IPM6630 - EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE: INSTITUTIONAL POLITICS OF THE E U

Module Identifier	IPM6630
Module Title	EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE: INSTITUTIONAL POLITICS OF THE E U
Academic Year	2001/2002
Co-ordinator	Mr Thomas Christiansen
Semester	Semester 2
Course delivery	Seminar	1 x 2 hours per week
Assessment	Essay	1 X 4,000 words	50%
	Exam	3 Hours	50%

Aims

This module provides for the comprehensive examination of institutional issues of European integration. The discussion of theoretical perspectives on institutional analysis, including political science as well as legal and sociological approaches, is followed by the study of the main European institutions as well as the overall institutional evolution of the European Union. The module will combine a wider and theoretically-oriented focus on the EU institutional framework with a look at more specific and topical issues such as the ongoing Commission reform, the changes arising from the Nice Treaty and the implications of enlargement.

Learning outcomes

Display an in-depth knowledge of the role of institutions in the European integration process
Show an awareness of the complexity and the functioning of the EU institutional structure
Discuss the contribution made by individual institutions (Council, Parliament, Commission, Court, and others) to European governance
Demonstrate an awareness of the problems and challenges facing European institutions in the current phase of the integration process
Relate their knowledge of the EU institutional politics to the wider issues of transnational policy-making and governance in Europe
Demonstrate the development of communicative (oral as well as written) and research skills