Global Power Europe

Module description

The module will provide students with a theoretically-grounded understanding of the role of the European Union as an international actor. Using theories of international relations, European integration and Foreign Policy Analysis, it will analyse and evaluate the EU’s evolving external identity and policy capabilities across a range of external relations, including membership conditionality, trade and development, international crime and terrorism, asylum and immigration, foreign, security and defence policy, and democracy and human rights promotion. The module will then examine the nature of key bilateral relationships between the EU and selected countries (US, Russia and China) and regions (former colonies, regional groups), explaining the extent to which they have been institutionalised and the challenges that define them. It will end by assessing what sort of international actor the EU ‘is’ and ‘wants to be’ – namely civilian, normative or military – and evaluating the likelihood of the EU emerging as a global superpower in the future.

Assessment details

2-hour written exam (45%) & 2,750-word essay (45%) & participation (10%)

Educational aims & objectives

The module aims to provide students with a theoretically - grounded analysis of the European Union's role, external identity and policy capabilities on the international stage. In particular it will: - Reflect critically on traditional theories of international relations, European integration and Foreign Policy Analysis as a means to explore the changing role and power of the EU as an international actor. - Analyse the development and capabilities of the EU's principal policy instruments in the field of external relations - namely membership conditionality, trade and development, initiatives to tackle international crime and terrorism, asylum and immigration, foreign, security and defence policy, and democracy and human rights promotion. - Examine the nature of key bilateral relationships between the EU and selected countries (US, Russia and China) and regions (former colonies, regional groups), explaining how they have developed, the extent to which they have been institutionalised, and the issues and challenges that define them. - Assess what sort of power the EU 'is' and 'wants to be' - namely civilian, normative or military - and evaluate the likelihood of the EU emerging as a global superpower in the future.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module students will have: - Acquired the competences to select and critically apply a range of theoretical approaches from the fields of international relations and EU studies. - The ability to critically analyse how the EU's wide - ranging competences and capabilities as an external actor have evolved, how the decision making process functions, and the range of policy instruments available. - A deep understanding of the spectrum of policies and instruments through which the EU exerts influence on the international stage, from trade and human rights promotion to counter - terrorism and defence policy. - The capacity to explain the development of the EU's principal external relationships around the world and to assess its capacity as a global power. It will also provide students with a range of core transferable skills: - The capacity to analyse and explain competing theories, concepts, frameworks and empirical evidence. - The ability to think independently and to address complex problems through the application of different conceptual and analytical toolkits. - The development and formulation of personal views and arguments, and the ability to present and communicate these concisely to peers. - The identification and sourcing of secondary literature and primary research material in the relevant area. - The organisation and time management of assessed and non - assessed work to clear deadlines.

Teaching pattern

Provisional Module Structure

Part one: Introduction and concepts 

1. Introduction: EU integration and the EU as an International Actor  

2. European integration theory 

3. Institutions, the EU policy-making process & the Capability-Expectations Gap 

Part two: EU policies  

4. Policy 1: EU Membership and Neighbourhood Policy  

5. Policy 2: The External Face of Internal Security, including migration 

6. Policy 3: Common Security and Defence Policy  

7. Policy 4: Trade and development  

8. Policy 5: Democracy and Human Rights  

9. Policy 6: Environmental policy, including Climate Policy

Part three: The EU’s identity and course conclusion 

10. The Future of Europe: The Birth of a Superpower? Including summary and revision.  

Suggested reading list

The following edited volume constitutes the textbook for the course and many essential readings are taken from it: 

• Hill, S. and Smith, C. (eds.) International Relations and the European Union (Oxford University Press, 2017), 3rd edition.  

 For those who haven’t studied the EU before, I recommend having a look at one or more of these introductory texts: 

• Bache, I., George S. and Bulmer, S. (2015) Politics in the European Union (Oxford University Press, 4th edition). 
• Cini, M. and Borragán, N. P-S, (2019) European Union Politics (Oxford University Press, 6th edition). 
• Wallace, H., Wallace W. and Pollack M. (2015) Policy-Making in the European Union (Oxford University Press, 7th edition). 

Module description disclaimer

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Please note that the module descriptions above are related to the current academic year and are subject to change.