210127 SE EC: EU institutions and decision-making (2024W)

Students are required to attend classes and come prepared (i.e., having done and thought a bit about the readings). In addition, there will be three types of assignments that together make up the final grade.
- First, students need to deliver a very short presentation, either summarizing key points of the text (in Part I) or making the case for one side of a key controversy (in Part II). The point is *not* to comprehensively summarize the reading; this is usually boring for most people involved. Rather, it is to identify key points of the reading and spin them further, for example by connecting them to other things you've read, real-world examples, or something you've seen in the news recently. For the presentations in Part 2 it is particularly important to actually make the case for whichever side of a controversy you were assigned to - a bit like in a debating class.^[Practically, groups will be assigned to sessions and can then decide for themselves who wants to argue which side. For example, if there are two students assigned to a session, one will make a case for one side of a given controversy, and the other student will make the case for the other side.] Presentations can be really short, perhaps 4 and not longer than 6 minutes per person. It's more important that you independently think about the reading and about how to make it interesting for the class. For example, when we discuss whether the EU should have a common army, maybe you find a survey about what Europeans actually think about this topic. Students are required to kick off the discussion after their presentations. This can, for example, be a controversial claim or a discussion question (not too broad, not too specific). The presentation will make up *30%* of your grade. If the group is very large and there won't be enough presentation slots, there will be an alternative assignment in the form of a book review. The book should be a recent book (published in the last 1-2 years) and be clearly related to the themes of the course. The book review should be between 750-1000 words, briefly summarize the book, critically engage with its key arguments and/or situate them in broader academic or political debates.
- Second, there is a short exam towards the end of the seminar that tests whether students remember key arguments from the readings and the sessions. The test ensures that students actually do the readings and pay attention in class. It will consist of around 15 short questions, most of them in multiple choice format. The test will take place in the first 10-15 minutes of the last session. There will be a reading week before as well, so you'll have enough time over the break to go over slides and readings again. This will make up *20%* of your grade.
- Lastly, you need to write a relatively short term paper, which will make up *50%* of your grade. The term paper is actually a collection of two short papers of around 1000-1500 words each, held together by a short introduction. The two papers will focus on one key controversy of European integration (not necessarily one covered in the course). One paper is supposed to use the scientific (and policy) literature to make the case for one side of such a controversy (e.g. the Euro is good for Europe); the other paper is meant to take the opposing side on the *same controversy*. The idea is to encourage you to think as hard as you can about both sides of an issue, even if you have a personal preference. If you just make good arguments for your favored side, but bad ones for the 'other side', this will be reflected in your overall grade. The deadline for the term paper will be **Wednesday, Feb 18 2025**.