Modul Jean Monnet 2016

Course 1: Europeanization in Central and Eastern Europe

Associate Professor: Loredana Radu, PhD

Short description: For decades now, in seeking to address EU democratic deficit, communication scholars and political scientists have focused on two interrelated processes: Europeanization and the emergence of the European public sphere. If one could summarize the academic debate in one single phrase, the best choice would be that ‘Europeanization literature meets the public sphere debate’ (Meyer, 2005). Europeanization of the national public spheres is often regarded as a corollary of European integration and as a means of providing for its sustainability (Koopmans & Pfetsch, 2003; Koopmans & Erbe, 2004; Brüggemann et al., 2006; Machill, Beiler & Fischer, 2006; de Vreese et al., 2006; Kitus, 2008). Europeanization is a form of trans-nationalization, and some use the two terms interchangeably in order to name the process of creating a common European discourse (Brüggemann et al., 2006, p. 1) on topics of common concern and relevance. Europeanization can be ‘approached as a set of puzzles’ (Radaelli, 2004, p. 2), and assembling the pieces of this puzzle has proved to be challenging for both researchers and decision-makers. Inquiring into the complex mechanisms of Europeanization has gradually transformed the public debate into a scientific quest for the meaning of Europe. This course will specifically approach Europeanization processes from various angles, thus encouraging students to gain a comprehensive yet critical view on European integration – its benefits and challenges, the key actors involved in the debate on the EU future, and the main explanatory models designed to explain how Europeanization processes work in CEE.

Course topics

  1. What is Europeanization?
  2. A brief history of European integration
  3. Europeanization key concepts and theoretical models (I)
  4. Europeanization key concepts and theoretical models (II)
  5. The last EU ascension “waves”. An inquiry into the Eastern enlargement
  6. Understanding the current challenges of Europeanization: the economic crisis (I)
  7. Understanding the current challenges of Europeanization: the conflicts in Eastern Europe (II)
  8. Understanding the current challenges of Europeanization: the “Arab Spring” and the Middle East war (III)
  9. Horizontal Europeanization in the CEE. Theoretical models and practical insights
  10. Vertical Europeanization in the CEE. Theoretical models and practical insights
  11. CEE Elites and Europeanization
  12. Narratives of Europeanization in the CEE Media
  13. Public Attitudes and Europeanization in the CEE
  14. Summary and revision

Seminar topics

  1. Empirical studies on Europeanization
  2. Pros and Cons of Eastern Enlargement (simulation-debate)
  3. Measuring horizontal Europeanization
  4. Measuring vertical Europeanization
  5. Populism, nationalism, and extremism – how they impact upon Europeanization?
  6. Europeanization and the future of the EU (guest speaking sessions given by specialists in EU affairs)
  7. Europeanization case studies – contesting the past, debating the future (simulation game)

 

Course 2: Public Opinion in the European Union

Associate Professor: Elena Negrea-Busuioc, PhD; Teaching Assistant: Flavia Durach, PhD

Short description: This course provides understanding of the perceptions on European integration/ Europeanization at societal level by documenting and conceptualizing the public opinion towards the EU. What is public opinion and what is its role in a democracy? What is public support for the EU and how can it be measured? How do media and the elites influence the opinions of citizens? How do the crises of the EU impact on the level of public support? This course aims to provide answers to these questions and to others regarding the public opinion in the EU. In connection to support for the EU, concepts such as polarization and contestation, Euroscepticism and populism will be discussed.

Course topics

  1. What role should citizens have in a democratic Europe?
  2. What is public opinion and how can it be studied empirically?
  3. Support for the EU
  4. Explaining support for the EU. (I). Economy and politics
  5. Explaining support for the EU. (II). Cognitive mobilization and identity
  6. Elites and their support for the EU
  7. Support for the EU in times of crisis
  8. The rise of Euroscepticism
  9. Party-based and popular Euroscepticism
  10. Euroscepticism and referenda
  11. Euroscepticism and the media
  12. Euroscepticism and populism
  13. Will Europe turn Eurosceptic (populist)?
  14. Summary and revision

Seminar topics

  1. Empirical studies on public opinion
  2. Measuring support for the EU (I)
  3. Measuring support for the EU (II)
  4. Political and popular contestation of the EU
  5. Euroscepticism in Eurobarometer data (I)
  6. Euroscepticism in Eurobarometer data (II)
  7. Debate over the future of the EU

 

Course 3: European identity: Theoretical approaches and empirical insights

Professor: Alina Bârgăoanu, PhD; Teaching Assistant: Georgiana Udrea, PhD

Short description: European identity has been a research topic on the European Commission’s agenda since 1990s, and with the socio-economic crisis in Europe it has gained renewed attention from scholars and specialists. However, despite the centrality of the concept to so much recent research across a broad spectrum of disciplines, there are many questions that still remain open and require further clarification: What is European identity and how can it be measured in order to say that some people are more European than others?, How does European identity (if and when experienced) function in relation to other components of people’s identity?, What are the factors, the actors and, moreover, the contexts enhancing European identification for ordinary citizens?, How do people in the newer EU states experience and define European identity as compared to their fellows in the old member states?, How does the present times of tension and turmoil impact peoples’ identification with the EU?, etc. In this context, the present course aims to provide clear and documented answers to these questions and others alike, by reviewing the most recent theoretical approaches of the European issues and comparing them with empirical evidence retrieved from quantitative and qualitative studies.

Course topics

  1. What is identity? Common theoretical trends in research
  2. European identity: theoretical perspectives and current challenges
  3. Beyond theory: Do people believe in the idea of a European identity?
  4. European identity and academic mobility
  5. European identity in times of crisis: new approaches and recent findings
  6. European identity and the immigration crisis (I)
  7. European identity and the immigration crisis (II)
  8. Mass media and European identity (I)
  9. Mass media and European identity (II)
  10. Being European in Eastern Europe versus Western Europe. Case studies
  11. European identity and European elections (I)
  12. European identity and European elections (II)
  13. European identity in the digital era. What are the effects of the new digital communication media in the construction of a European sense of belonging?
  14. Summary and revision

 

Seminar topics

  1. How can European identity be measured? Research methodologies in the study of EI
  2. European identity in Eurobarometer data
  3. Empirical studies on European identity (quantitative)
  4. Empirical studies on European identity (qualitative)
  5. Students and European identity (case studies)
  6. Being European. Old member states versus Newcomers (center versus periphery; elites versus ordinary citizens)
  7. Debate over the future of the European identity

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