacity to adapt to changing environments.
- Demonstrate initiative and the capacity to work autonomously when the situation requires.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the structure and functioning of the European Union, its main institutions, political actors and means of integration.
- Demonstrate the capacity for oral and written communication at an advanced level of English using complex concepts.
- Demonstrate the capacity for oral and written communication in Catalan, Spanish and English which allows the work to be summarised and presented orally and in writing.
- Demonstrate the capacity to continue working in the future autonomously gaining a deeper understanding of the knowledge acquired or embarking on new areas of knowledge.
- Describe the main elements that characterise international global society (1945-2000).
- Lead multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, implement new projects, coordinate, negotiate and manage conflicts.
- Make decisions in situations of uncertainty and show an enterprising and innovative spirit.
- Organise work in relation to good time management and planning.
- Select and generate the information necessary for each problem, analyse it and make decisions accordingly.
- Understand the agents of the economic environment and the dynamics of interaction between private agents, local, national and supranational institutions in an international context.
- Understand the main aspects of globalisation.
Content
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).
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 classes with ICT support and group discussion | 30 | 1.2 | 14, 15, 5 |
| Public presentation of essays | 7.5 | 0.3 | 6 |
| Seminars and practical classes | 15 | 0.6 | 6, 7, 13 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutoring | 15 | 0.6 | 3, 6, 10, 11 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Individual study | 30 | 1.2 | 14, 15, 3, 8, 4, 5, 9, 1, 2 |
| Preparation of team work | 15 | 0.6 | 3, 10, 12, 11, 13 |
| Reading texts | 30 | 1.2 | 14, 15, 5, 9, 1, 2 |
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. During the first day of the course, the teaching staff will inform students about the date of the final exam and the deadline for the each of the deliveries.
- The schedule of sessions, activities and reading exams will be made public during the first days of the course
- Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 1/3 of the assessment items.
- Students who receive a grade of 3.5 or lower 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 the recovery examination, the highest grade assigned will be 5. Students must have taken at least 2/3 of the assessment items.
- 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
Thesingleevaluation of the assignment represents approximately 5% of the total hours, equivalent to about 7.5 hours.
The single evaluation will consist of the following deliveries 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, which will coincide with the day set by the teaching staff for the final exam and that 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. The recovery exam for the single evaluation will include the three elements of the single evaluation described above.
- Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 1/3 of the assessment items.
- 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 | 3, 6, 7 |
| Preparation of an essay and oral presentation | 25% | 2.5 | 0.1 | 3, 6, 8, 4, 5, 7, 1, 10, 12, 11, 13 |
| Test on readings | 20% | 2 | 0.08 | 14, 15, 5, 9, 1, 2 |
| Written exam | 50% | 2.5 | 0.1 | 14, 15, 8, 5, 7, 9, 1, 12, 2 |
Bibliography
Core readings
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.
AGD :: Aplicatiu de Guies Docents v2.1 https://guies.uab.cat/guies_docents/admin/guia.jsp?pas=validacioGuiaDocent&codi_assignatura=10...
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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-proquestcom.
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
Additional readings
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
Institutional websites:
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
Tribunalde 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
Website about the EU:
Politico: https://www.politico.eu/
Eurobserver: http://www.euobserver.com
Eupolitix: http://www.eupolitics.com
Software
Excel