LFU:online

Students will learn about the functioning of the European Union, starting from those EU-institutions and bodies that claim general and specific leadership-, agenda-setting, -steering as well as concrete legislative competences. They understand historic and legal patterns that led to the institutional framework of the political system of the contemporary EU. Participants of the course are enabled to to comprehend various multi-level-processes of political cooperation in the framework of international and European Law, and to explain those processes based on academic theory.

The core element of the course is a theory-led, interdisciplinary and practice-oriented examination of the European Union, its historical development and its constitutional and practical structure. A 2020 initiated cooperation with the "Liaison Office of the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino in Brussels" and its 2011 established and then annually conducted "Alpeuregio Brussels School" enables the thematic association of renowned experts from acadmia and political practice in order to comprehend the functioning of various EU bodies, illustrated on preselected communitised policy areas. If possible, a voluntary excursion to Brussels should provide students with a more concrete understanding of and deeper connection to the EU. 

The first sessions intend to bring students together regarding their diverse pre-experience with the EU, as well as their diverse language and cultural backgrounds. Subsequently, each session will give the floor to another academic expert on European integration or EU-practitioner (from administration or politics). Each session will therefore be divided in a part of teacher-centered teaching and in an interactive part of discussion and interaction. If possible, a voluntary excursion to Brussels will be the concluding highlight of the semester.

Cini/Pérez-Solórzano Borragán (2019): European  Union Politics, Oxford University Press.

Hodson/Peterson (2017): The Institutions of the European Union, Oxford University Press

This course is part of the international Euregio teaching program and therefore requires a special registration between 30 August and 26. September 2021: https://www.uibk.ac.at/international/europaregion/anmeldung-euregio-kurse/registration-for-euregio-course-2021.html