European Union Politics

This course gives a broad overview of European integration since 1945. We will cover the history and theories of integration, major institutions, policy areas, and issues of debate. The historic part will place European integration into the global context of superpower domination and Europe searching for a new role since 1990. The part covering theories of integration confronts us with concepts and visions for Europe. They span from the old-fashioned concept of a 'Europe of fatherlands' (Charles de Gaulle) to a full-fledged federal vision of a 'United States of Europe' (Jean Monnet). The European institutional setting reflects the various approaches towards Europe. Indeed, the EU is governed by a complex set of institutions that reflect the combination of the nation-state level and the supranational European level. We then move towards 'cases.' In the European context, this means that we analyze those policy areas that have dominated European politics: agriculture, economic and financial integration, foreign policy, and Justice and Home affairs, but also issues like enlargement. We will finish with debates on important ongoing issues like the handling of the economic crisis, democratic legitimacy, public opinion, further enlargement, the handling of the migration crisis, and the possibility of disintegration (BrExit).

Corvinus University of Budapest awards credits based on the ECTS system (2 ECTS credits equals 1 U.S. credit therefore, 6 ECTS credits is equivalent to 3 U.S. credits). At Corvinus University of Budapest, all classes meet for a minimum of 180 minutes per week. Contact hours are calculated through a combination of lecture hours and outside activities which can include (workshops, seminars, fieldwork activities, guest lectures, and independent work) therefore, contact hours may vary on syllabi