Lecturer: Bianca Polo del Vecchio

Through this course students will develop a broad understanding of the external relations policies of the European Union.

Students will gain knowledge and tools to allow them to formulate opinions on matters relating to the external relations of the EU and the EU’s place on the international stage, and will gain in confidence in presenting and defending these positions. Students will have the opportunity to take part in class debates and in discussions within smaller groups. Students will be asked to draw and report conclusions, and to make both individual and group presentations.

Through this course students will gain an understanding of the various ways in which the European Union seeks to promote its common interests on the world stage. This course begins with the contextualization of the European Union’s external relations. Students will consider how factors such as prevailing national interests and the economic crisis have affected the EU’s external relations, and how the shifting balance of global power impacts upon the EU’s standing. Students will then study the EU’s programme of enlargement and consider its consequences for the EU, its member states, and (potential) candidate states. Students will consider the objectives and successes of the EU’s neighbourhood policies in drawing nearby states into a ‘sphere of influence’. Particular attention will be paid to the EU’s relations with three major powers, namely Russia, the United States, and China. Students will also learn about the economic means used by the EU to assert its influence and shape development elsewhere in the world. Finally, students will reflect upon whether the EU can be, or hope to be, considered a superpower or a role model for other regional organisations.