OCEU 2210 - The EU and the World's New Disorder

This course provides an entry point in the current debates on the changing features of the international system, the strategies of key powers to advance their goals and adapt to an uncertain environment and the place of the European Union (EU) in a new global context. It therefore connects the study of EU foreign policy with the analysis of global trends and the power strategies of others. The course starts with an appraisal of the long-term forces shaping the international system, offering insights in current debates on the future of power and of the international order. The opening sessions will set the stage for a deeper analysis of the current war in Ukraine and its multiple implications. The course will then address the strategic debates taking place in major powers, as they seek to articulate their interests and normative conceptions in a highly connected but ever more contested international system. The distinctive features of the EU as an international actor and the debate on its role in the emerging world disorder will be the subject of particular focus.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Acquire an overview of the main current debates on the shape of the future international (dis)order and on power in international affairs

• Assess the distinctive features and role of the European Union as an international actor, and related challenges and opportunities

• Develop a comparative perspective on the broad strategies, goals and instruments of key powers

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

• Research and analysis

• Critical thinking

• Team-work

Giovanni GREVI

Séminaire

English

Students are expected to read the required readings and use the other material made available by the lecturer in advance of each session. They are also expected to deliver a written note/policy brief and to work in groups, when required, to prepare their positions and contributions to debate sessions. In the course of the semester, students are requested to present orally their findings as they work on the final paper, which will be delivered at the end of the course and be no longer than 2000 words (excluding footnotes and references).

None.

Autumn 2022-2023

Students will be evaluated based on:

- Active participation in debates in class 10%

- Short note produced during the course 20%

- The oral presentation of the final paper 20%

- The final paper 50%.

This course will include classes encompassing presentations by the lecturer and a variety of activities engaging students through debates and presentations. Some of these activities will be based on material made available in advance of respective classes and used as the platform to stimulate the students' critical thinking and debating skills. Groupwork by sub-sets of students will be encouraged to produce output addressing key topics and concepts, to be discussed in class. Students will be tasked with submitting one short note/policy brief during the course – applying the content of successive lectures. Students will also be required to define the topics of their final papers, and to present their interim findings in dedicated sessions.