Construction of the European Union
Part of this Programme
European Studies and International Relations
Level of Qualification|Semesters|ECTS
Bachelor | Semestral | 6
Year | Type of course unit | Language
1 |Mandatory |Português
Total of Working Hours | Duration of Contact (hours)
150 | 45
Code
ULHT450-14666
Recommended complementary curricular units
n/a
Prerequisites and co-requisites
n/a
Precedences
Não
Professional Internship
Não
Syllabus
1- The idea of Europe. The origins of the European project. Between the two world wars 2- The second world war and the reorganization of Europe. The reconstruction of European economies. The military reorganization of Europe. The Community of Coal and Steel 3- The construction of the common market. The economic recovery of the fifties. The European Economic Community. The political developments of the sixties. The economic crisis of the seventies. The first enlargements of the Community 4- Economic community to the European Union. The response to the crisis of the seventies. The Single European Act. German unification. The Treaty of Maastricht. The continuation of enlargements 5- The political and economic reorganization of the European Union. From the Treaty of Amsterdam to the Treaty of Nice. The Lisbon Treaty and its consequences. Consequences of the 2008 crisis
Objectives
The construction of the European Union was one of the most important bets of the twentieth century. The curricular unit intends to describe this process, looking for its more distant roots and moving towards a deeper analysis from World War II. In the end, students should be able to describe and explain the whole process of European construction from the 50s to the new millennium in the economic, political and social fields. It begins by presenting the events that surrounded Europe after the Second World War. It refers to the institutional beginnings of the project, then passes through the Treaty on European Union, the Euro and the Treaty of Lisbon, while mentioning all other treaties, in direct relation to the socio-political motivations that are in its genesis. The ultimate goal is for students to perceive and critically evaluate the evolution of the project over the course of several decades. Its implications and synergies will also be the subject of analysis.
Knowledge, abilities and skills to be acquired
At the end of the course, students should: - Become familiar with the background to the integration process - Understand the starting points for European integration in its political, military, economic and social aspects - Describe the crucial moments of European integration, different structuring treaties of the process - Understand and describe the economic and political strengths underlying the key moments of European construction - Critically evaluate the project dimension, synergies and their implications in the global context. - Manage and evaluate all the information related to the evolution of the European construction project.
Teaching methodologies and assessment
At this stage, students need to develop critical thinking, structure scientific thinking and develop the technique of argumentation. Thus, the teaching methodology presupposes three essential points: acquisition of knowledge; development of argumentation technique; ability to analyze and interpret authentic documents; development of the research technique; writing and writing. To achieve these objectives, the classes will have a theoretical and practical component in which the explanation of contents will be followed by dialogue and debate. There will be audiovisual support and study visits. Lectures and debates will help deepen the acquisition of knowledge. The evaluation will consist of two tests, oral interventions and other elements that will occur in class context.
References
Brose, E., D., ( 2004), History of Europe in the Twentieth Century, Oxford: University Press
Hix, Simon, Hojland Bjorn, 2011, The Political System of the European Union, 3rd edition, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
McCormick, John, 2011, european union politics, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Malcom Levitt, and Christopher Lord, 2000, The Political Economy of Monetary Union, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Neill Nugent, 2010, The Government and Politics of the European Union, 7º edition, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ramson (David) e Baird (Vanessa), 2009, Edited by, People First Economics, Oxford.
Sande, Paulo de Almeida, 2000, O Sistema Político da União Europeia, Lisboa: Principia.
Teixeira (Pedro Braz), 2012, O fim do euro em Portugal?- Como chegámos à crise actual, Lisboa, Actual.
Silva, António, M. (2013), Sistema Político da União Europeia: arquitetura, funcionamento e teorização, Lisboa: Almedina