Academic Catalog

IR561 ENLARGEMENT AND INTEG.IN THE EUR.UNION

Course Code: 3140561
METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): 3(3-0)
ECTS Credit: 8.0
Department: International Relations
Language of Instruction: English
Level of Study: Graduate
Course Coordinator: Assoc.Prof.Dr. SEVÝLAY KAHRAMAN
Offered Semester: Fall Semesters.

Course Content

This course is intended primarily for MSc International Relations and MSc in European Studies. It may also be taken by certain students provided that they already have a sufficient knowledge of the process of European integration and of the EU, its political system and its policy-making as a whole. The aim of the course is to develop a detailed critical/analytical approach to the study of the one of the most important political and economic issues facing EC/EU since its foundation, namely the enlargement of the Union to include new members. The course hence aims to complement more general courses on European integration and EU. By drawing on the experience and lessons of previous enlargements, the course will provide a detailed knowledge on the current enlargement process to include the 10 Central and Eastern European countries as well as 3 Mediterranean states; Cyprus, Malta and Turkey. The course also aims to develop a comprehensive and comparative approach to the analysis of EU-Turkey relations by placing it in the broader context of an enlarging and deepening Europe. Indeed, the overall impact of enlargement-both in terms of challenges and possibilities- for the EU can be studied not only by focusing on the internal (policy) implications and external implications of enlargement but also by placing emphasis on the uneasy relationship between enlargement and deepening of the EU. What emerges are the current recurrent contending visions of European unity (federalist versus confederalist; Atlanticist versus Europeanist) ant the pros and cons of a more differentiated Europe that appears to be breaking forth in the Union.