Practical EU-knowledge

The course is offered as an elective course within the European Studies Program. The course is also offered as a single subject course and for exchange students.

The course can be part of the following programmes: European Studies Program (S1EUR), Master's Programme in European Studies (S2EUS) and BA-program in Global Studies (S1GLS)

The requirement for admission is a minimum of 60 credits or equivalent knowledge. Applicants must prove their knowledge of English: English 6 or English level 2 from Swedish Upper Secondary School or the equivalent level of an internationally recognized test, for example TOEFL, IELTS.

The course Practical EU-knowledge is developed as a unique cooperation between the Centre for European Studies (CES), at the department of Political Science, and the European Documentation Centre (EDC), at the University Library at the University of Gothenburg. The course is intended to provide practical competences and skills, useful for work within public administration (EU and national), as well as within other organisations where knowledge about the EU decision-making procedure and documentation is necessary, e.g. civil society organizations and the private sector; thereby increasing the students’ international competence and employability. The course consists of three interlinked modules:

Sub-courses

1. EU institutions and decision-making procedures (EU:s institutioner och beslutsprocesser ), 3 credits

Grading scale: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U)

The first module aims to provide basic knowledge about the development of the European Union (EU), the main institutions, policy areas, decision-making procedures (from initiative to decision) and the link to the national level (especially in Sweden).

2. Official documents and information of the EU (EU:s officiella dokumentation och information ), 4.5 credits

Grading scale: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U)

The second module focuses on practical competences and skills in relation to official EU documents and information. Students will gain knowledge about how EU documentation is organised by practical exercises in searching for information in various data bases, following the different steps of the EU decision-making procedures and related information regarding national implementation, evaluations, judgements and media. An important part of this part of the course is source criticism and discussions regarding the availability and transparency of EU documentation.

3. Report and oral presentation (Rapportskrivande och muntlig presentation ), 7.5 credits

Grading scale: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U)

The third module of the course is parallel to the other two. Knowledge about the EU, the decision-making procedures and how to find EU documentation should be applied independently, resulting in an academic report and oral presentation at the final seminar. This module is introduced early in the course in order to provide opportunity for students to utilize the knowledge and practical exercises during the course to search for relevant information and documents. The project work consists of choosing an EU directive, tracing and analysing the EU decision-making process from earliest documents to final decision, including information regarding the process of national implementation. The project work will also provide the opportunity for students to develop their communicative competences and skills.

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• demonstrate basic knowledge about the EU, particularly about the EU institutions and decision-making procedures
• account for different types of sources for EU information, with a particular focus on the various official EU documents, their designations and in which data bases they can be found

Competence and skills

• carry out an independent and thorough investigation of information by tracing the decision-making process of an actual case (an EU directive) from start to national implementation
• develop an academic report from idea to completion
• explain, both orally and in writing, how EU institutions and policy-making procedures can be related to official documents and sources of information
• independently produce text in accordance with good academic practice, including proper citation technique and use of references
• communicate clearly and proficiently in English both orally and in writing

Judgement and approach

• critically reflect upon EU documentation and data bases, as well as the student´s own process of investigating information

Teaching is conducted through lectures, workshops with written and oral components and a concluding final seminar.

Language of instruction: English

The assessment of the course consists of two shorter exams following module 1 (3 credits) and module 2 (4,5 credits), and module 3 will be assessed by the final report and oral presentation (7,5 credits). A failed exam will have to be done again. For the academic report, students who do not pass can be asked to re-work the report and re-submit. If the student does not re-submit the reworked report on time, the student will be failed on the assignment.

A student who is not able to attend a compulsory part of the course can do an alternative assignment. The assignment will be described in the course guide.

Restrictions on the use of generative AI are stated in the course guide. Students are obliged to inform themselves about the current rules for examining elements such as assignments, seminar papers and other forms of exams in the course in question.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed.

The grading scale comprises: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U).

To obtain the Pass grade for the course as a whole, students must achieve at least a Pass grade for exam 1 and 2 and the report.

In order to get the grade Pass with Distinction, students must achieve Pass with Distinction on the report, and at least one of the exams.

The criteria for Pass with distinction on the report will be described in detail in the course guide. In general, it is necessary that the work of the student should demonstrate a very good knowledge on the main themes covered by the course, and also demonstrate very good skills to carry out an independent investigation and to fulfill high academic standards in terms of structure and language, as well as demonstrate the ability to undertake the task within a predetermined time frame.

The student will be given the opportunity to do a course evaluation. The results of and possible changes to the course will be shared with students who participated in the evaluation and students who are starting the course.