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This course looks at the social and cultural impacts of European integration. Employing a multidisciplinary perspective, this course aims to answer a set of questions: What are the key issues confronting the European Union (EU) and its citizens? How do current issues facing the EU - immigration multi-cultural and multi-lingual society, religious and political diversity - influence the motivation behind integration? The course examines the notions of Europe and the EU and the roles of individual, national and supranational identities in the EU's interactions with its citizens and the world. There is an emphasis on interactive discussions, small group activities and access to experts in the field.
Covid-19, Brexit, migration, rise of populism, terrorism, inequalities and Euro debt crisis. Europe and the European Union are involved in complex political and socio-economic matters that are among the most significant changes on the continent since World War II. The changing profile of European societies and the new geo-political settings of the globalising multipolar world serve to underline the necessity for a systematic analysis of contemporary Europe, one of the dominant economic, political and cultural counterparts for New Zealand and the wider Asia/Indo-Pacific. This one-semester course offers an inter-disciplinary study of modern day Europe and what it means to its citizens. It covers a range of topics relating to the geo-political implications of European Integration and its social and cultural impacts. The main goal of this course is to examine key issues confronting the EU and its citizens at this turning point in history. The process of European integration -- taking place in the times of a globalising world, changing global order, information revolution and multiple crises in Europe -- impacts the identities of the peoples who inhabit the Union.The philosophical and historical ideas about “What Europe is?”, “Where its borders lie?” and “Who is European?” are essential for understanding both the initial and changing motivations behind integration and in understanding current debates around issues such as multi-cultural and multilingual society, immigration, regional, religious and political diversity. Looking at Europe from beyond its borders, we will also argue the perceived place of Europe in a world of shifting powers. Finally, we will think about what issues impact how Europeans view Europe in the twenty-first century and the impact of European thought around the world.
This core course will lay the foundation for more specialised European and EU Studies courses offered in the third and fourth years of the degree (EURO BA Honours), as well as other degrees: MEURO, MA (by thesis) and PhD in European Studies.1. For those students who may not continue with European and EU Studies as a degree major, the course will offer a comprehensive introductory overview of wider Europe, and the EU in it, which would complement their general educational experience and allow them to interact more knowledgeably in civil society and local communities. 2. The course will provide an interdisciplinary and high quality academic insights to challenging questions of European integration and European identities by looking at different social and cultural subjects in modern Europe, examining the ways in which the EU acts and influences these issues. These facets of the course will help students to engage with global and multi-cultural contexts, particularly from a disciplinary point of view and strengthen their own reflections about a culture in their own communities and in the context of bi-culturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand. 3. The use of seminar and group discussion teaching methods will give undergraduate students the ability to hone their skills at analytical debating and develop their confidence in presenting their research. Students will be invited to communicate complex ideas using a variety of techniques and media – another attribute sought by professional communities. 4. The course will also expand the opportunities for students to involve themselves in critical thinking concerning Europe and the EU at early levels of their academic career and allow for open discussions. This will facilitate skills in understanding, analysis and development of arguments and ideas within the discipline; and encourage students to think independently and employ specialist disciplinary knowledge to evaluate topics and issues. 5. Research-oriented assignments – oral presentations, forum discussions, and essays -- will allow students to tailor the course to their area of interest/future employment and to learn new research methods and practice their existing research and investigation skills. Students will use learned skills to research a topic. These connections between knowledge on the one side and skills and attributes on other is critical to benefit workplaces and communities.
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:
Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award
Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.
Employable, innovative and enterprising
Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.
Biculturally competent and confident
Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.
Engaged with the community
Students will have observed and understood a culture within a community by reflecting on their own performance and experiences within that community.
Globally aware
Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.
Any 15 points at 100 level from EURA, orany 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
EURA301, EURO 201, EURO 301
Serena Kelly
Dr Barrie Wharton (Erskine Fellow)
There is no single textbook for this course. The collection of selected readings for every tutorial will be available on Learn or provided during lectures.Other materials, which may be helpful, can be found at the Library Subject Guide for European and EU Studies
Library portalLEARN The full Course Outline is available on LEARN (only for students enrolled in this course).
Domestic fee $785.00
International fee $3,500.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .