This course addresses the process of Europeanization from a sociological perspective. In contrast to the political science framework which focusses on supranational institution-building or the effects on European decision making on the national arena, emphasis is put on new form of connectedness across borders, emerging transnational fields, new forms of mobility and migration within the European space, and transnational orientations and attitudes.
The course is related to the research unit "Horizontal Europeanization" which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), and which conceptionalizes Europe as an emerging social entity between the national and the global scale. The research group works in seven different fields in order to analyze the horizontal Europeanization of these fields. For further information: http://horizontal-europeanization.eu/en/
In the course, we will firstly read and discuss seminal texts of the Sociology of Europeanization. Secondly, the seven sub-projects of the research Unit “Horizontal Europeanization” will present their work and students will be encouraged to reflect the different concepts, methodologies and findings. The course will bring the students in close contact with ongoing research and the researchers. The course is a joint endeavor of the Humboldt University and the Free University (Jürgen Gerhards). |