The Politics of Integration and Disintegration
After a long period of integration with a transfer of more policy competences from the national to the supranational level, the accession of new member states, and the development of the institutional structure, the rise of Euroskeptic parties, negative referendums, and declining public support with “My population First” indicate a trend toward disintegration. In this seminar, we will study the scientific literature on integration and disintegration.
Course Policies and Organisational Information Classroom Policies and Procedures
General:
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the course will be held online via Zoom. Should there be any changes to this policy you will be informed immediately. The course language is English.
Sessions: Every course session will have a similar structure. In the first session, we will allocate research papers and organize their presentation during the course (20-minutes presentations). While these papers cover the sessions 4 to 12, we will commonly prepare sessions 2 and 3 (coursework). While all participants have to prepare the listed article for sessions 2–12 (coursework), this article only serves as a guideline for those who present their paper. In addition to this article, their presentation reflects the “state of the art”, i.e., the literature that reflects existing research on the respective topic.
E-Mail Correspondence: Please make sure to check your university-email address inbox regularly otherwise you might miss important news and updates regarding this class. When emailing, please make sure to ask a specific question.
Attendance: Even though attendance in lectures and seminars is not mandatory, participation in the discussions of the Zoom-sessions is required.
Late Work Policy: In general, I will not allow extensions on any of the assessments. Start early with them, so you do not run out of them when the deadline approaches. However, should you find yourself in a situation which hinders you from turning something in on time, let me know as soon as you can and not on the day the task is due or afterwards. We will work together to come up with a solution.
Technology Policy: If you do not have access to an electronic device that allows you to participate appropriately, please let me know as soon as possible and we will find a solution. As you surely know, cell phones and computers can tend to obstruct attention when used inappropriately. I suggest responsibly using technology during the Zoom sessions. Hence, your laptop/
tablet should only be used for note-taking and retrieving and reviewing papers where necessary.
Students with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses: Contact me or the Studienbüro, if you need any special support. Please do so early in the semester, in order to ensure that the appropriate arrangements can be made early on.
Cheating and Plagiarism: In science, plagiarism is sanctioned as it violates property rights. Plagiarising will thus lead to failing the course or to expulsion from the University of Mannheim. All submissions will be checked for plagiarism using the Urkund-Software.
AssessmentGrading Policy: The examination regulations state that course assessment consists of two components: coursework (Studienleistungen) and examinations (Prüfungsleistungen). Coursework is graded as pass/
fail and is defined as preliminary required (Vorleistung) before you can be admitted to the examination, which concerns the evaluation of your paper. Nonaccomplishment or failure of successful completion of the coursework leads to an exclusion from the paper evaluation consequently to failure of this course. The grading is on a scale from 1.0 (very good) to 5.0 (not satisfactory, fail) and will be the grade for the entire course (coursework and paper). Every assessment will have a dedicated assessment folder on ILIAS where you can upload your work.
Weekly Readings and Discussion Questions: Prior to each session, you are expected to prepare the papers assigned, see ‘Course Structure’ (see Syllabus in Ilias Group). You are required to submit one discussion question per paper via email to the presentator no later than the afternoon prior to the session, i.e., TUESDAYS, 18.00 hrs. Please note, that you do not need to send discussion questions if you are giving a presentation in the upcoming session.
Presentations: Each of you is required to give a 20-minutes presentation on one of the papers listed in the ‘Course Structure’ section below. Papers will be allocated during our first session. Presentations must include a slide-show, created with Power Point or suitable alternatives. Slide-shows must be submitted via email no later than the afternoon prior to the session, i.e., TUESDAY, 18.00 hrs. Presentations must include the following features:
- Most importantly, present the rough structure of the paper together with short summaries of the main information provided in section. This should make up the longest part of your presentation.
- Find an alternative title to the paper that nicely captures the paper’s gist.
- Engage with the first author of the paper and present some background information on them, such as, at which institution do they work? Which extramural affiliations do they have? What is their main research are? Since when do they research affective polarisation?
- Take it personal. What did you like about the paper? What bothered you? You may answer these questions with regard to all aspects of the paper. Did you like the topic? Did you find the research method appropriate? Do you agree with the conclusions? Did the authors use certain language that bothered you?
Term Paper: The term paper (length: 10–15 pages, excl. figures, tables, references and appendix; font: Times New Roman or equivalent; font-size: 12pt; double spacing; margins: 2.5cm) should focus on the topic addressed and the state of the art. In doing so, you are expected to search for other articles and to summarize their contribution, i.e., in terms of theory, method, findings. The final term paper will have to include an introduction, a methods/
research design and an analysis section as well as a conclusion/
discussion of your topic. Ideally, this paper should be considered a trial-run for your BA-Thesis. If you feel like you need help with finding or developing a topic or research question, please make an appointment. Term papers have to be handed no later than TBA. You need to hand in an electronic copy of your term paper (pdf-upload via ILIAS including all additional materials). In addition, you have to hand in a paper copy including the statutory declaration. Only after I have received the paper copy, I will be able to enter your grade. Should you fail to submit a term paper by the above-mentioned deadline or submit an insufficient term paper, you will receive the grade 5.0 (not satisfactory, fail). Please note that it is not possible to retake the term paper on its own. It is part of the overall assessment (which includes the coursework), which can only be retaken in its entirety in one of the following semesters.
