September 24, 2014
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ASIA
DEPARTMENT OF EUROPEAN STUDIES
Academic Year 2014-2015 - Fall Semester
ES 203.1 – European Integration and External Relations
Course ID: 3049
Course Schedule: Tuesday 11.30 – 12.45 (R315) & Thursday 11.30 - 12.45 (R315)
Instructor:Assistant Professor Görkem Atsungur
Office: #214 – European Studies Department
Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 10.00 – 11.30
E-mail: atsungur_g@auca.kg
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION
* Required European Studies Departmental Course for Sophomores (Social Science Course)
Number of Credits: 6cr.
Course Description:
Covering around ten million square kilometres, Europe is the second smallest of the world’s seven continents. On the other hand it is number three in terms of population over seven hundred fifty million people. But Europe, like most continents, it is not just a place, a geographical container for those European states. It is also an idea and identity. Throughout European history Europe has been witness much more by divisions, tensions and conflicts rather than it has by any common purpose or harmony of spirit. After the Second World War the relations between the states of the Western Europe have been started to transform peacefully. The construction of the European Union is arguably one of the most exciting and controversial political experiment today. As a result of these, Europe is no creation. It is a rediscovery.
The course is divided into three main parts. In the first section of the course, it will be discussed the history of European integration, from the federalist vision of the founding fathers of the European Union to the intergovernmentalism realism of political sceptics. This part of the course provides the theoretical, historical and analytical foundation to the students. The second part of the course will pay attention on the external relations and the last part of the course addresses current issues and debates in the European Union.
Course Aim and Objectives:
The objective of this course is to provide students with a general understanding of the European Integration and External Relations.
By the end of the semester, student should gain a deeper knowledge about European integration; be familiar with the major topics involved with European Union Studies and be able to discuss various policies and problems of the European affairs.
II. COURSE RULES & POLICIES
A. Teaching Methods:
The course objectives will be achieved through combination of lectures and seminars. Students will take active part in class discussions and read their weekly assignments/homework. Instructor uses audio-visual materials for the course chapters. All PowerPoint (ppt.) slides and readings are available in the e-course system.
B. Reading and Writing Materials:
Instructors prepare all required materials for students. Necessary course materials, including the course Syllabus, can be found on the e-course website.
The password for the e-course is esfall2014
Students must check e-course materials regularly – at least twice a week before the classes.
Each student has to read required readings which are indicated for each section before the class and students should come ready to present, argue and discuss them. Moreover, the students should submit all necessary essays and papers for the academic writing part. All reading materials, including term paper and other essays are the main responsibility of the student in order to pass this course.
C. Special Needs:
Students with special needs may require special arrangements relating to attending class sessions, carrying out writing term project and essays or taking examinations. They are strongly encouraged to inform the Instructors during the first week of classes.
D. Classroom Rules of Conduct:
Please respect university discipline rules and turn off cell phones and pagers during class. Students should keep quiet and not be late for the class. You cannot use social networks Facebook, VK, and Twitter etc. during the classes. If the professors notice such behaviour, s/he has right to ask these students to leave the classroom. Food and beverages are not permitted in the classroom. During the exams/quizzes, the use of cell phones, pagers, PDAs, or any other electronic devices is strictly prohibited. Unmoral/Rude behaviours to other students, staffs and/or the instructors will not be tolerated.
E. Academic Honesty and Discipline:
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated at AUCA. All assignments, essays, quizzes, and exams must be done by on your own. If the student is found engaged in cheating, plagiarism, inventing false information or citations, helping someone else or any other violation of the ‘’Code of Academic Integrity,’’ s/he should expect the severest penalties available under AUCA policies. According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Plagiarize means: “to steal and pass of (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own, to use (another’s production) without crediting the source, to commit literary theft and to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.” As a result of these, Plagiarism is an act of fraud.
Students found guilty of academic dishonesty will be assigned an appropriate academic penalty.
For more information, please visit: http://www.auca.kg/en/registrar_code_conduct/
Academic writing component of the course will help you to show how to write an academic article. Moreover, feel free to consult the instructors at any time and/or during the office hours.
F. Adobe Connect:
Since Fall 2014, the instructor Atsungur has been selected by the Office of the CIO to use ‘Adobe Connect’ program in his courses. Adobe Connect is a web conferencing platform for Web Meetings, eLearning, and webinars. For instance, when the instructor is abroad for conference and academic purposes, he can record his courses and students can reach his classes through the links. Moreover, the instructor will record his courses during his classes. Digital meetings enable live, interactive, effective classes and group collaboration between the instructor and students anytime, anywhere, on virtually any device. Students are expected to follow adobe connect requirements.
III. COURSE ASSESSMENT & REQUIREMENTS
The nature of the subject requires active class participation therefore the students will not be receiving credits based purely on class attendance for participation and class discussions. All students should NOT hesitate to participate when they want to expand the topic or they need further explanation, etc. Participation is required for both content and writing part of the course.
Moreover, during the semester students are required to engage in online participation through the e-course system. As a result of this, it is highly recommended to check the e-course at least twice each week.
Any student who misses more than five classes unexcused without medical report to confirm illness, s/he will fail the course. Students must bring their medical certificate within one week. After one week, medical certificates will not be accepted. All medical certificates must be approved by AUCA clinic first. Without AUCA stamp, medical certificates will not be valid.
Active and meaningful participation will add 10% to the final grade. Medical certification will only help not to fail the grade. Please do not forget that the instructors will also give some points to class attendance.
Moreover, in the fall semester in November, there will be a simulation game about the European Union. All students should attend this game; otherwise they will take 0 point for participation and class discussions. Simulation game is not extra-curriculum activity. It is part of the academic course. The topic of the stimulate game will be decided with students in the beginning of the semester.
B. Poster Session and Presentation – 20%
A poster is the presentation of research information by students with an academic focus.At the end of the semester, all students should prepare a poster relating with the “Crisis and Future of the European Union”. Try to design the poster to address one central question (either Crisis in the EU or Future of the EU) and state the question clearly in the poster, then use your discussion time with your colleagues to expand or expound upon issues surrounding that central theme.
- What is the meaning of ‘Effective Poster’?
The poster is not just a standard picture with some key words and stuck to a board. The effective poster uses a different, visual grammar. It shows us, not tells. It is primarily visual presentation; and the text should only support the graphics. There should be a minimal amount of text for supplementing the graphic materials. It is needed to use short sentences, simple words, and bullets to illustrate discrete points. Do not forget to provide an explicit take-home message and summarize implications and conclusions briefly. The Poster displays the essential content such as messages, main headings and graphics. The main headings explain the points, rather than merely stating results.
As a result of these, the effective poster is ‘Focused’ (focused on a single message), ‘Graphic’ (graphs and images tell us the story) and ‘Ordered’ (well-ordered and obvious). The effective poster should use photos, figures, and tables to tell the story of the study. Academic posters should follow the IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussions). The Introduction presents the background and the purpose of the research. It consists of a statement summarizing the current knowledge in an area, what knowledge is missing, and how this research project addresses the knowledge gap. A hypothesis can be included in the Introduction. The Methods section should specifically address the research design and research setting. Finally, in the Discussion section, state concisely what can be concluded from the study and its implications. Make sure that the conclusions are supported by the data presented in the Results and do not present unsubstantiated personal opinion.
Generally, place the elements of the poster in position are:
ü The title will appear across the top.
ü A brief introduction will appear at the upper left.
ü The conclusions will appear at the lower right.
ü Methods and Results will fill the remaining space.
The students will illustrate their research methods and outcomes. Presentation will consist of affixing the research poster to a wall with the students in attendance answering questions posed by passing colleagues. Posters can be creating using PowerPoint and can be printed on a large format printer. Common dimensions for posters are 42 x 42 inches, 42 x 48 inches, or 42 x 52 inches. You can find more information about poster presentation at http://www.posterpresentations.com/html/free_poster_templates.html
N.B! Preparing a poster will normally take longer time than people expected. Allocate your time wisely.
C. Broadcasting and Media Analysis – 30%
The class will be divided into different groups. Generally two, maximum three students come together and they will select one topic relating with the course content such as one policy of the EU (EU Social Policy, Security and Defence Policy, Enlargement, External Relations, etc.), EU Institutional problems (Democratic Deficit in the EU, Supranationalism vs. Intergovernmentalism, etc.), Current Issues or Debates (Germany Hegemony, Euroskeptism, The Euro Crisis: Austerity in the Eurozone, Separatist movement in the EU, etc.). They will produce approximately three (not more than five) minutes academic audio/video broadcasting project. First, the students will search their topic, conduct with the instructor and they can include interviews with experts, Vox Populi (Voice of people – man on the streets: interview with members of the general public: it is not a form of survey. Each person is asked the same question and get variety of answers and opinion on any given subject), etc. And also students transcribe their group project and submit to the instructor as a written form.
The instructor will help to each group to record their broadcasting and how to acquire valuable key competences such as skills in text and media analysis, communication in English, digital competence related to basic competences in science and technology. The instructor needs some extra time for each group to show all these competences. The Students should be ready to meet with the instructor outside of class schedule.
The learning outcomes will be broadcasted by AUCA TV and later be made available to the wider public via the AUCA - ES department website. For instance, you can find the instructor’s project: “Native Americans Today: Indigenous Reality in North America, Breaking Up Stereotypes” at Bielefeld University in Germany in the following link:
D. Summaries – 20%
Students will write a short informative summary for each week. The first day of the following class (Tuesday), the instructor will collect summaries before the class. Late and e-mail submission are not accepted. Students must bring their summaries each Tuesday class at 11:30 as a hard copy and submit to the instructor. For instance, students must bring their first week summary on 09.09.2014 Tuesday at 11:30 as a hard copy. There will be 14 summaries. Each summary will be 1.5 points: Total 21 points- 1 point is extra.
The format of all papers should be Times New Roman, font 12, one and half spaces and 750-1.000 words (two pages) in length and MLA style of citation. MLA style formatting will be in the e-course.
E. Final Exam – 20%
Each student must take a final exam (20%) for this course. The final exam will be given after the entire course is completed. Starting from Fall-2014 the Registrar office is responsible for scheduling of final exams. The date of final exam will be announced later.
In the first part, there will be one essay question (5 points) and in the second part there will be five short identifications (each of them is 1 point) and in the last part there will be twenty multiple-choice questions (each of them is 0.5 point). And there will be a bonus question.
The Final exam will last 75 minutes.
Make-up examinations will NOT be administered except in the case of a medical emergency. If students try to attempt cheating during the exam, the instructor will give F grade for final grade, and a student will fail in the course.
Grading Policy:
The grade for the course will be comprised of the following percentages:
Participation and Class Discussions: 10%
Poster and Presentation: 20%
Broadcasting and Media Analysis: 30%
Summaries: 20%
Final Exam: 20%
|
Grade |
Quality Points |
Results |
Grade Percentages |
|
A |
4.00 |
Excellent |
Above 93% |
|
A- |
3.67 |
Excellent |
89.51% - 92.49% |
|
B+ |
3.33 |
Good |
85.51% - 89.49% |
|
B |
3.0 |
Good |
82.51% - 85.49% |
|
B- |
2.67 |
Good |
79.51% - 82.49% |
|
C+ |
2.33 |
Average |
75.51% - 79.49% |
|
C |
2.0 |
Average |
72.51% - 75.49% |
|
C- |
1.67 |
Average |
69.51% - 72.49% |
|
D+ |
1.33 |
Poor |
65.51% - 69.49% |
|
D |
1.0 |
Poor |
62.51% - 65.49% |
|
D- |
0.67 |
Poor |
59.51% - 62.51% |
|
F |
0.00 |
Failed |
Less than 59.49 % |
*Note: These grades are used for all courses of European Studies Department at AUCA.
IV. TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE
Week I. Introduction
02.09.2014 – Introduction to Course and Syllabus
04.09.2014 – Basic Characteristics of the European Union: Let’s Remember the EU!
PART I – HISTORY OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
Week II. Europe After the War
09.09.2014 – Europe After the Second World War.
11.09.2014 - Intellectual Debate on European Integration: Fathers of the EU
Readings: Total 9 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 81-90.
Week III. The Schuman Plan for Coal and Steel
16.09.2014 –– The Schuman Plan for Coal and Steel.
Readings: Total 10 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 92- 102.
18.09.2014 – European Defense Community.
Readings: Total 11 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 104-114.
Week IV. The European Coal and Steel Community and EURATOM
23.09.2014 & 25.09.2014 – The European Coal and Steel Community and EURATOM.
Readings: Total 7 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 116- 122.
*European Language Day: 26th September 2014
Week V. The European Economic Community: 1958-1967
30.09.2014 & 02.10.2014 – The European Economic Community: 1958-1967.
Readings: Total 8 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 124- 131.
Week VI. After Luxembourg: The “Dark Ages” of European Integration?
07.10.2014 & 09.10.2014 – After Luxembourg: The “Dark Ages” of European Integration?
Readings: Total 8 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 133 - 141.
Week VII. The European Community into the 1980s
14.10. 2014& 16.10. 2014 – The European Community into the 1980s andthe Single European Act (SEA).
Readings: Total 11 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 142-149 & 153-158.
21.10.2014 – Maastricht: The Treaty on European Union.
Readings: Total 9 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 159-168.
23.10.2014 – The Road to Amsterdam: A Flexible Europe?
Readings: Total 10 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 169-179.
Week IX. Enlargement From Amsterdam to Nice and After
28.10.2014 – From Amsterdam to Nice: Preparing for Enlargement.
Readings: Total 9 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 181-190.
30.11.2014 – After Nice: Enlargement Overshadowed.
Readings: Total 7 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 192-199.
Week X. The European Union at a Crossroads.
04.11.2014 & 06.11.2014 – The European Union at a Crossroads: From A European Constitution to the Lisbon Treaty.
Readings: Total 8 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 201-221.
PART II- POLICIES
Week XI. Policies and Policy Making in the European Union
11.11.2014 & 13.11.2014 – Policies and Policy Making in the EU.
Readings: Total 18 Pages.
- Ian Bache, Stephen George and Simon Bulmer, ‘’Politics in the European Union’’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2011, Pages: 351-369.
PART III - EXTERNAL RELATIONS OF EUROPEAN UNION
Week XII. External Relations of the European Union I
18.11.2014 & 20.11.2014 – Protection and Promoting – Europe’s International Politics.
Readings: Total 35 Pages.
- Tim Bale, European Politics: A Comparative Introduction, 2nd Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, Pages: 336-371
Week XIII. External Relations of the European Union II
25.11.2014 – External Trade, Foreign and Defense Policy and Development Policy.
27.11.2014 – Thanksgiving Day: No Classes
Readings: Total 28 Pages.
- Neill Nugent, The Government and Politics of the European Union, 7th Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, Pages: 371-399.
PART IV- CURRENT ISSUES AND DEBATES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Week XIV. ‘’Current’’ Issues of European Integration and the Future of Europe: Crisis and Integration: Future of Europe
02.12.2014 & 04.12.2014 – Current Issues and Discussions in the EU.
Note: Students should follow current developments in Europe via newspapers, journals and TVs.
Week XV. Discussions on Projects and Review of the Course.
09.12.2014 – Discussions on Posters and Broadcastings
11.12.2014 – Review of the Course.
* Note: the Instructor along with the European Studies Department reserves the right to make any changes in the content of topics. It is one of the main responsibilities of the students to attend the class and be informed about any changes.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
AFSJ – Area of Freedom, Security and Justice.
Benelux – Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg.
CAP - Common Agricultural Policy.
CEE – Central Eastern Europe.
CEEC – Committee for European Economic Co-operation.
CEN – European Committee for Standardization.
CET – Common External Tariffs.
CC - Candidate Country.
CFP – Common Fisheries Policy.
CFSP – Common Foreign Security Policy.
CJEU – Court of Justice of the European Union.
CoR – Committee of the Regions and Local Authorities.
COREPER - Committee of Permanent Representatives.
CSCE – Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe.
EAEC - European Atomic Energy Community=EURATOM.
EAFRD – European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
EC – European Community.
ECB – European Central Bank.
ECJ – European Court of Justice.
ECOSOC - Economic and Social Committee of the EC.
ECSC - European Coal and Steel Community.
ECU - European Currency Unit.
EDF - European Development Fund.
EEA – European Economic Area or European Environment Agency.
EEC - European Economic Community.
EESC – European Economic and Social Committee.
EFTA - European Free Trade Association.
EIB - European Investment Bank.
EMF – European Monetary Fund.
EMS - European Monetary System.
EMU – Economic and Monetary Union.
ENP – European Neighbourhood Policy.
EP - European Parliament.
ERASMUS - European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students
ERDF - European Regional Development Fund.
ESDP – European Security and Defense Policy.
ESF - European Social Fund
EU – European Union.
Eurojust- Europeans judicial co-operation unit.
Europol – European Police Office.
EUROSTAT - Community's Statistical Office.
GDP – Gross Domestic Products.
IGC – Intergovernmental Conference.
IMF – Internatioanal Monetary Fund.
IPE – International Political Economy.
IR – International Relations.
JHA – Justice and Home Affairs.
MEP - Member of the European Parliament.
MFN – Most Favoured Nation.
NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
NGOs – Non-Governmental Organizations
NTB – Non-tarrif barriers.
OECD - Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
OEEC – Organisation for European Economic Cooperation.
PR – Proportional Representation.
QMV – Qualified Majority Voting.
SEA – Single European Act.
SEM – Single European Market.
TEU – Treaty on European Union.
UN – United Nations.
WEU - Western European Union.
EUROPEAN UNION WEB RESOURCES
Europe http://www.europa.eu.int/
European Union in the US http://www.eurunion.org/index.htm
A to Z Index of European Union Websites
http://www.eurunion.org/infores/euindex.htm
EuroInternet http://eiop.or.at/euroint/
Know Europe Web Directory http://www.knoweurope.net/demo/html/webdir2.htm
EUROPARL: The European Parliament Online
http://www.europarl.eu.int/home/default_en.htm
CONSILIUM: Council of the European Union http://ue.eu.int/en/summ.htm
The European Commission http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/index_en.htm
CURIA - The Court of Justice http://curia.eu.int/en/index.htm
Court of Auditors http://www.eca.eu.int/EN/menu.htm
Euro http://europa.eu.int/euro
European Central Bank http://www.ecb.int/
European Economic and Social Committee http://www.ces.eu.int/pages/en/home.htm
Committee of the Regions http://www.cor.eu.int/home.htm
European Investment Bank http://www.eib.eu.int/
European Ombudsman http://www.euro-ombudsman.eu.int/home/en/default.htm
Community Plant Variety Office http://www.cpvo.eu.int
CEDEFOP: The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training
http://www.cedefop.eu.int/
European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products http://www.emea.eu.int
European Agency for Reconstruction http://www.ear.eu.int
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work http://europe.osha.eu.int
European Defense Agency: http://www.eda.europa.eu/
European Environment Agency http://www.eea.eu.int
European Food Safety Authority http://www.efsa.eu.int/
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
http://www.eurofound.eu.int/
European Investment Fund http://www.eif.org/about/mission.htm
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction http://www.emcdda.org
European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia http://www.eumc.eu.int
European Training Foundation http://www.etf.eu.int
Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market http://oami.eu.int
Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union http://www.cdt.eu.int
E. OTHER RELATED WEBSITES
Archive of European Integration http://aei.pitt.edu
Blue Guide to the Archives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Member States and
the Institutions of the European Union http://ue.eu.int/BlueGuide/en/intro.htm
Compendium: Cultural Policies in Europe http://www.culturalpolicies.net/
Historical Archives http://europa.eu.int/historical_archives/index_en.html
EIoP: European Integration online Papers http://eiop.or.at/eiop/
European Foreign Policy Bulletin http://www.iue.it/EFPB/about_database.htm
The European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR): http://www.ecprnet.eu/
Euractiv EU News & Policy debates: www.euractiv.com
University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES): www.uaces.org
The European Union Studies Association (EUSA): www.eustudies.org
The European Union Center of Excellence (EUCE): http://www.euce.org
EuroInternet: http://eiop.or.at/euroint/
PLOTEUS (Portal on Learning Opportunities throughout the European Space):
http://ec.europa.eu/ploteus/home.jsp?language=en
Europe’s World: http://www.europesworld.org/
Debating Europe: http://www.debatingeurope.eu/
Toutel Europe: http://www.touteleurope.eu/index.php?id=4468
Europe in 12 Lessons: http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/europe-in-12-lessons-pbNA3110652/
Euro Web-Online: http://www.euro-webonline.com/main.htm
YouTube EU: http://www.youtube.com/eutube
BBC News – Europe: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/europe/
EU Observer: http://euobserver.com
Foreign and Security Policy: www.europa.eu/pol/cfsp/index_en.htm
European Research Papers Archive: http://eiop.or.at/erpa/
The EU Delegation to the United States: http://www.eurunion.org/eu/
Access to European Union Law: (Eur-Lex): http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.ht
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