The European Union as International Actor
Part of this Programme
European Studies and International Relations
Level of Qualification|Semesters|ECTS
Bachelor | Semestral | 6
Year | Type of course unit | Language
2 |Mandatory |Português
Total of Working Hours | Duration of Contact (hours)
150 | 45
Code
ULHT450-14672
Recommended complementary curricular units
n/a
Prerequisites and co-requisites
n/a
Precedences
Não
Professional Internship
Não
Syllabus
1- The European Union's external relations 2- External relations and development 3- The main areas of diplomatic intervention in the European Union's foreign policy 4- The Lisbon Treaty and the European External Action Service 5- The European Union as the main actor
Objectives
The European Union is today one of the most important international actors in the world. The evolution of its intervention capacity on the international political scene takes on very significant aspects, taking into account that it has become one of the most important blocks in the world. The purpose of this unit is to explain and analyze the breadth of the European Union's external relations with regard to trade policy, development and cooperation policy and diplomatic relations. The new agency for external action will play a key role in this dynamic.
Knowledge, abilities and skills to be acquired
In the end, students should: 1 - Define the scope of the Union's external relations 2- Show the evolution they have undergone 3- Identify and explain the institutional mechanisms governing decision-making in the domain of the same 4- Describe and analyze the importance of cooperation, development, humanitarian aid and external trade 5 - Describe, analyze and evaluate the European Union's diplomatic intervention in various regions of the world, both in conflict resolution and in defense of human rights 6 - Understand the changes introduced by Treaty of Lisbon with regard to the introduction of an external diplomatic service 7- Understand and evaluate the importance of it by studying its organization, its scope of action and intervention programs. Assess the evolution, importance and limitations of the Union as an international actor
Teaching methodologies and assessment
In addition to providing introductory knowledge, the goal is to develop critical thinking and argumentation. Debate and discussion sessions based on authentic documents, mainly reports and programs of the European Commission, will be favored. There will always be a concern to follow the international problems arising from a constantly changing reality. For the evaluation, an evaluation test should be carried out covering all the contents to take place at the end of the year. One-off works will follow the political realities.
References
Beeson, M., Bisley, N., 2013, Issues in 21st Century World Politics, Basingstoke: Macmillan Press
Featherstone, K., Ginsberg, R., H., 1996, The United Sates and the European Union in the 1990s Partners in Transition, 2nd edition, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Gamble, A., Lane, D., 2009, The European Union and World Politics Consensus and Division, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Hix, Simon, and BjØrn HØyland, (2011), The Political System of the European Union, 3rd edition, Basingstoke: Macmillan.Palgrave Macmillan
Jones, Erik & all, 2011, Developments in European Politics, 2nd edition Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Klaliq, U., 2008, Ethical Dimensions of the Foreign Policy of the European Union, Cambridge University Press
MacNaughtan, J., Keukelire, S., 2008, The Foreign Policy of the European Union, Basingstoke: Macmillan Palgrave
Smith, M., Hill, C., 2011, International Relations and the European Union, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press