| CODE | EST3197 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Comparative Federalism and the EU | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | European Studies | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The European Union is often described as a sui generis, meaning that it is “of its own kind” and therefore unique. This characterization reflects the EU’s nature as neither a traditional international organization nor a federal state, but a different kind of political and legal system that blends elements of both. In light of its distinctiveness, the EU has inspired the creation of concepts and theories that exclusively describe and explain the European process of regional integration. The EU is thus rarely studied in a comparative manner. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit sees the European Union as a political system that can be compared to other political systems. To do so, it starts by providing students with a thorough understanding of the political system of the European Union, with a special focus on its decision-making procedures. It then introduces a number of other political systems of both federal states such as Germany and the United States as well as regional organisations such as the African Union or the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). On that basis, it provides a systematic comparison of the European Union and with these alternative political systems. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Understand how federalism emerged in classic, modern, and contemporary political thought; - Describe the main characteristics, structures, and functions of a federal political system; - Assess the degree to which the European Union approximates a federation; - Understand the extent to which the European Union is evolving into a federal political system. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explain the functioning of federal political systems; - Assess whether and to what extent the European Union can be compared to federal polities. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Fossum, John Erik, and Markus Jachtenfuchs. ‘Federal Challenges and Challenges to Federalism. Insights from the EU and Federal States’. Journal of European Public Policy 24, no. 4 (2017): 467–85. - Hueglin, Thomas O., and Alan Fenna. Comparative Federalism: A Systematic Inquiry. Second edition. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2015. - Keil, Soeren, and Sabine Kropp, eds. Emerging Federal Structures in the Post-Cold War Era. Cham: Springer, 2022. - Söderbaum, Fredrik. Rethinking Regionalism. London: Bloomsbury, 2017. Supplementary Readings: - Menon, Anand, and Martin Schain, eds. Comparative Federalism: The European Union and the United States in Comparative Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. - Anderson, George. Federalism: An Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. - Börzel, Tanja. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Regionalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. |
||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||||||||
| LECTURER/S | |||||||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||||||||