Course Syllabus

Course Description

This course aims at enhancing your understanding of globalization and European economies by encompassing various and unique topics:

• Globalization and deglobalization - we will delve into what this is and means from a European perspective including recent developments like slow grwoth in Europe. trade disputes, AI and the rise of China. 
• European economic and political Integration - This segment will cover the goals, institutions, and policies of the European Union, shedding light on the process of integration - and party  disintegration - within the region. 
• Country Risk Analysis: Here the focus will be on evaluating the political and economic landscape of a country through a sovereign risk analysis. We will explore how such analyses determine a country's appeal to financing institutions and investors.

The course aims to actively engage students and facilitate their learning in an interactive and stimulating manner. In addition to conventional lectures, we will utilize various approaches, including field trips, interactions with guest speakers, collaborative group assignments, simulated negotiations, and educational excursions. Facilitating dialogue between students and instructors is a significant aspect of the course, fostering a space for critical reflection on the topics under discussion.

IMPORTANT: This core course includes mandatory Study Tours. Don't make any private travel arrangements for the weekend Oct. 31/Nov. 1, as you will be traveling with the course on the Long Study Tour. Regarding the Short Study Tour, the plan is to be back in Copenhagen at ca. 8 PM on Friday 11 September. However, there is no guarantee for the timing, so that any private travel arrangements you make for Friday evening, are at your onw risk. 

 

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, students should be able to:

• To explain and discuss the forces driving international trade and (de-)globalization
• Understand key aspects of European Integration and the institutions of the European Union.
• Discuss the pros and cons of associated with advancing European integration
• Understand and evaluate the special circumstances relevant major European economies
• Apply economic theory to evaluate country/sovereign risk.

We encourage you to assume responsability for your learning. Your teacher will make numerous offers, but how much effort you put into this course and how much you will get out of it, depends mostly on you. 

Faculty 

Dr. Holger Sandte (External Faculty) is an economist and author with extensive experience in international economics, finance, and country risk. He combines academic teaching with his work as a country, bank, and sector risk analyst at Denmark's Export and Investment Fund (EIFO). Prior to joining EIFO, he worked as an economist in the banking sector in Germany and Denmark, as well as at the Danish Ministry of Finance. Holger studied Economics and languages in Germany and France, where he also completed his own study-abroad experience. He has been teaching various courses at DIS Copenhagen since 2019.

Course Requirements

This is an upper level economics class and requires that you have taken one semester each of micro- and macroeconomics at university level. Additionally, you must have taken one course in either intermediate or advanced macroeconomics.

Grading: see the table to the right.

We expect you to attend all classes and to be well prepared for class. The Canvas calendar contains the information you need for your preparation. If you can't come to class, we expect you to inform your teacher ahead of class. 

Readings:

You will be provided with comspulsory and optional reading. One book we will use a lot is 

• Globalisation and the International Economy, by Michael Hedegaard, Holger Sandte and David M. Rowe, 2nd edition, Copenhagen 2025.   E book: Ebook.pdf

Given the topic’s rapid development and to keep discussions relevant, articles, papers, blogs, videos etc. will be uploaded as supplementary information sources.

The use of electronic devices in class ...

... is only allowed for purposes related to this class like taking notes or searching information. Other use might impact your participation grade. 

On the use of AI tools: 

In this course, students are permitted to use AI tools, such as Chat GPT, for their academic tasks. The information provided by AI tools can provide beneficial input, but can never be your output. Texts generated by AI technology may contain errors, omissions, inaccuracies, hallucinations, biases, inconsistencies, or outdated information. Therefore, be critical and acknowledge academic integrity by citing all usage of these tools in your work. Remember that your papers, presentations etc. always have to written by you, not by some AI tool. This follows the DIS Academic Honor Code. Nobody wants to read anything you haven’t bothered to write.

DIS Academic Regulations