Jean Monnet Module "Diversity Politics in the European Integration"

Jean Monnet Module
(619923-EPP-1-2020-1-CN-EPPJMO-MODULE) (2020.09 - 2023.08)

让-莫内课程项目“欧洲一体化中的多样性政治”

Summary: The applicant of the project will offer two tailor-made courses in the field of European Studies at Sichuan University (SCU) in China for the undergraduates majoring in science and engineering with the aim to:

1. introduce the historical development of the European Union and its diversity politics particularly for the students of non-EU studies, and more exactly for the undergraduates of science and engineering;

2. arouse the students’ interest in European Union issues and familiarize them with the principles upheld by the European Union; encourage them to acquire in-depth knowledge about the European affairs by themselves in the future and to view the world with an additional European perspective;

3. improve the applicant’s first-hand experience in teaching and researching in European studies with the focus on the diversity politics;

4. cultivate a young scholar of the “Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence” (JMCE-SCU) / of the Centre for European Studies at Sichuan University (CES-SCU), which promises to be conducive to the sustainable development of the centre and to the cooperation between SCU and its European partner universities.

5. develop the EU studies courses at the undergraduate level and to prepare young teachers and researchers in the comprehensive sustainable development of the EU studies of CES-SCU/JMCE-SCU.

Project Coordinator: Dr. Dong TU

Implemented activities in the duration of the project:

The following activities have been successfully implemented with the aim to create & enhance the interest in European affairs and to foster the visibility of the European Union among the students of science and engineering at Sichuan University.

1. Two courses have been offered in three consecutive years in the duration of the project.

Course one, European Union: Past and Present, is organized into 12 chapters consisting of weekly lectures and classroom discussions on a wide range of subjects in relation to the history of European integration. In accordance with the latest development in the EU, some new sessions are added timely such as the European migrant crisis, the surge of anti-EU forces, the Brexit, the EU’s role in China-U.S. trade dispute and EU’s role in Russia-Ukraine war.

Course two, The Diversity Politics in the European Union, includes 11 chapters organized in the form of weekly lectures and classroom discussions on a wide range of subjects on the diversity politics in the European Union and its member states. The teaching material is updated on a yearly basis in accordance with the new developments in the EU.

2. To increase the course’s publicity, the grant holder, with joint efforts by CES-SCU/JMCE-SCU, organized lectures to introduce the European studies to the students from the science and engineering departments at SCU and invited the Jean Monnet Chair professor, Dr. Jian SHI, the Director of the CES as the speaker. Besides, the holder took part in the EU-related academic conferences and seminars organized by CES-SCU to promote the EU studies and research in SCU.

Staff from the International Office at SCU was invited to introduce exchange programmes in European universities to the targeted students and inform them of how to apply to study at the universities in the member states of the EU.

As a tradition kept by CES-SCU, EU Day was promoted during the course to increase EU’s visibility among the students interested.

3. With regard to evaluation of the course, the holder established “QQ Communication Group” for the students so that the teacher could interact conveniently with the targeted students, collecting their feedback and suggestions. In the final week of the course, the holder collected students’ feedback and comments on the course in a questionnaire.

4. At the same time, the grant holder published some EU-related academic work during this period.

Chinese

*TU Dong (2021) “The French National Rally and Religion”, The World Religious Cultures, 130(4):24-32.

*TU Dong (2022) “ ‘The Different Voice’ in Europe hard to ignore”, Global Times, April 7, 2022.

*TU Dong (2022) “Radical environmental groups emerge as Europe’s newest political force”, Global Times, October 31, 2022; English version at https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202210/1278416.shtml

English

*Dong Tu and Łukasz Zamęcki (2022), European Right-Wing Populist Parties’ Approach toward China: Between Anti-Globalization and Appeal for Diversified International Partnerships, Canadian Journal of European and Russian Studies, 15(2) : 1-24.