European Studies (EURO) 410: The European Union As History

CRN 21882
4 credits
UH 14:00-15:20
248 Gerlinguer Hall

Instructor: George Sheridan, History
gjs@oregon.uoregon.edu
346-4832

in Collaboration with Tom Stave, Head, Government Documents, Knight Library

Notes:

· The course satisfies history major requirements, European Studies certificate requirements, and International Studies Block B (Europe area) requirements
· Graduate students in any field may enroll for the course by special arrangement with Professor Sheridan for history graduate credit. Contact Professor Sheridan to arrange this.

General Description

This is a course on the history, the sources, the dynamics, and several current issues of European integration since the end of World War II.

The history of European integration includes:
· The story of the developments in the past from which today's European Union emerged
· The landmark treaties by which an “ever closer union” has been forged among members states of the European communities, such as those creating the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community (“Common Market”), and the European Union
· The landmark achievements of these several unions, such as a single market, a single currency (EURO), European social and and foreign policies, and European institutions responding to the variety of tasks Europe has assumed in its integration process

The sources of European integration include:
· Official Publications of the European Union, especially those serving as the basis for policy- and decision-making in the everyday life of the EU
· Websites of various kinds involved in European Union affairs, including many of non-EU origin
· Research tools for accessing particular kinds of information and sources pertaining to European integration, especially a website designed by Knight Library’s Interactive Media Group with the specific purposes of this course in mind

The dynamics and current issues of European integration include:
· Introduction to the political dynamics of European integration
· The Constitutional Convention and its prospects for the future of a united Europe
· The issue of public support for the EU, as applied especially to the case of the Scandinavian countries, and the “democratic deficit”
· Enlargement, cultural policy, and the regions as future challenges for EU

The course embodies a particular philosophy about learning the history of European integration and European Union:
· History is most engaging and best understood when learners construct that history from the sources available to them
· The documents and activities generated by European unification itself are the most valuable and exciting sources for this purpose
· Engaging European unification in these terms is an interactive process; a major part of the course will therefore include interactive student discussion and presentations, as well as interactive website modules

The sources are available to us through:
· Document Center, Knight Library (an official depository of European Union materials)
· Books and Journal Articles in the Knight Library general collection
· Websites, most of which are linked through the course website
· Official Publications of the European Union

We will use these sources as we take a hands-on approach to constructing the history of European integration and European Union. Tom Stave, Head of the Document Center, will provide extensive orientation to these sources, and he and his staff will be available for individual consultation throughout the term on how to make best use of them.

Special features of this year’s course:
· Two-week visit and presentations by Professor Staffan Zetterholm, Jean Monnet Professor in European Political Integration at Aalborg University, Denmark
· Guest lectures by U of O faculty on particular topics, including the implications of the new constitution for the “democratic deficit” (Professor Stephen Sieberson, Law)

Course Outline

Weeks 1-3

The first three weeks of the course will outline the main course of the history of European integration from the end of World War II to the formation of the European Union by the Maastricht Treaty of 1992. The focus will be on the patterns and stages of integration in the changing context of economy and politics, as manifest especially in the landmark treaties and achievements of the period. Attention will be given to contexts, personalities, and major policies. Also, the major institutions of European Community/ European Union will be introduced. In addition, students will be given an orientation to EUROPA - the offical website of the EU – and to the major official sources for research on the European Union. Special sessions will be organized in the Library for students who wish a more extensive, hands-on introduction to these sources.

Weeks 4-5

The next two weeks will focus on the political dynamics of European integration and on the Constitutional Convention and draft European Constitution. Along with enlargement, the Constitution is the most important current development in European Union affairs. Visiting Professor Staffan Zetterholm from Aalborg University (Denmark) will lead the classes on these and related subjects. As a professor of political science specializing in political theory and dynamics of the European Union, with an emphasis on the links between culture and politics, Professor Zetterholm will provide an interdisciplinary dimension to the course. In addition, he will use the case of Scandinavia to illustrate public support issues surrounding current EU developments. Student discussion will be encouraged in these classes. During these two weeks, students will begin research on their papers.

Week 6

The focus for this week is on law, law-making, and the relationship between the constitution and democratic participation in the European Union. Professor Stephen Sieberson, Adjunct Professor of Law, will give a guest lecture on the latter topic. Tom Stave will explain the law-making process in terms of the documentary sources by which it can be traced. The latter will build upon the orientation to EU sources from weeks 1-3.

Weeks 7-9

Each week will focus on a major policy area in the activity of the European Union. Three major areas will be addressed, one for each week: economic policy, social policy, and external relations. Broad sketches of developments and issues in each of these policy areas will be presented in the Tuesday class of each week, and in the Thursday class, students will engage these topics in terms of their own research. Thursday classes in these weeks will therefore be highly interactive.

Week 10

Various contemporary topics and issues will be addressed, as time permits and with the participation of available guest lecturers from other departments. Topics considered are: cultural policy, enlargement, and the regions. The course term paper is due this week.

Course Requirements:

· One major research paper on topic of student’s choice, related to the history of European integration or current European Union
· Two short papers based exclusively on documentary sources, to serve as the basis of student participation in Weeks 7-9. Each student will choose her/his own topic of choice in two of the three major policy areas of these weeks: Economic Policy (such as the single market or the single currency), Social Policy (such as Employment and Trade Unions, Women’s Issues, Environmental Policy, Immigration Policy), and External Relations (such as external trade, common foreign and security policy, development policy, and relations with the United States).
· One exercise in the use of EU sources online and/or in the Knight Library Government Documents collection
· Two take-home examinations, one mid-term, and one final examination