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

***UPDATED for 2026/27***

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 multiple implications of the war in Ukraine and of other conflicts for the European and international order. The course will then address the strategic debates and major policy developments taking place in the EU, the US and China, 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, the debate on its role and priorities in the emerging world disorder, and the consequences of the current crisis in transatlantic affairs 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 the EU, the US and China

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

• Research and analysis
• Processing complexity: connecting the dots
• Critical thinking: challenging assumptions, testing counter-veiling arguments
• Team-work and debating skills

Students will be invited to submit an abstract of their final paper early on in the course. They will receive feedback on the framing of the topic, on the structure of the paper and on the envisaged case studies, with a view to set the stage for their further work. The work of the students will involve using AI under clear conditions set by the instructor and through a defined template.

Feedback on the presentations will be provided to respective groups within three working days following the presentation in class. Feedback will include the overall assessment of the slides presentation and remarks on more specific aspects where need be.

Students will be evaluated based on:

• Active participation in debates in class 10%
• Group work and presentation 40%
• Individual final paper 50%

• In Class Presence: 4 hours every other week / 24 hours a semester
• Students are expected to read the required readings and use the other material made available by the lecturer in advance of each session, with a view to taking active part in exchanges and ad hoc debates in class. They are also expected to work in groups in the course of the semester to deliver an oral presentation backed up by a suitable set of slides. Students will work individually on a final paper, which will be delivered at the end of the course and be no longer than 2000 words (excluding footnotes and references).