| CODE | EST2170 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Malta in the European Union | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | European Studies | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit has eight main themes. It first locates Malta as a small state in EU politics which has a particular Mediterranean dimension. It then analysis the historical dynamics of Malta-EU relations including the 1970 Association Agreement, Malta’s application and the negotiation of the Accession Treaty and Malta’s experience of EU membership both in terms of the impact of the EU on domestic institutions, security structures as well as Malta’s role and status in EU politics. The study unit also looks at the Europeanization of both Maltese political systems and political parties. The unit will conclude with an overall assessment of the relationship between Malta and the European Union. Running concurrent with the taught lectures will be presentations by the students which will further analyse the impact of EU membership on specific areas of Maltese government and policy. The study-unit will also include a series of guest speakers who will address the students on specific aspects of Malta's EU experience. Study-unit Aims: The central aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Maltese experience of the EU, from application to membership. Additionally, the study-unit also aims to better place the question of EU membership within the context of Maltese, domestic political discourse, not just in terms of the political parties but, more importantly, EU membership as a key dynamic in Maltese political development. Related to this, the study-unit also aims to foster an appreciation of the regional dynamics associated with the EU and its relations with Mediterranean states as well as the particular experience of small states within the Union. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Better analyse and discuss Malta-EU relations; - Better analyse Malta's Mediterranean context as well as the ramification of its geographical position on its post-war relations with the UK, Italy, Libya and, ultimately, the EU; - Better analyse the issue of small states within the EU and the particular challenges they face; - Better calculate the consequences of EU membership on its member states; - Better explain the multifaceted nature of political decision making and change as opposed to adopting simplistic interpretations of very complex political dynamics. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyse and judge the effect and effectiveness of EU policies within the domestic context; - Encourage discussion and group work to develop skills in establishing and articulating group positions on various issues; - Improve student presentation skills through one of the assessment components. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Other relevant readings will be uploaded on the VLE platform. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Andre Paul Debattista |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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