The course focuses on the most prominent theories of European integration, and the recent scientific and political debate on the current state of the EU, with a special attention to mass and elite attitudes. In order to better appreciate some of the main challenges that the EU is facing at present, two different perspectives will be put into focus - reflecting the main issues at stake in the Central-Eastern and the Southern regions of Europe.
1) Rosamond, B. (2000). Theories of European Integration, Palgrave, Macmillan, pp. 50-73; 74-78; pp. 98-99; 105-113; 123-129; 130-133; 135-139.
2) Wiener, A. and Diez, T. (2007). European Integration Theory, Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 75-83
3) Pierson, P. (1996). The Path to European Integration: A Historical Institutionalist Analysis, Comparative Political Studies, 29 (2), pp. 123-163.
4) Hooge, L. and Marks, G. (2008). A post-functionalist theory of European Integration: From permissive consensus to Constraining Dissensus, British Journal of Political Science, 39, pp.1-23.
5) Ferrera, M. and Pellegata, A. (2019). Can Economic and Social Europe be reconciled?” Mass-Elite Differences in Attitudes toward Integration and Solidarity, (Retrieved from www.resceu.eu)
6) Rosamond, B. (2019). Theorizing the EU in crisis: De-Europeanisation as Disintegration, Global Discourse, 9 (1), pp. 31–44
7) Foster, R. (2019). Cry God for Harry, England, and Saint George': Europe and the limits of integrating identity, Global Discourse, 9 (1), pp. 67–87.
8) Mills, J. (2019). Response to Russell Foster, Global Discourse, 9 (1), pp. 89–91.
9) Lefkofridi, Z. and Schmitter P. (2014). Transcending or Descending? European Integration in Times of Crisis, European Political Science Review (EPSR) of the European Consortium for Political Research, 7 (1), pp. 3-22
Module on the Central-Eastern perspective
10) Börzel, T. A. and Schimmelfennig, F. (2017). Coming together or drifting apart? The EU’s political integration capacity in Eastern Europe, Journal of European Public Policy, 24(2), pp. 278–296.
11) Papp, M. and Varju, M. (2019). The Crisis, Economic Patriotism in Central Europe and EU Law, in Antoniolli, L., Bonatti, L., and Ruzza, C. (eds) Highs and Lows of European Integration. Sixty Years After the Treaty of Rome. New York, Springer, pp. 143–163.
Module on the Southern perspective
12) Charalambous, G., Conti, N., Pedrazzani, A. (2018). The political contestation of European integration in Southern Europe: Friction among and within parties, Party Politics, 24(1), pp. 39–51
13) Celi, G., Guarascio, D. and Simonazzi, S. (2020). A fragile and divided European Union meets Covid-19: further disintegration or ‘Hamiltonian moment’?, Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 47, pp. 411–424.
14) Becker, P. (2020). The EU budget as an opportunity in the crisis: the EU Commission proposal for a new financial framework and a reconstruction fund, SWP Comment,37, pp. 1-8. (Retrieved from https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/handle/document/69348)
Obiettivi Formativi
Students will acquire the conceptual and analytical tools to critically understand the long-term European integration process and its current difficulties.
Prerequisiti
Basic knowledge of: a) the history of European integration; b) the main EU institutions with particular reference to their roles and functions.
Metodi Didattici
The course will combine lectures and discussions. Lectures are intended to provide students with the critical and historical context of the texts we will be examining. Discussions will give students the opportunity to explore different interpretations of the material being studied and to compare and contrast opinions of attending students.
Altre Informazioni
The course includes two intensive modules that are taught in collaboration with two professors from the University of Glasgow, and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki respectively. The modules are aimed at providing the students with a better understanding of the problems that are perceived as the most important for the future of EU integration in the Central-Eastern region and the Southern region.
Modalità di verifica apprendimento
Students will have to take a final oral exam based on a critical reflection of the required readings; they will also have to present in class an elaboration of mass and elite attitudes based on the research report by Ferrera and Pellegata (in the list of required readings), and write an essay ( 1,000 words) on a topic they will agree with the instructor: the presentation and the essay will count for 20 percent of the final grade. Attendance is highly recommended and active participation in class will be positively evaluated.
Programma del corso
The syllabus of the course - with detailed information on the topics that will be addressed in each class - is uploaded on the Moodle platform . Students should ask the instructor for the relevant password. All the required readings are uploaded on the course platform.