Course Title：The European Union: A Socio-Economic Analysis

The course is designed to encourage an understanding of the European Union through the lens of sociology, economics and political science, tracing its history and development from its early foundations as the 6-member European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, through the creation of the European Economic Community (or ‘Common Market’) in 1957, the Single Market in 1987, the European Union in 1992 through to the present-day union of 28 independent European nations (soon to be 27 as one country –the United Kingdom –prepares to leave in 2019, subsequent to the referendum in 2016). Key sociological questions pertaining to migration, the movement of refugees and the rise of nationalism and populism will be discussed as will economic questions such as the creation of the Euro and Eurozone since 2001. The course will be delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars, assessed through attendance, participation, student presentations and final written examination