BA

Link zum Vorlesungsverzeichnis

In 1951, six European countries signed the Treaty of Paris to form the European Coal and Steel
Community that laid the foundation for what is known today as the European Union (EU). Since its
humble beginnings, the EU has played a crucial role in the political and economic development of
Europe and the globe and has evolved into an ‘ever closer union’ of currently 27 member states
that have pooled their sovereignty to a historically unprecedented degree. Today, the EU
constitutes one of the most complex and intriguing political and economic systems in the world,
and as the European integration process remains in flux, the EU remains a moving target for those
who study it.
This course focuses on the scientific study of the EU and EU politics. It offers you the opportunity
to deepen your knowledge of the EU’s institutional actors and decision-making procedures, to actively analyze EU politics and policy-making, and to find answers to the various theoretical and
empirical questions that are raised by the EU’s existence and developments.
To provide you with a more tangible feel for the EU and the problems of EU policy-making and to
make your learning experience as interactive as possible, the course complements regular class
meetings with simulations of the Council of the European Union, student presentations on
assigned readings, and regular discussions of current EU-related events.