Actualités et agenda
Nos formations
Présentation
Students would benefit from reviewing their course materials from previous semesters, notably on the history of Europe in the 20th century, international relations, and social sciences epistemology. A good understanding of how EU institutions function will make following the course much easier.
The aim of this course is for students to discover the various approaches to European integration and develop their own perspectives. For obvious reasons, the primary focus of the course is on the European Union and its integration, though elements of what are thought here can apply to other international organisations, notably in Europe, including NATO, the OSCE, or the Council of Europe. Indeed, the various theoretical approaches studied throughout the course are broadly applicable and can help students build the knowledge necessary to understand all sorts of international organisations. By the end of the course students will be able to:
- master the theoretical and conceptual tools necessary to analyse the various dimensions of European integration;
- examine, analyse, and understand a range of EU/European policies with a view of broader domestic, supranational, and international trends;
- develop their own personal perspective on issues relating to European integration to become engaged European citizens.
The structure of the course is designed to ease students into the subject while giving them a comprehensive overview of it. Sessions 1 through 3 are meant to contextualise and frame the study of European integration, both by overviewing why we need theory to understand European integration and examine the various antecedents to EU studies which lay the groundwork for it. Session 4 through 7 are concerned with the core debate and dialogue between the three “grand” theories that explain European integration: neofunctionalism, intergovernmentalism, and institutionalism. Sessions 8 through 11 will focus on “middling” theories which help explain specific aspects of integration that grander theories fail to analyse, as well as help frame critical approaches to the European integration project. The final session will briefly look at theories of disintegration to help students reflect on the future of Europe and act as a session which helps prepare for the course assessment.
Session 1 - Understanding the study of theory and the place of theory in the EU integration process
Session 2 - Explaining European integration without specific integration theory
Session 3 - Aspirationalism in the original debates: normative theorising
Session 4 - A theory for a united Europe: neofunctionism
Session 5 - The states strike back: old and liberal intergovernmentalism
Session 6 - A functionalist repost and a liberal challenge: post-neofunctionalism, new liberal intergovernmentalism, and the modern debate
Session 7 - Let’s look at the institutions because ‘they matter’: Institutionalism(s)
Session 8 - How do we govern the Europe? Governance in all its forms
Session 9 - Europeans at every level: Europeanisation, Europeanism, and public policy theorising
Session 10 - Who actually runs the place? Social constructivism(s) and sociological perspectives
Session 11 - Why Europe? Why like this? Critical and philosophical approaches
Session 12 - Is the party over? Theories of disintegration and collapse
Modalités
The course is in a lecture format. Each session will be based on a general presentation of one or more theoretical perspectives, including their history, assumptions, and the main debates in their fields. Theoretical debates will always be illustrated by case studies or reflection based on empirical evidence. The abstract nature of the topic means that collective and self-reflection are required to achieve the course objectives. Students are unequivocally encouraged to participate in the lecture by asking questions and making comments.
Except for the introductory session, a lecture outline for each session will be distributed digitally to students via Icampus on a weekly basis. This will include a short explanatory paragraph of the contents of the next lecture together with the relevant readings from the bibliography.
There are three types of readings that help compliment the lectures: required, suggested, and additional readings. Students are expected to have read the required readings and reflected critically on them. Doing the required readings is absolutely critical for students to engage with the lectures and succeed in the exam.
Except for the introductory session, every session will have either one or two required readings. The total length of required readings has been kept to a minimum (no more than 25-30 pages) so that students can focus on the most essential parts of a given text. Students are nevertheless encouraged to read wider segments of the required readings. Suggested readings tend to be somewhat longer and are recommended for students who wish to deepen their knowledge in the topics covered by the session. Suggested readings are either case studies of specific policy developments using the theoretical approaches described in the required readings, or primary source documents which help illustrate theory, or broader theoretical works. The suggested readings can contribute substantially to students’ understanding of a theoretical approach and help differentiate their work from others. Additional readings will also be provided for particularly motivated students. These are often full works which can help students broaden their horizons.
Following the introductory session, the readings for each session will be presented at the end of each lecture for students to gain an idea of them and know what to focus on. All required and suggested readings will be uploaded onto Icampus. Where possible and allowed for by copyright law, additional readings will also be uploaded to Icampus.
Course evaluation
Students will be evaluated based on an essay which they have to submit by the end of the semester (60%) and a three hour final exam (40%). Students will have to write one 2000 word essay (including bibliography, endnotes, or footnotes with 20% margin for error) from among a list of topics. How students should approach this essay will be explained extensively during the lectures. Students are encouraged to work on the essay throughout the second half of the semester both for time management reasons and because it will help them engage with the lectures critically and ask specific questions if they have any.
Ressources
Aalberts, Tanja E. "The Future of Sovereignty in Multilevel Governance Europeâ€A Constructivist Reading", <i>JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies</i> 42, no. 1 (2004): 23-46.|| Address given by Henri Brugmans (Montreux, 27 to 31 August 1947).|| Adler-Nissen, Rebecca and Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen.<i> Sovereignty Games: Instrumentalizing State Sovereignty in Europe and Beyond</i> Springer, 2008.|| Andersson, Hans E. "Liberal Intergovernmentalism, Spillover and Supranational Immigration Policy", Cooperation and Conflict 51, no. 1 (2016): 38-54. <a>https://www.jstor.org/stable/48512876</a>.|| Arnorsson, Agust, and Gylfi Zoega. "On the causes of Brexit." European Journal of Political Economy 55 (2018): 301-323.|| Bellamy, Richard and Dario Castiglione. "Legitimizing the ‘Euro-Polity' and its ‘Regime' the Normative Turn in EU Studies", <i>European Journal of Political Theory</i> 2, no. 1 (2003): 7-34.|| Benson, David, and Andrew Jordan. "What have we learned from policy transfer research? Dolowitz and Marsh revisited." Political studies review 9, no. 3 (2011): 366-378.|| Blyth, Mark and Blyth Mark.<i> Great Transformations: Economic Ideas and Institutional Change in the Twentieth Century</i> Cambridge University Press, 2002.|| Börzel, Tanja A. and Thomas Risse. "Conceptualizing the Domestic Impact of Europe", <i>The Politics of Europeanization</i> 57, (2003): 80.|| Börzel, Tanja A., and Thomas Risse. "Governance without a state: Can it work?." Regulation & Governance 4, no. 2 (2010): 113-134.|| Bulmer, Simon J. "Institutions and Policy Change in the European Communities: The Case of Merger Control", Public Administration 72, no. 3 (1994): 423-444.|| Bulmer, Simon J. "The Governance of the European Union: A New Institutionalist Approach", Journal of Public Policy 13, no. 4 (1993): 351-380.|| Bulmer, Simon J., and Claudio M. Radaelli. The Europeanisation of national policy?. No. p0042. Queens University Belfast, 2004.|| Bulmer, Simon. "Institutions and Policy Change in the European Communities: The Case of Merger Control1", <i>Public Administration</i> 72, no. 3 (1994): 423-444.|| Burgess, Michael.<i> Federalism and the European Union : The Building of Europe, 1950-2000</i>. London: Routledge, 2000.|| Burley, Anne-Marie and Walter Mattli. "Europe before the Court: A Political Theory of Legal Integration", <i>International Organization</i> 47, no. 1 (1993): 41-76.|| Cafruny, Alan W., and Magnus Ryner. Europe at bay: in the shadow of US hegemony. Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2007.|| Checkel, Jeffrey T. "Social construction and integration." Journal of European public policy 6, no. 4 (1999): 545-560.|| Checkel, Jeffrey T. "Why Comply? Social Learning and European Identity Change", <i>International Organization</i> 55, no. 3 (2001): 553-588.|| Checkel, Jeffrey T., and Andrew Moravcsik. "A constructivist research program in EU studies?." European Union Politics 2, no. 2 (2001): 219-249.|| Checkel, Jeffrey. "Constructivism and EU Politics", <i>Handbook of European Union Politics</i> (2006): 57-76.|| Christiansen, Thomas, Knud Erik Jorgensen, and Antje Wiener. "The Social Construction of Europe", <i>Journal of European Public Policy</i> 6, no. 4 (1999): 528-544.|| Clarke, Harold D., Matthew Goodwin, Matthew J. Goodwin, and Paul Whiteley. Brexi: Why Britain Voted to Leave the European Union. Cambridge University Press, 2017.|| Costa, Olivier, ed. The European Parliament in times of EU crisis: Dynamics and transformations. Springer, 2018.|| Cox, Robert W. "Social Forces, States and World Orders: Beyond International Relations Theory", Millennium 10, no. 2 (1981): 126-155.|| Déclaration de politique européenne du Mouvement européen (Bruxelles, 25-28 février 1949).|| Delanty, Gerard, and Chris Rumford. Rethinking Europe: Social theory and the implications of Europeanization. Routledge, 2005.|| Delanty, Gerard. "European citizenship: A critical ass