Department of European Studies & Modern Languages, Unit Catalogue 2007/08 |
EU50436 European union politics & policy-making |
Credits: 6 |
Level: Masters |
Semester: 1 |
Assessment: EX100 |
Requisites: |
Aims: The aim of this unit is twofold. The first aim is to offer an analysis of the framework in which policy-making in the EU is set. All governments in the contemporary world have to contend with numerous constraints, which limit their realistic policy options, for instance, the forces of local cultural resistance and the logic of subsidiarity. This is even more true of the EU in that it has few of the attributes of government as traditionally understood, has to accommodate an enormously wide variety of national political cultures and is involved in a process of redefining both its governing processes and its internal identity and composition.
The second aim of the unit is to assess some of the major policy issues that confront the EU as it enters the 21st century. These include the social policy consequences of integration, the embryonic security and defence policy, the future of the CAP and the territorial redistribution of political power. The unit will not deal with the basic institutional processes of EU policy-making, with which it is assumed that students are already broadly familiar, or with external relations, which are covered in a different unit. Learning Outcomes: A student who completes this unit successfully will be able to demonstrate a good understanding of: * Theoretical approaches to and conceptual debates on policy-making in the EU and their practical application in different policy areas. * The main policies being developed by the EU and the main objectives and instruments being utilized. * The role and interrelationships between different political and territorial actors in the EU decision-process. * Current and future dilemmas facing the EU as European integration progresses. Skills: Skills in critical analysis, conceptual thinking, precision in the use of written and spoken language, exercise of independent judgment, reasoned argument, teamwork and the planning/conduct/reporting of non-quantitative research are taught and assessed in this unit. Skills in effective learning are developed in this unit. Content: The first set of lectures examines theories of European integration and policy-making. Lectures in this part of the course include: Neofunctionalism and Liberal Intergovernmentalism; New Institutionalism; Multi-level Governance. The second part of the Unit examines a number of key EU policies including the Common Foreign and Security Policy; the Common European Security and Defence Policy; Social Policy; Agricultural Policy; Cultural Policy; Regional Policy. The course concludes by examining the crisis of the European Constitution and future challenges to European integration including Euroscepticism and Citizenship. |