LFU:online

Department of Political Science Department of Political Science

Prof. Simona Piattoni, PhD Prof. Simona Piattoni, PhD

402501

Theories of European Integration

VO 2

4

not applicable

not applicable

English

This course is meant to familiarize students with the main debates on European Integration and to become familiar with the historical texts that make up this field of inquiry. Students should come out of this course with a clear map of the main theories of European integration, the “historical texts” and their authors, the different ontological and epistemological approaches to the European Union and to comparable instances of regionalization. The goal is to equip students with a clear understanding of the main approaches and to enable them to use these approaches for their own research agenda. Particular emphasis will be put on the conjugation of theory and empirical evidence and on the methodological requirements for carrying out an original research project. The assignments for this seminar are not particularly heavy, but students are expected to come to class having read all the assignments and to be ready to contribute actively to class discussions (questions will be asked also during Lectures).

In addition to sporadic class participation, students will be mostly evaluated on the basis of a final essay. The exam question around which the essay must be built will be distributed before Christmas and the essays will be due by February 14,

Students are expected to read all assignments, preferably before class. Therefore, the following books should be purchased by the students: Wiener, Antje and Thomas Diez (2009), European Integration Theory, Oxford University Press. [NB: We will read a couple of chapters also from the 2004 edition, which is different in parts.] Chryssochoou, Dimitris (2009), Theorizing European Integration, 2nd edition (London: Routledge). Eilstrup-Sangiovanni, Mette (2006), Debates on European Integration. A Reader (Houndsmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave).