Europe In Crisis

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This advanced undergraduate lecture course examines the impact of the succession of overlapping crises that have engulfed Europe since 2008. Once students have been exposed to the foundational elements of postwar European political economy and the trajectory of European integration, the course takes up the origins and implications of Eurozone crisis, the Russia/Ukraine crisis, the refugee/immigration crisis, Brexit, the crisis of transatlantic relations, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The course culminates with a two-week-long simulation of an EU summit in which students are assigned country roles and are presented with a crisis scenario to which they must respond. Students will have an opportunity to hone critical writing and speaking skills, and they will learn how to write policy memos and position papers in connection with the simulation.