This module aims to:

• Consolidate, contextualise and develop students’ knowledge of the institutions of the European Union.
• Provide students with skills to describe and analyse those institutions.
• Introduce and discuss the key literature to students. 

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

·         identify and theorise on the main institutions and characteristic institutional features of the European Union;

·         explain the interaction between institutions at both the EU and national levels;

·         Critically apply theoretical literature to practical examples.

Cognitive Skills

·         Gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information from a variety of secondary and some primary sources.

·         Identify, investigate, analyse, formulate and advocate solutions to problems.

·         Construct reasoned argument, synthesize relevant information and exercise critical judgement.

·         Reflect on their own learning and seek and make use of constructive feedback.

·         Engage in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary debates.

·         Evaluate research material.

·         Apply theoretical frameworks to policy/empirical analysis

Transferable skills

·         Communicate effectively and fluently in speech and writing.

·         Use communication and information technology for the retrieval and presentation of information, including, where appropriate, statistical or numerical information.

·         Deploy a range of relevant research skills.

·         Adopt a proactive approach to problem solving.

Practical skills

·         Make appropriate use of information and communications technology.

·         Demonstrate their ability to present work orally.

·         Employ relevant research skills to investigate a politics- or policy-related area.

·         Access relevant politics- and policy-related datasets and be able to retrieve data from them.

The module will work from an initial contextualisation, through key institutions and into a consideration of how they interact, both which each other and with other bodies.

The following list gives an indication of topics that are covered in this module:

·         Introduction: What is the EU?

·         Building a context: The history of European integration since 1945 and some theoretical perspectives

·         The EU’s executive function: Council, Commission

·         The EU’s legislative function: European Parliament

·         The EU’s judicative function: Court of Justice

·         The EU’s other bodies: Central Bank, agencies

·         States as actors in the EU

·         Making it all work: the interaction of the institutions

Essential Texts:

J. Peterson & M. Shackleton, The Institutions of the European Union, ( Oxford , OUP, 2002)

Recommended:

M. Cini & N. Perez-Solorzano Borragan, European Union Politics (3^rd ed. Oxford University , 2010)

D. Dinan, Ever Closer Union . An Introduction to European Integration (4^th ed. Palgrave, 2010)

S. George & I. Bache, Politics in the European Union (2^nd ed. OUP, 2006).

S. Hix, The Political System of the European Union (2^nd ed, Palgrave, 2005)

N. Nugent, The Government and Politics of the European Union (7^th ed., Palgrave, 2010)

John Pinder & S. Usherwood, The European Union: A Very Short Introduction ( Oxford , 2^nd ed., 2007)