European Studies: History & Culture, Law and EU Governance

Overview

Syllabus

Courses

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  7 weeks, 4-6 hours a week, 4-6 hours a week

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  This course examines the multi-level governance system of the European Union.

  Its purpose is to make sense of the intricate web of institutions, actors, rules and processes involved in European integration and EU policy-making. In doing so, its looks both at the EU’s institutional set-up, the role of its member states as well as European non-governmental actors, such as civil society actors. The extent to which the different actors can exert power and impact the policy-making process within the EU is thoroughly discussed.

  The course also explores and theorises the EU’s role on the global stage, as well as how it deals with European and global challenges. Attention is drawn to both internal and external challenges the EU faces, by discussing contemporary contestations of European governance.

  Case studies from the environmental policy domain will be presented to illustrate how EU policy-making works in practice.

  Six modules are developed to guide you through this learning journey. Each of the modules will approach the learning objectives by considering the EU from a multi-level perspective. We will come back time and time again to the synergies, and possible tensions, between the EU and the Member States, and the EU and other global or regional actors.

  The six modules are divided up as follows:

  1. The Nature of the EU: we will tackle questions about what the EU is, what it is not, and how the EU came to be as it is today.
  2. The EU's Institutions: we will delve into the functioning and evolution of the main decision-making EU institutions.
  3. Policy-making in the EU: we will highlight the main policy-making procedures, actors and processes that occur in the EU.
  4. Stakeholders and their role in European governance: we will discuss the role of lobbyists, EU citizens and EU elections.
  5. The European Union in World Politics: we will consider the EU's own objectives on the global stage and its multilateral and bilateral relations in the world.
  6. Contestation in the EU: we will explore periods of crises and contestation in the EU, and how the bloc has responded.
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  8 weeks, 4-6 hours a week, 4-6 hours a week

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  This course explores European history, society and culture by zooming in on a series of transformative events and developments that both shaped their respective era and are crucial to understand Europe and the world in the contemporary age.

  Each module explores a specific event by focusing on relevant case studies.

  The course helps students understand the transformation from nations and empires to contemporary European and international institutions, the economic and social foundations of the European society, the history of representations in and outside Europe, the development of a European ideal of culture as well as problems of unity and diversity.

  Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to embark on advanced studies of European history and culture at KU Leuven.

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  11 weeks, 6-9 hours a week, 6-9 hours a week

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  This course explores both the internal and external dimensions of EU law. The course is structured in three parts, with 3 modules each.

  By the end of Part 1 (EU Institutional Law), learners will have a good understanding of the historical legal milestones in the establishment of the EU, the main objectives, principles and values of the EU legal order, the rules governing EU membership, the institutional set-up of the EU, the main competences of the EU and how these are exercised.

  By the end of Part 2 (EU Substantive Law), learners will have a good grasp of the process of establishing the EU internal market and the rules governing the four freedoms (goods, persons, capital, and establishment), the main principles of EU competition law and an ample overview of the leading and most mediatic cases in this field. With respect to the EMU, learners will be introduced to the main features of the economic and monetary pillar and will be encouraged to think critically about the use of monetary and economic instruments by the EU in response to crises.

  By the end of Part 3 (EU External Relations Law), learners will have a good understanding of EU external competences, the principles governing their exercise, the special rules applicable to the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, the main institutional actors involved in conducting EU external relations, the procedure for the conclusion of international agreements and the adoption of sanctions by the EU, and the Court of Justice’s leading cases on EU external relations law.

Taught by

Sara Cosemans, Elwin Hofman, Idesbald Goddeeris, Sascha Bru, Tom Verschaffel, Leen Van Molle, Bert Keirsbilck, Teresa Cabrita, Fred Truyen, Kolja Raube, Katja Biedenkopf, Jan Wouters, Elise Muir, Patrick Pasture, Lien Verpoest, Umar Ryad and Kris Van Heuckelom

Tags

• belgium