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| Semester | fall semester 2023 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Stefanie Bailer (stefanie.bailer@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In the first sessions (via zoom) we will introduce and discuss the decision-making procedures on the EU and the Council of Europe. In addition to insights on the institutional design and operation of both regional organizations the seminar stresses potential difficulties the member state representatives could encounter when negotiating in the EU and the CoE respectively, which are both based on democratic norms and rules. These challenges encompass not only coping with illiberal and/or undemocratic member states, but also coping with inequality between member states with respect to size and capacities. Both challenges can be interrelated as larger undemocratic member states might pose more difficulties for the regional organizations in question than undemocratic smaller states. In the second session (Freiburg) we play the Escape Room games concerning the challenges which IOs face towards illiberal democracies (“students as players”, see Ruth-Lovell, Welge, & Lovell, 2019) (students as players, see Ruth-Lovell et al. 2019). In the third session we plan an excursion to Strasbourg, in order to visit the CoE and the EU’s Strasbourg-based parliament in order to meet members of both institutions and get real-live insights into challenges size-relates differences between member states as well as undemocratic member states pose. In the fourth session (Basel), there will be a general discussion and reflections on the challenges the EU and the CoE face with respect to undemocratic member states and with respect to size-related inequalities between member states and how these challenges can be met. Student papers use the academic political science literature to explain the challenge democratic regional organizations face and to discuss how these challenges can be met. |
| Learning objectives | - deepened knowledge of challenges of regional integration - insight in problems caused by authoritarian or increasingly undemocratic states in international organizations such as the European Union and the Council of Europe |
| Bibliography | - Bakke, E., & Sitter, N. (2020). The EU’s Enfants Terribles: Democratic Backsliding in Central Europe since 2010. Perspectives on Politics, 1-16. - Best, Edward (2019) Policy-making in the European Union. In Cini et al (Policy-Making in the European Union; Oxford: OUP), pgs 236-252 - - Kleinsorge, Tanja (2019) The CoE’s Institutional Structure, In Kleinsorge (Council of Europe; Leiden: Kluwer Law International) pgs. 31-37, 75-121. |
| Comments | Attention: This Excursion will be graded in the Department of Political Science. Grading scale 6.0 to 1.0, whereupon 4.0 is a pass. The number of participants is limited. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to students of Political Science. Friday, 20 October 2023, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. : Introductory event (zoom) Friday, 27 October 2023, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Freiburg) : Escape Rooms Friday, 17 October 2023, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. : Excursion to (Strasbourg) Friday, 12 January 2024, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. |
| Admission requirements | Attention: This Excursion will be graded in the Department of Political Science. Grading scale 6.0 to 1.0, whereupon 4.0 is a pass. The number of participants is limited to 18 students from Basel and 18 students from Freiburg. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to students of Political Science. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block | See individual dates | ||
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 20.10.2023 | 10.15-16.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Friday 27.10.2023 | 10.15-16.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Friday 17.11.2023 | 10.15-16.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Friday 12.01.2024 | 10.15-16.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Modules |
Modul: Vertiefung Politikwissenschaft B.A. (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Lehrveranst.-begleitend - Active participation - Written assignments or presentation during course |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Politikwissenschaft |