Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences

Organization

TÁTK Department of Global and Development Studies

Code

IRB107

Title

The history of European integration

Usual semester

Autumn

Published semester

2026/27/1

ECTS

3

Language

en

Learning outcomes

Outline: The aim of the course is to present the history of the European Union (EU) between the end the of the Second World War and the decision of the UK to leave the EU (1945-2016) but also considers present day challenges such as the cost of living crisis and war in Ukraine. The course does not only give a general overview on the development of the EU, including its institutions and different policy areas, but prepares students for other EU-related courses to be completed in subsequent semesters. By the end of the semester, students will be able to identify the turning points of the history of European integration and assess their significance for the development of the EU. Students are also expected to have a good understanding of how the EU has been shaped by prominent leaders of the Member States, as well as Commission presidents and other actors. About your Teacher Professor Andrew Ryder FRSA PhD teaches in the Institute of Political and International Studies at Eötvös Loránd University. Prior to this Ryder taught sociology at the Corvinus University and University of Bristol, was Policy Officer respectively to the Traveller Movement, Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition and researcher to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in the Westminster Parliament. Ryder has written extensively on the Roma, community development, populism and Brexit. He recently wrote a book on academic freedom in Hungary. See Ryder’s previous publications: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/andrew-ryder https://www.ucl-ioe-press.com/books/social-justice-equality-and-human-rights/sites-of-resistance/ https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110749816/html Contact: ryder.andrew@tatk.elte.hu

Course content

Outline: The aim of the course is to present the history of the European Union (EU) between the end the of the Second World War and the decision of the UK to leave the EU (1945-2016) but also considers present day challenges such as the cost of living crisis and war in the Ukraine. The course does not only give a general overview on the development of the EU, including its institutions and different policy areas, but prepares students to other EU-related courses to be completed in subsequent semesters. Skills: By the end of the semester, students will be able to identify the turning points of the history of European integration and assess their significance for the development of the EU. Students are also expected to have a good understanding on how the EU has been shaped by prominent leaders of the Member States as well as Commission presidents and other actors. The course encourages the students to form opinion through analysis Main topics  1. A short introduction: integration theories & ideas of European unity before 1945 (The idea of Europe, paradigm shift, binary thinking, enlightenment, drift to war) 2. Europe after the First World War (Kalergi, Pan European Union, Schmit and agonism and the rise of totalitarianism) 3. Europe after the Second World War (Cold War, Truman Doctrine – Marshall Plan and NATO, French/German reapproachment – Monnet and Schuman Plan) 4. Europe in the 1950s (Treaty of Rome, custom union, a non imperial Empire?)  5. De Gaulle (agriculture unsuccessful attempts of British accession and Luxembourg compromise) 6. The Hague Summit and the first round of enlargement (eurosceptics and OPEC oil crisis) 7. The Single Market and the Single European Act (Delors and new momentum for integration) 8. The birth of the European Union: the Maastricht Treaty (The three pillars and opposition from Thatcher) 9. The enlargement of the 1990s and the Amsterdam Treaty (constitutional reform, EMU and CAP) 10. Integration and Eurozone Crisis (tensions between new and old Member States, Eurozone Crisis, radicalism) 11. The Migration Crisis (securitisation, multicultural Europe) 12. Brexit (nativism, exceptionalism, populism) 13. Current challenges (EU Covid 19 recovery fund, dealing with migration and authoritarianism, Ukraine, a New Social Europe) 14. The Future of Europe

Assessment method

Assessment Students will be expected to attend and participate in the classes. Students will have a final exam. The students’ evaluation will take into consideration attendance and a final exam 100%. Percentage Grade -50% 1 51-65% 2 66-75% 3 76-90% 4 91%- 5 The written exam contains several types of exercises: pairing milestones (dates) – events – concepts, defining different notions, answering multiple choice questions (“ABCD”) as well as writing 1 short essay

Bibliography

General Course Reader: Literature Desmond Dinan (2014): Europe Recast: A History of European Union. 2nd edition. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. You need to read the sections from the book provided by Professor Ryder prior to classes. These readings and note taking will take around 90 minutes each week, Keep a notebook for these notes and notes made during the lectures Canvas Via Canvas class powerpoints and readings will be available to students. Assignments must be uploaded to Canvas

Programmes of the course