Checking date: 18/05/2025 17:06:16


Course: 2025/2026

European Politics and Society
(19615)
Bachelor in International Studies (Plan: 504 - Estudio: 305)


Coordinating teacher: SOJKA SWITON, ALEKSANDRA ANNA

Department assigned to the subject: Social Sciences Department

Type: Basic Core
ECTS Credits: 6.0 ECTS

Course:
Semester:




Objectives
The national politics of European countries are increasingly intertwined with the supranational developments on the continent. The main goal of the course will be to apply the theoretical tools of political science to the analysis of the emerging European multilevel political systems. The course's specific focus will be on different elements of the political regime of the European Union (EU), the key public policies it produces, and the underlying political community. The course emphasises the logic of European integration reflected in its historical development, theoretical approaches to the dynamics of supranational integration, the political and institutional functioning of the European political system, the design and outcomes of EU public policies, and its political and democratic legitimacy. Students' understanding of the different topics will be deepened through practical exercises and debates on current issues in European politics. By the end of the course, students will have a clear understanding of the European integration process, comprehend the extent to which a political system exists in today's European continent, be familiar with the functioning of EU institutions, and be able to analyse the evolution of European politics with theoretical and analytical rigour and from a critical perspective. The course is part of the following Jean Monnet initiatives of the Erasmus+ Programme: The "PromethEUs" Chair of Interdisciplinary European Governance and the Madrid Centre of Excellence for Interdisciplinary EU Studies.
Learning Outcomes
K4: Acquire knowledge of the economic, legal, political and social reality from a comparative perspective. K7: To know and understand the main models of political, economic and social organization of States and the processes of change in contemporary societies and politics. K9: To know the relevant political and sociological theories to understand the structure and functioning of the main socio-political systems. S3: Plan and organize team work making the right decisions based on available information and gathering data in digital environments. S5: Apply knowledge to identify with rigor, precision and scientific objectivity the social processes and possible solutions.
Description of contents: programme
1. The European Union as a political system 2. European integration: Historical perspective 3. European integration: Theoretical approaches 4. Executive policy in the EU 5. Legislative policy in the EU 6. Judicial policy in the EU 7. Economic policies: Single Market and Economic and Monetary Union 8. Expenditure policies 9. Democracy, parties, elections 10. Public opinion and European identity
Learning activities and methodology
THEORETICAL PRACTICAL CLASSES Knowledge and concepts students must acquire. Student receive course notes and will have basic reference texts to facilitatefollowing the classes and carrying out follow up work.Students partake in exercises to resolve practical problems and participatein workshops and an evaluation tests, all geared towards acquiring the necessary capabilities.Subjects with 6 ECTS are44 hours as a general rule/ 100% classroom instruction. TUTORING SESSIONS Individualized attendance (individual tutoring) or in-group (group tutoring) for students with a teacher. Subjects with 6 credits have 4 hours of tutoring/ 100% on- site attendance. STUDENT INDIVIDUAL WORK OR GROUP WORK Subjects with 6 credits have 98 hours/0% on-site.
Assessment System
  • % end-of-term-examination/test 60
  • % of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 40




Extraordinary call: regulations
Basic Bibliography
  • Hix, Simon & Bjørn Høyland. The Political System of the European Union (4th ed.). Bloomsbury. 2023
Additional Bibliography
  • Ares, Cristina & Luis Bouza. Política de la Unión Europea: crisis y continuidad. CIS. 2019
  • Cini, Michelle & Nieves Pérez-Sólorzano Borragán. European Union Politics, 6th edition. OUP. 2019
  • Coman, Ramona, Amandine Crespy & Vivien A. Schmidt. Governance and Politics in the Post-Crisis European Union. Cambridge University Press. 2020
  • Hodson, Dermont. The Institutions of the European Union (5th edition). Oxford University Press. 2022
  • Leuffen, Dirk, Berthold Rittberger, & Frank Schimmelfennig. . Integration and Differentiation in the European Union: Theory and Policies (2nd ed.). Palgrave. 2022
  • Wallace, Helen, Mark A. Pollack & Alasdair R. Young. Policy-Making in the European Union. Oxford University Press. 2020

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.