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Introduction to EU Politics
Course teacher(s)
Nathalie BRACK (Coordinator) and Pauline PirlotECTS credits
5
Language(s) of instruction
english
Course content
Introduction
Part I: What is the EU?
How did we get there? Evolution of the integration process
Part II: The EU as a political system
The EU institutional framework
The European Council: the new leader
The European Commission: a declining institution?
The Council of Ministers: a high chamber?
The European Parliament: an empowered institution
The European Court of Justice and the supremacy of EU law
The EU competences and types of EU laws
The EU decision-making process
Part III: Politic of the EU
Politicising the EU
EU democracy and legitimacy
EU integration. Example of the Green Deal
EU disintegration
Objectives (and/or specific learning outcomes)
This course introduces the European Union as a political system. It includes its evolution, its institutional architecture, and its actors.
At the end of the course, students should be able:
- To understand the evolution of the EU and European integration and to compare past developments with current debates
- To understand how the EU and its institutions work
- To analyse key challenges and topics in EU politics
Teaching methods and learning activities
The course is composed of 11 lectures of 2 hours. Whenever possible, lectures with invited academics, experts, civil servants, and EU officials are organized.
The course will rely on this material:
- Powepoint presentations used in class
- Guest speaker’s intervention
- Compulsory readings
- Q&A session
Students will be granted access to the course material and the material will be available on the UV. This material is covered by intellectual property rights regulations. It is therefore not authorised to share it outside the UV. By registering for the course, you consent to these conditions related to the course material.
Course notes
- Université virtuelle
Other information
Evaluation
Method(s) of evaluation
- written examination
- Other
written examination
Other
The assessment is twofold:
- A MCQ on the UV (6/20) related to a selection of readings. The MCQ will be evaluated on a 20-point grading-scale. It will be organised during the semester.
- A two hour written exam with one open question to select among two questions (14/20). It will be organised in the January exam session.
Language(s) of evaluation
- english