|
|
|
LEUSL2202 - Political philosophy and the European Union
[2 Q. • 30 Th. • 5 crédits ECTS]
| Professeurs :
|
|
Van Parijs Philippe, Deschutter Helder |
|
|
|
| Langues d'enseignement :
|
|
English |
|
|
|
| Objectifs de l'activité :
|
|
Political philosophy has traditionally focused on the nation-state, in particular on how its collective decisions should be taken to qualify as democratic, and on how its institutions should be designed to count as just. More recently, political philosophy has resolutely expanded its focus: it started asking, for example, whether global governance should be a macroscopic replica of domestic government, and whether global justice is to be conceived as inter-national justice or as social justice writ large. But what about this intermediate entity of an unprecedented nature that is now called the European Union? What can be said about it from a normative point of view? What are the principles that should determine how much power its institutions are to be given, how these should be designed, and what the scope and content of their policies should be?
|
|
|
|
| Contenu de l'activité :
|
|
After a general overview of the subject characterized in this way, the course will focus every year on a specific aspect of it. This year it will take as its point of departure the way in which “utopian thinking”, i.e. the formulation and critical discussion of institutions that did not or do not exist anywhere, did shape or might shape what is now called the European Union.
The European Union, as it exists today, is a gigantic utopia that has become reality. It has seen the gradual realization of a number of institutions and modes of functioning that never existed before in the history of Europe, nor anywhere else in the world. How did the idea of each of these various features of the European Union arise? Who were the first people to articulate it? With what normative justification? Who supported it? Through what process were these ideas eventually implemented and for what reasons, possibly quite different from the initial justification? And what about ideas that have been advocated at some point and have received significant support but have failed (so far) to become reality? What lessons can we draw for a political philosophy of the European Union? |
|
|
|
| Méthodes d'enseignement :
|
|
We aim for a lively and creative seminar. To enable this, students are expected to participate actively. After the introductory session, each student should choose one “utopia”, small or big, trace its origins and fate — who imagined it, what inspired it, who defended it, who turned it into reality, how did it fare after being introduced (if it was)? —, paying special attention to the (ultimate) reasons adduced for vindicating or opposing it, and conclude with a personal normative evaluation of the “utopia” chosen: was it a good idea? Why so? Or why not? And if not, what would be a better idea and why? The “utopias” that can be chosen include the very idea of a community or confederation or federation of European States, but also a whole range of more or less specific institutional features, such as an executive without democratic accountability (the European Commission), a directly elected supra-national parliament, the Council of ministers, a permanent council of heads of government, the Common Market, the Common Agricultural Policy, the single currency, the free movement of people, non-discrimination on grounds of nationality, the structural funds, a supranational court of justice with binding decisions, European citizenship, the Social and Economic Committee, the European Citizens' Initiatives, the Erasmus programme, the European Schools network, a directly elected president of the Commission, a Europe-wide electoral constituency, a European defence community with a single army, an EU-wide interpersonal transfer system, an EU constitution, a common European history curriculum, etc.
|
|
|
|
| Méthodes d'évaluation :
|
|
The product of each student's work will take the form of an oral presentation in class (about 20 min.) and of a written paper (about 5000 words). |
|
|
|
| Années d'études :
|
|
|
|
