30201 Lecture: Introduction to European Integration

Tue 10-12

Online (via Webex) and in-class

Course Description

European integration has had major consequences for European societies, politics, and policy-making. The lecture gives a thorough overview of the history of the integration process and the current state of the European Union (EU). Specifically, the students will get to know the basic institutional features of the EU and the major theoretical approaches used to explain the level and scope of integration. Also, the lecture puts a spotlight on debates over the politicization of Europe, the decline of citizens’ support, and the multiple crises faced by the EU in recent years. The students will advance their understanding of the political and social implications of European integration as an important background for their further studies of contemporary European societies.

Basic Readings

Cini, Michelle and Nieves Pérez-Solórzano Borragán (eds.) (2019). European Union Politics. Seventh Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Coman, Ramona, Amandine Crespy and Vivien A. Schmidt (2020). Governance and Politics in the Post-Crisis European Union. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Lelieveldt, Herman and Sebastiaan Princen (2015). The Politics of the European Union. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

 

30222 Research Placement: Corona and Civil Society

Mon 12-4 p.m. Online (Webex)

Course Description

Disasters and crises are always challenging for civil society. They lead to unforeseen emergencies and creates or reinforces inequalities in society. In such situations, not only the state is asked to help, but needed is also solidarity practiced by citizens. Such solidarity cannot be ordered. By contrast, it is based on the social capital of a society, i.e., the networks in which people are integrated and the trust they place in their fellow citizens and in public institutions. As in previous crises, civil society plays an important role in the current Corona crisis: It strengthens behavior based on solidarity, supports those in need, connects citizens, but also articulates criticism and draws attention to unheard grievances. However, disasters and crises can also weaken civil society. This ambivalence seems particularly evident in the Corona crisis. The current crisis has not only activated citizens, it has also come with considerable restrictions of the opportunities for political and civic engagement. In the research placement, we will analyze this dilemma of civil society in Europe based on original survey data. Note that participants need to have a good intermediary background in statistical modeling and either Stata or R. These skills will be tested in the first session of the class.

Basic Readings

della Porta, Donatella (ed.) (2018). Solidarity Mobilizations in the Refugee Crisis. Palgrave, London.

Wang Lili and Nazife Emel Ganapati (2018). Disasters and Social Capital: Exploring the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Gulf Coast Counties. Social Science Quarterly 99: 296-312.