The Political System of the European Union, Essay

After
completing the course unit the students possess a sound understanding of
European integration and EU decision-making. The students are familiar with
integration theories and can identify the key developments and junctures in the
history of modern European integration. The students can critically assess the
roles of various member states and institutions in EU decision-making and
discuss whether the EU is suffering from a democratic deficit. The students can
also discuss the main challenges facing European integration and use their
knowledge of the EU to evaluate its performance.

The
development of European integration; integration theories; EU political system;
the roles of EU institutions and member states in EU decision-making; euro and
economic integration; democratic deficit.

An essay is an extended piece of (academic) writing on a particular topic or theme that you carefully analyze. You must always contact the responsible teacher of the study unit before starting to write the essay. With the responsible teacher you should discuss and agree on the theme and scope of the essay, the book(s) it will compensate for, and its length. Furthermore, the examiner must approve the bibliography before you can start writing. Citations, references and the bibliography need to be marked and listed in accordance with good scientific practice (see further instructions from the Politics’ Guide to Writing Academic Papers).

You can find the Guide to Writing Academic Papers here (detailed instructions for writing essays on page 7).

Compulsory Prerequisites

• Introduction to Political Science, POL.102, 5 cr

McCormick, Understanding the European Union. 8th Edition, Palgrave Macmillan 2021 (3 op).

Webber, European Disintegration? The Politics of Crisis in the European Union. Palgrave Macmillan 2019 (2 ECTS).

General scale, 0-5

• MAB.EU-M30 Competence Module in EU and Europe, Open University Studies
• POL.VO-M20 Intermediate Studies in Political Science, Open University Studies
• YHTOPPIOAY Social Studies for Subject Teachers, Open University Studies