ASTK12571U CANCELED - SEMINAR: Myth and Symbols of European Integration

The seminar examines the importance in symbols and myths in European integration. The azure European Flag with 12 gold stars a well-known symbol for 'European unity', as many will recognize myths and stories about how the European Union (EU) is our guarantor of peace and prosperity in Europe. The seminar focuses on a number of less successful, but significant symbols and myths about the EU by studying narratives of ‘economic Europe’, ‘social Europe', ‘green Europe’, and 'global Europe’.  Through theoretical, methodological and  case study analysis, the seminar asks the questions: how widely disseminated and understood are symbols and myths about the EU? How does the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers use and perceive EU symbols and myths? How do governmental and non-governmental organisations use and perceive symbols and myths about the EU? How do politicians and officials working in and with the EU use and perceive use and perceive symbols and myths about the EU? And finally, does the use and spread of symbols and myths about the EU shape European integration? These questions are explored, and the results are compared within the four areas of  ‘economic Europe’, ‘social Europe', ‘green Europe’, and 'global Europe’.

Preliminary plan:

Introduction:

1. Understanding symbols and myths in European integration

Economic Europe:

2. economic symbols and myths
3. economic policies and politics

Social Europe

4. social symbols and myths
5. social policies and politics

Green Europe

6. green symbols and myths
7. green policies and politics

Global Europe

8. global symbols and myths
9. global policies and politics

The seminar consists of nine 3-hour sessions placing a heavy emphasis on active learning through case study work. The seminar begins by introducing the differing understandings of symbols and myths, in particular emblematic, representational, ordering and dominating approaches from social theory. The main emphasis of the seminar will be on four differing myths of European integration – economic Europe, social Europe, green Europe, and global Europe. In each of these areas the seminar will first explore the broad symbols, myths and discourses of European integration. Second, in each area students will engage with selected case studies in order to explore the theoretical, policymaking and political details.

Questions raised in the seminar include theoretical questions such as how can we best understand different approaches to symbols and myths in European integration? As well as more empirical questions such as how are do symbols and myths shape policy making in economic, social, green and global policy areas?? And finally, are symbols and myths separate and separable from substance and facts???