STV4445B – EU and the Nation State - Institutional dynamics and political processes
Course content
EU has a profound impact on the Norwegian polity, policy and politics. Influencing and executing domestic political governance often rely on a good understanding of how the EU and the EEA (E?S) agreement functions. This course gives you the competence required to work with EU issues within Norwegian ministries, agencies, business associations and elsewhere. This course will enable you to grasp the political and institutional development of the EU, as well as how EU and domestic policy developments are inter-related. The added value of this course within the overall master programme is its focus on the role of the EU and the ‘multi-levelness’ of the polity, politics and policies.
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The EU consists of many organizations, and multiple actors contribute to EU-level developments. This course pays particular attention to the European Commission, the Council, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Parliament, as well as organized interests. We will discuss the drivers of European integration and how we can use theories of state formation to understand the EU, how polity level developments interact with the politics within the various EU-institutions, but also how it might eventually shape the implementation of EU rules and regulations at the national level. In addition, the special Norway-EU relationship will be highlighted, and you will learn how this situation differs from EU membership and the UKs relationship to the EU. The course includes presentations by guest-lectures working with EU and EEA issues in practice.
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Participants will learn how to distil knowledge from scientific literatures, and how to make it applicable to real world political situations. This skill will enable students to be informed by updated scientific insights also after their master studies.
Learning outcome
Through attending this course, you will:
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Gain knowledge about scientific progress on:
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- the functioning of the European Commission, the Council, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Parliament, and the relationship between them
- the political dynamics of EU cooperation, and the relative importance of the various EU-level institutions in driving European integration.
- how EU-level executive bodies relate to national governments
- how the EEA-agreement conditions Norwegian implementation of EU policies.
- how to explain cross-country variation as regards the implementation of EU policies
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Develop skills that enable you to:
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- analyse decision processes within the multilevel EU system of governance, across policy areas
- assess and explain EU-level and domestic policy change
- assess the quality of the scientific literature within a specific area
- identify the domestic room for manoeuvre within policy areas regulated by the EU
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Obtain general competence to:
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- identify weaknesses as well as strengths in various strands of scientific literature
- evaluate actors’ strategies aimed at influencing outcomes by identifying access points to a policy process and by knowing how to structure future processes
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Apply for guest student status if you are admitted to another Master`s programme.
For incoming students
All Master`s courses in Political Science must be registered manually by the Department, they will not appear in Studentweb. Contact your international coordinator at UiO.
Teaching
10 lectures.
Obligatory activity
- Three written home assignments (1000-1500 words each)
- One oral presentation?
- Peer feedback on home assignments
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In the event of illness or other valid reasons, you can apply for a valid absence or postponement of compulsory activity.
Apply for valid absence from or need for postponement of compulsory activity
Examination
Portfolio exam.?
Revised home assignments have to be submitted as a portfolio exam at the end of the course.
Examination support material
All support material is allowed. When using AI, you must explain and be transparent about its use: read more about the guidelines for AI and exams at?How to use AI as a student - University of Oslo
Language of examination
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.