contemporary-europe-syllabus-spring-15

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American University SIS
Gregory Fuller

2015
Spring

Contemporary Europe
SISU-213
Mondays/Thursdays 2:35 – 3:50

Course Description
This course aims to give students the knowledge and tools to understand, analyze, and make
informed projections about what is happening in Europe today – both at the national and EU
levels. The course is roughly broken into two halves. In the first half, we will deal with major
European states in a comparative context, examining the political regimes, economic systems,
electoral systems, party structures, cultures, and institutional configurations of the some of the
most systemically important European countries: namely, the United Kingdom, France,
Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia (collectively), Poland, and Russia.
In the second half, we will introduce the European Union and its institutions and go on to explore
the issues facing Europe on a more thematic basis. These will include European economic
governance, foreign and security policy, migration policy, and justice issues. The course will
conclude with an investigation of Europe’s present economic (and political) challenges, casting
an eye to how things will unfold in the short-to-medium term.
Each class will be roughly half-lecture and half-seminar. The lecture half will focus on new
events or concepts, whole the seminar half will allow students the opportunity to discuss the
issues raised by those events and concepts – both with the instructor and with each other.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the political and economic systems of major European countries;
2. Identify the common challenges facing European countries today;

3. Explain how/why the European Union emerged and identify the difficulties it faces
today;
4. Give an account of the contemporary European economic crisis;
5. Perform their own analysis of a European country of their choosing;
The course will make extensive use of one new textbook: Europe Today 5th Edition (2014),
Ronald Tiersky and Erik Jones (eds.). We will read most of this book and you will find it highly
useful for your assignments and class. It costs $60-$65 and I do recommend buying it (e-book is
fine), if possible. Do not buy the 4th edition – it’s significantly different.
Full disclosure: Yes, I am one of the contributing authors of this textbook. But no, I don’t get any
money for you buying it!


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Course Requirements
Each student’s grade for the course will be determined based on five components. Those are:
15% Participation
The usual: regular attendance and participation in class discussion is expected. To that end,
students are expected to keep up with what is going on in Europe by following a Europebased news source (i.e., the BBC, Financial Times, English-language websites for foreignlanguage publications like Deutsche Welle, and EurActiv or VoxEU for EU affairs). This is
definitely a “do-the-readings-beforehand” class as you’ll find it hard to participate if you
don’t.
15% (5% x3) Reaction Papers
Over the course of the semester, each student must hand in a response to the “Key Questions”
associated with three different classes. Note that, for the comparative classes (classes 4-11),
it's the same question but for different countries! These are meant to be short – no more than
one page – and you can respond to any three weeks’ questions over the course of the year.
These must be handed in before class and will sometimes require a little bit of outside
reading. The expectation is that these will take no more than one hour each
10% News Presentation
Each student will present a five minute summary of a major news event and its impact on
contemporary European affairs. We will have one / two presentations each day as a way of

kicking off the class discussion. A timetable will be set out during the first weeks of class.
25% Country Analysis
The first half of the course will focus on doing a comparative analysis of several key
European countries. Your objective with this paper is to do your own such analysis for one of
the countries that we did not cover in class. More details will be provided in the second week
of class. This will be a relatively short (~3000 word) paper.
35% Final Exam
Short essay exam
In general, this course is going to be assessed with many small pieces of work spread over the
semester rather than in large chunks. 40% of the assessed work (participation, reaction papers,
and the news presentation) is meant to be either indirectly or directly tied to course participation:
the class will be more fun and interesting all around if everyone is tuned in on a regular basis!
Contact / Office Hours
My office is in the East Quad Building up in the “attic” area, room number 305. Office hours are
Tuesdays from 2pm – 8pm and Thursdays 4pm – 6pm. I can also make appointments to talk via
the phone or Skype.


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Schedule of Classes: Part I
Date
Class #
Mon,
Jan 12

Thu,
Jan 15

1

2

Mon,
Jan 19
Thu,
Jan 22

Topic

Course Introduction: Why Study Europe Today?
• Key Questions: Why are you here? What are your/my expectations?
• Readings: None
Basics of Comparative Politics, Part I
• Key Questions: What is "Comparative Politics?" What national
characteristics do we compare? How do we compare them?
• Readings: Powell, Dalton, Strom, Comparative Politics Today,
10th/11th Edition: Chapter 1

No Class: MLK Day
3

Basics of Comparative Politics, Part II
• Key Questions: Same as Class 2
• Readings: Powell, Dalton, Strom, Comparative Politics Today,
10th/11th Edition: Chapter 2

Mon,
Jan 26

4

Country Study: Britain
• Key Questions: What is the key challenge this country faces today?
• Readings: Europe Today (ET), Chapter 2

Thu,
Jan 29

5

Country Study: France
• Key Questions: What is the key challenge this country faces today?
• Readings: ET Chapter 1

Mon,
Feb 2

6

Country Study: Germany
• Key Questions: What is the key challenge this country faces today?
• Readings: ET Chapter 3

Thu,
Feb 5

7

Country Study: Spain
• Key Questions: What is the key challenge this country faces today?

• Readings: ET Chapter 6

Mon,
Feb 9

8

Country Study: Scandinavia
• Key Questions: What is the key challenge this country faces today?
• Readings: ET Chapter 5

Thu,
Feb 12

9

Country Study: Italy
• Key Questions: What is the key challenge this country faces today?
• Readings: ET Chapter 4


4

Mon,
Feb 16

10

Thu,
Feb 19

Mon,
Feb 23

Country Study: Poland
• Key Questions: What is the key challenge this country faces today?
• Readings: ET Chapter 8

No Class: Professor Fuller @ ISA
11

Country Study: Russia
• Key Questions: What is the key challenge this country faces today?
• Readings: ET Chapter 7

Schedule of Classes: Part II
Date
Class #
Thu,
Feb 26

Mon,
Mar 2

Thu,
Mar 5

12

13

14

Topic

European Integration: The History & Theory
• Key Questions: What differentiates the main approaches to
understanding the European Union? What were the principal drivers
behind the creation of the EU?
• Readings: Mark Pollack (2012), "Realist, Intergovernmentalist, and
Institutionalist Approaches," in Jones et al, eds., The Oxford Handbook
of European Integration.
Also: Civitas, Timeline of EU Integration
European Integration: Where from Here?
• Key Questions: What is the biggest challenge facing the European
project today?
• Readings: ET Chapter 9
The EU and its Institutions, Part I
• Key Questions: What are the principal responsibilities of the different
EU institutions? Which of the EU institutions is the most powerful?
• Readings: Egenhofer et al (2011), The Ever Changing Union: An
Introduction to the History, Institutions, and Decision-Making
Processes of the European Union, CEPS, Pages 1-50
Download from: />
Mon,
Mar 9

No Class: Spring Break

Thu,
Mar 12

No Class: Spring Break


5

Mon,
Mar 16

15

Thu,
Mar 19

16

Mon,
Mar 23

17

Thu,
Mar 26

18

Mon,
Mar 30

19

Thu,
Apr 2

20

The EU and its Institutions, Part II
• Key Questions: Is the European Union a democratic body? Why or why
not? Should it be?
• Readings: Egenhofer et al, Pages 51-68
Economic and Monetary Union and the Euro
• Key Questions: Why did European policymakers decide to press ahead
with economic and monetary union (EMU) Was the euro doomed from
the start? Is it doomed now?
• Readings: Dorothee Heisenberg (2006), “From the Single Market to the
Single Currency,” in Desmond Dinan, ed. Origins and Evolution of the
European Union. Oxford University Press, 233-252.
Also: Lars Jonung and Eoin Drea (2009), “The Euro: It Can’t Happen. It’s a
Bad Idea. It Won’t Last. US Economists on the EMU, 1989-2002,”
European Commission Economic Papers 395.
/>Immigration Within Europe
• Key Questions: How much does Europe constitute a single, unified
labor market? Would that be a good thing?
• Readings: ET Chapter 13
Immigration from the Outside
• Key Questions: What special challenges does the EU face when
confronted with undocumented migrants? Which member states face the
largest burdens from undocumented migrants?
• Readings: The Economist (2014), "A Surge from the Sea,"
/>A European Identity?

• Key Questions: Is there such a thing as a European identity? If so, what
is it? If not, why not? How do the topics of conversation in the previous
two classes feed into the identity discussion?
• Readings: Jeffrey T. Checkel and Peter J. Katzenstein (2009), "The
Politicization of European Identities," European Identity, Chapter 1
The EU and The European Welfare State
• Key Questions: Is the EU a threat to the European welfare state? Does
it even make sense to speak of a single "European Welfare State?"
• Readings: André Sapir (2006), "Globalization and the Reform of
European Social Models," Journal of Common Market Studies 44:2


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Mon,
Apr 6

21

Thu,
Apr 9

22

Mon,
Apr 13

23

Thu,

Apr 16

24

Mon,
Apr 20

25

Thu,
Apr 23
Mon,
Apr 27

26
27

Transatlantic Relations
• Key Questions: How important is the transatlantic relationship to
global security and economic prosperity? Is the current transatlantic
relationship strengthening, weakening, or something more complicated?
• Readings: ET Chapter 14
European Foreign Policy
• Key Questions: How unified are the foreign policies of Europe's largest
member states? Does the European Union enhance the voice of the
smallest member states?
• Readings: Stephan Keukeleire and Tom Delreux (2014), The Foreign
Policy of the European Union, 2nd Ed. Chapter 5
Also: Browse through if this is an area of interest.
The Economic Crisis

• Key Questions: What were the main causes of Europe's economic
crisis? Who, if you had to point a finger, is most to blame?
Readings: ET Chapter 11
Also: Zsolt Darvas (2012), “The Euro Crisis: Ten Roots, But Fewer
Solutions,” Bruegel Policy Contribution 2012/17
/>Resolving the Crisis
• Key Questions: What is the best way to resolve Europe's economic
crisis? Why has there been so much disagreement over this "best way?"
• Readings: Guntram B. Wolff (2012) ,“The Euro Area Crisis: Policy
Options Ahead,” in Resolving the European Debt Crisis.
/>Looking Ahead
• Key Questions: What's next for Europe?
• Readings: None
Make-Up Slot (Snow Days / Run-Over)
TBD
Make-Up Slot (Snow Days / Run-Over)
TBD

Final Exam Slot TBD


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Information for all Students
Standards of Academic Conduct: They are set forth in American University’s Academic Integrity
Code (AIC). By registering for this course, you acknowledge your awareness of the AIC, and you
are obliged to become familiar with your rights and responsibilities as defined by the Code.
Violations of the AIC will not be treated lightly, and disciplinary actions will be taken should
violations occur. Please contact me if you have any questions about the academic violations
described in the Code in general or as they relate to particular requirements for this course, and I
encourage you to familiarize yourself with the AIC at

www.american.edu/academics/integrity/code.cfm. Finally, please let me know if you become
aware of any violations of the AIC by other students.
In the Event of an Emergency: AU will implement a plan for meeting the needs of all members of
the university community. Should the university be required to close for a period of time, we are
committed to ensuring that all aspects of our educational programs will be delivered to you.
These may include altering and extending the duration of the traditional term schedule to
complete essential instruction in the traditional format and/or use of distance instructional
methods. Specific strategies will vary from class to class, depending on the format of the course
and the timing of the emergency. I will communicate class-specific information to you via AU email and/or Blackboard, and you are responsible for checking your AU email on a daily basis and
for keeping yourself informed of any declared emergencies. Please refer to the AU Student Portal,
the AU Web site www.american.edu/emergency and the AU information line at (202) 885-1100
for university-wide information.
AU provides numerous services to help students to be successful in their coursework: the
Academic Support Center, the Counseling Center, Disability Support Services, the Writing Center
and Writing Lab, and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, most of which are located in the
Mary Graydon Center (MGC).
Academic Support Center (x3360, MGC 243) offers study skills workshops, individual
instruction, tutor referrals, Supplemental Instruction, and services for students with learning
disabilities and ADHD. Writing support is available in the ASC Writing Lab or in the Writing
Center. If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please notify me in a timely
manner with a letter from the Academic Support Center or Disability Support Services so that we
can make arrangements to address your needs.
Counseling Center (x3500, MGC 214) offers counseling and consultations regarding personal
concerns, self-help information, and connections to off-campus mental health resources.
Disability Support Services (x3315, MGC 206) offers technical and practical support and
assistance with accommodations for students with physical, medical, or psychological disabilities.
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please notify me in a timely manner
with a letter from the Academic Support Center or Disability Support Services so that we can
make arrangements to address your needs.

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Writing Center (x2991, Battelle-Tompkins 228) offers free, individual coaching sessions to all AU
students. In your 45-minute session, a student writing consultant can help you address
assignments, understand the conventions of academic writing, and learn how to revise and edit
your own work. The Center offers appointments on the hour from 11 AM to 9 PM Monday
through Thursday; 11 AM to 4 PM Friday, and 3 to 6 PM on Sundays.
Center for Diversity and Inclusion (x3651, MGC 2nd fl.) is dedicated to enhancing LGBTQ,
Multicultural, First Generation, and Women’s experiences on campus and to advance AU’s
commitment to respecting and valuing diversity by serving as a resource and liaison to students,
staff, and faculty on issues of equity through education, outreach, and advocacy.