Department of European Studies & Modern Languages, Unit Catalogue 2008/09 |
EU50352 Institutions of the European Union |
| Credits: 0 |
| Level: Masters |
| Semester: 1 |
| Assessment: |
| Requisites: |
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Aims: The aim of this unit is to familiarise students with the history, structure and functioning of the EU institutions so as to inform and underpin their work in the translation and interpreting units.
Learning Outcomes: Students who complete the unit successfully will be able to demonstrate an appropriate knowledge and understanding of these topics in their translation and interpreting activities. Skills: The emphasis in this unit is on developing: * the intellectual skill required to assimilate a potentially complex and unfamiliar body of information; * the transferable key skills of listening, analysing information and relating this to data and materials that are likely to be encountered in other contexts; * the practical ability to deploy a functional knowledge of the EU and its institutions as part of professional language work. Content: The unit will deal chronologically with the development of the EU from the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community and the EEC in the 1950s to the proposed EU Constitution. Attention will be focused on the accompanying changes in the legislative process and the roles of the various institutions. A brief account will be given of the structure and internal organisation of each institution, and of how the Union and its policies are financed. The major policy areas will be outlined, in particular agriculture, Structural Fund operations and development activities. Lastly, a number of current issues will be discussed, such as institutional reform and the scope for further enlargement. Students are expected to do appropriate background reading. |