93418 - History Of European Integration (50)

Learning outcomes

This course intends to offer the students the opportunity to develop a critical knowledge of the European Community's history. For this reason, attention will be paid to the principal moments of the political, economic and diplomatic process leading to the formation of the EU. The study will be based on three levels of analysis: the international, the European and the national level. Beginning with some notes on the historiographical debate, following a chronological order, students will be guided to the understanding of the main external and internal elements that have oriented the process of European integration, since World War II. The student will also acquire knowledge about the development and the diachronic evolution of transatlantic relations.

Course contents

In order to acquire a critical and in-depth knowledge of the history of the Communities, students will retrace the key moments of the political, economic and diplomatic process underlying the Constitution of the European Union (EU). The course aims to present in a critical manner the process of European integration, the reasons for its launch and its complexity, contextualization in the wider international system, coexistence of intergovernmental and supranational dynamics and the principal Member States and third countries, as well as the political, social and Community institutions, seizing upon interdependencies present in a constantly and rapidly evolving world. Historically, the analysis of the process of European integration must be inserted in a context of the transformation of statehood, as well as the economy and society, with the emergence of new international, supranational and transnational figures.

The aim of the course is therefore to enable students to know and understand, starting from the idea of Europe, the historical processes that led to the first attempts at European unification; the theoretical principles that underlie them and the different approaches to same; the basic outlines of the European integration process; the initiatives of governments; political and social forces; and Europeanist movements. The development of the EU’s institutional architecture will also be illustrated by outlining its principal policies. The course, then, will consist of two short historical-political studies related to the current process of European integration (Modules 1 and 2).

Module 1 pertains to the principle of subsidiarity and its importance in European governance. Module 2 will take into consideration the multiple crises which, starting from the new millenium, have affected the EU, with relevant consequences on the process of European economic, social and political integration (the financial crisis of 2008-2009; the migratory crisis of 2014; the threat of terrorism and the problem of security; Euroscepticism and populism; Brexit, and the Covid-19 pandemic), launching a common reflection on the future of the Union.

In addition to having good knowledge of the subject matter, students will have to demonstrate, using analytical skills, an understanding of the fundamental elements of the course.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students

Students will be provided with a detailed bibliography for each course of study (Modules 1 and 2). All textbooks and documents pertaining to the course as well as preparation necessary for the course tests, including the final exam, will be discussed in detail during the first lesson.

The reference text for all students is:

- Giuliana Laschi, Storia dell'integrazione europea, Mondadori, Milano (to be published in 2020)

Regarding the two courses of study, students will have to prepare using the documents and materials presented in class at the beginning of the course. If materials are not available through the library, they will be provided by the instructor or will be available as photocopies, available through the departmental didactics secretary.

Non-attending students:

- Giuliana Laschi, Storia dell'integrazione europea, Mondadori, Milano (to be published in 2020)

- Silvio Fagiolo, L'idea dell'Europa nelle relazioni, FrancoAngeli, Milano, 2009.

- Elena Calandri, Giuliana Laschi, Simone Paoli (a cura di), L'Europa adulta. Attori, ragioni e sfide dall'Atto Unico alla Brexit, Il Mulino, Bologna 2020 (capitoli da selezionare con il docente).

Teaching methods

The course (“Blended” teaching method) is divided into two parts, the first classroom lectures and the second a seminar (Modules 1 and 2). During the lessons, the instructor will present the elements of study and critical analyses. During the in-depth thematic Modules (the principle of subsidiarity/EU and multiple crises), in addition to the classroom lectures, meetings will be conducted with experts who will examine a topic in depth. They will discuss these topics with students ,who will attend the seminar after having completed the readings of the documents and materials proposed by the scholars and experts themselves.

Assessment methods

For attending students, the exam will consist of an intermediate written test (first exam, 30% of the final grade), the presentation of a thematic paper, the subject of which will be agreed upon with the instructor (second exam, 30% of the final grade), and an oral exam (final exam, 40% of the final grade).

Non-attending students will be required to take a written exam of 60 minutes and, if they pass, they will have to complete an oral exam. The written exam will consist of both open-ended and multiple choice questions. Each exam (written and oral) will count for 50% of the final grade.

Teaching tools

The instructor will use computer-supported materials (e.g. PowerPoint presentations) as well as audiovisual materials.

In some instances students will use archival documents and will work directly with those documents.

Office hours

See the website of Filippo Maria Giordano