This module is not currently running in 2023 to 2024.
This module focuses on the external dimension of European politics, exploring the inter-relationship between Europe and the rest of the world. Key issues that will be addressed will be the impact of global developments and issues on Europe, the international significance of European integration and the role of Europe in the new world order. 'Europe' will be disaggregated by examining the foreign policies of some of the major European states as well as the development of the European Union as a global actor. It will compare and contrast the response of European states to global challenges and assess the extent of the ‘Europeanisation’ of the foreign policies of EU member states. The growing role of the EU in international affairs will be examined through a number of case-studies related to specific states/regions or policy areas. Throughout the course the analysis will be informed by reference to appropriate concepts and theories from political science and international relations with particular reference to those related to the debates surrounding the issues of globalisation and integration.
Total contact hours: 22
Private study hours: 124
Total study hours: 150
Seminar Participation 15%
Essay, 3,000 words 35%
Exam, 2 hours, 50%
Reassessment Instrument: 100% coursework
Amin, A. and Thrift, N.: Globalization, Institutions and Regional Development in Europe (1994)
Axtmann, R.: Globalization and Europe: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations (1998)
Bertherton, C. and Vogler, J.: The European Union as a Global Actor (1999).
Coleman, W. and Underhill, G.: Regionalism and Global Economic Integration (1998)
Dent, C.: The European Economy: The Global Context (1997).
Held, D. et al. : Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture (1999).
Manners, I.: Europe and the World: between Integration and Globalisation (2003).
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
8.1: Understand the complex inter-relationship between Europe and the rest of the world, with particular reference to the debates surrounding the issues of globalisation and integration;
8.2: Identify, analyse and assess the impact of contemporary global economic, political, environmental and security developments on Europe;
8.3: Compare and contrast the response of European states to these global challenges, both through their national foreign policies and collectively through the European Union;
8.4: Assess the extent of the 'Europeanisation' of the foreign policies of EU member states and explain the differences between states and policy areas;
8.5: Analyse and explain the development of the external economic and political policies of the European Union and assess their impact on the rest of the world;
8.6: Critically assess the EU's success in achieving its policy goals and engage in the theoretical discourse on such issues as normative power, the capabilities/expectations gap, identity, and fortress Europe;
8.7: Effectively present well-informed arguments both orally and in writing on the theoretical and empirical issues raised by the analysis of the inter-relationship between Europe and the world.
These specific learning outcomes contribute to achieving the general aims of our undergraduate programmes, which aim to:
* ensure that students acquire knowledge and understanding of theories and analysis in a supportive and responsive learning environment
* develop students' capacities to think critically about political events, ideas and institutions
* provide a curriculum supported by scholarship, staff development and a research culture that promotes breadth and depth of intellectual enquiry and debate
* assist students to develop cognitive and transferable skills relevant to their vocational and personal development
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