History and Politics of European Integration

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of the course, students will have acquired a sound understanding of the main stages of European integration, of the political cultures and ideas of Europe that shaped its development, and of the major institutional transformations that occurred over time. They will also be familiar with some of the main historiographical interpretations of European integration and will understand the role played, alongside other political and intellectual traditions, by neoliberalism in the process of European construction.

Applying knowledge and understanding

Students will be able to place events, institutions, ideas and political cultures in their historical context, to trace connections between their transformations, and to use the interpretive categories introduced during the course critically. They will also be able to read and discuss primary sources and documents relating to European integration, assessing the influence of different political and intellectual traditions without reducing the process to a single explanatory framework.

Making judgements

Through seminar-based reading and discussion of sources and documents, students will be encouraged to compare different interpretations of European integration, to assess their assumptions and limitations critically, and to develop independent judgements on the relationship between political ideas, institutions and historical change.

Communication skills

Students will be able to present the knowledge acquired during the course clearly, accurately and persuasively, using appropriate historical, political and institutional terminology and discussing sources, documents and historiographical interpretations in a critical manner.

Learning skills

The course is designed to develop students’ ability to navigate the history of European integration independently, to explore specific issues through the critical use of scholarly literature and primary sources, and to pursue further study in an autonomous and informed way.

The course combines lectures and seminar-based activities.

Lectures will introduce and contextualise the main themes of the course: the history of ideas of Europe and the political cultures of integration, the institutional history of European integration, and the relationship between neoliberalism and European construction.

Seminar activities will focus on the reading and discussion of primary sources, documents and texts assigned by the instructor and made available on the Studium platform. For seminar sessions, students are expected to read the assigned materials in advance, as active participation in classroom discussion will be required.

The combination of lectures and seminar-based activities is designed to integrate the acquisition of historical and conceptual knowledge with the development of students’ ability to analyse sources and documents critically, compare different interpretations, and formulate independent arguments.

Attendance is not compulsory, but it is strongly recommended. Regular participation in lectures and seminar activities gives students the opportunity to engage directly with primary sources and documents, to discuss the interpretations introduced during the course critically, and to develop the argumentative skills required.

To benefit fully from the seminar sessions, students are expected to read the materials assigned by the instructor in advance and made available on the Studium platform, so that they can take an active part in classroom discussion.

The course examines the process of European integration through three closely connected thematic areas.

1. Ideas of Europe and the political cultures of integration. The first part of the course explores the history of ideas of Europe and the main political traditions that contributed to the emergence of the European integration project. It examines, from a historical perspective, different ways of imagining Europe and the relationship between European identity, federalism, anti-fascism, supranational cooperation and the political construction of the continent.

2. The institutional history of European integration. The second part traces the main stages of the integration process, from the aftermath of the Second World War to more recent developments, with particular attention to the creation, evolution and transformation of European institutions.

3. Neoliberalism and European construction. The third part offers an in-depth examination of neoliberalism as one of the political and intellectual traditions that helped shape the process of European construction. Through readings from Foucault, Dardot and Laval, and Slobodian, the course will explore the historical formation of neoliberalism, the relationship between economic order, institutions and constitutionalisation, and the possible role of this tradition in shaping the European institutional framework. The aim is not to reduce European integration to a single influence, but rather to assess the role played by neoliberalism in a specific historical phase and to consider whether that influence remains significant today.

1. F. CHABOD, Storia dell’idea d’Europa, edited by E. Sestan and A. Saitta, Laterza, Rome-Bari, 1995 (or another edition).

2. C. MALANDRINO, S. QUIRICO, L’idea di Europa. Storie e prospettive, Carocci, Rome, 2020, pp. 93–257.

3. L. RAPONE, Storia dell’integrazione europea, new edition, Carocci, Rome, 2015.

4. M. FOUCAULT, Nascita della biopolitica. Corso al Collège de France (1978-1979), Feltrinelli, Milan, 2005, pp. 73–152 and 176–214.

5. P. DARDOT, C. LAVAL, La nuova ragione del mondo. Critica della razionalità neoliberista, DeriveApprodi, Rome, 2013, pp. 342–365. The relevant excerpt will be provided by the instructor.

6. Q. SLOBODIAN, Globalists. La fine dell’impero e la nascita del neoliberalismo, Meltemi, Milan, 2021, chapter “Un mondo di costituzioni”. The relevant excerpt will be provided by the instructor.

Additional primary sources and documents will be assigned by the instructor throughout the course and made available on the Studium platform.

Assessment will be based on a final oral examination.

Attending students will also take a mid-term written test covering the first part of the course. The test will consist of four semi-open questions and will assess students’ knowledge and understanding of the main ideas of Europe and of the political cultures that contributed to the emergence of the European integration project.

For attending students, the final grade will be calculated as follows:

• 30% mid-term written test;
• 20% active participation in seminar activities and classroom discussion;
• 50% final oral examination.

Participation will be assessed on the basis of preparation on the assigned materials, the relevance and quality of contributions, and the ability to engage constructively and critically in collective discussion.

For non-attending students, assessment will be based entirely on the final oral examination.

The oral examination will assess knowledge and understanding of the course content, the ability to establish connections between ideas, political cultures, institutions and historical processes, the ability to discuss the historiographical interpretations covered in the course critically, appropriate use of historical, political and institutional terminology, and clarity of presentation.