The European Union: Integration, Politics and Policy

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenor and tutor: Dionyssis Dimitrakopoulos, Jean Monnet Chair in Parliamentary Democracy and European Integration
• Assessment: to be confirmed
  

This module is supported by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme.

The module offers a detailed examination of the politics of European integration. After exploring the origins of the old idea of a united Europe and post-war co-operation in Europe in its historical context, it concentrates on the development of the European Communities and the nature and operation of the European Union. It examines the theories of integration, the institutional make-up of the Union and its decision-making processes, and then investigates EU policy development in several key areas of policy, such as the single market, economic and monetary union, foreign policy, justice and home affairs, as well as the politics of Euroscepticism and the UK’s relationship to the process of integration. Each year, various external speakers are invited to share their knowledge with students taking this course.

On completing the module, you will:

• have developed detailed knowledge of the theoretical frameworks developed by political scientists in an effort to explain the operation and development of the EU
• have acquired a critical understanding of the main theories of the EU policy process
• be able to apply theories and models to contemporary policy issues
• understand the institutional features of policy-making, with a particular sensitivity to the role of different levels of governance.