210137 SE EC: The EU’s regulatory policies (2023W)

The seminar offers an introduction to institutions, structures and processes of European integration and focuses on current developments in context of a tension between efficient governance and democratic participation. The seminar presents theoretical perspectives and approaches of European studies, especially with a view to the role of institutions, interests and ideas. We discuss structural challenges of the European Union (EU), and reflect processes of European politics and EU decision making. The subject areas include the historical development of the EU, the role of central actors such as the European Commission, the European Central Bank, the European Parliament, interest groups and the member states, as well as the design of democratic governance in the European multilevel system. The students acquire knowledge to systematically reflect on developments in the EU, current reforms as well as the functioning and design of selected European policy areas.

Students will work in fixed groups as well as in varying groups and will have the opportunity for student exchange in groups and for discussions in class. Students are expected to read assigned literature and to follow-up of seminar content, also because different learning and discussion formats require preparation.

In the course, on the one hand, in addition to active participation and appropriate self-study, the students give a mandatory presentation on a topic of their own choosing. On the other hand, the students individually formulate a 4-page discussion paper based on the basic literature. Finally, students write a 12-page seminar paper to answer a self-chosen question with EU reference.