PO/SO 342 - The European Union: Between Nationalism and Integration

This course will explore the process of the European integration in its historical dimension and will analyze its cultural, social, political, and economic causes and effects as well as the obstacles it still faces. The aim of the course is also to give students a clear-cut view of the complex European institutional fabric and its working. The puzzling nature of the EU – supranational state or rather a post-modern confederation of states – will be thoroughly explored. Comparisons between the EU system and the US will be made in order to clarify the nature of the former. Special attention will be devoted to the current political crisis and to the issues of rising nationalism and immigration. The course will also tackle broader conceptual questions such as cultural identity, national sovereignty, political interdependence, and democratic legitimization.