PSCI 4213 (Summer A 2006)

Europe and the International System

Professor: Joseph Jupille

 

MIDTERM PREVIEW

 

From the Syllabus

An in-class midterm examination will test your knowledge of the actors and issues in European external relations/foreign policy.  It comprises fifteen percent of your final grade.  Bring bluebook and pen.  Scheduled date: Monday, June 19th, in class.

 

Goals

As noted, the midterm intends to test your knowledge of the actors and issues in European external relations/foreign policy.  The focus will not be on detailed facts, but on bigger issues, in context.  I want you to grapple with concepts and ideas first, using evidence in support of arguments.

 

Coverage

The midterm will cover Parts II and III of the course.  That is, it will cover National Foreign Policies of EU member states and European Union Foreign Policy.  See the syllabus for details of the materials covered.  Everything (readings, lectures and in-class discussions) is “fair game”.  No particular priority is placed on any particular source.

 

Requirements and Procedure

You must bring a blue book and a blue or black pen for the exam.  I do not want you writing in pencil.  Do not write anything on your blue book before you are instructed to do so in class.  Let me say that again.  Do not write anything on your blue book before you are instructed to do so in class.  When so instructed in class, you may begin writing.  You will have 90 minutes to complete the exam.  Failure to bring a clean blue book to class will result in a 5-point deduction from your exam grade.  Please follow these instructions.

 

Exam Format

The exam is comprised of two parts.

 

Part I. Identifications (40 exam points).  You will be given seven terms, of which you will identify five.  These terms will not be trivial facts, but will be important facts, concepts, or ideas that have come up so far.  I supply some examples just below.  Your mandate in this section is twofold: first, say what the term is or means; second, state its relevance to broader course themes.  Each of these components will be worth half-credit, so failure to do one or the other (typically, to state relevance) will allow for a maximum of half-credit, regardless of how thoroughly you address the other component.

 

Some sample identifications:

·         European Political Cooperation (EPC)

·         “White Man’s Burden”

·         Tamed Power

·         “Fog Over Channel: Continent Isolated”

·         Intergovernmentalism

·         Etc.

 

Part II.  Essay (60 exam points).  You will be given several possible essay topics, of which you must answer one.  You will be expected to write a well-structured essay (including introduction and conclusion) fully addressing itself to the question you answer.

 

Some sample essay questions:

·         Analysts often suggest that the foreign policies of European Union (EU) member states have become “Europeanized”, that is, that they no longer operate independently of the broader EU context.  Assess this claim by focusing on any two EU member states.  Begin by briefly summarizing the countries’ historical foreign policies.  Then assess the way that each approaches EU foreign policy.  What margin for independent foreign policy action remains for EU member states?  Develop and defend your answer.

·         The EU has developed remarkably over the half-century of its existence.  Yet, critics suggest that its foreign policy remains underdeveloped.  Assess this claim by analyzing the historical development of an EU foreign policy.  Begin by narrating this development.  Then, assess the possibilities for and limitations on EU action.  Will the EU come to represent an autonomous actor in the international system?  Develop and defend your answer.

·         Etc.

 

Makeups

There will be no makeup exams unless a) you have arranged for one ahead of time, or b) you have a valid excused absence, such as a medical emergency.  Others failing to take the midterm will receive a zero.