Course Syllabus

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INR3214: International Relations of Europe

Dr. Lukas K. Danner

Best Way to Contact Me: Canvas Inbox
Office Hours: By Appointment
Website: http://danner.lu

Course Description and Purpose

This course examines the foreign policies and current foreign affairs issues in Europe/the European Union as an international actor in global politics. As a way of introduction, the history of European international relations since the Napoleonic Wars will be surveyed. The focus of the course will be on the international relations of the individual EU member states as well as the European Union’s relations to other important nations, regions and international organizations. Students will familiarize themselves with the general history of European integration, and current EU foreign policy making structures and institutions. The evolution of Europe as a coherent actor, and the tensions between individual states in the pursuit of global influence through the EU will be highlighted. Students will be assessed by three reading & concept challenges (a quiz, a midterm and a final), thirteen weekly news journal video entries, as well as five discussion arena essays and posts.

This class counts toward the FIU European Studies Certificate.

Course Objectives

Students will be able to:

  1. Get familiarized with the basic common history of European international relations.
  2. Gain a good understanding of the interrelationship of the EU and member states in the pursuit of foreign relations.
  3. Become familiar with the European Union as an international actor.
  4. Become equipped with the theoretical tools to explain Europe’s relationship with other parts of the world.
  5. Discuss topics directly related to important questions about European international relations.
  6. Analyze current European foreign affairs dynamics and trends through a theoretical (comparative) lens.
  7. Explain the impact of transnational issues on European international relations and EU foreign policy.
  8. Improve their college-level research and writing skills when formulating complex arguments

Course Awards

Quality Matters
This certification mark recognizes that this course met Quality Matters review standards.

Affordability Counts
This course has been awarded the Affordability Counts Medallion. The Affordability Counts initiative at FIU seeks to make learning more affordable by reducing the cost of course materials to $60 or less. Find out more by visiting the Affordability Counts website at lowcost.fiu.edu

Important Information

Before starting this course, please review the following pages:

Additional Course Policies

  1. All times and deadlines are given in United States Eastern Time (ET). Also, please note the Daylight Savings Time change on November 4, 2018.
  2. No incompletes are given.
  3. No make-up opportunities are given.
  4. For discussion arenas and co-curricular activity report: Late submissions will result in point penalties according to this rule: one day late = -10 %, two days late = -20 %, three days late = -30 %, etc.
  5. For online reading & concept challenges in Respondus LockDown Browser: reading & concept challenges will be open for one week. Once the reading & concept challenge closes at the deadline, it will not be re-opened for you and it will irrevocably count as a zero, if you did not take it before the deadline.
  6. Copying from the textbook or cutting and pasting sections from websites or other reference materials or presenting someone else’s ideas as your own is plagiarism and will not be tolerated and will result in zero (0) points for that assignment. Please review the FIU Plagiarism Prevention Guide.  In addition, all work submitted must be original for this class.
  7. This class will utilize the Turnitin originality software—integrated with the LMS.
  8. Papers that are not properly cited will be issued a zero. 
  9. If the instructor is unable to open an attachment, it must be resubmitted within 48 hours or the assignment will be issued a zero.
  10. Always check the uploaded attachment is correct.  After the deadline passes, the content submitted will be used for grading.
  11. Medical emergencies can generally not count as excuses for not submitting assignments, taking tests or posting essays/replies. This is because the assessments (whether they be discussion arena posts, online reading & concept challenges, or written assignments) are open for several days, sometimes weeks each and therefore you will have much leeway in deciding when to take an reading & concept challenge, or submit an assignment. The only exception would be a truly grave medical emergency/accident in which you are hospitalized for several days or weeks. In such case, obtain written documentation and send a scan to instructor.
  12. Textbooks and the purchase thereof are the student’s responsibility. Some article readings will be offered as download online. Any readings from the assigned textbooks will not be made available for download.
  13. There is no extra-credit in this class.
  14. Appointments: I welcome students to contact me by email with questions or email me to make an appointment with me to meet on campus (MMC, for South Florida residents) or via Skype (for remote students).
  15. The instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus should the need arise.

Adobe Connect Lectures

This class will use the Adobe Connect for pre-recorded lectures.

Course Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Proctored Exam Policy

This course does not require proctored exams.

Textbook and Course Materials

Textbook EU Foreign Policy
The Foreign Policy of the European Union
Stephan Keukeleire & Tom Delreux
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014 (Second Edition)
ISBN-13: 978-1137025746 (ca. $ 50 new; ca. $ 40 used - Prices on Amazon.com)

Textbook European Foreign Policies
European Foreign Policies: Does Europe Still Matter?
Ronald Tiersky & John van Oudenaren (eds.)
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0742557796 (ca. $ 45 new; ca. $ 25 used; ca. $ 28 kindle - Prices on Amazon.com)

This textbook is required for the course, but you do not need to purchase it. It is available online free of charge via FIU Libraries. From that page, you should select “FIU users: view content here” - if off-campus, you will be asked to sign in for off-campus access using your regular FIU credentials - then from the EBL page, you should select “Login through your Library.” Lastly, you should click “Read Online (Available).”

Expectations of this Course

This is an online course, meaning that most of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same as for a traditional course; in fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills that can make them more demanding for some students.

Students are expected to:

  • Review the how to get started information located in the course content
  • Introduce yourself to the class during the first week by posting a self-introduction in the appropriate discussion forum
  • Take the practice quiz to ensure that your computer is compatible with Canvas
  • Interact online with instructor(s) and peers
  • Review and follow the course calendar
  • Log in to the course several times per week
  • Respond to discussion arenas by the corresponding deadline
  • Respond to emails within three days
  • Submit assignments by the corresponding deadline

The instructor will:

  • Log in to the course several times per week
  • Respond to discussion arenas within three days
  • Respond to emails within 1 business day
  • Grade assignments within four days of the assignment deadline

Course Communication

Communication in this course will take place via the Canvas Conversations Inbox.

Visit our writing resources page for more information on professional writing and technical communication skills.

Discussion Arenas

Keep in mind that your discussion arena postings will likely be seen by other members of the course. Care should be taken when determining what to post.

The first part of this assignment is posting your own response to each quest and corresponding reading on Canvas’s “Discussion Arena.” Questions that you may respond to after reading are going to be provided in the heading of the discussion arena. The discussion arena that corresponds to each quest will be opened shortly after the quest becomes available. Your response should be between 300 and 350 words long, be structured like an essay, and ideally show reference to the studied quest and readings. At the end of your essay, please provide a question for further discussion that your classmates may reply to in the second part of this assignment. This first part of the assignment is graded with a rubric.

The second part of this assignment is reading and replying to the discussion posts of two of your peers. So after you have posted your own, original response in the first part of the assignment (reading others’ discussion posts is disabled until you post your own), you need to reply to, at least, two (2) discussion posts of your classmates: This will contribute to the discussion character of this task. This second part of the assignment is graded and included in the rubric.

This assignment corresponds to our quests in the course content and the assigned reading to it. We may use Turnitin to check the originality of your posted essay. If you borrow material, identify the sources via proper citation. Your essay post must answer the question(s) provided to guide you in this assignment. Your posts will be graded in the order that they are submitted. Opinions and examples are valuable to your posts but you need to show that you have read the assigned reading and class quest.

Items to consider when writing your discussion:

  • Relevance to assigned material: the posted ideas indicate that the student has read the assigned material.
  • Clarity and coherence.
  • Critical thinking: there is evidence that the student has adequately analyzed, synthesized, and evaluated the assigned material.
  • Your discussion includes a question for further discussion on the topic. The posting articulates a question for discussion that pertains to the assigned material.
  • Spelling, grammar: the posting must meet university-level standards of spelling and grammar.
  • Length: the initial posting for each discussion post essay must be between 300 and 350 words.
  • Guidelines: First submit your essay (ca. 300 words), then separately submit your discussion question, and then proceed to look at your peers posts and reply to at least two different peers’ questions/react to their essay.
  • Please note: You will not be able to see what your peers have posted prior to submitting your initial post (essay). This is to ensure originality and no copy-paste/filibustering mentality. Should your first post be an empty post (to circumvent this initial blocking view of others’ posts), it will count as zero (0) points.
  • Late submission is subject to the deduction policy specified above under “Policies.”

Rubric:

Discussion Rubric

Points Possible

6 points

4.5 points

3 points

0 points

Essay in Response to Main Discussion Question(s)

 

Post thoroughly and effectively answers the question(s). Demonstrates mastery of the topic. Response is within the word count limits, i.e., not below 300 words and not above 350 words.

A solid effort, responding appropriately to the question(s). Demonstrates an understanding of the topic. Response is within 50 words of the word count limits (between 250 and 300 words or between 350 and 400 words).

Post demonstrates a weak understanding of the topic, or question is not fully answered. Response is significantly short or in excess of word count limits (between 200-250 words or more than 400 words). 

Post does not demonstrate an understanding of the topic, is off-topic, or no response to the question(s) has been made, or essay is not the first post made to the discussion arena. 

Points Possible

1 points

0.75 points

0.5 points

0 points

Discussion Question

Posts insightful discussion question that shows understanding of the topic and is designed to incite discussion. At least 20 words.

Posts acceptable discussion question that shows a sufficient understanding of the topic. Between 15 and 20 words.

Posts a satisfactory discussion question. Less than 15 words.

Posts a discussion question that is not related to the topic at hand or no post of a discussion question has been made.

Points Possible

1 points

0.75 points

0.5 points

0 points

Response to Classmate

Response builds on classmate's post, offers new ideas or follow-up question(s). Post is at least 50 words.

Response does a sufficient job of contributing to the discussion, but doesn't do much to move discussion forward. No follow-up question offered. Response is at least 40 words.

Weak response to classmate, such as “I agree” or “Good post.” Response does not add anything significant to the discussion. Response is less than 25 words.

Post does not respond to the original posters ideas, or no response to a classmate has been made.

Point Possible

2 points

1.5 points

1 point

0 points

Mechanics

Free of errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. 

Few (1-3) errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Some errors (4-7) in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Many (7+) errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation, or no response has been made.

Total Points possible per question

10 points

7.5 points

5 points

0 points

***Lateness policy: As per lateness policy specified in the syllabus, a post that is one day late incurs -1 point deduction; two days late -2 points deduction; three days late -3 points deduction; etc. pp.; up to nine days late -9 points deduction—in addition to any point deductions necessary through regular grading. (posts 10 days late would incur the full 10 points deduction and, thus, would count as ‘zero.’)

Weekly News Video Journal

Keep in mind that your weekly news journal entries will likely be seen by other members of the course. Care should be taken when determining what to post.

Each news video journal submission will count for 1 points of your overall class grade for a total of 13 points of your overall class grade. There are thirteen instances in which you may submit.

The first part of this weekly assignment is identifying and posting a weblink of a news article related to current European international relations in your personal news journal.

The second part of this assignment is recording and posting a two- to three-minute video using Canvas’s built-in media recorder to your news journal. Within this two- to three-minute video, you (1) summarize in your own words the news article’s content (do not read it word-by-word), (2) explain the relevance to this class or general importance of this news to Europe’s IR, and (3) give your own opinion about this news.

Items to consider when writing/recording your discussion:

  • Current news: Choose a news which is not older than one (1) week from the date that it is due. After all, the fact that “news” is “new” is what makes it news.
  • Reputable source: Choose a news source which is reputable. That could be anything from The New York Times, Washington Post, BBC News, CNN, Independent, Der Spiegel/English, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Economist or the like. Any English-language source is acceptable—as long as it is reputable and a weblink exists for it. Choose a news source which is reputable.
  • Critical thinking: there is evidence that the student has adequately analyzed, synthesized, and evaluated the news article.
  • Video Content: (1) summarize in your own words the news article’s content (do not read it word-by-word), (2) explain the relevance to this class or general importance of this news to European international relations, and (3) give your own opinion about this news.
  • Length: your video needs to be a minimum two (2) to a maximum three (3) minutes long.
  • Guidelines: First submit your news article’s weblink, then separately submit your recorded video using Canvas's built-in media recorder.
  • Late submission is subject to the deduction policy specified above under “Policies.”

Rubric:

Weekly News Video Journal Rubric

Points Possible

0.5 point

0.35 points

0.2 points

0 points

Weekly News Video Journal Entry

 

Excellent video entry. Demonstrates mastery of the topic. Masterful analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the news article. Contains three well-done sections, i.e., summary of news article, relevance to class, and own opinion. Video entry is between 2 and 3 minutes.

A solid effort. Demonstrates an understanding of the topic. Sufficient analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the news article. Contains three good sections, i.e., summary of news article, relevance to class, and own opinion, however one or two may be lacking in quality. Video entry is up to 30 seconds below or above minute limits (1.5 to 2 minutes or 3 to 3.5 minutes).

Video entry demonstrates a weak understanding of the topic, or post is incomplete with respect to required sections and quality thereof. Lacking or sloppy analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the news article. Response is significantly short or in excess of time limits (1 to 1.5 minutes or 3.5 to 4 minutes). 

Post does not demonstrate an understanding of the topic, is off-topic, or no video entry made at all, or essay is not the first post made to the discussion arena. 

Points Possible

0.25 points

0.15 points

0.1 points

0 points

Selection & Presentation Style

News article presented on is well selected and not older than one week from due date. Topic presented on has not been selected by the student prior to the post, i.e., it is not a repeat topic. Mastery of presentation skills. Professional language.

News article is an acceptable selection. Topic may have been presented on by the student but represents a significant update to the topic. Good presentation skills. Acceptable use of language.

News article selection mediocre, i.e., may not be fully related to Europe or international relations thereof. Topic is a repeat topic and has been presented on by the student before without representing a significant update. Less than good presentation skills. Colloquial use of language.

Student does not select and present a news article, or news article is older than one week from the due date.

Points Possible

0.25 points

N/A

N/A

0 points

Mechanics: Weblink

Student posts weblink of the news article they are presenting on.

N/A

N/A

Student omits weblink post of news article they are presenting on.classmate has been made.

Total Points possible per question

1 point

0.5 points

0.3 points

0 points

***Lateness policy: As per lateness policy specified in the syllabus, a post that is one day late incurs -0.1 points deduction; two days late -0.2 points deduction; three days late -0.3 points deduction; etc. pp.; up to nine days late -0.9 points deduction—in addition to any point deductions necessary through regular grading. (posts 10 days late would incur the full 1 point deduction and, thus, would count as ‘zero.’)

Assessments

There will be THREE ONLINE READING & CONCEPT CHALLENGES (with Respondus Lockdown Browser).

Assessment Expectations:

  • Complete the three online reading & concept challenges (Quiz, Midterm & Final) within this course
  • Relevant material for reading & concept challenges are PowerPoints, Lectures, and—first and foremost—assigned required readings. Reading which are merely recommended are not directly relevant as reading & concept challenge material—unless they have been mentioned, summarized or introduced via lectures or quests, for example (nevertheless, you do not have to read them but just know what was mentioned about them, if they came up in lectures/quests). The quiz will also contain questions on the geography of Europe (important cities, provinces, bodies of water, islands, etc.).
  • The reading & concept challenges are cumulative, meaning that they cover all material previously learned, though they have a focus on the material learned after the last test.
  • Reading & concept challenges will consist of multiple-choice questions.
  • The assessment duration is 60 minutes for the quiz and midterm, 120 minutes for the final.
  • If you access the reading & concept challenge last minute then you will not receive the full amount of time on the challenge. Therefore, it is recommended to take the reading & concept challenge the latest two hours before the deadline. Please note that the assessment will close permanently after the deadline, so starting it late is not possible.
  • Result details:
    • Students will be able to see their results after the availability period has ended (i.e. all of the questions and answers).
  • The expected turn-around time for grades on online reading & concept challenges is immediately after the submission deadline.

Respondus Lockdown Browser

  • Review the Respondus LockDown Browser Instructions on how to install, access your assessments and view your grades.
  • After installing the browser, please take the Practice Quiz to familiarize yourself with the testing environment and to ensure that you have downloaded the Respondus Lockdown Browser correctly.

Important Dates and Deadlines

Discussion Arena Posts:

  • August 30, 2018 (Thursday) - First discussion arena, essay & discussion question due by 11:59pm EDT.
  • September 4, 2018 (Tuesday) – First discussion arena, two participation replies due by 11:59pm EDT (due on a Tuesday due to Labor Holiday; otherwise always Mondays).
  • September 20, 2018 (Thursday) - Second discussion arena, essay & discussion question due by 11:59pm EDT.
  • September 24, 2018 (Monday) – Second discussion arena, two participation replies due by 11:59pm EDT.
  • October 18, 2018 (Thursday) - Third discussion arena, essay & discussion question due by 11:59pm EDT.
  • October 22, 2018 (Monday) – Third discussion arena, two participation replies due by 11:59pm EDT.
  • November 8, 2018 (Thursday) - Fourth discussion arena, essay & discussion question due by 11:59pm EST (Eastern Daylight Savings Time [EDT] Ends on November 4, Eastern Standard Time [EST] Resumes; make sure you have changed your clocks, or to note the changed time difference if you are taking this course remotely from a country without DST).
  • November 12, 2018 (Monday) - Fourth discussion arena, two participation replies due by 11:59pm EST.
  • November 29, 2018 (Thursday) - Fifth discussion arena, essay & discussion question due by 11:59pm EST.
  • December 3, 2018 (Monday) – Fifth discussion arena, two participation replies due by 11:59pm EST.

Reading & Concept Challenges:

  • October 1, 2018 – First online reading & concept challenge (Quiz) due by 11:59pm EDT.
  • October 29, 2018 – Second online reading & concept challenge (Midterm) due by 11:59pm EDT.
  • December 10, 2018 – Third online reading & concept challenge (Final) due by 11:59pm EST (Eastern Daylight Savings Time [EDT] Ends on November 4, Eastern Standard Time [EST] Resumes; make sure you have changed your clocks, or to note the changed time difference if you are taking this course remotely from a country without DST).

Weekly News Video Journal Entries:

  • September 10, 2018 – First weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EDT.
  • September 17, 2018 – Second weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EDT.
  • September 24, 2018 – Third weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EDT.
  • October 1, 2018 – Fourth weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EDT.
  • October 8, 2018 – Fifth weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EDT.
  • October 15, 2018 – Sixth weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EDT.
  • October 22, 2018 – Seventh weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EDT.
  • October 29, 2018 – Eighth weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EDT.
  • November 5, 2018 – Ninth weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm
  • EST (Eastern Daylight Savings Time [EDT] Ends on November 4, Eastern Standard Time [EST] Resumes; make sure you have changed your clocks, or to note the changed time difference if you are taking this course remotely from a country without DST).
  • November 12, 2018 – Tenth weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EST.
  • November 19, 2018 – Eleventh weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EST.
  • November 26, 2018 – Twelfth weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EST.
  • December 3, 2018 – Thirteenth weekly news journal entry by 11:59pm EST

University Deadlines:

  • August 27, 2018 – Last day to add courses; last day to drop courses or withdraw from the University without incurring financial liability for Tuition and Fees
  • September 3, 2018 – Labor Day Holiday (university closed)
  • October 29, 2018 – Deadline to drop a course with a DR grade; Deadline to withdraw from the University with a WI grade
  • November 12, 2018 – Veterans Day Holiday Observed (university closed)
  • November 22, 2018 – Thanksgiving Holiday (university closed)
  • November 23-24, 2018 – Thanksgiving Break (university closed)
  • December 3-8, 2018 – Finals’ Week
  • December 13, 2018 – Grades available on my.fiu.edu by 9:00am

Grading

Course Requirements Number of Items Points
Discussion Arena Participation (10 points each) 5 50
Weekly News Video Journal Entries (1 point each) 13 13
Reading & Concept Quiz Challenge 1 7
Reading & Concept Midterm Challenge 1 10
Reading & Concept Final Challenge 1 20
TOTAL 21 100

 

Letter Range Letter Range Letter Range
A 95 or above B 83 - 86 C 70 - 76
A- 90 - 94 B- 80 - 82 D 60 - 69
B+ 87 - 89 C+ 77 - 79 F 59 or less

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due