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A comparative analysis of selected institutional and functional problems of both modern democratic and modern authoritarian political systems.

The European Union, with its current 28 member states, constitutes an important player in international relations. Every member state has its own distinct political institutions and political culture. This course will analyze the constitutional structure and current policies and politics of several Western and Central European countries like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria and Italy as well as the political system and major policies of the European Union. We will discuss these case studies on the basis of current topics and currently debated issues.

This course is an introduction into different European governments and the principles of the politics of the European Union. The course focuses on the essentials of European politics: the understanding of modern democracy; constitutions of parliamentary, presidential, and semi-presidential systems; political institutions; electoral and party systems; contemporary policy issues etc.

This course is designed to provide students with a profound introduction into European Politics, the political systems of different European democracies and the political system of the European Union. By applying comparative methods, the students will gain a deeper knowledge of the differences and similarities of several modern political systems. Current political events and policy developments will also be discussed. At the end of the course each student will be informed about current European Politics, get country-specific knowledge and gain all necessary knowledge for further in dept studies in European Politics.

At the end of the course students should have good knowledge of several Western European countries and their political systems, especially the ones they will most likely also have the chance to visit during their stay in Europe; be able to appraise the European Union as key political player in world politics and as a partner in transatlantic relations; be able to explain and understand key concepts in European Politics; and be able to follow current events and developments in European Politics by accessing key sources of information.

The University of New Orleans International Summer School program has a mandatory class attendance policy. All students are required to attend class for all morning classes and any required afternoon and/or weekend fields trips and lectures. No unexcused absences are allowed. However, LFU students who have to miss a UNO class due to LFU examinations in the first two weeks of our program, can receive one excused absence for this. Any further unexcused absences will result in an academic penalty. Each faculty member determines the penalty for missed classes. Most professors deduct a letter grade for each additional missed class day. For details, please refer to your course syllabi, which will be distributed on the first day of class. Mail: Center-New-Orleans@uibk.ac.at

Die Anrechnung der Kurse der UNO-IBK International Summer School muss von den Studierenden selbst vorab mit den zuständigen StudiendekanInnen geklärt werden. Diese allein entscheiden über die Anerkennung der belegten Kurse für das jeweilige Studienfach. Es wird empfohlen, sich einen Vorabbescheid über die Anerkennung der Kurse ausstellen zu lassen.