98694 - EUROPEAN CULTURES AND SOCIETIES

Learning outcomes

The course aims at providing students with an introduction to the idea of Europe as a cultural and historical reality from a wide multidisciplinary perspective, as well as the political project that the European Union represents. At the end of the course, students should know the role of gender, ethnicity, nationalism and social class in the construction of European identities and in the consolidation of a feeling of belonging to the European Union. They will also be able to analyse how particular cultural identities play an integrating and disintegrating role in a broader system such as the European Union.

Course contents

This course is reserved exclusively for students in the Bachelor of European Studies programme. Students of other programmes are not allowed to take this course in their programme.

The course is taught in a blended format. It involves three main components: an e-learning module for individual online study (2 ECTS), lectures - blended teaching (4 ECTS), and seminars - on campus (2 ECTS).

I hold the seminars, which focus on the discussion of key texts related to the thematic blocs of the course:

• European Heritage
• Nationalism in Europe
• Europe and Colonialism
• Social Movements in Europe
• Mobility and Migration in the Context of Europe
• Contemporary Challenges for Europeans
• Europe and Global Challenge
  

Students must successfully complete all parts of the course in order to obtain the 8 ECTS.

Readings/Bibliography

Regarding the seminars, compulsory readings are assigned for each seminar. The course material is made available on Toledo.

Teaching methods

Seminars are to guide students in reading and discussion of academic texts, and to encourage debate and interaction between students.

Assessment methods

This course includes the following evaluation:

1. Final written exam during examination period consisting of multiple choice questions (60% of the total score)

The final exam is organized as a digital (bring-your-own-device or in a PC room) exam via the Ans examination platform. Students must be present on campus to take the exam. The duration of the exam is 60 minutes.

2. Participation in the seminars (pass/fail)

Students are expected to attend and participate in each seminar. In case of absence, students must make up for the missed seminar by providing a written review of one of the texts discussed during the missed seminar (1 page max.), answering the question: What arguments in the text I would disagree with?. The unjustified absences cannot exceed 3 seminar sessions. If students miss more than 3 seminar sessions, they cannot make them up with a written review and will receive an automatic NA for the course in the first examination period.

3. Group project (20% of the total score)

Students prepare in groups a project related to European heritage. The outcome of the project may be a presentation, but it may also have a more creative form, such as a video, podcast, recording etc. The group project must be completed by the deadline provided by the course coordinator.

4. E-learning final quiz (20% of the final grade)

The quiz is composed of 30 multiple choice questions (20 minutes, one attempt only). The online module must be completed by the deadline provided by the course coordinator.

Students must successfully complete ALL parts of the course in order to obtain their final grade.

Teaching tools

Seminars will be held through participatory teaching methods 

Office hours

See the website of Alice Lacchei

See the website of Joanna Orzechowska Waclawska

See the website of