INTS 282-01, Politics of European Integration, Spring 2008

Abstract

The course is intended to introduce students to the process of and logics underpinning European integration. It has five main components. First, the course discusses the ideational concept of “Europe” and its underlying cultural and normative foundations, and the history of European integration. Second, key theoretical frameworks are explored in order to provide conceptual frameworks and understanding of the logic of integration. Third, the course examines the main institutions, policies, and policy-making process of the European Union. Fourth, it analyzes the relationship of the Union with its main member states. Finally, it looks at the challenges the Union faces in its institutional development, relationship to the European public, and its evolution as a “community of values.”