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Introduction to European Integration
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:3.00
Study Course Accepted:08.03.2024 13:16:24
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | SZF_010 | LQF level: | Level 6 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 2.67 | ECTS: | 4.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Politics; International Politics | Target Audience: | Political Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Vineta Kleinberga | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 8 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 16 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 12 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 24 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 40 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | For successful completion of the study course, students must have prior knowledge of the development of the international system, the basic concepts of international relations and the structure and policies of the European Union. | ||||||||
| Objective: | The objective of the course is to provide an overview of European integration – its historical development, institutional structure, policies, decision-making and the interaction between different actors (including institutions, nation-states, civil society, population, etc.). | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | The Phenomenon of European Integration. Historical Development of European Integration. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | ‘Supranational’ Institutions of the EU (European Commission, European Parliament, EU Courts, etc.) | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Tutorials/Discussions (On Request) | Classes | 1.00 | E-Studies platform | |||||
| 4 | EU Intergovernmental Institutions – European Council and Council of the European Union | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Presidency of the Council of the EU, Its Role and Challenges | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Tutorials/Discussions (On Request) | Classes | 1.00 | E-Studies platform | |||||
| 7 | Policymaking in the European Union – Setting the Agenda, Taking Decisions, Implementing Decisions | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Enlargement of the European Union: Conditions and Challenges. EU Eastern Partnership. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | Tutorials/Discussions (On Request) | Classes | 1.00 | E-Studies platform | |||||
| 10 | Decision-Making. Legislation and Other Documents of the EU Institutions. Case Studies From Latvia. Lobbying and NGOs. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 11 | EU Policies II – Foreign and Security Policy | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 12 | Tutorials/Discussions (On Request) | Classes | 1.00 | E-Studies platform | |||||
| 13 | Monetary Policy of the European Union, Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), Eurozone, Trade, Economy. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 14 | Latvia and the EU: History, Integration, Opportunities and Challenges. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 15 | EU Policies: Student Presentations | Classes | 4.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 16 | Exam | Classes | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | As part of the study course, students will be required to study the required readings, write two essays and pass two tests on the specified topics, write and present a final course report, successfully pass seminars and a final course examination. To assess the overall quality of the study course, the student must complete the course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | 1. participation in lectures and seminars – 25% (assessment criteria: activity and quality of answers); 2. essays and tests – 25% (assessment criteria: essays – structure (introduction, body, conclusions), quality of argumentation, compliance of the text with Latvian grammar requirements; in tests – number of correct answers); 3. report – 25% (assessment criteria: structure (introduction, body, conclusions), quality of argumentation, compliance of the text with Latvian grammar requirements); 4. exam – 25% (assessment criteria: understanding of basic concepts, description of the development process, identification of problematic issues). | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Oral) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | |||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | Students have good knowledge of the history and causes of the development of the European Union (EU). They understand the different approaches to theorising European integration and the role of states, non-state actors and international institutions and structures in integration processes. Students have good knowledge of current EU developments and potential future development of the organisation. They understand EU policy-making and decision-making processes, and the role of EU institutions and Member States in organising external and internal affairs. | ||||||||
| Skills: | Students are able to identify the basic principles of operation of the EU and the key documents characterising its development, distinguish and describe EU policies, identify the division of competences between the EU and national levels, and analyse the opportunities and constraints of EU institutions and Member States in decision-making. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | Students have the competence to analyse, write about and discuss the future development of the EU, policies, EU institutions, their role and importance in EU decision-making. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Bukovskis, Kārlis and Justīne Elferte. "Latvia’s Path to the European Union: In-between the Backstage and the Spotlight". In: Sprūds, Andris, Diāna Potjomkina, and Valters Ščerbinskis, eds. The Centenary of Latvia’s Foreign Affairs: Tasks and Personalities, Riga: Latvian Institute of International Affairs, 2017. 191-211. | ||||||||
| 2 | Cini, Michelle, and Nieves Pérez-Solórzano Borragán. European Union Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. | ||||||||
| 3 | Dinan, Desmond, ed. Origins and Evolution of the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. | ||||||||
| 4 | European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication, Borchardt, K., The ABC of EU law. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2023. | ||||||||
| 5 | European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication, EU & me. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2023. | ||||||||
| 6 | Ladrech, Robert. Europeanization and National Politics. Red Globe Press: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017. | ||||||||
| 7 | Leuffen, Dirk, Berthold Rittberger and Frank Schimmelfennig. Differentiated Integration: Explaining Variation in the European Union. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. | ||||||||
| 8 | Ozoliņa, Žaneta un Inna Šteinbuka, zin. red.. Latvijas Eiropas ceļš: 15 < 30 < 100 = Latvia’s European Way: 15 < 30 < 100. Rīga: LU Akadēmiskais apgāds, 2019. (latviešu plūsmai) | ||||||||
| 9 | Wallace, Helen, Mark A. Pollack, Christilla Roederer-Rynninga and Alasdair R. Young, eds. Policy-Making in the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. | ||||||||
| 10 | Wiener, Antje, Tanja A. Börzel, and Thomas Risse. European Integration Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Ārlietu ministrija, Latvijas prezidentūras Eiropas Savienības Padomē darba programma, 2015. (latviešu plūsmai) | ||||||||
| 2 | Ārlietu ministrija, Latvijas prezidentūras Eiropas Savienības Padomē rezultāti, 2015. (latviešu plūsmai) | ||||||||
| 3 | European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication, The European Green Deal – Delivering the EU’s 2030 climate targets, Luksembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2023. | ||||||||
| 4 | European Union Institute for Security Studies, Andersson, Jan J. Building weapons together (or not): How to strengthen the European defence industry. Publications Office of the European Union, 2023. | ||||||||
| 5 | Hix, Simon and Follesdal, Andreas. "Why is There a Democratic Deficit in the EU? A Response to Majone and Moravcsik". Journal of Common Market Studies 44, No. 3, 2006. 533-562. | ||||||||
| 6 | JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies | ||||||||
| 7 | Journal "European Union Politics" | ||||||||
| 8 | Manners, Ian. "Normative Power Europe: A Contradiction in Terms?" Journal of Common Market Studies 40, No 2, 2002. 235-258. | ||||||||
| 9 | Moravcsik, Andrew. "The myth of Europe's 'democratic deficit'". Intereconomics 43, No 6, 2008. 331-340, | ||||||||
| 10 | Žurnāls "Latvijas intereses Eiropas Savienībā" (latviešu plūsmai) | ||||||||
| Other Information Sources | |||||||||
| 1 | Akadēmiskā terminu datubāze/Academic term database AkadTerm | ||||||||
| 2 | Eiropas Kustība Latvijā (latviešu plūsmai) | ||||||||
| 3 | EPIN – European Policy Institutes Network | ||||||||
| 4 | EU Observer | ||||||||
| 5 | EurActiv | ||||||||
| 6 | EURLEX | ||||||||
| 7 | Europa Portal | ||||||||
| 8 | Eurobarometer | ||||||||
| 9 | European Council of Foreign Relations | ||||||||
| 10 | European Integration Research Papers Archive | ||||||||
| 11 | European Parliament / Register of Documents / Studies | ||||||||
| 12 | European Policy Centre | ||||||||
| 13 | European Union Institute for Security Studies | ||||||||
| 14 | Fondation Robert Schuman | ||||||||
| 15 | International Relations and Security Network | ||||||||
| 16 | Latvijas Ārpolitikas institūts/Institute of Foreign Policy of Latvia | ||||||||
| 17 | Trans-European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) | ||||||||
| 18 | The Centre for European Policy Studies | ||||||||
