FSS:EVSb2025 Reflection of events in the EU - Course Information

EVSb2025 Reflection of events in the EU

Extent and Intensity

1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Vít Dostál, Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

prof. PhDr. Petr Kaniok, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies

Timetable

Mon 30. 9. 8:00–11:40 U33, Mon 14. 10. 8:00–11:40 U33, Mon 11. 11. 8:00–11:40 U33, Mon 25. 11. 8:00–11:40 U33, Mon 9. 12. 8:00–11:40 U33

Prerequisites

EVSb1002 Europe in the 20th Century && EVSb1001 European Integration && EVSb1003 EU Institutions
The course is intended only for students of core studies.

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 9/20, only registered: 1/20

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 24 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

The aim of the course is to understand current developments in the EU in different policy areas and levels of governance and their impact on the further development of European integration. The broader aim is to deepen and consolidate knowledge of the functioning of the EU by regularly following the proceedings and initiatives of the various institutions. However, the course does not only focus on the EU as such, but also on developments in individual Member States. The agenda of the EU and its Member States has been very fluid in recent years due to many internal and external challenges and crises. EU policy is no longer about building a internal market, but is now much more involved in areas such as energy and climate policy, digitalisation, home affairs and defence, which are more or less linked to the basic idea of European integration. In order to understand the EU's responses, it is therefore essential to know not only the historical development of the European Communities, but also the wider implications that the EU's incremental steps may bring.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to better understand the EU agenda and current events, analyse and interpret them themselves, assess their implications for the EU and its Member States, and place them in the wider context of European integration. The course will focus on the day-to-day agenda of the EU and its Member States, which will be discussed at the beginning of each seminar, as well as on the larger (current) issues that will resonate within the EU institutions and its Member States.

Syllabus

• The curriculum will be refined at the beginning of the course depending on what is resonating on the EU agenda at the time. In the past years, the course has focused, for example, on the Czech EU Council Presidency, Brexit, the EU's response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Conference on the Future of Europe, EU-Russia relations, the Visegrad Group and its role in the EU, and the German and Czech parliamentary elections (and their European dimension).

Literature

recommended literature
• FIALA, Petr, Ondřej KRUTÍLEK and Markéta PITROVÁ. Evropská unie. 3., aktualizované, rozší. Brno: Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury (CDK), 2018, 990 stran. ISBN 9788073254506. info
• KANIOK, Petr. České předsednictví Rady EU - most přes minulost (Czech EU Council Presidency - Bridge over History). 1st ed. Brno: Muni Press, 2010, 243 pp. Ediční řada Monografie, svazek 35. ISBN 978-80-210-5348-9. info

Teaching methods

Discussion of current events, lectures by teachers (or external experts) on wider topics, group work and presentation to others, final essay Students will be required to keep up to date with current events in the EU and to choose at least three current events for each seminar that they will be able to discuss. For the lecture part and group work, they will then get resources in advance to study and prepare for the seminar. The group work can take different forms depending on the topic being discussed - it can be preparing a position of a political group in the European Parliament on the Commission President's State of the Union speech, preparing a communication strategy for the Czech EU Presidency, preparing V4 countries' positions on the current EU agenda or advocating Member States' positions in a simulation of a Council/European Council meeting on a current topic.

Assessment methods

Students will be evaluated on the basis of their activity during discussions on the current events and the main topic of the lecture, as well as the quality of the (group) work prepared and presented for each seminar. Finally, an essay based on one of the topics discussed will be written and evaluated. At the end of the course, each student will choose one of the major topics discussed during the semester and write an approximately five-page essay based on the question that emerged from that discussion. After submitting it in the examination period, it will be possible to discuss the essay with the lecturers to improve the final grade.

Language of instruction

Czech

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
General note: Kurz je totožný s předmětem Aktuální dění v EU (provedena změna názvu).

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