European Integration History from a Transnational Perspective

Timetable

tbc

Module aim (aims)

The EPICUR study track on “European identities” examines the histories, literature, media, cultural geography, and social structures of Europe.

The course examines the milestones of the European integration process, from the aftermath of WW2 to the 2004-2007 enlargement, bringing together and confronting different historical and cultural perspectives.

It is based on experiential learning: it aims to make students reflect upon the reasons and consequences of the diversity of perspectives across the European continent by sharing their views and learning from each other in the frame of virtual exchange. Students will be asked to co-create the course content by preparing, in teams, a shared approach based on the aforementioned analysis of contrasting historical and cultural perspectives on milestones of the European integration process.

This course will:

Encourage students to consider problems from multiple perspectives; Promote critical thinking and interdisciplinary synthesis; Highlight transnational relationships and intercultural understanding; Enable acquisition of transferable and practical skills (e.g. communication, English); Apply state-of-the-art didactic methods such as challenge-based learning & teaching.

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

Basic knowledge about the process of European integration.

Syllabus

 

Title: European integration history from a transnational perspective

Study track: European Identities

Connections to other curriculums/ topics: histories, literature, media, cultural geography and social structures of Europe, history of Europe, cultural differences, founders of European integration, milestones of EU integration, ideas of European integration

Instructor(s):

Dr. Lucyna BLAZEJCZYK-MAJKA, associate professor in the Department of Economic History, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (majkal@amu.edu.pl);

Dr. Sabine MENU, associate professor at EM Strasbourg Business School, University of Strasbourg (sabine.menu@em-strasbourg.eu)

Format and dates: 6 sessions of online project work,

Prerequisites: basic knowledge about the process of European integration

Open to students: bachelor’s level, 2nd or 3rd year

Teaching period: October 15, 2026, to December 20, 2026

Max. enrollment: 30 students per group, two groups

Workload/presence, credit points: 20 h (online course with online synchronous sessions),3 ECTS

Location and room(s): Poznań and Strasbourg

Course description (including interdisciplinary perspective, learning outcomes, options for digital learning formats and inclusion):

The course examines the milestones of the European integration process, from the aftermath of WW2 to the 2004-2007 enlargement, bringing together and confronting different historical and cultural perspectives.

It is based on experiential learning: it aims to make students reflect upon the reasons and consequences of the diversity of perspectives across the European continent by sharing their views and learning from each other in the frame of a virtual exchange. Students will be asked to co-create the content of the course by preparing in teams a shared approach based on the aforementioned analysis of the contrasting historical and cultural perspectives to milestones of the European integration process.

This course is engaging, interactive, and student-centred: students verbally and visually exchange opinions working in small groups and altogether during synchronous sessions. During this course student input contributes to curriculum development. Students prepare a list of people, places and events they want to talk about, and are asked to comment the inputs of their classmates.

This course will foster multilingualism by exchanging and presenting certain press texts in their original languages.

Learning outcomes:

LO 1: During this course, students will be participating in a series of online activities on the milestones of European integration with students from other countries.

This will allow you to improve your knowledge about this process from just the national or regional (e.g. Western / Central Europe) ones taught in your previous secondary school or university courses and you will become aware of the cultural dimension of the history of the EU.

LO 2: During this course, students will be working in international teams.

This activity will help you acquire skills in critical and creative thinking about intercultural differences and in managing them in teams in an online context. After taking part in the course, you will be able to match appropriate tools to online collaboration and partners' needs, as well as to the topic you will be developing. You will also improve your English communication skills.

LO 3: During this course, students will reflect in teams on the causes and consequences of differentiated perceptions regarding selected milestones of their choice in the EU integration process.

It will be reflected in the way you will verbally and visually exchange online more than single stories in your team, and give feedback to students from another country. This activity will allow you to improve and widen your reflection on the influence of national stories on contemporary European issues.

Course content:

Ice Breaker Activities: Who am I and what is the EU for me?

The first part of the course consists of 1 session of various online activities, during which students will complete tasks to get to know each other and the tools available during the virtual exchange. Already in this first part, there is a synchronous discussion on topics introducing students to the issue of perceiving the EU from an international and intercultural perspective.

Comparison and analysis: Principles of European unity - European values. Principles of European unity - Four freedoms.

The second part of this course consists of 2 sessions in which students begin writing and presenting a short opinion on the chosen problem in European history, from their perspective. In addition, students will discuss recent EU media coverage in their respective countries in small teams. Students will jointly prepare opinions and comments on the results of other groups' work. During the synchronous session, students will have the opportunity to exchange observations and experiences from this stage of the work.

Collaboration: Principles of European unity - Currency. Principles of European unity – Enlargement. Contemporary perception of EU issues.

In the third part of the course (3 sessions, work in small groups), students will work in international teams on the topic they chose in the previous part. The project should give students the opportunity to share their experiences so far and learn from one another. Student exchanges will take place online via a virtual synchronous session. Results will be presented and discussed on the virtual forum.

Remarks:

Depending on the interests of the participating students, the topics discussed during this course are flexible. The course will be realised on the online platform, so students will have access to the materials and results of their work also after the end of the course.

Components of assessing:

Continuous assessment (60%): participation in discussions during synchronous sessions (20%);

individual work connected with small tasks each week of classes (25%), individual reporting the whole of discussions after synchronous sessions, one during the whole course (15%)

Final assessment (40%): presentation of the results of the work done in teams: a short study on the selected milestone, its importance in the process of European integration, taking into account the transnational and intercultural perspective, different forms (30%), two feedback for final work presented by other teams (10%)

 

Reading list

- Amato, Giuliano, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, and Gianfranco Pasquino. 2019. The history of the European Union: constructing utopia. Oxford: Hart.

- McCormick, John. 2017. Understanding the European Union: a concise introduction. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

- Dinan, Desmond. 2016. Origins and evolution of the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/hepl/9780199570829.001.0001.

- Connection to EPICUR & WP 3