74571 - Europe in World Politics

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students should be able to: • Analyze and interpret the role played by the European Union in different foreign policy areas and towards different geographic areas • Evaluate the main challenges and opportunities of the EU's role in world politics • Compare the EU with other international actors

Course contents

The course analyses the EU's role in world politics. The analysis will be conducted through two main parts. The first part (week 1-5) will be focused on the key turning points in the historical evolution of the EU's foreign policy system, on its institutional architecture, and on conceptualizing and theorizing the EU as a global actor. The second part (week 6-10) will address most important EU external policies, (trade, development, Common Foreign and Security Policy, Common Security and Defence Policy included), circles of external governance, mechanisms of external Europeanization, EU relations with Turkey, the Western Balkans, ENP partners, and EU interactions with major powers and multilateral organizations.


Classes and readings:

PART I: Processes, Actors and Theories

Week 1-3 (12 hours):

- Introduction to the course

- The Nature of the EU as a Global Actor

- European Integration and Foreign Policy: Deepening and Differentiated Integration

- European Integration and Foreign Policy: Widening and Brexit

Mandatory readings:

- Keukeleire, S. and Delreux, T. (2014), The Foreign Policy of the EU, Palgrave, chapters 1, 2

- Smith, S. Hadfield, A. and T. Dunne, eds. (2012), Foreign Policy. Theories, Actors, Cases, Oxford University Press, chapter 24

Background readings on the process of European integration (deepening, widening and differentiated integration):

- Bache, I., Bulmer, S., George S. and Parker, O. (2015), Politics in the European Union (fourth edition), Oxford University Press, chapters 5-11 and 27

- Schimmelfennig, F., Leuffen, D, and B. Rittberger (2015), ‘The European Union as a system of differentiated integration: interdependence, politicization and differentiation’, in Journal of European Public Policy, 22(6), pp. 764-782


Week 4 (4 hours):

- EU Foreign Policy System: Main Actors and the Issue of Coherence

Mandatory readings:

- Keukeleire, S. and Delreux, T. (2014), The Foreign Policy of the EU, Palgrave, chapters, 3-4

- Jørgensen, K.E. and Verlin Laatikainen, K. eds. (2013), Routledge Handbook on the European Union and International Institutions. Performance, Policy, Power, Routledge, chapter 2

- Hill, C., Smith, M. and Vanhoonacker, S. eds. (2017), International Relations and the European Union, Oxford University Press, chapter 6

Background readings on EU institutions:

- Bache, I., Bulmer, S., George, S. and Parker, O. (2015), Politics in the European Union (fourth edition), Oxford University Press, chapters 13-16


Week 5 (4 hours):

- Conceptualizing and Theorizing the EU as a Global Actor

Mandatory readings:

- Keukeleire, S. and Delreux, T. (2014), The Foreign Policy of the EU, Palgrave, chapter 14

- Hill, C., Smith, M. and Vanhoonacker, S. eds. (2017), International Relations and the European Union, Oxford University Press, chapter 4

- Duchêne, D. (1972), ‘Europe's Role in World Peace', in R. Mayne, ed. Europe Tomorrow: Sixteen Europeans Look Ahead, Collins, pp. 32-47

- Bull, H. (1982), 'Civilian power Europe: a contradiction in terms?', in Journal of Common Market Studies, 21(2), pp. 149-164

- Manners, I. (2002), 'Normative power Europe: a contradiction in terms?', in Journal of Common Market Studies, 40(2), pp. 235-258

- Kagan, R. (2002), 'Power and Weakness', in Policy Review, June/July, pp. 3-28

- Bretherton, C. and Vogler, J. (2006), The European Union as a Global Actor, Routledge, chapters 1-2

Background readings on International Relations theories:

- Jackson, R., and Sorensen, G. (2012), Introduction to International Relations. Theories and Approaches, fifth edition, Oxford University Press, chapters 3-6

Background readings on European Integration theories:

- Pollack, M.A. (2012), ‘Realist, Intergovernmentalist, and Institutionalist Approaches', in Jones, E., Menon, A. and Weatherill, S. eds., Oxford Handbook of the European Union, Oxford University Press

- Sandholtz W. and Stone Sweet A. (2012), ‘Neo-Functionalism and Supranational Governance', in Jones, E., Menon, A. and Weatherill, S. eds., Oxford Handbook of the European Union, Oxford University Press

- Pagoulatos, G. and Tsoukalis, L. (2012), ‘Multilateral governance', in Jones, E., Menon, A. and Weatherill, S. eds., Oxford Handbook of the European Union, Oxford University Press


PART II: External Policies, External Dimension and External Relations

Week 6 (4 hours):

- Trade and Development

- The External Dimension of Internal Security

Mandatory readings:

- Hill, C., Smith, M. and Vanhoonacker, S. eds. (2017), International Relations and the European Union, Oxford University Press, chapters 10, 13, 16


Week 7 (4 hours):

-The EU as a Security Actor

Mandatory readings:

- Keukeleire, S. and Delreux, T. (2014), The Foreign Policy of the EU, Palgrave, chapters 7 and 8

- Solana, J. (2014), 'The European Union and Human Security: The Making of a Global Security Actor', in M. Martin and T. Owen eds., Routledge Handbook on Human Security, pp. 251-259

- A secure Europe in a better world, European Security Strategy (2003)

- EU Global Strategy (2016)

- Biscop, S. (2018), ‘European Defence: Give PESCO a Chance’, Survival, 60(3), pp. 161-180



Week 8 (4 hours):

- Circles of External Governance and Mechanisms of External Europeanization

- EU Conflict Prevention as an example 

Mandatory readings:

- Olsen, J.P. (2002), ‘The Many Faces of Europeanization’, in Journal of Common Market Studies, 40(5), pp. 921-952

- Schimmelfennig, F. (2012), ‘Eu External Governance and Europeanization Beyond the Eu’, in D. Levi-Faur ed., The Oxford Handbook of Governance, Oxford University Press

- Baracani, E. (2016), 'The European Union and conflict prevention. What Europeanization?', in World Political Science Review, 12, pp. 219-239.

- Baracani, E. and Morgan, P. (2014), 'The Cyprus Conflict and the Failure of Its Europeanization', in F. Andreatta e E. Castelli (eds.) Solutions and Failures in Identity-based Conflicts. The Autonomy of Trentino-South Tyrol in Comparative Perspective, Fondazione Bruno Kessler Press, pp. 137-156


Week 9 (4 hours):

- EU relations with Turkey, the Western Balkans, and ENP partners

Mandatory readings:

- Baracani, E. and Calimli, M. (2016), 'Evaluating Effectiveness in EU Democracy Promotion: The Case of Turkey', Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, 3/2016, pp. 427-455

- Belloni, R. (2019), The Rise and Fall of Peacebuilding in the Balkans, Palgrave, chapter 1

- Baracani, E. (2017), 'Evaluating EU Actorness as a State-Builder in ‘Contested’ Kosovo', Geopolitics

- Schumacher, T. et al. (2017), The Routledge Handbook on the European Neighbourhood Policy, chapters 2-3


Week 10 (4 hours):

- Competition with Major Powers and Cooperation with Multilateral Organizations

Mandatory readings:

- Hill, C., Smith, M. and Vanhoonacker, S. eds. (2017), International Relations and the European Union, Oxford University Press, chapters 17, 18

- Jorgensen, K.E. et al. eds. (2015), The Sage Handbook of European Foreign Policy, volume 2, chapters 49 and 51

Readings/Bibliography

- A detailed list of mandatory readings, for each lecture, is provided in the course contents

- Background readings, listed in the first part of the course contents, are suggested for those students who do not yet possess a preliminary knowledge on key issues in EU Politics and International Relations Theories

- All the readings are the same for attending and non-attending students

Teaching methods

- Traditional lectures and seminar activities

- Students are encouraged to attend every session regularly and to participate at seminar activities 

- During each class, active participation will be encouraged

- Students are expected to participate constructively with questions and comments to highlight important aspects of the topics at stake

- To do so, it is essential that students do the mandatory readings indicated for each lecture

Assessment methods

For attending students:

- Attending students are expected to be present at least for 14/20 classes (70%) and to take part into seminar activities

- Please, subscribe to the distribution list of the course (elena.baracani.Europe_World_Politics_2020) in order to facilitate the process of collecting your presences in class

- Information on the seminar activities will be provided at the beginning of the course

- The course grade is based on two written exams

- The first written exam - which accounts for 50% of the total grade - is on the first part of the program and it takes place during the first official exam session

- The second written exam - which accounts for 50% of the total grade - is on the second part of the program and takes place in the following exam sessions

- Each written exam consists of 3 questions that require a response each of about 20 lines (exam duration 1 hour)

- Each question allows for a maximum of 10 points

For non-attending students, and attending students who do not take part in the first written exam or refuse the grade of this exam:

- The course grade is based on a single written exam on both parts of the program

- The exam consists of 6 questions that require an answer each of about 20 lines (exam duration 2 hours)

- Each question allows for a maximum of 10 points

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Exam results will be published on the instructor's webpage

- It will be possible to ask for clarification on the evaluation at the date indicated at the time of publication of the exam results

- In the absence of communication by the student by the established date, the votes published will be registered

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Summer exam sessions: the written exam will be on-line using Esami Online and Zoom.

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ERASMUS STUDENTS: it is not possible to take this course as non-attending students

Teaching tools

- The instructor's power point presentations will be available at the end of each week in Materiale didattico (Insegnamenti Online)

- Instructions on the readings and on the seminar activities will be provided at the beginning of the course

Office hours

See the website of Elena Baracani