17646 - European Union Institutions and Policies

Academic Year 2018/2019

  • Docente: Renata Lizzi
  • Credits: 10
  • SSD: SPS/04
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Forli
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in International relations and diplomatic affairs (cod. 8048)

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to deliver a basic knowledge of the EU institutional system and sovranational policy-making: its focus is the study of institutions - Commission, EU Council, European Council, EP, and other bodies - and formal procedures and informal dynamics of legislative and decision-making processes. The second section of the program is focused on the dynamics and contents of some significant EU policies (CAP, socio-economic cohesion policy , environmental policy, social policy, and economic and monetary policy).

Students are expected to learn the complex working of the EU institutions, actors and policy-making; to acquire the skill to analyze  european policies; the capability to understand the impact of EU policy-making both at the national and local level.

Course contents

The course is divided in the following sections.

First section (4 hours) is devoted to the study of evolution of the european integration process, institutional setting, as presented in the main Treaties;

Second section (20 hours) presents and analyses the institutional system (internal organization; powers and competencies of the most important EU institutions - Commission, Council, Parliament, Court of Justice, and Central Bank - main interests groups; rules and procedures of decision - making); formal procedures of EU decision making, informal dynamics of institutional cooperation and legislative process are part of this section. 

Third section is focused on different modes of policy-making: community, intergovernmental/tive and coordination method (4 hours);

Fourth section  (22 hours) is devoted to the study of EU policies: trade, agricultural policy and single market (more consolidated, and important from the competence of the EU level); environmental/sustainable development and social cohesion (the more relevant in the last reforms of the Treaty); open coordination method and social policies (which give evidence to the critical state of the integration process).

2 hours will be devoted to prepare two written tests; they are held during the course and consist in five open questions about the main aprts of the programme. On demand or if it needs, students could write a short paper on optionally topic, referring to readings extra to the text books. Additional and more practical activities consist of: seminars partecipation, surf the EU web, research and analyse on official data sosurces (4-6 hours).

Readings/Bibliography

Compulsory readings:

Nugent N., 2008, Governo e politiche dell'Unione Europea, Bologna, Il Mulino, Voll. 1 e 3.

Nugent N., 2011, Organizzazione politica europea, Il Mulino Bologna

Santaniello R. 2016, Capire l'Unione Europea, Bologna Il Mulino (sections: II, III, IV, VI)

Textbook for Erasmus Students:

Bache I. and Others, 2015, Politics in the European Union, Oxford University press (all sections and chapters on History Institutions and Policies)

- Burns C. and Carter N., 2013, Environmental Policy, in The Oxford Handbook of the European Union, edited by Erik Jones, Anand Menon, and Stephen Weat, Oxford University Press

- Snyder F., 2013, CAP, in The Oxford Handbook of the European Union, edited by Erik Jones, Anand Menon, and Stephen Weatherill

Pay attention: Chapters and articles on EU Policies - Trade, CAP, Cohesion, Environment, External Relations, CFSP - are avalable on line (https://campus.unibo.it/cgi/users/home)

 

Italian text books can be substitute for an english textbook:

Bache I. et al. 2015, Politics in the European Union, 4th Edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press

 

Suggested readings:

Further reading will be indicated in order to elaborate the second written test (papers and articles will be available on journals on line: https://campus.unibo.it/cgi/users/home)

Teaching methods

The program will be almost entirely developed during the lessons. Other instruments will be used by Professor.

One lesson in the week is devoted to watch films and videos about subjects related to the main parts of the program. to read journals and on line reviews on EU daily institutional activity (for example, EurActive and others).

In order to deepen or better understand themes and issues students could ask specific readings (in italian, in english and in french, i.e. for Erasmus students)

Assessment methods

The exam for full-time students consists of two written mid term tests and a final oral examination.

The written tests consists of 5 open questions. The second could be a paper in which the students are requested to deepen a specific topic. The oral examination will be focused on the policies of the EU studied in the course of class lessons.

The final grade will be composed through the mean of the scores obtained in the 3 tests, and taking into consideration the eventual improvement during the course showed by students.

Teaching tools

Main tools are references listed in "Recommended readings" plus some widening readings, suggested by the teacher during the course, the EU web-site, newspapers, on line journal and news, on line papers, EU data-set, etc. (http://www.ceps.eu, http://euractiv.com)

Links to further information

https://campus.unibo.it/cgi/users/home

Office hours

See the website of Renata Lizzi