Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Culture, Politica e Società

This course will start with a description of the EU’s structure, examining the role of its institutions and the implementing of specific policies, and aims to investigate the subject of political representation and the democratic shortcomings of the EU.
What will be particularly illustrated are the main characteristics of the European Parliament, elections and the budding system of European political parties, interest groups, movements and organisation of civil society in the unfolding European politics.
As well as a good grounding in the subject, students will have to demonstrate a critical understanding of the fundamental trends, the essential outlines and the common threads linking the processes of globalisation, intergovernmental cooperation, supranational integration and the transformation of the concept of the nation state in Europe. Students will also have to demonstrate an ability to present and support an argument, as as well as to interpret information and combine knowledge and skills in order to adopt an interdisciplinary approach.

Frontal lectures are foreseen for this course. In the first lesson, the lecturer will illustrate the characteristics of the course, the issues that will be addressed, the texts that will be used and the organisational procedures that will be adopted.

The student must have a good understanding and comprehension of the subjects covered during the course and be able to correctly employ the knowledge acquired with a critical approach to problem-solving, connecting and comparing the approaches to European integration, the theorisations regarding the institutional system, the types of players and the individual policies of the European Union.

For attending students, these abilities can be enriched, during the lessons, with interaction in terms of  speeches, observations and points of interest for further consideration and exploring. To this end, students will be provided with the necessary knowledge to access bibliographic and documentary sources. On request (on the part of the individual student), specific aspects of the European integration process will be explored further through optional participation in seminars and conferences identified by the lecturer.

Final assessment will take place, during the course of the oral exam, through an evaluation of the knowledge and comprehension acquired by the student with reference to the topics studied and the text books listed. The book list will account for a distinction between attending and non-attending students, in view of the latter's need to further their study of the texts in order to prepare fully for the exam.

Exams foresee a series of questions, some of a more general nature, aimed at assessing students' knowledge of the topics studied. Others, on the other hand, will be more specific in order to ascertain the extent to which students have developed and furthered their study of the subject.

During the oral exam, students will have to demonstrate knowledge and comprehension of theoretical approaches, of institutional, political and social aspects of the European integration process, and more generally, the functioning of the system of the European Union. Here, students must show competence and make reference, where appropriate, to real situations, such as periods of crisis or the development of the European integration process. Students will have to prove their ability to express themselves coherently and eloquently, offering independence of judgement as well as clear and concise arguments, elaborating on and interweaving the knowledge and skills that they have acquired. 

Specific assessment criteria and exam procedures are foreseen for attending students, and they will be communicated at the beginning of the course.

Highlights of the history of the process of European integration
Introduction to the EU’s political system
Theories of European integration and community dynamics
Presenting the EU institutions and policies (particularly the EMU, Common Agricultural Policy, Common Foreign Policy and Security, Common Security and Defence Policy, the old “Third Pillar”)

Structure, powers and function of the European Parliament. European elections, parliamentary groups and European party federations
Role of regional and local powers and cross-border cooperation
European networks of transnational organisations and associations and of civil society, movements for European unity and NGO
Interest groups and unions
Political representation and democratic shortcomings of the EU

 1) For the part of a generalised nature:

- 1A) For the attending students:
         the notes taken in the lesson

- 1B) For students not personally attending:
MARCO BRUNAZZO, Come funziona l’Unione europea. Le istituzioni, i processi decisionali, le politiche, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2009

2) For all students (whether or not attending), one book chosen from the following:

- MARIA CRISTINA MARCHETTI, Democrazia e partecipazione nell’Unione europea, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2012 (reprint), pp. 7-89 e 126-138.
- MARIA CRISTINA ANTONUCCI, Rappresentanza degli interessi oggi. Il lobbying nelle istituzioni politiche europee e italiane, Roma, Carocci, 2011 (pp. 13-86).


3) For all students (whether or not attending), one book chosen from the following:
- DANIELE PASQUINUCCI and  LUCA VERZICHELLI, Elezioni europee e classe politica sovranazionale 1979-2004, Bologna, il Mulino, 2004
- LORENZO VIVIANI, L’Europa dei partiti. Per una sociologia dei partiti politici nel processo di integrazione europea, Firenze, Firenze University Press, 2009

For students not attending, additional reading will be required: not only the books in points 1, 2 and 3 above, but also one of the books below:

- SANDRO GOZI, Il governo dell'Europa, Bologna, il Mulino, 2011
- MAURIZIO COTTA, PIERANGELO ISERNIA, LUCA VERZICHELLI (edited by), L'Europa in Italia. Élite, opinione pubblica e decisioni, Bologna, il Mulino, 2005 (pp. 1-116, 171-221, 277-386)