ASOK05310U Social Differences in the Enlarged Europe: Challenging the Social Dimension

Årgang 2013/2014
Engelsk titel

Social Differences in the Enlarged Europe: Challenging the Social Dimension

Uddannelse
MA Theme course
BA-undergraduates from foreign countries can sign up for this course.
Kursusindhold
After having introduced issues of delimitating and defining what could be understood as Europe the distribution of employment, incomes and wealth are described in some detail. The particular role of trade unions is discussed in comparative perspective and conditions and processes of poverty and social exclusion are debated. European welfare states are then discussed within the framework of welfare regime types, followed by a discussion of reconciliation of work and family life in Europe. Next the various European Union institutions are discussed in order to establish the matrix of European governance leading on to a presentation of the so-called social dimension of European cooperation. Further a focus on health care in international perspective, urban differentiation and the important role of gender and ethnicity are discussed.

Course plan:

1. Introduction 

2. Defining and delineating Europe 
Literature: 
Ifversen, Jan (2002). ‘ Europe and European culture: a conceptual analysis.’ European Societies 4(1): 1-26. Soysal, Yasmin (2002). ‘Locating Europe.’ European Societies 4(3): 265-84. 

3. Economic development and spatial differentiation: employment, incomes and wealth 
Literature: 
Heidenreich, (2003). ‘Regional inequalities in the enlarged Europe.’ Journal of European Social Policy 13(4):13-33. 
Martin, Ron (2001). ‘EMU versus the regions? Regional convergence or divergence in Euroland.’ Journal of Economic Geography 1(1): 51-80. 

4. Comparing European trade unions to the US and Asia (guest lecturer: Carsten Strøby Jensen) 
Literature: 
Strøby Jensen, Carsten (2006). ‘Trade Unionism: differences and similarities – a Comparative view on Europe, US and Asia.’ Journal of Industrial Relations 48(1): 59-81. 
Visser, Jelle (2004). ‘Patterns and variation in European Industrial Relations.’ European Commission Industrial Relations in Europe. Luxembourg. 

5. Poverty and social exclusion 
Literature: 
Stwart, Kitty (2003). ‘Monitoring social inclusion in Europe´s regions.’ Journal of European Social Policy 13(3): 335-356. 
Tsakloglou, Pans and Fotis Papadopoulos (2002). ‘Aggregate level and determining factors of social exclusion in twelve European countries.’ Journal of European Social Policy 13(3): 211-225. 

6. Different social Europes: the welfare modeling business 
Literature: 
Abrahamson, Peter (1999). ‘The welfare modelling business.’ Social Policy and Administration 33(4): 394-415. 
Arts, Wil and John Gelissen (2002). ‘Three worlds of welfare capitalism or more? A state-of-the-art report.’ Journal of European Social Policy 13(2): 137-58. 

7. Reconciliation of work and family life in Europe 
Literature: 
Abrahamson, Peter (1999). ‘Reconciliation of work and family life in Europe: a case study of Denmark, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.’ Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice 9(2): 193-209. 
Duncan, Simon (2002). ‘Policy discourses on ‘reconciling work and family life’ in the EU.’ Social Policy & Society 1(4): 305-14. 
Lewis, Jane (2006). ‘Work/family reconciliation, equal opportunities and social policies: the interpretation of policy trajectories at the EU level and the meaning of gender equality.’ Journal of European Public Policy 13(3): 420-37. 

8. European governance: introducing the role of political institutions and actors 
Literature: 
Commission of the European Communities (2001). European Governance: a white Paper. Brussels COM(2001) 428 final. 

9. The social dimension of the European Union 
Literature: 
Abrahamson, Peter (2008). ‘The Social dimension of the European Union.’ Peter Abrahamson and Christian Aspalter (eds.) Understanding Social Policy in Europe. Taipei: Casa Verde Publishing, pp 33-55. Threlfall (2007). ‘The social dimension of the European Union: Innovative methods for advancing integration.’ Global Social Policy 7(3): 271–293. 

10. Health care in Europe in international comparison 
Literature: 
Eikemo, Terje et al. (2008) ‘Welfare state regimes and self-perceived health in Europe: a multilevel analysis.’ Social Science and Medicine 66(): 2281-2295. 
Navarro, Vicente, Margaret Whitehead, Tim Doran, Bo Burström, Uwe Helmert, Giuseppe Costa, and Carme Borrell (2003). ‘Summary and Conclusions of the Study.’ International Journal of Health Services 33(4): 743-749. 

11. Migration, refugees and the ethnic composition of Europe 
Literature: 
Crul, Maurice and Hans Vermeulen (2003). ‘The second generation in Europe.’ International Migration Review 37(4): 965-86. 
Jackson, James et al. (2001). ‘Contemporary immigration policy orientations among dominant-group members in Western Europe.’ Journal of Social Issues 57 (3): 431-56. 

12. The important role of gender in European developments(guest lecturer: Hilda Rømer Christensen) 
Literature 
Mark A. Pollack, and Emilie Hafner-Burton. (2004) ‘Mainstreaming Gender in the European Union.’ In Journal of European Public Policy. 73. Special Issue 432-56. 
Mieke Verloo (2006). ‘Multiple Inequalities. Intersectionality and the European Union. In European Journal of Women’s Studies 13 (3): 211-228. 
Judith Squires: (2004): Gender Quotas in Britain: A fast Track to Equality. Working Paper Series 2004: 1. The Research Program on Gender Quotas. 
 
13. Urban differentiation (guest lecturer: Hans Skifter Andersen) 
Literature: 
Hans Skifter Andersen (2002). ‘Can Deprived Housing Areas be Revitalised? Efforts against Segregation and Neighbourhood Decay in Denmark and Europe.’ Urban Studies 39(4): 767-790. Andersen, Hans Skifer Andersen; Hans Thor Andersen and Thorkild Ærø (2000). ‘Social polarisation in a segmented housing market. Segregation in greater Copenhagen.’ Geografisk Tidsskrift no. 100: 71-81. 

14. Conclusion
Målbeskrivelser
The aim of this course is to enable students to critically learn about and understand current European experiences regarding social and spatial differentiations
Lectures including active student participation
MA-level (English)
Not for undergraduates from our own Department of Sociology
Not for undergraduates from other danish departments
BA-Undergraduates from foreign countries can sign up for this course.

Kurset fungerer samtidig som linjefag i specialiseringsretningen: Politisk Sociologi
  • Kategori
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  • Eksamen
  • 123,5
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  • 123,5
  • Holdundervisning
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  • I alt
  • 275,0
Point
10 ECTS
Prøveform
Mundtlig prøve
Assessment: 7-point scale
Individual
Size: A synopsis of maximum 3 pages of 2400 characters. The synopsis may be handed in as a group. However, the oral exam is on individual basis. The synopsis itself is meant as a discussion paper and does not enter into the assessment
Bedømmelsesform
7-trins skala
Censurform
Ingen ekstern censur
Internal censorship
Eksamensperiode
Handing in papers:
Kriterier for bedømmelse
See course aims
Point
10 ECTS
Prøveform
Skriftlig aflevering
Assessment: 7-point scale
Individual or group
Internal examiner

Size: A Free written take-home essay of maximum 15 pages of 2400 characters each page (incl. spaces). If written by a group, the essay may be 50 % of 2400 characters each page longer per additional student.
Attention: When handing in as a group, the contribution of each student must be pointed out
Bedømmelsesform
7-trins skala
Censurform
Ingen ekstern censur
Internal censorship
Eksamensperiode
Handing in papers:
Kriterier for bedømmelse
See course aims