Common Challenges of Competing Regionalisms

The course will focus on the multifaceted nature of regionalism in different geographical and geo-political contexts in Europe and Eurasia and on its conceptual and theoretical definition by looking at the relevant cleavages in contemporary societies and at the fluid and ever changing nature of inter- and intra-state interaction and supranational/intergovernmental trends of integration. Historical and institutional comparative perspectives will allow students to practically assess the developments in the European and Eurasian regions and to investigate their impact on specific cases.

A participant, who has successfully completed the course: - understands and distinguishes the key concepts and fundamentals to make sense of the processes of regional integration; - understands and distinguishes the institutional and historical developments in the EU; - examines the process of regional integration in Eurasia and compares its milestones with the ones of the EU - identifies the dynamics of the democratic process and the dimension of supranationalism, parliamentarism, and governance in different regional contexts; - analyses and argues on concrete cases of regional integration in the light of the relevant concepts; - evaluates the current state of regional integration in Europe and Eurasia, the room for interaction and the potential future trends.