Course Syllabus

For questions about course content, your grade or other personal issues, use the Canvas mail tool.  Expect a response within 48 hours on business days. For questions about the course content clarification that would benefit everyone, use this discussion board. For questions that would require a longer response please come to my office hours. 

Quote of the Semester

 “Several blind men approached an elephant and each touched the animal in an effort to discover what the beast looked like. Each blind man, however, touched a different part of the large animal, and each concluded that the elephant had the appearance of the part he had touched. Hence, the blind man who felt the animal’s trunk concluded that an elephant must be tall and slender, while the fellow who touched the beast’s ear concluded that an elephant must be oblong and flat. Others, of course, reached different conclusions. The total result was that no man arrived at a very accurate description of the elephant. Yet each man had gained enough evidence from his own experience to disbelieve his fellows and to maintain a lively debate about the nature of the beast.”

- Puchala, “Of Blind Men, Elephants and International Integration” 

Course Information

The creation and development of the European Union is one of the most fascinating political events of the last century. It represents a unique opportunity to study the evolution of a political system without having to rely solely on historical documents. In the past half-century, the EU has grown from a set of weak /poorly defined institutions with a limited policy domain and an emphasis on national sovereignty into an extensive political system with increasingly strong supranational actors influencing all aspects of political and economic life. What began in 1951 as an experiment in cooperation in the coal and steel sectors among six states has grown to be a formal political and economic union between 28 member states from Estonia to Ireland and Malta to Sweden (and it is still growing) reducing to 27 with the recent Brexit referendum. The goal of this course will be to examine this transformation both theoretically and historically from a comparative politics perspective, keeping in mind the changing (and growing) global role of the EU.

Course Objectives

This course offers a critical, theoretical and historical approach to the evolution of institutions and policy-making in the EU. The first part of this course will survey the origins and evolution of the European integration process by incorporating missed opportunities and failed projects. This way, students will have a broader understanding of the context in which the alternative tracks got vanished along the way. Looking at the integration project from a historical perspective will allow students learn about different perspectives on European integration in different member states, particularly in Germany, France, and Britain. The second part of the course deals with theoretical and conceptual approaches that have tried to explain European integration and EU politics. The third part of the course introduces the European institutions from a comparative perspective. Students will gain a critical perspective to the type of polity the EU has become and its democratic implications. The last part of the course will cover an array of European policies to demonstrate the various ways in which such policies have evolved and how they operate.

Course Requirements

Required textbook

There are two textbooks required to be purchased. The following books provide a good selection of recent and easy-to-read articles written by well-known scholars on a variety of crises affecting the European integration project and it can be purchased from University of Florida Campus Bookstore or online.

1. Politics in the European Union. Fifth Edition. Simon Bulmer, Owen Parker, Ian Bache, Stephen George, and Charlotte Burns. August 2020. ISBN: 9780198820635.
2. Hubert Zimmermann and Andreas Dür eds. Key Controversies in European Integration. 3rd London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021

Note that earlier editions are NOT acceptable under any circumstances.

The first textbook will be hereinafter referred to as “PEU” and the second textbook will be hereinafter referred to as “KC”. The first textbook will provide the basis for my lectures and the second textbook will provide a basis for discussion. The other required materials (journal articles, book chapters, videos) will be available online via Canvas. If you have problems accessing the required materials, please let me know as soon as possible so that I can contact either the library or the bookstore to make sure you have the materials for each of our sessions. In order to have off-campus access to library licensed articles you must authenticate yourself to the UF network. UF libraries recommend installing the ‘Virtual Private Network’ software for this purpose. If you connect from campus, another way suggested by our libraries is to search the article on Google Scholar, which “enables checking to see if access to full text has been licensed by the UF Libraries (and connecting to it if it does)”. Please familiarize yourself with various ways to access academic publications. This skill is also crucial to conduct successful research for your final papers. The instructor will use Canvas e-learning system to communicate with students. The page of the course will frequently be updated to include relevant visual materials, required and recommended readings.

The lectures will provide a basis for discussing the reading materials. The instructor will give lectures during the first half of each session. Students are expected to be attentive to the lectures and take notes to succeed in exams. The lectures will be followed by a discussion about the specifics of readings.

Prerequisites

While no formal requirements are necessary to take this course, some background in political science is useful, especially CPO 2001. Basic knowledge regarding European history will also be useful. Awareness of current events will also aid students in gaining a more complete understanding of the European Union and its role in the world. Students who are on European Studies or European Union Studies track are especially encouraged to enroll as the course provides a unique opportunity to learn about history, institutions, politics and policies of the European countries with a highly up-to-date and relevant set of readings and visual materials. 

 

Course Policies and Requirements

• Group Presentation…….………: 15%
• Abstract Submission……………: 5%
• Take Home Mid-Term Exam I……………......: 20%
• In-Class Mid-Term Exam II.......................: 20%
• Final Paper……………...............: 20%
• Attendance................................:10%
• Participation...............................:10%

Attendance (10%) 

This course is taught synchronously. Be on time. If you join the class session remotely, try and join the session at least 5 minutes before the class starts so that I can start taking attendance. To receive a full participation grade, you should make an effort to attend all sessions. More than 2 unexcused absences will count against your attendance grade.

Any absences will also hurt your grade on other assignments if you do not catch up with the course content.

It is important to attend my office hours to find out about what you have missed or make friends in this class to catch up. I cannot respond in an e-mail explaining what the student have missed. Office hours are the appropriate times to find out about the missed class. 

However I reserve the right to switch to recorded sessions because we are in the midst of a pandemic that might affect a number of students at once. In those cases, I will only share the recording to those who have warned about their absence ahead of time and I will also notify the students that the particular session is being recorded. Do not rely on this exception as the privacy concerns outweighs one student missing a class.  

You can check your attendance on Roll Call Attendance 

Active Participation (10%)

This includes asking and responding to questions, being able to summarize and criticize the reading material, citing relevant news on the issue, engaging in a meaningful and respectful conversation on the issues with fellow students and the instructor. The use of technology in the online classroom or in-person classroom is strictly limited to note taking and viewing the reading material. If a student fails to uphold to this principle (texting, video-streaming, browsing social media, not being present and attentive in discussion rooms), the instructor will hold the right to ask you to correct your behaviour.

Participation in our class is fundamental since improving oral conversation skills is a key objective of the course. 

Pop Quizzes (Bonus Points) 

If the instructor suspects students ability to keep up with the readings, there will be short 3-5 short answer questions (true/false, multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching etc) quizzes to make sure you keep up with the weekly readings. This can help students who answer correctly with bonus points, and hurt others in participation grades.

Take Home Mid-Term 1  (20%) 

It will be on 2/27 on Saturday on this link: Mid-Term Exam

Take-Home Mid-Term  will mainly assess your commitment to keep up with the weekly readings, lectures and class discussions. There is one take-home mid-term examination which you will receive through an announcement on Canvas and return in a 24-hour period. I am willing to increase it to 36 hours. As this is an upper-division course the exams will include essay questions and some short answers. The exams are NOT cumulative. The answers should demonstrate mastery of the materials – breadth and depth of knowledge are both important. Given the number and nature of questions I will ask, there is no way students can do readings for the first time and expect to write a good exam in 24 hours. Thus, students should take notes while doing their weekly readings and review the lecture materials, and the presentation files of their peers before I send them the questions. Those who take the time to draft a quick outline of their answers will generally provide better thought-out and more coherent answers (and thus garner better scores). Students are expected to use their assigned texts (book and required supplemental readings provided on Canvas) and their notes from lectures. Students are not expected to use additional external sources. Communication about the exam between students is cheating and will be treated as such. Further guidelines will be provided along with each exam. 

In-Class Mid-Term 2  (20%) 

In-Class Mid-Term  will mainly assess your commitment to keep up with the weekly readings, lectures and class discussions. The second mid-term examination is closed-book examination and will be held on a Thursday session. The exam will start at the beginning of the class meeting and span the entire duration of the class. Please see the weekly schedule for exam coverage. The mid-term exam will include various types of questions: definitions, short answers, multiple choice, true/false and matching etc. The second mid-term will cover everything we discuss after the first mid-term until the exam date.

Mid-Term Make-up/Late Policy 

If a student misses a mid-term exam and has an official excuse, the instructor will provide a make-up exam, however the questions will be different. If a student fails to meet the deadline, the exam submission button will be available for one more day but for each hour there is going to be a 1% reduction of grade at each 1 hour interval. 

Group Presentation (15%)

Group Presentations will be based on the KC textbook. KC readings will be divided up among students for discussion. A team of 2 or 3 students (depending on the size of the class after the drop/add period) will work together to prepare a PowerPoint presentation to summarize the main points in the readings and criticize the viewpoints and to stimulate a discussion in class by posing interesting questions. One of the team members should send the presentation file to my e-mail (abaysal@ufl.edu) at 6 pm- a day before their team’s presentation. The division of labor is up to the team members, but each student should have a maximum of 5 minutes to present the material. A total of 15-min presentation should include an overview of discussion questions and start from a question of their choice to lead the discussion. A team which can work in harmony will have a better performance. Any late submission of the presentation file will affect all of the team members’ grades on this assignment. The distribution of assignments will take place in class after drop/add period. Any unexcused absences on your presentation day will count as a failing grade on the assignment. There will be absolutely no change of presentation dates unless you find someone else to switch assignments with.

If a student misses his/her presentation without an excuse, there is no make-up. In other cases, the presentation can be scheduled at a later time.

Keeping up with the News 

News will assess your ability to keep up with news it relates to the EU. I will ask each week what happened in the EU.

Final Paper (25%) 

Final Paper will constitute one quarter of your grade. It will be to your benefit to begin thinking about it, and working on it early in the semester. This paper will require outside reading. Much of the basic information will come from class, but all specific information pertinent to your topic will come from additional outside sources. All papers must include a title, an abstract, page numbers, headings and subheadings where appropriate, a bibliography that includes all reference materials, footnotes/endnotes where appropriate, and proper in-text citations. Papers must be typed using standard margins, 12pt type and double-spaced. The length of the paper should be 8-10 pages. You may choose any recognized citation format, but you must be consistent throughout. A detailed guideline and paper topic suggestions will be provided during the semester through Canvas e-learning system. 

Further instructions or adjustments will be announced here Final Paper  

Requirements for make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/attendance-policies/

As this is an online class taught through hyflex modality, you are responsible for observing all posted due dates, and are encouraged to be self-directed and take responsibility for your learning.

Course Schedule and Required Readings

Refer to individual modules on Canvas for required readings

PLEASE NOTE THAT DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF FAMILIARITY OF STUDENTS WITH THE COURSE MATERIAL, THE INSTRUCTOR CAN MAKE CHANGES TO THE READINGS OR THEIR ORGANIZATION IN THE SYLLABUS AS NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER. STUDENTS WILL BE INFORMED IN A TIMELY MANNER IN SUCH CASES.

 

Week 1.1 ( 1/11– T ) : Introduction to the Course

• Distribution of the syllabus, discussion of the course and requirements 
• No required readings for the first session.
• The link to the following video is available in Module 1 on Canvas and the online version of the syllabus on Canvas.
  1. Suggested Visual Material: Europe: From WWII to Today's European Union 24 min.
• Recommended Reading: Dinan, Desmond. Europe Recast: A History of the European Union. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2004.

A.   HISTORY OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

Week 1.2 ( 1/13 – R) : A General Introduction to the EU

• What is the EU?
  • Check module for reading
• Team Sign up

Week 2.1 ( 1/18 – T ) : History of Integration- General Overview and Early Integration-ECSC   

• What kind of integration? Intergovernmental, Supranational, Federal? 
  •  
  • PEU Chapter 5
  • KC: Introduction

Week 2.2 ( 1/20 – R ) : History of Integration- General Overview and Early Integration-EEC   

• Origins between the wars
• Post WWII initiatives and the creation of the ECSC
• Too much too soon? Failed Projects of the European Defense Community and European Political Community
• The creation of the EEC
• PEU Chapter 6
• PEU Chapter 7
• Module 2 Readings on Canvas
  1. Book Chapter: Blair, Chapter 2: The Road to Rome (1945-57), pp.11-24
  2. Book Chapter: Blair- Primary Documents – Mentioned in the Reading

Week 3.1 ( 1/25– T ): History of Integration: History – From EEC to EC

• Empty Chair Crisis and the Luxembourg Compromise
• Fouchet Plan
• Euro-sclerosis
• Module 3 Readings on Canvas
  1. Book Chapter: Blair, Chapter 3: Constructing the Community (1958–68); 
  2. Book Chapter: Blair- Primary Documents – Mentioned in the Reading
  3. PEU Chapter 6

Week 3- Week 4- Continued

Week 5.1 (2/8– T ) :History of Integration: History – From EC to EU

• The rebound (SEA)
• The transformation (Maastricht and beyond)
• PEU Chapter 7

Week 5.2 ( 2/10 – R ) : History of Integration: 80s-90s

• PEU Chapter 8-9

Week 6.1 ( 2/15 – T ) :The Lisbon Treaty and the EU Today

• The Constitutional Treaty
• Lisbon Treaty
• What comes next?
• PEU Chapter 10

B. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Week 6.2 (2/17 – R ) : New Approaches  

• • Functionalism
  • Neo-Functionalism
  • Intergovernmentalism
    • PEU Chapter 1: Theories of European Integration
  1. 1. David Mitrany, A Working Peace System (pp. 105-123)
     2. Ernst Haas, The Uniting of Europe (pp. 151-164)
     3. Stanley Hoffmann, Obstinate or Obsolete? The Fate of the Nation State and the Case of Western Europe (pp. 151-164)
     4. Alan Milward, The European Rescue of the Nation State, Book Review
     5. Andrew Moravscik, The Choice for Europe (pp. 215-228)

Week 7.1 ( 2/22 – T ) : New Approaches

• Governance
  • PEU Chapter 2: Governance in the European Union

Week 7.2 (2/24- R) :– IN-CLASS REVIEW SESSION

• Europeanization
  • PEU Chapter 3: Theorizing Consequences
• Common European Identity?

  • KC Chapter 5: Can There Be a Common European Identity?

• Group Presentation: Team A 

POSSIBLY 2/26 10AM SATURDAY FIRST MID-TERM

C.    INSTITUTIONS

Week 8.1  ( 3/1 – T) : Distinguishing between Executive and Legislative Branches

• A General Introduction to EU Institutions
• The Institutional Architecture
  • PEU Chapter 12

Week 8.2 ( 3/3– R) : The European Commission

• Bureaucratic or Political?
  • PEU Chapter 13: The European Commission

 

3/8-3/10 SPRING BREAK 

 

Week 9.1  (3/15– T ): The European Council and the Council of the European Union

• The European Council and the Council of Ministers
• The Evolution of the Executive: Bureaucratic to Political Executive (The Commission and the European Council)
  • PEU Chapter 14: The European Council and the Council of the European Union

Week 9.2  ( 3/17– R) : The European Parliament

• The European Parliament
• The Evolution of the Legislature: Unicameral to bicameral legislature (The EP and the Council)

• • PEU Chapter 15: The European Parliament

Week 10.1 ( 3/22 – T) : Interest Representation

• Interest Group Representation
  • PEU Chapter 17: Organized Interests 
  • KC Chapter 6: Lobbying in the EU: How much Power for Big Business?
  • Group Presentation: Team B

Week 10.2 ( 3/24 – R) : The European Court of Justice 

• The Empowerment of Judiciary: European Court of Justice: Exceeding Its Jurisdiction?
  • PEU Chapter 16 The Court of Justice of the European Union
  • KC Chapter 4: Too Much Power for the Judges?
  • Group Presentation: Team C

Week 11.1 ( 3/29 – T) : Democracy in the European Union

• Democratic-Deficit?
  • Videos

Week 11.2  ( 3/31– R ) : Debating Democracy in the European Union 

• Input vs. Output Legitimacy
• Executive Managerialism
• Renationalization
  • KC Chapter 11: Debating Democracy
  • KC Chapter 2: More Powers for Brussels and Renationalization

     KC Chapter 14: Promise and Peril of A New German Hegemony

  • Group Presentation: Team D
  • Group Presentation: Team E
  • Group Presentation: Team F

D.   POLICIES AND POLICY MAKING IN THE EU

Week 12.1 (4/5- T) : SECOND MID-TERM

Week 12.2 (4/7- T) : POLICY MAKING

• Introduction to EU Policy making
  • PEU Chapter 18: Policy Making in the European Union

Week 13/1 (4/12- T) : Presentations to be Announced

• • The Single Market
  • The Single Currency
  • Prelude to a crisis
    • PEU Chapter 19: The Single Market

Week 13.2 (4/14- R) : Candidate Topics for various Policies after Team Selections 

• KC Chapter 7: The Future of the Euro: Union or Disintegration
• EUP Chapter 20: Economic and Monetary Union
• KC Chapter 9: Common Agricultural Policy 
• PEU Chapter 9 : Agriculture 
• External Relations
• Common Foreign and Security Policy
  • PEU Chapter 24: Trade and Development Policies
  • PEU Chapter 25: The European Union’s Foreign, Security and Defense Policies
  • KC Chapter 10: Does the EU Act as Normative Power?
  • KC Chapter 12: Towards a Common European Army?

     

    Week 14.1 (4/19- T ) : Candidate Topics for various Policies after Team Selections 

  • KC Chapter 15: What Future for the Transatlantic Partnership?

• Environmental Policy
• Enlargement
• Social Policy
• Pillar III Policies
• KC Chapter 11: Is EU Enlargement a Success Story or Has It Gone Too Far?
• KC Chapter 13: Brexit

 

Grading Policy

I will make every effort to have each assignment graded and posted within two weeks of the due date. 

Course Grading Policy

 

Assignment	Percentage
Attendance	10
Participation	10
Take Home Mid Term	20
In Class Mid Term	20
Group Presentation	15
Abstract Submission	5
Final Paper	20

 

Grading Scale

Percent	Grade	Grade Points
93 – 100.0	A	4.00
90.0 – 92.9	A-	3.67
87.0 – 89.9	B+	3.33
83.0 – 86.9	B	3.00
80.0 – 82.9	B-	2.67
77.0 – 79.9	C+	2.33
73.0 – 76.9	C	2.00
70.0 – 72.9	C-	1.67
67.0 – 69.9	D+	1.33
63.0 – 66.9	D	1.00
60.0 – 62.9	D-	0.67
0 – 59.9	E	0.00

See the current UF grading policies for more information.

 

UF Policies

University Policy on Accommodating Students with Disabilities: 

Students with disabilities requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability Resource Center (352-392-8565, https://disability.ufl.edu/) by providing appropriate documentation.  Once registered, students will receive an accommodation letter that must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodation.  Students with disabilities should follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.

 

University Policy on Academic Conduct:

UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code.  On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment."  The Honor Code (http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code/) specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions.  Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel.  If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor or TAs in this class.

 

Netiquette and Communication Courtesy: 

All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy during, before, and after class, in all email messages, threaded discussions, and chats. 

The rules listed below will apply to all individuals who participate in the lectures and are present in the classroom.
·         Only individuals who are cleared by UF Health to be on campus are allowed in the classroom.
·         The face masks, the types approved by the UF and placed on the face according to CDC guidelines, highly suggested to be worn at all the time.
·         Eating and/or drinking in the classroom at any time (meeting time or between the classes) are not allowed. 
·         Each person needs to sanitize the work area when they arrive and right before they leave.
·         A student not cleared by UF Health and/or one who does not follow the etiquette will not be allowed to stay in the classroom.
·         If a student’s behavior creates an environment that is deemed hazardous to the health of others present in the classroom that student will be asked to leave and/or the class will be dismissed.  

 

Getting Help

Technical Difficulties:

For issues with technical difficulties for Canvas, please contact the UF Help Desk at:

• http://helpdesk.ufl.edu
• (352) 392-HELP (4357)
• Walk-in: HUB 132

Any requests for make-ups due to technical issues should be accompanied by the ticket number received from the Help Desk when the problem was reported to them. The ticket number will document the time and date of the problem. You should e-mail your instructor within 24 hours of the technical difficulty if you wish to request a make-up.

 

Health and Wellness

• U Matter, We Care:  If you or someone you know is in distress, please contact umatter@ufl.edu, 352-392-1575, or visit umatter.ufl.edu to refer or report a concern and a team member will reach out to the student in distress.
• Counseling and Wellness Center:  Visit counseling.ufl.edu or call 352-392-1575 for information on crisis services as well as non-crisis services.
• Student Health Care Center: Call 352-392-1161 for 24/7 information to help you find the care you need, or visit shcc.ufl.edu.
• University Police Department: Visit police.ufl.edu or call 352-392-1111 (or 9-1-1 for emergencies).
• UF Health Shands Emergency Room/Trauma Center: For immediate medical care in Gainesville, call 352-733-0111 or go to the emergency room at 1515 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608; ufhealth.org/emergency-room-trauma-center.

 

Academic and Student Support

• Career Connections Center: 352-392-1601. Career assistance and counseling services career.ufl.edu/.
• Library Support:  Various ways to receive assistance with respect to using the libraries or finding resources. cms.uflib.ufl.edu/ask
• Teaching Center: 352-392-2010 General study skills and tutoring: teachingcenter.ufl.edu/
• Writing Studio: 352-846-1138. Help brainstorming, formatting, and writing papers: writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/

 

Course Evaluations

Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/.