Politics of the European Union

The European Union is an international leader in the fields of humanitarian and development aid, trade, finance and the response to climate change. But how significant a global actor is the EU? A decade ago, many observers believed the EU was emerging as a model for adaptation to globalization. The EU has since experienced  a series of grave challenges, from the Greek financial crisis to the arrival of large numbers of refugees at the borders of member states starting in 2014, the 2016 British vote to leave the Union, the retreat from democracy in Hungary and Poland, the Covid pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine. These crises have tested EU solidarity and capabilities. Critics have warned that the EU is not up the these challenges and confronts disintegration, while others admire the EU’s resilience. This course is designed to equip you with the ability to assess for yourself the relative shortcomings, failings, successes and capacities of the EU.

In order to build this analytical capacity, the course will consider the historical development of the EU and the evolution of EU institutions. As we examine these historical dimensions, we will address several core questions:

• How might we understand deepening integration between an enlarging group of sovereign states?
• What forces or mechanisms account for progress in European integration?
• How is the European Union structured and how does it decide and act?
• How have the Europeans constructed a single market and introduced a single currency, and what are the most critical consequences of these developments?
• What are the causes of the eurozone crisis, and what does it tell us about the weaknesses and strengths of the European integration project?
• Do nationalism and anti-EU populism threaten to create ever-deepening political turmoil for the integration project?
• What about Brexit – does Britain’s departure from the EU represent a first domino to fall, or will it serve as an object lesson in the benefits of integration and the costs of exit? Is Britain’s exit more damaging to the EU, or to the UK?
• How effectively has the EU responded to the COVID pandemic, and what can we learn about the EU from this response?

This is a three-credit hour online course. Please see your local Site Director or email our online site coordinator at [email protected]

Student materials are available at the OU Bookstore Website at https://ou.textbookx.com/institutional/index.php. The website has book selling, renting, buying, returning, and order tracking capabilities. If you need help with an order, or if you have any questions contact the toll-free phone at 1-(855)-790-6637, agents are available from 9a – 5p (EST) Monday – Friday. Text prices are available online.

Additional materials posted on the OU Canvas learning management system: Access Canvas at https://canvas.ou.edu, enter your OU NetID and password, and select course to access material. If you require assistance with Canvas, please click on the Help icon. You can search the Canvas guides, chat with Canvas support, or contact OU IT. 

All official correspondence from instructors will be sent only to students’ ou.edu address.

Email Account and Canvas: Students are expected to check their OU email accounts and the course site on Canvas daily for updates from the instructor

This course is designed to equip you with the ability to assess for yourself the relative shortcomings, failings, successes and capacities of the EU.

Please note that this is an intensive course, demanding extensive reading, interaction and writing over a 13-day period.  Our Canvas course site is the definitive guide to all course readings and assignments. Since there may be modest updates to assignments, please check the Canvas course site and your OU e-mail regularly after August 3.

The Canvas course page with all of the article readings will be available to the class starting no later than Thursday, August 4, four weeks prior to the start of the course. From that point forward, I will contact the class with regular e-mail updates through Canvas, including relevant pre-course readings and news items. Should you encounter any links to course readings that do not work, please contact me so I can correct these.

There are four graded components to the course:

1. An asynchronous online discussion on the origins of European integration to take place during a 72-hour window from noon Central Time on Thursday, September 1 to noon CT on Sunday, September 4 (20% of grade).
2. A second asynchronous 72-hour online discussion on the implications of Europe’s single market to take place from noon CT on Monday, September 5 to noon CT on Thursday, September 8 (20% of grade).

For each of these discussions, and for graded item (3) below, the expectation will be regular contributions to the discussion throughout the course of the discussion window. While students may be in different time zones, the advantage of the asynchronous discussion is that there is equal opportunity for all class members to contribute initial thoughts during the first 24 hours of the discussion period, to return to the discussion in the middle to add responses and raise questions, and to return once more toward the latter portion of the discussion to read new comments and contribute final perspectives.

Put differently, the expectation for the discussions is NOT a single comment and a single response to the comments of others, but something much more than this – regular engagement throughout the duration of each discussion.

Students who submit thoughtful substantive responses early in the discussion will earn credit for doing so, since these comments will help get the discussion off the ground.

Conversely, joining the discussion only during the concluding few hours to offer one or even a series of comments thst classmates will have little chance to read, digest, and respond to prior to the close of discussion will result in a poor grade for that discussion.

Comments should be substantive, though a lengthy, comprehensive response to the discussion prompt is not expected. A long paragraph or two concise paragraphs is about right. Focus each comment on one or two clear points, explain fully, and draw on the readings or provide examples where appropriate. Discussing relevant experiences outside the course is welcome, though, again, you should also address assigned course materials whenever possible.

Finally, this expectation for sustained, dedicated engagement is balanced by an understanding that you can not of course be on the course discussion board round the clock. But do be prepared to engage fully during the 13 days of the course.

3. An asynchronous online debate (different from a discussion only in that the expectation is that you choose and advocate for a particular position in response to the prompt) to take place during a 96-hour window from noon CT on Friday, September 9 to noon CT on Tuesday, September 13. The debate will focus on your assessment of how effectively the EU has responded to the succession of challenges marked by the financial crisis, refugees, Brexit, and the pandemic. (30% of course grade)
4. A final essay of 1500 words (6 double-spaced pages) due 2 weeks after last class meeting, noon CT on Wednesday, September 28 (30% of course grade).

Schedule of Assignments and Discussions (Note that the article readings for segments III through V will be updated; see Canvas course site for definitive guide and links to all articles.)

1. The Origins and Forces of European Integration
   1. Selections in the Nelsen and Stubb volume from: Spinelli and Rossi; Churchill; Schuman; preambles to the Treaties of Paris and Rome; Monnet; de Gaulle; preamble to the Single European Act; Thatcher; Delors; Haas.
   2. Jonathan Olsen and John McCormick, The European Union: Politics and Policies, pp. 1-90 (chapters 1-4) and 95-184 (chapters 5 through most of 9).
   3. Ernst Haas, “The Uniting of Europe,” pp, 145-149; Andrew Moravcsik, “The Choice for Europe,” pp. 215-228 and Alec Stone Sweet and Wayne Sandholtz, “Integration, Supranational Governance, and the Institutionalization of the European Polity,” pp. 229-249 in Nelsen and Stubb.

First discussion prompt (final version to be posted on Canvas a few days prior to the start of the discussion), noon CT Sep 1 to noon CT Sep 4: Setting aside for now the current challenges confronting the European Union (to which we will devote a great deal of attention in subsequent segments of the course), the advance of European integration is something of a puzzle. Countries with varying cultures, institutions and historical experiences, and which had recently been engaged in bitter conflict, somehow came together in a project of integration. Many observers of European Community/European Union countries (including journalists, politicians, and scholars) argued in the early decades of this project that substantial advances in integration were unlikely to take place, could occur only under highly specialized conditions, and would not endure. The historical development of the EC/EU seems to contradict this claim. How would you explain European integration? What factors or mechanisms have made progress possible? What role have EU institutions played in sustaining and advancing the integration process?

1. From Single Market to Economic and Monetary Union
   1. Olsen and McCormick, The European Union, pp. 237-251 (chapter 12).
   2. Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks, “Multi-Level Governance in the European Union,” pp. 263-276 in Nelsen and
   3. Paulette Kurzer, Markets and Moral Regulation, all.

Second discussion (noon CT Sep 5 to noon CT Sep 8) to be posted on Canvas immediately following first online discussion. The prompt will focus on the Kurzer book.

1. The Eurozone Crisis and the EU Response 
   2011. Steven Erlanger, "Euro, Meant to Unite Europe, Seems to Rend It," The New York Times, October 20,
   2012. Charles Grant, “25 Years On: How the Euro’s Architects Erred,” Centre for European Reform, November 5, 2015
   2013. Bergsten, C. F. (2012). Why the euro will survive: Completing the continent's half-built house. Foreign Affairs, 91(5)
   2014. Ian Parker, “The Greek Warrior: How a radical finance minister took on Europe – and failed,” The New Yorker, August 3, 2015;
   2015. Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, “European banking union needs its final leg,” The Financial Times, October 20, 2017; https://www.ft.com/content/611b7212-b263-11e7-aa26-bb002965bce8
   2016. Jennifer Rankin, “The eurozone strikes back – why Europe is booming again,” The Guardian, September 16, 2017
   2017. Barry Eichengreen, “Can Macron and Merkel agree on how to fix the Eurozone?” The Guardian, September 11, 2017

1. The EU as a Community of Values and the Future of the EU

Indicative readings (see Canvas for definitive reading assignment)

312. John McCormick, The European Union, pp. 240-243 and 296-312.
313. Rick Lyman, "Eastern Bloc’s Resistance to Refugees Highlights Europe’s Cultural and Political Divisions," The New York Times, September 12,
314. Council of the European Union, “EU-Turkey Statement,” 18 March 2016
315. “Turkey Threatens to Unilaterally Suspend Refugee Deal,” Deutsche Welle, March 16, 2017
316. Aria Bendix, “EU Takes Legal Action Against Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, The Atlantic, June 14, 2017
317. “European Parliament Resolution on the Situation in Hungary,” May 17, 2017, Strasbourg
318. Heather Grabbe and Stefan Lehne, “Defending EU Values in Poland and Hungary,” Carnegie Europe, September 4, 2017
319. Matthew Taylor, “’White Europe’: 60,000 nationalists march on Poland’s independence day,” The Guardian, November 12, 2017
320. Peter Mueller and Christoph Schult, “Merkel Risks Deepening EU Rifts,” Spiegel Online, October 18, 2017
321. Robyn Munro, “Brexit Brief: negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU,” Institute for Government (UK), July 19, 2016.
322. Katrin Bennhold, “Where Brexit Hurts: The Nurses and Doctors Leaving London,” The New York Times, Nov. 21, 2017.

Updated sources on Brexit, departure from democracy and rule of law in Hungary and Poland, and the EU pandemic response, will be available on Canvas when the course site goes live on or before August 4, 2022.

Final Essay assignment (1500 words) due by noon CT on Wednesday, September 28: to be posted to Canvas prior September 13.  

Grading: This is a letter-graded course: A, B, C, D, or F.

Notice: Failure to meet assignment due dates could result in a grade of I (Incomplete) and may adversely impact Tuition Assistance and/or Financial Aid.

If you experience technical problems, contact Information Technology by visiting their website at: http://webapps.ou.edu/it/ or contacting them by telephone at: (405) 325-HELP (4357).

Materials posted on the OU CANVAS system:

Access CANVAS at http://canvas.ou.edu; enter your OU NetID (4+4) and password, and select course to access the material.

Procedures for Completion of Course Evaluation: 

Upon completion of the course students should go to the Advanced Programs Online Learning Information webpage and click on the applicable semester link under “Online Course Evaluation” which will direct them to the evaluation.  The evaluation will take approximately five minutes to complete.  Completion of the online evaluation is an important tool allowing Advanced Programs to gain information and student feedback for improvement of courses.

Your responses will be kept confidential.  They will be reviewed by the department and only supplied to the professor once grades for the course have been submitted.

Materials posted on the OU CANVAS system:

Access CANVAS at http://canvas.ou.edu; enter your OU NetID (4+4) and password, and select course to access material. Please contact your local the IT Help desk at 405-325-HELP if you require assistance.  IT is available 24/7

Statement about the MHR Program Planner and Human Relations Website

Students should become familiar with the MHR Program Planner that was sent to each student upon admission into the program.  The planner has a description of the HR program objectives and requirements, suggestions for graduate study, financial assistance, and graduation information. Of particular interest is the information on the comprehensive exams and the internship.  For further information please visit the Department of Human Relations Website at: http://www.ou.edu/cas/hr

Reasonable Accommodation Statement

The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities.  Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities.  Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of Disability Services prior to receiving accommodations in this course.  The Office of Disability Services is located in Goddard Health Center, Suite 166, phone 405-325-3852 or TDD only 405-325-4173. For more information please see the Disability Resource Center website http://www.ou.edu/drc/home.html

Civility/Inclusivity Statement:

We understand our members represent a rich variety of backgrounds and perspectives. The Human Relations Department is committed to providing an atmosphere for learning that respects diversity. While working together to build this community we ask all members to:

• share their unique experiences, values and beliefs
• be open to the views of others
• honor the uniqueness of their colleagues
• appreciate the opportunity we have to learn from each other in this community
• value each other’s opinions and communicate in a respectful manner
• keep confidential discussions the community has of a personal (or professional) nature
• use this opportunity together to discuss ways in which we can create an inclusive environment in this course and across the University of Oklahoma community.

Religious Holidays

It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without a penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays, without penalty.

Attendance/Grade Policy

Attendance and participation in interaction, individual assignments, group exercises, simulations, role playing, etc. are valuable aspects of any course because much of the learning comes from discussions in class with other students. It is expected that you attend all classes and be on time except for excused emergencies.

Excused absences are given for professor mandated activities or legally required activities such as emergencies or military assignments. It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays. Unavoidable personal emergencies, including (but not limited to) serious illness; delays in getting to class because of accidents, etc.; deaths and funerals, and hazardous road conditions will be excused.

If you are obtaining financial assistance (TA, STAP, FA, VA, Scholarship, etc.) to pay all or part of your tuition cost, you must follow your funding agency/institution’s policy regarding “I” (Incomplete) grades unless the timeline is longer than what the University policy allows then you must adhere to the University policy. Students who receive Financial Aid must resolve/complete any “I” (Incomplete) grades by the end of the term or he/she may be placed on “financial aid probation.” If the “I” grade is not resolved/completed by the end of the following term, the student’s Financial Aid may be suspended make the student ineligible for further Financial Aid.

Students are responsible for meeting the guidelines of Tuition Assistance and Veterans Assistance. See the education counselor at your local education center for a complete description of your TA or VA requirements.

OU faculty will submit grades online through ONE not later than 30 days after the course end date. Course end dates are approximately one calendar month after the final seminar date on this syllabus and are provided on the official scheduling website for reference.

Academic Integrity and Student Conduct 

Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. Academic assignments exist to help students learn; grades exist to show how fully this goal is attained. Therefore all work and all grades should result from the student's own understanding and effort.

Academic misconduct is any act which improperly affects the evaluation of a student’s academic performance or achievement. Misconduct occurs when the student either knows or reasonably should know that the act constitutes misconduct. Academic misconduct includes: cheating and using unauthorized materials on examinations and other assignments; improper collaboration, submitting the same assignment for different classes (self-plagiarism); fabrication, forgery, alteration of documents, lying, etc…in order to obtain an academic advantage; assisting others in academic misconduct; attempting to commit academic misconduct; destruction of property, hacking, etc…; intimidation and interference with integrity process; and plagiarism. All students should review the Student’s Guide to Academic Integrity at http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html 

Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. All students should review policies regarding student conduct at http://studentconduct.ou.edu/ 

Accommodation Statement

The University of Oklahoma is committed to making its activities as accessible as possible. For accommodations on the basis of disability, please contact your local OU Site Director.

Adjustment for Pregnancy/Childbirth-Related Issues

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact the professor as soon as possible to discuss. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Please see http://www.ou.edu/content/eoo/faqs/pregnancy-faqs.html. 

Title IX Resources

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no-contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office at [email protected] or (405) 325-2215 (8-5), or the Sexual Assault Response Team at (405) 615 -0013 (24/7) to report an incident. To learn more about Title IX, please visit the Institutional Equity Office’s website at http://www.ou.edu/content/eoo.html 

Course Policies

Extended Campus (also and formerly known as Advanced Programs) policy is to order books in paperback if available. Courses, dates, and professors are subject to change. Please check with your OU Site Director. Students should retain a copy of any assignments that are e/mailed to the professor for the course. Neither duplicating services nor office supplies are provided.

Any and all course materials, syllabus, lessons, lectures, etc. are the property of professor teaching the course and the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma and are protected under applicable copyright.

For more information about OU Extended Campus, visit our website at: http://www.goou.ou.edu/

Statement on Respect

The classroom should provide a safe learning environment where students can express their views without fear of reprisal. That freedom of expression must be balanced by demonstrated respect for other’s viewpoints and appropriate and reasonable sensitivity, especially within the context of scholarly disagreement.  Disrespectful or uncivil dialogue (including, but not limited to, personal attacks, insults, or harassment) will not be tolerated.

Recording Devices/Phones/Computers

It is important for students to be fully present during class to fully benefit from lectures, discussions, and experiential assignments. Class sessions may not be tape-recorded. All telephones and pagers should be turned off or placed on silent mode. Computers may not be used during class. Students who require an exception to this policy should discuss exceptional circumstances with the professor.

Mitchell P. Smith, Ph.D.

Education

• 1993 D., Politics, Princeton University

• School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton  University

• BA Economics, University of California, Berkeley

•  

Academic Positions

• Academic Director, OU MA program in International Relations (since June 2014)

• Interim Dean, College of International Studies (Oct 2019-July 2020)

• Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of International Studies, OU (since July 2015)

• Professor and Chair, Department of International and Area Studies, OU (June 2012-Sep 2019)

• Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and School of International and Area Studies, OU (2004-2012)

• Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Political Science, OU (2007-12)

• Director of Graduate Studies, School of International and Area Studies, OU (2003-10)

• Assistant Professor, OU 1999 to 2004

• Advanced Programs Professor since 2000

•  

Frequently Taught Courses

• PSC 5550 Politics of the Global Financial Crisis

• IAS 5213 The European Union

• IAS 5790 Introduction to Graduate Studies in International Relations

Major Areas of Teaching and Research Interest

• Comparative Political Economy

• International Political Economy

• West European Politics

• The European Union

Representative Publications and Presentations

• Co-editor, Redefining European Economic Governance (Routledge, 2014).

• Regulating Environment and Health in the U.S. and the EU: Protecting Public and Planet, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).

• Editor, Europe and National Economic Transformation: The EU After the Lisbon Decade (European Union Politics series, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).

• States of Liberalization: Redefining the Public Sector in Integrated Europe (State University of New York Press, 2005).

• Co-editor, Legitimacy and the European Union: The Contested Polity (London and New York: Routledge, 1999).

• “Single market, global competition: regulating the European market in a global economy,” Journal of European Public Policy 17, No. 7 (October 2010): 937-953.

• “All Access Points are Not Created Equal: Explaining the Fate of Diffuse Interests in the EU,” British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Vol. 10, No. 1 (January, 2008): 65-84.

• "Europe and the German Model: Growing Tension or Symbiosis?" German Politics (December 2001).

• "In Pursuit of Selective Liberalization: Single Market Competition and its Limits," Journal of European Public Policy, (December 2001).

• “Autonomy by the Rules: the European Commission and the Development of State Aid Policy,"Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 36, No. 1 (March 1998): 55-78.

• “Facing the Market: Institutions, Strategies, and the Fate of Organized Labor in Germany and Britain,” Politics & Society 26, Number 1 (March 1998): 35-67.

• “Democratic Legitimacy in European Union: Fulfilling the Institutional Logic,” Journal of Legislative Studies Volume 2, No. 4 (Winter 1996), pp. 283-301.

Honors and Awards

• 2011 William Talley Award for Teaching Excellence, College of Intl. Studies, OU

• 2000-01 Jean Monnet Fellowship, European University Institute, Florence, Italy

• 1997 Fulbright Inter-country Lecture Award, University of Salamanca, Spain

• 1996-97 Fulbright Research Award in European Union Affairs, Brussels, Belgium

• 1989-90 Fulbright Fellowship, United Kingdom

• 1989 Friedrich Ebert Foundation Fellowship, Bonn, Germany