Location:

Berlin, Germany

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Summer

Program Overview

Program Description:

The mode of instruction consists of class lectures and presentations etc. This course has been designed for students from different academic levels and backgrounds who are generally interested in the economic aspects of the European integration will benefit from each other in an intercultural and interdisciplinary learning process. The course does not require special knowledge about European politics, law, economics, history or culture, but participants should be interested in more than just their field of specialization. In-class participation, especially in the discussions with experts, is essential for the course success and plays an important role in grading. This course is taught by Dr. Andrzej Ancygier from Universität Berlin / FUBiS. He specializes in the topic of European integration with the focus on the European energy and renewable energy policy. He currently works on German and Polish renewable energy policies and the impact of the European climate and energy policy on the economic development in the EU member countries.

This course is taught at Freie Universität Berlin / FUBiS (Berlin, Germany) as part of the China Europe International Summer School (CEISS). The course presents the impact of the European integration on the economic development of the EU member countries. The creation of the common market was the main goal of the European integration. The founders of the European Communities were convinced that a closer economic cooperation would not only create welfare for the European citizens but would also stop member countries from entering into a military conflict between each other. On the whole these goals were achieved, and joining the EU has become the major goal of the majority of the countries on the continent. The transfer of the European funds and increased investment in the new member states led in most cases to their rapid economic development. But economic integration, which led to the creation on the European Monetary Union in the 1990s, also turned out to have some negative consequences. Single monetary policy in the absence of a common fiscal policy deprived some member countries of some important tools that would allow them to get out of economic crisis by i.e. devaluating their currency. The current economic crisis in the EU Southern countries is the biggest threat to the future of the European integration since the creation of the European Communities in the 1950s. Explaining the processes that led to the current economic crisis in the EU is the main goal of the course. By its end students should be able to understand the relationships between economic development in different EU member countries and be capable of explaining the consequences of the major policy choices at the European level on the situation in the member countries affected.

Setting Description:

Established in 1948 in the wake of the Second World War, Freie Universität Berlin ("Free University of Berlin") was founded by professors and students, in response to the persecution faced by students who tool a critical eye at developments in the Soviet sector of the then divided city. The idea of a free university found widespread support in the international community. Today, the Freie Universität Berlin is consistently ranked among Germany's top universities overall, with particularly strong showing in the arts & humanities followed by the social sciences. Research at the university is focused on the humanities and social sciences, as well as on health and natural sciences. Times Higher Education ranked FUB 86th in its 2013 international ranking, while the 2013 QS World University Rankings ranked Freie at 109th internationally. Most of the facilities of Freie Universität are located in the residential garden district of Dahlem in southwestern Berlin. With 33,000 applicants for t

Cost:

1.470 Euro (course fee + course materials + housing + insurance)