"European Union Institutions, Politics, and Policies" aims at giving a good understanding of the polity, politics, and policies of the European Union. We will discuss the institutions of the EU and explore how they compare to government institutions of national political systems. Further, we will look at what the EU does. This means we will go through the range policies that the EU is to very different degrees involved in. We then discuss the theories that seek to explain the process of European integration. Was European integration fully under control of national governments or did it develop a dynamic of its own driven by the EU institutions themselves? Another important part of the course focusses on actors and how political parties, interest groups, and public opinion shape the politics of the EU.
Apart from covering the fundamental knowledge of institutions, policies, and actors, the course also takes an applied perspective by discussing issues that are currently salient in EU politics and inviting practitioners for guest lectures to provide an inside view of EU politics and policy-making.
A student who has completed the course should have the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge
Skills
General competence
Form: Lectures and seminars
Hours per week: approximately 3
A compulsory assignment that has been approved, has no time limit.
Update: In the spring semester 2021, the requirement to attend 75% of the seminars will not apply due to the corona situation. However, it is highly recommended that students attend as much as possible