Department of International Relations and European Studies FACULTY OF SOCIAL STUDIES MASARYK UNIVERSITY Joštova 10, CZ-602 00 Brno, Czech Republic SYLLABUS EGO428 The EU Foreign Policy: Eastern Dimension (Spring 2016) Tuesdays February 23 – May 17, 11:30-13:00, Room P24 Lecturer: Petra Kuchyňková, Ph.D. (kuchynko@fss.muni.cz), room 4.54, office hours: Thursday 17:00 – 18:00 + possibility on an e-mail or Skype consultation Course description overview: The aim of the course is to make the students acquaint with the development of the EU engagement as an actor in its Eastern neighbourhood (with the emphasis on states of the so-called post-soviet area). The course focuses first on various theoretical approaches to the EU as an actor of international relations (with the emphasis on the EU as an actor in its neighbourhood). Concepts of the EU as a normative power and civilian power as well as the phenomenon of the so-called neighbourhood Europeanization will be dealt with in particular. Also the decision-making mechanisms in the EU Foreign Policy before and after the Lisbon Treaty will be introduced and explained, with the emphasis on the particular area of the EU Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the Eastern Partnership (EaP) programme. Functioning and instruments of the ENP with the emphasis on the EaP programme and other initiatives in the particular area (Black Sea Synergy etc.) will be explained as well. After the theoretical and general introduction of the EU as an actor of international relations in its neighbourhood the course will focus on particular problems and perspectives in relations with different countries in the EU Eastern neighbourhood. First the attention will be devoted to special relations between the EU and Russia, which are outside of the scope of European Neighbourhood Policy. Then the development of Eastern dimension of the ENP, with the emphasis on the EaP programme will be introduced. The last part of the course is devoted to particular case studies of the EU relations to EaP countries: Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and 3 countries of the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia). The focus will be on such problems as frozen conflicts, democratization, cooperation between the EU and these countries on political, economy and energy security matters. Last but not least, the attention will be devoted to the current development and future of the EaP programme in the context of the current events in the Eastern Europe and after the EaP summit in Riga (May 2015). The course combines both theoretical perspective and case study approach, lessons and seminars. Students are motivated to actively participate in the seminars through set of tasks related to the relevant topics (position papers and discussions, formal debating, policy recommendation and its presentation). 2 sessions and discussions with experts will also take place during the seminar. Objectives of the course At the end of the course, students will be familiar with the development of the EU engagement in its Eastern neighbourhood in the period since 1990´s until the current situation. They will be able to discuss the main controversial issues concerning the situation in the six countries which are engaged in the programme of the Eastern Partnership and in the relations between the EU and the Russian Federation. They will be able to understand the instruments and mechanisms of the EU Neighbourhood Policy, the programme of the Eastern Partnership and to discuss main issues concerning their future. Students will be also well-oriented in searching for relevant information which can be used as a background material for preparing a position on these topics and group debates, they will enhance their ability to work in groups, to present, explain and defend their positions in group debates and discussions. Requirements of the Course Contact lessons (lectures and seminars) 24 hours 1 ECTS Assigned readings (693): 75 hours 3 ECTS Position papers + group projects 25 hours 1 ECTS Preparation for written exam: 25 hours 1 ECTS Total workload: 150 hours 6 ECTS Form of teaching and students’ assignments The course consists of lectures mixed together with seminars including class discussions and presentations. Students are expected to prepare individually four position papers and discuss them in the class. Position papers deal with assigned articles (critical discussion about the ideas and positions presented in the articles and presentation of the own position supported with arguments) which cover the issue of interest from a particular angle (e.g. the issue of the desirable role of the EU an actor in the Eastern neighbourhood, its successes and challenges is covered by several articles which enable in the class discussion to introduce a wide range of arguments and points of view). 3 group projects cover assigned task and every group is expected to present its paper in the class in the form of Oxford debate. There is no compulsory attendance for the lessons as a rule. The only exceptions concern group debates, where representatives of particular groups should be present, and debates with 2 external experts. Students will obtain 2 points for each expert lesson/seminar when attending it and actively participating (students are required to prepare questions for the experts. Ms. Petra Netukova and Ms. Zinaida Shevchuk). Semester Course Programme and Outline: February 23 Opening session. EU as an actor of international relations in its neighbourhood. Development of the European Neighbourhood Policy – Eastern dimension. Eastern Partnership – from Prague to Riga summits (achievements and problems) Basic information about the course: topics and requirements. Different theoretical approaches: Civilian Power Europe, EU as a normative power, geopolitical perspectives, EU as an actor in its neighbourhood, neighbourhood Europeanization. EU Common Foreign and Security Policy in the Eastern neighbourhood before and after Lisbon. Eastern Partnership and other initiatives. Topics for discussion: EU as a (normative) actor in its Eastern Neigbourhood – failures and achievements, time for changes? Readings: § Haukkala, H. (2011): The European Union as a Regional Normative Hegemon: The Case of European Neighbourhood Policy. In: Whitman, R., G. (ed.): Normative Power Europe. Empirical and Theoretical Perspectives, pp. 45 – 64. (Total 20 pages) § Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit (Riga, 21-22 May 2015). On-line: (http://eeas.europa.eu/eastern/docs/riga-declaration-220515-final_en.pdf) (Total 13 pages) § Kobzova, J. (2015): Eastern Partnership after Riga: rethink, reforms, resilience. ECFR. On-line: (http://www.ecfr.eu/page/-/Riga_Series_Jana_change.pdf). (Total 11 pages) § Korosteleva, E. (2012): The European Union and its Eastern Neighbours. Towards a more ambitious partnership? London: Routledge, pp. 2 – 8. (Total 7 pages) Recommended: § Council of the European Union (2009): Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit, Prague, 7 May 2009. On-line: (http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/er/107589.pdf) § European Commission (2015): Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in 2014. Eastern Partnership Implementation Report, Brussels, 25.3.2015. On-line: (http://eeas.europa.eu/enp/pdf/2015/enp-regional-report-eastern_partnership_en.pdf) § European Commission (2015): Joint Consultation Paper. Towards a new European Neighbourhood Policy, Brussels, 4.3.2015. On-line: (http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/neighbourhood/consultation/consultation.pdf) § European Neighbourhood Policy. On-line: (http://eeas.europa.eu/enp/index_en.htm) March 1 Eastern Partnership – from Prague to Riga summits (achievements and problems) – cont. EU and Russia (Introduction) Russia and Europe: historical perspective. Development and the key problems of the EU-Russia relations: Political, economic and energy security dimension. Russia and the EU member states: Western Europe and East-Central Europe. Readings: § Trenin, D.; Lipman, M.; Malashenko, A. (eds.; 2013): The End of an Era in EU-Russia Relations. Carnegie Moscow Center, May 30, 2013. (Total 30 pages) Recommended: § Tsygankov, A., P. (2010): Russia´s foreign policy: change and continuity in national identity, Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, pp. 55 - 77. § White, S. (2011): Understanding Russian Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 263 – 319. § White, S.; Feklyunina, V. (2014): Identities and Foreign Policies in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The Other Europes. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 51 – 98. (Total 47 pages) Texts for PP1: § Bickerton, Ch., J. (2015): European Union Foreign Policy. From Effectiveness to Functionality. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 76 – 101. (Total 25 pages) § Dȋrdală, L.-D. (2013): After Vilnius: the European Union’s smart power and the Eastern Neighbourhood, Eastern Journal of European Studies, Vol. 4, I. 2, December 2013, pp. 123 – 136. (Total 17 pages) § Smith, M., H. (2015): The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in the Post-Lisbon Era: Robust or Rootless Hybrid? In: Koops, Joachim, A.; Macaj, Gjovalin (eds.; 2015): The European Union as a Diplomatic Actor. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 11 – 30. (Total 19 pages) March 8 Discussion about PP1. Discussion about PP 1: “What kind of actor should the EU be in the Eastern neighbourhood?” Normative actor, economic partner, security power, or...? Why? Eastern neighbourhood in the context of the EU-Russia relations Russian Federation, the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership Programme. EU and the Eurasian Union. Readings: § Bova, R. (2010): Russia and Europe after the Cold War. Cultural convergence or civilizational clash? In: Engelbrekt, Kjell; Nygren, Bertil: Russia and Europe: building bridges, digging trenches. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 19 - 38. (Total 20 pages) § Glazyev, S. (2015): Russia and the Eurasian Union. In: Dutkiewicz, Piotr; Sakwa, Richard (eds.; 2015): Eurasian Integration – The View from within. Routledge, pp. 84 – 95. (Total 11 pages) § Hill, R., J. (2012): Russia, the European Union and the Lands Between. In Korosteleva (ed.; 2012): Eastern Partnership: A New Opportunity for the Neighbours, London: Routledge, pp. 144 – 164. (Total 21 pages) § Tumanov, S., Gasparishvili, A., Romanova, E. (2012): Russia – EU Relations, or How the Russians Really View the EU. In Korosteleva (ed.; 2012): Eastern Partnership: A New Opportunity for the Neighbours, London: Routledge, pp. 122 – 143. (Total 22 pages) Recommended: § Badmaev, V. (2015): Eurasianism as a „philosophy of nation“. In: Dutkiewicz, Piotr; Sakwa, Richard (eds.; 2015): Eurasian Integration – The View from within. Routledge, pp. 31 – 45. (Total 14 pages) § Roberts, S., Marin, A., Moshes, A., Pynnöniemi, K. (2014): The Eurasian Economic Union: Breaking the pattern of post-Soviet integration? FIIA Analysis – 3. The Finnish Institute of International Affairs, September 2014. (Total 29 pages) Recommended for Group Debate 1: § Sala, V. D. (2015): The EU and the Eurasian Economic Union. Between partnership and threat? “. In: Dutkiewicz, Piotr; Sakwa, Richard (eds.; 2015): Eurasian Integration – The View from within. Routledge, pp. 161 – 172. § Torbakov, Igor (2013): The European Union, Russia and the „In-between Europe“: Managing Interdependence. In: Cierco, Teresa (ed.): The European Union Neighbourhood. Challenges and opportunities. Surrey: Ashgate, pp. 173 – 189. (Total 17 pages) § Trenin, D. (2014): Russia´s Breakout from the Post-Cold War System. The Drivers of the Putin´s Course. Carnegie Moscow Center. (Total 32 pages) § White, S.; Feklyunina, V. (2014): Identities and Foreign Policies in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The Other Europes. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 99 – 134. § Carnegie/trenin March 15 Eastern neighbourhood in the context of the EU-Russia relations. Group debate 1 Oxford debate: “EU and Russia in the “post-soviet” area: Clash of perspectives, clash of interests? Are there still possibilities to cooperate? Yes/No. Why?” Group 1 prepares, develops and explains 5 arguments why today EU policy towards Russia (concerning the continuing sanctions and overall cooling of mutual relations) is necessary or proper. Group 1 will also try to suggest future directions of the EU relations towards Russia (what should be preserved, what should be changed, conditions, what the EU should strive to achieve) and possible scenarios. Group 2 prepares and develops a counter-thesis containing 5 critical arguments why the EU policy towards Russia is wrong and should be changed. Group 2 shall also present their own recommendations of particular changes, directions and scenarios for the future EU – Russia relations and explanation of such recommendations. Group 3 serves as jury – summarizes both positions and evaluates the arguments of both sides. EU and Ukraine (Introduction) Ukraine: Between Russia and the West/EU? Gloomy heritage of the past. EU – Ukraine relations in the context of the ENP and EaP developments. Readings: § Snyder, T. (2010): Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin. New York: Basic Books, pp. 21 – 59. (Total 38 pages) § Korosteleva, E. (2012): The European Union and its Eastern Neighbours. Towards a more ambitious partnership? London: Routledge, pp. 82 – 103. (Total 22 pages) March 22 EU and Ukraine Ukraine: Between Russia and the West/EU? EU – Ukraine relations in the context of the ENP and EaP developments. Association agreement – problems, opportunities and challenges in the case of Ukraine. Readings: § Stewart, S. (2015): Power Relations Meet Domestic Structures: Russia and Ukraine. In: Wetzel, Anne; Orbie, Jan (eds.; 2015): The Substance of EU Democracy Promotion. Concepts and Cases. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 117 – 133. (Total 16 pages) § White, S.; Feklyunina, V. (2014): Identities and Foreign Policies in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The Other Europes. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 135 – 161. (Total 26 pages) Recommended: § Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (2015): Ukraine. On-line: (http://carnegieendowment.org/regions/?fa=list&id=331) § Dimitrova, A.; Dragneva, R. (2014): Shaping Convergence with the EU in Foreign Policy and State Aid in Post-Orange Ukraine: Weak External Incentives, Powerful Veto Players. In: Langbein, Julia; Börzel, Tanja, A. (eds.; 2014): Explaining Policy Change in the European Union´s Eastern Neighbourhood. Routledge, pp. 88 – 111. (Total 33 pages) § European Union. External Action (2015): The EU´s relations with Ukraine. On-line: (http://eeas.europa.eu/ukraine/index_en.htm) § EU–Ukraine Association Agreement. “Quick Guide to the Association Agreement”. On-line: (http://eeas.europa.eu/ukraine/pdf/071215_eu-ukraine_association_agreement.pdf) § Tyshchenko, Y. (2011): Ukraine. In: Duleba, A., Bilčík, V. (eds.): Taking Stock of the Eastern Partnership. Bratislava: SFPA, pp. 10 - 58. § White, S.; Feklyunina, V. (2014): Identities and Foreign Policies in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The Other Europes. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 187 – 228. Texts for PP2: § Fesenko, V. (2015): Ukraine. Between Europe and Eurasia. In: Dutkiewicz, Piotr; Sakwa, Richard (eds.; 2015): Eurasian Integration – The View from within. Routledge, pp. 126 – 149. (Total 23 pages) § Maksak, H. (2015): A Focus on Ukraine. In: Gromadzki, Grzegorz; Sendhardt, Bastian (eds.; 2015): Eastern Partnership Revisited. Associated Countries in Focus. The Stefan Batory Foundation. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Warsaw, pp. 71 - 99. On-line: (http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/warschau/12002.pdf) (Total 28 pages) March 29 EU and Ukraine (cont.) + Discussion about PP2 Events following the summit in Vilnius (November 2013) in the context of EU – Ukraine relations. Ukrainian situation as a challenge for the future of the EaP? Discussion about PP2: “EU policy towards Ukraine”. What are the most pressing challenges in the Ukrainian situation and in the EU – Ukraine relations? Ukraine between the EU and Russia – What solutions for the future? What position should the EU take? Belarus and the Eastern Partnership (Introduction) Readings: § Korosteleva, E. (2012): The European Union and its Eastern Neighbours. Towards a more ambitious partnership? London: Routledge, pp. 61 – 81. (Total 21 pages) § Rotman, D., Veremeeva, N. (2012): Belarus in the Context of the Neigbourhood Policy: Between the EU and Russia. In Korosteleva (ed.; 2012): Eastern Partnership: A New Opportunity for the Neighbours, London: Routledge, pp. 75 – 100. (Total 36 pages) Recommended: § Nygren, B. (2010): The Rebuilding of Greater Russia. Putin´s foreign policy towards the CIS countries. London: Routledge, pp. 66 – 81. April 5 Belarus and the Eastern Partnership Belarus as a special actor of the EaP – standing inside and outside at the same time. EU as an actor of democracy promotion in the case of Belarus – achievements and failures. Discussion with the expert: Ms. Petra Netukova, member of the monitoring mission in Belarus in 2015 Readings: § Korosteleva, E. (2015): Belarus between the EU and Eurasian Economic Union. In: Dutkiewicz, Piotr; Sakwa, Richard (eds.; 2015): Eurasian Integration – The View from within. Routledge, pp. 111 – 125. (Total 14 pages) § White, S.; Feklyunina, V. (2014): Identities and Foreign Policies in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The Other Europes. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 163 – 186. (Total 23 pages) Texts recommended for Group debate 2: § Ditrych, O. (2013): Good cop or bad cop? Sanctioning Belarus. European Union Institute for Security Studies, March 2013. § Giumelli, F., Ivan, P. (2013): The effectiveness of EU sanctions. An analysis of Iran, Belarus, Syria and Myanmar (Burma). On-line: (http://www.epc.eu/documents/uploads/pub_3928_epc_issue_paper_76_-_the_effectiveness_of_eu_sanction s.pdf) § Nice, A. (2012): Playing Both Sides: Belarus between Russia and the EU, DGAP analyse, March 2012, Nr. 2. April 12 Group debate 2 Oxford debate: “EU and its policy of democracy promotion and human rights protection: The case of Belarus” Group 1 prepares, develops and explains 5 arguments supporting recent changes in the EU policy towards Belarus (temporal suspension of sanctions) and suggests possible future directions in the EU – Belarus relations (with respect to the EU continuing policy of the accent on the human rights and democracy promotion). Group 2 prepares and develops a counter-thesis containing 5 critical arguments with the explanation of these arguments and their own suggestions of the EU position towards the situation in Belarus (in the context of both the internal development in Belarus and the overall development of events in the Eastern Europe). Group 3 serves as jury – summarizes both positions and evaluates the presented arguments and positions. Moldova and the EU (introduction) Association agreement, DCFTA and other EaP instruments in practice – problems and opportunities; frozen conflicts phenomenon – the case of Transdniestria. Readings: § Korosteleva, E. (2012): The European Union and its Eastern Neighbours. Towards a more ambitious partnership? London: Routledge, s. 104 – 124. (Total 25 pages) Readings for Position Paper 3: § Chirila, V. (2015): A Focus on Moldova. In: Gromadzki, Grzegorz; Sendhardt, Bastian (eds.; 2015): Eastern Partnership Revisited. Associated Countries in Focus. The Stefan Batory Foundation. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Warsaw, pp. 47 - 69. On-line: (http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/warschau/12002.pdf) (Total 22 pages) § Danii, O., Mascauteanu, M. (2012): Moldova Under the European Neighbourhood Policy: „Falling Between Stools“. In: Korosteleva (ed.; 2012): Eastern Partnership: A New Opportunity for the Neighbours, London: Routledge, s. 101 – 121. (Total 20 pages) April 19 Moldova and the EU Association agreement, DCFTA and other EaP instruments in practice – problems and opportunities; frozen conflicts phenomenon – the case of Transdniestria. Discussion about PP3: “Moldova`s road to the association with the EU: opportunities and failures; today most pressing problems” Readings: § EU-Moldova Association Agreement. What does the Agreement offer? On-line: (http://eeas.europa.eu/moldova/pdf/quick_guide_eu_md_aa_en.pdf) (Total 2 pages) § Revenco, E. (2011): Moldova. In: Duleba, A., Bilčík, V. (eds.): Taking Stock of the Eastern Partnership. Bratislava: SFPA, s. 59 - 103. (Total 44 pages) April 26 South Caucasus and the Eastern Partnership Readings: § Chkhivadze, V. (2015): A Focus on Georgia. In: Gromadzki, Grzegorz; Sendhardt, Bastian (eds.; 2015): Eastern Partnership Revisited. Associated Countries in Focus. The Stefan Batory Foundation. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Warsaw, pp. 23 - 46. On-line: (http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/warschau/12002.pdf) (Total 23 pages) § Kobzova, J.; Alieva, L. (2012): The EU and Azerbaijan: beyond oil. Policy memo, ECFR/57, May 2012. (Total 13 pages) § Kostanyan, H. (2015): Neither Integrated Nor Comprehensive in Substance: Armenia and Georgia. In: Wetzel, Anne; Orbie, Jan (eds.; 2015): The Substance of EU Democracy Promotion. Concepts and Cases. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 134 – 148. (Total 14 pages) § Valiyev, A. (2014): Azerbaijan´s Elite between Scylla and Charybdis: EU or Customs Union? In: The Vilnius Moment, PONARS Eurasia Policy Perspectives, March 2014, pp. 49 – 52. (Total 4 pages) Recommended: § Ademmer, E.; Börzel, T., A. (2014): Migration, Energy and Good Governance in the EU´s Eastern Neighbourhood. Langbein, Julia; Börzel, Tanja, A. (eds.; 2014): Explaining Policy Change in the European Union´s Eastern Neighbourhood. Routledge, pp. 11 – 38. § Fix, L. (2014): Georgia Knocking on Europe´s Door. Russia, Georgia and the EU Assocaition Agreement. DGAP, N. 10., June 2014. (Total 8 pages) § Kopeček, V. (2011): European Neighbourhood Policy: Does the tool work? Area study of the South Caucasian countries, Contemporary European Studies 1/2011, pp. 5 – 22. (Total 18 pages) § Nygren, B. (2010): The Rebuilding of Greater Russia. Putin´s foreign policy towards the CIS countries. London: Routledge, pp. 101 - 153. Readings for Position Paper 4: Will be added by Dr. Shevchuk in March (Total max. 30 pages) May 3 Expert lecture/seminar – Dr. Zinaida Shevchuk + discussion about PP4 Lecture on topic "South Caucasus and the EU as an actor in solving the frozen conflicts". Discussion about PP4: “EU´s Common Defense and Scurity polity and its instruments for solving the frozen conflicts in South Caucasus” Readings: § Gromadzki, G. (2015): Six Considerations about the EaP. In: Gromadzki, Grzegorz; Sendhardt, Bastian (eds.; 2015): Eastern Partnership Revisited. Associated Countries in Focus. The Stefan Batory Foundation. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Warsaw. On-line: (http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/warschau/12002.pdf) (Total 11 pages) § Kasčiunas, L.; Ivanauskas, V.; Keršanskas, V.; Kojala, L. (2014): Eastern partnership in a changed security environment: New incentives for reform. Vilnius: Eastern Europe Studies Centre, November 2014, pp. 15 - 24; 26 - 29. On-line: (http://www.eesc.lt/uploads/news/id804/EaP%20In%20A%20Changed%20Security%20Environment%20ENG.pdf) (Total 14 pages) § Lehne, S. (2014): Time to Reset the European Neighborhood Policy. Carnegie Europe, February 4, 2014. Dostupné z: (http://carnegieeurope.eu/2014/02/04/time-to-reset-european-neighborhood-policy#) (Total 8 pages) Further Recommended Reading for Group Debate 3: § Dostál, V., Karasová, L., Lídl, V. (2015): Trends of Eastern Partnership. Association for International Affairs, Prague. On-line: (http://trendy2015.amo.cz/files/paper_en.pdf) § European Parliament (2015): The Eastern Partnership after Five Years: Time for Deep Rethinking. Study. On-line: (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/536438/EXPO_STU%282015%29536438_EN.pdf) (Total 44 pages) May 10 Future of the Eastern Partnership and the European Neighbourhood Policy + Group debate 3 Oxford debate: “What future for the Eastern dimension of the ENP?” Group 1 prepares, develops and explains 5 arguments demonstrating success and achievements of the conception, priorities and instruments of the EaP programme and will highlight those elements of the EaP, which should definitely be preserved and continue also for the following years. Group 2 prepares and develops a counter-thesis containing 5 critical arguments concerning the EaP instruments and mechanisms in achieving the overall aims of the policy. Group 2 shall also try to suggest policy recommendations for changes of the EaP priorities and mechanisms for the following years. Group 3 serves as jury – evaluates both positions, arguments and suggestions concerning what should be preserved and changed in the EaP. Summary of the whole course. May 17 Final exam Studying materials: All materials will be available on the webpage of the course – see the Information System of Masaryk University (is.muni.cz), section “Study materials” (see the Interactive syllabus as well). Students also have the possibility to download PowerPoint presentations used in lectures (in pdf format). Presentations are recommended as an additional studying source. Course requirements: Please note that all the course requirements are necessary to complete the course and to receive a final grade (A-F). (1) Position papers Every student must submit four short position papers, each approx. 5,500 characters long (+/– 10 %). Each position paper should consist of short summary of the assigned texts (max. 20 % of the text) and the main part of the text focuses on your own critique and reflection of the particular topic of the PP. Each PP should also include at least 2 questions for a seminar discussion. You should be ready to discuss the topic and your views in the seminars. Students should upload all position papers to the Information System – folder “Submitted student work” (1 to 4) a day before the particular lecture/seminar. The particular deadlines are: PP 1: “What kind of actor should the EU be in the Eastern neighbourhood?” – March 6 PP 2: “EU policy towards Ukraine” – March 27 PP 3: “Moldova`s road to the association with the EU: opportunities and failures” – April 17 PP 4: “EU´s Common Defense and Scurity polity and its instruments for solving the frozen conflicts in South Caucasus” – May 1 Each position paper will be evaluated with max. 4 points + you can obtain another 1 point for active participation in the seminar discussion. Max. number of points for postion papers is 20. (2) Group projects and group debates The debates will be realized in a form of Oxford debates. The students will be divided into 3 groups. 2 groups will prepare, develop, explain and present arguments supporting particular position to the assigned topic. Third group will serve as a jury. Topics for the Group debates: Group debate 1: “EU and Russia in the “post-soviet” area: Clash of perspectives, clash of interests?”, March 15 Group debate 2: “EU and its policy of democracy promotion and human rights protection: The case of Belarus”, April 12 Group debate 3: “What future for the Eastern dimension of the ENP?”, May 10 Short discussion will follow (reactions of the representatives of both groups on the arguments, members of the “jury” may ask the representatives of both of the groups for any clarifications and questions as well). Finally the representatives of the jury will summarize both positions and decide which argumentation was more convincing. Written version of the group positions (in doc. format) should be submitted to the Information system. Deadlines: March 18 (Group debate 1), April 15 (Group debate 2), May 13 (Group debate 3) Groups may also use PPT presentation for presenting their arguments. (3) Final written test There will be a written final test during April (particular data will be available in the Information system). The test will be based on lectures and assigned readings (including the texts for PPs). Students will pass the course, if he/she earns 51 points out of 79 maximum. Final grades will be based on: § 4 position papers AND their discussions – max. 4 points each (+ 1 point for the active participation at the discussions), i.e. max. 20 points in total. § 3 group projects AND their presentations – max. 5 points each, i.e. max. 15 points in total. § 2 discussions with experts (attendance and questions prepared for first 2 experts) – max. 2 points each, i.e. 4 points total § Final test – max. 40 points. Final grades will be made following according to the following scale: A. 79–74 points B. 73–68 points C. 67–62 points D. 61–56 points E. 55-51 points F. 50 and less points