HODSON Dermot & WESTLAKE Martin - Politics, People and Power: Personalities and European Integration (25h)
Professors:
Academic Assistant: Harm VAN DE PLASSCHE
While institutions evidently matter for European integration, the dominance of the new institutionalism in political science tends to perpetuate the popular image of the European Union (EU) as a faceless organisation. Combining insights from the study of politics, history and sociology, this innovative optional course will provide students with fresh ways of looking at the role of people in advancing (and opposing) the European project. From the founding fathers and mothers of European integration to the impact of social media influencers, it asks how individuals have crossed national borders in one way or another in the European 'construction process'. The course will be of particular value for students thinking of embarking on a career in or around the EU and its institutions.