Contemporary Europe

Catalog description

Contemporary Europe (3) This course examines the major political, economic, and social issues shaping contemporary Europe. The first portion of the course covers the concepts and theoretical approaches that make up the analytical toolkit for understanding and analyzing European politics. The second part covers the overarching themes of European politics, including state formation, governments and institutions, political parties and elections, welfare state development and reform, and European integration. The final segment consists of country and issue case studies as opportunities to apply the theoretical, methodological, and analytical tools, and looks at lessons that can be learned from the diverse ways European societies have answered the basic questions of economic, social, and political organization confronting all societies. AU Core Habits of Mind: Habits of Mind: Socio-Historical Inquiry. Grading: A-F only.