Course Syllabus

 

Photo: Miłosz J. Cordes.

Semester & Location:	Spring 2026 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Core Course - 3 credits
Core Course Study Tours:	Short: Lübeck, Germany. Long: Brussels, Belgium
Major Disciplines:	Political Science, International Relations, Government
Prerequisite:	Two political science courses at university level, with at least one focusing on either international relations or comparative politics.
Faculty Members:	Miłosz J. Cordes, PhD - Current Students: please contact your faculty using the Canvas inbox function
Time & Place:	Monday & Thursday 8:30-9:50, Classroom N7-D20

Course Description

The European Union has been the most successful voluntary integration project since the Second World War. With the continent shattered and divided, Western European leaders sought to avoid further military conflicts and provide a solid platform for dialogue between European nation-states. The achievements turned out to be so remarkable that with the end of the Cold War democratic transition of 1989-1991 in Central and Eastern Europe, the European project underwent fundamental changes. It was only then when the European Union as such was created and started to play and increasingly visible role on the global scene.

While internally the EU attempts to strike a balance between continued enlargement and further institutional integration, recently it has been facing serious tensions caused by the global financial crisis, Brexit, rise of populist movements, problems with rule of law in some member states, COVID-19 pandemic, as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, discussions around cohesive climate policies raise many doubts as they are believed to be not enough by some and overly ambitious by others.

Regardless of these discussions, the European Union has become a key player in Eastern Europe, wider Eurasia and the Mediterranean. Recently, the traditional rivalry between Russia/USSR and the West has been complemented with the growing economic and political presence of China. Although it is difficult for the highly bureaucratised EU to deal with oligarchic and authoritarian regimes capable of quick unilateral actions, Brussels has managed to come up with a few successful soft power instruments.

Content

The course traces the development of European integration from its post-war origins to the present day with a strong focus on the foreign and security policies aspect of it. It seeks to understand how nation-states embarked on the ambitious track of creating a powerful intergovernmental body that would evolve into the world's most complex international organisation with global ambitions, reconciling yesterday's bitter enemies and adversaries in the light of the rapidly evolving international environment.

The course seeks to answer the following questions:

• What is the European Union and how did it come to life?
• What are the mechanisms and actors behind its foreign and security policies?
• How do EU's external actions relate to the still strongly present concept of the predominant role of nation-states in international relations?
• How does the EU deal with existential security challenges in its neighbourhood, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine?
• What short- and long-term measures EU institutions and individual Member States have undertaken to address the increasing discrepancies with the United States and the growing assertiveness of new powers, such as China?

During the course of the semester, we will employ different methods and tools to make these complex phenomena enjoyable to learn: case studies, guest presentations with experts, simulation games and group work. In all of them, your creativity and imagination are key.

The course consists of following modules:

I: Introduction, history of European integration (duration: two weeks).

II: Core Course Week 1: Guest lectures, field studies and Short Study Tour to Lübeck in northern Germany (duration: one week).

III: Institutions forging EU's foreign and security policies. The pains of EU enlargement and the long-lasting tensions it has created over the direction of EU's external actions (duration: three weeks).

IV: Core Course Week 2: Long Study Tour: visit to Brussels, Belgium, the capital of the EU (duration: one week).

V: Current issues and struggles: EU in a changing international environment (duration: seven weeks).

Learning Objectives

The students will:

• Gaining a broad understanding of what the European Union constitutes by studying the forces governing its foreign and security policies, the competing interests of Member States and EU institutions influencing them, decision-making processes, and the significance of the EU for European reconciliation and integration in an increasingly Huntingtonian world order.
• Learning about international relations from the EU's and its selected Member States' perspectives, and a particular understanding of the key issues on EU's agenda, including: the Brexit, migration/refugee crisis, developments in EU's vicinity, such as the military and hybrid threat posed by Russia, as well as increasingly tense transatlantic relations.
• Strengthening the ability to analyse and discuss complex issues with a diverse toolbox drawing from political studies, cultural studies, history, economy and spatial geography.

Faculty

Miłosz J. Cordes

PhD in Cultural Studies, MAs in East-European Cultural Studies & International Relations, BAs in History & International Relations. Associate Professor at DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia (2021-). Research Fellow at the Danish Foreign Policy Society (2021-), External Consultant at the Danish Institute for International Studies (2023-2024). Postdoctoral Researcher at Lund University (2022-2023). Casimir Pulaski Foundation Research Fellow (2022-). Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellow (2006). Member of the Polish U.S. Alumni Association and the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies.

Miłosz spent ten years at the Polish diplomatic service. He was Vice-Consul at Poland's Consulate General in Kaliningrad (2018-2021), Second Secretary at Poland's Permanent Representation to the European Union (2016-2018), Second Secretary & Specialist at Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (2012-2016).

Miłosz's research interests cover identity, politics of memory, nationalism & populism in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic Sea Region integration, as well as the West-Russia relations. He has published over 30 articles in international journals. His book, Collective Memory in Post-Soviet Kaliningrad Oblast, was published in June 2025.

Readings

We will mainly read from three edited volumes on the EU. These books should be picked up during the arrivals workshop.

• Kenealy, Daniel. Peterson, John. Corbett, Richard. (2018). The European Union: How does it work?
• Gstöhl, Sieglende. Schunz, Simon. (2022). The External Action of European Union. Concepts, Approaches, Theories.

Supplemental articles, policy papers, official documents and other materials will be used during the course to reflect current issues and events. These will be not only academic articles and think-tank analyses, but also photographic albums, podcasts and movies.

Expectations of the Students

All students are expected to abide by the Code of Student Responsibility.

Participation

You co-create this course. Your engagement, enthusiasm and open mind are essential for the learning process. I will do my best to empower you and to show you manifold fascinating sides to the European Union and the European political landscape.

The course consists of a series of in-class discussions, guest lectures, two field studies, two study tours, manual simulation games and other group activities. Attendance is mandatory. The readings, videos and podcasts provide the basis for in-class discussions. You are encouraged to express your opinion and involve in argumentative dialogue with me and your classmates.

All readings, guest lectures, field studies, study tours and other activities are crucial to master the contents of the course. Additional material will be distributed during the course. Whenever you are asked to embark on an extra task, it will have a positive impact on your participation grade.

Students are expected to have completed the readings prior to each class and to arrive with notes and questions to promote discussion. This will give us material to generate an in-depth conversation. We will discuss mutual expectations and define active participation in detail during the first class.

It is DIS' policy that attendance is mandatory. Absence will affect your participation grade. Whener you experience serious difficulties (illness, family problems etc.) that force you to skip two or more class in a row, please communicate with me and with relevant DIS units.

Coming to class within 5 minutes since its start counts as full presence. Coming to class between 5 and 15 minutes since its start counts as being late. Coming to class later than 15 minutes since its start counts as absence. These rules only apply to incidental cases of being late. If a students regularly comes to class belated, the matter needs to be discussed with a relevant DIS unit.

This is a phone-free class unless told otherwise. Whenever we have a student presentation or a guest speaker, no laptops are allowed out of of respect to the presenters and the speaker.

To facilitate communication between me and the group, we will elect two class representatives in the beginning of the semester. We will discuss the representatives' role during our first meeting.

Evaluation

Manual simulations

The course includes manual simulation games, in which students “representing” decision makers or strategic thinkers. You will negotiate issues following outlays as well as abstractions of the negotiation format of the EU Council, European Council and high level summits, as well as build alternative scenarios for EU's future.

Purpose: To get in-depth knowledge of issues currently topping the EU agenda and experience how negotiations take place during the EU Council meetings and the European Council summits.

Grading

Assignment	Percent
Class participation and attendance	30%
Core Course Week active participation	20%
Long study tour active participation	25%
Political Science through Old School Lenses	10%
Final assignment (to be agreed upon in class)	15%

There is no possibility of obtaining an A grade without active class participation.

Core Course Week and Study Tours

Core Course week and study tours are an integral part of the core course as we take the classroom on the road and see how theory presented in the classroom is translated into practice in the field. You will travel with your classmates and DIS faculty & staff on two study tours: to Lübeck, Germany, and Brussels, Belgium.

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org