Politics and Society in Contemporary Europe

4 Credits.

We are regularly told that Europe should do this or that, that it should stand up to one power and improve its relations with another. However important these systemic pressures for Europe to act as a single power in international affairs, they run up against the reality of a region made up of multiple independent national states, with diverse political traditions and party systems, dramatically different historical experiences, and a great variety of economic specialisations and dependencies. This course provides a systematic introduction to the political and social diversity within Europe, an understanding of which is essential to grasp the dynamics of regional integration and to properly assess what place Europe as an actor may play in global affairs. In its approach to studying contemporary European politics and society, this course emphasizes history, social formations, party systems, political traditions, ideas and collective identities. The course balances attention to cross-cutting themes – such as polarization, capitalist diversity and relations between the genders – with a focus on experiences of European citizens shaped by where in Europe they live.