DSPO 25A02 - European Integration and its challenges: The Euro, Migration and Populism

The objective of the class is to provide students with a critical understanding of the major issues currently faced by European countries, and the interplay between Member States, European institutions, global challenges and democratic legitimacy concerns. We will analyse the facts to understand the major causes, potential consequences and think of possible solutions to address challenges existing in the euro area, those created by the unprecedented migrant flows in Europe, stemming from climate change. We will also look at the rise of Euroscepticism and the issue of democratic deficit in the European Union. By the end of term students are expected to have acquired a critical approach and a solid understanding of the major issues and debates on the topics covered during the class.

No prior knowledge of the European Union is required. To give all students an equal understanding of the basic functioning of the EU institutions, the 2nd and 3rd session will be dedicated to explaining the fundamentals of the institutional functioning and decision-making at the EU level.

In general, students will be assessed for their participation in class, the quality of their individual research, the soundness of their analysis, the pertinence of arguments, their capacity to find and use reference materials and to transform information into knowledge, as well as for adopting a critical approach and publicly presenting their ideas in a clear and structured manner. Further explanations and advice will be given during the first session. The final grade will be sent to all students about three weeks after the last class.

• 50% - Presentation on the assigned research topic (30%) and the follow-up written assignments (20%),
• 30% - End-of-term exam,
• 10% - Analytical European news analysis,
• 10% - Overall participation in class discussions,