History 3422G: Ever Closer? The European Union in Historical Context

Course Description

This course explores the historical roots of the current process of European integration. If the first half of the twentieth century brought unprecedented destruction to Europe, the post-war decades witnessed the construction of a surprisingly successful supra-national organization, the European Union (EU). Our goal will be to appreciate the dynamism of this apparently dramatic reversal of the long-standing domination of the European stage by fiercely rival states by locating it fully within its historical context.

            A detailed study of the mechanisms of the EU is best left to political scientists, while a proper assessment of its current state and immediate future would likely call for the agility of advanced cultural studies. We will certainly consider some of the key issues facing Europeans today, ranging from divisive matters of economic integration to on-going efforts at re-ordering institutional and political traditions, from elusive attempts at creating a European foreign policy to the challenges of immigration. However, the greater focus of this course will be on the historical forces that made this process of integration so unlikely and fragile, as well as the factors that have kept it alive. In other words, we will chart the historical patterns shaping this contemporary phenomenon, attempting, whenever possible, to link current issues with their historical roots.

Required Texts

TEXTS REQUIRED:

DINAN Desmond, Europe Recast: A History of European Union (Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder, 2003; ISBN: 1-58826-230-8 / 978-1-58826-230-1).

Other readings will be available on the course WebCT site.

Evaluation

Class participation (attendance and discussions)                                     20%

Essay Proposal - Report to the class (oral and written)                            20%

Essay (due 4 April)                                                                                    25%

Final exam (exam period, April)                                                                 35%

 

 

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