Use the Tab and Up, Down arrow keys to select menu items.
The EU is increasingly an international actor in trade negotiations, world security issues, development aid and environmental policy. The course questions how the rest of the world views the Union in these roles is juxtaposed with the way the EU sees itself as an international actor. This is a course where students can gain unique perspectives in what the EU means for the Asia-Pacific and wider world and look at the question of how outsiders define what Europe is and what it stands for.
With the post-Lisbon EU placing increasing value on its external relations, is Europe changing the world? The EU’s ‘normative’ identity combines the rule of law, governance and democracy with ‘hard’ power decisions, giving the EU “a unique opportunity to brand itself as a beacon of civilization and prosperity” (van Hamm 2008: 137). To test this claim, the course will provide a systematic overview of how recognised is EU global authority and model of integration, environmental initiatives, human rights and democracy. This will establish a baseline of perceived EU ‘normative’ importance among third-countries in Europe and around the world; evaluate the influence of EU visibility on international policy-making towards the EU and attempt an early assessment of the impact of the Lisbon Treaty in EU external relations.The course aims to develop and expand research expertise in the EU Studies among NZ post-graduate students. The EU is increasingly an international actor in trade negotiations, world security issues, development aid and environmental policy. The EU is also undertaking public diplomacy outreach in order to win hearts and minds of the global public in the multipolar world. The proposed course questions on how the rest of the world views the Union in these roles is juxtaposed with the way the EU sees itself as an international and diplomatic actor. This is a course where students can gain unique perspectives in what the EU means for the Asia-Pacific and wider world and look at the question of how outsiders define what Europe is and what it stands for.The course will present the students with results of a series of original research projects at the NCRE uniquely incorporating theoretical perspectives and empirical findings of those projects. Importantly, students will be trained in the original research methodology to conduct a comprehensive media analysis – a skill highly valuable at diplomatic, governmental, business, civil society and media careers.
This course enables students through achieving a number of objectives:Expose students to the EU’s global presence and its diplomatic capacities as a ‘soft’ and ‘normative’ power vs. ‘hard’ power and gain greater knowledge and understanding of its global influence and public diplomacy strategies.Expose students to the achievements of the NCRE leading research projects on EU international identity (with a focus on Asia-Pacific in particular) and deepen their knowledge and understanding of the EU’s external impact in wider Europe and world.Enhance graduate research capacities through the individual projects requirement – developed following students individual research interests -- and promote original, high-quality research by emphasizing the intellectual importance of transnational, multidisciplinary approaches to the study of the EU.Enhance the research training of graduates by introducing them to advanced internationally tested methods of analysis (possible to be used in the future at various professional area). Provide research methods and training specifically relevant to studying the EU, as well as public diplomacy.
Subject to approval of the NCRE Director.
EURO402 before 2014
Natalia Chaban
Katharine Vadura
There is no exam for this course.
There is no single text book for the course. The collection of selected readings will be available for the students prior to each tutorial. Students are strongly encouraged to form their own bibliographies. The course involves the most recent resources (academic publications (books, chapters, articles), as well mass media outputs (news publications, televised materials, movies, Internet materials, etc.) Relevant material, which may be helpful, can be found at the Library Subject Guide for European Union Studies (see link below). Information about European Union programme (EURO) at the post-graduate level can be found at the website of the National Centre for Research on Europe: http://www.europe.canterbury.ac.nz/
Library portal
At 2pm every Friday during term the NCRE hosts a research seminar open to anyone interested in European issues. The seminars range from presentations by Ambassadors, visiting professors to NCRE thesis students covering a wide range of contemporary European topics. Students enrolled in this course are encouraged to attend and participate.
Domestic fee $845.00
International Postgraduate fees
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see National Centre for Research on Europe .