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Introducing the European Union

Study at the Monash Prato Centre in Italy

Monash Centre in Prato

Explore “Europe” in Europe!

Travelling around the old continent you see that Germans, French or Italians can now live, study and work in any country they choose within the European Union (EU). No visas, no work permits, no fuss. Use their new common currency in 16 member states and cross the non-existent national borders. But don’t throw your passport away just yet! Come to Prato to study the European Union and ask yourself: if the Europeans have one passport, one currency, one flag and an anthem, who are they now? You might witness the birth of a new country called ‘Europe’.

Introducing the European Union (ATS2522/3522) provides an introduction to the EU and its relevance to Australia and the Asia-Pacific. The unit explores EU history, its major institutions and the policies they make. It examines how the European Union influences the lives of 500 million people in 27 different states. EU successes and failures are analysed in areas of trade, security, common currency, the environment and agriculture. The unit also examines the EU as a model or inspiration for other regions, and how it persuades countries from near and far to introduce domestic reforms.

Counting this unit towards your course

The unit is available to students in any undergraduate course provided they meet unit and course requirements. You can choose to study the unit as part of a major/minor sequence in European Studies (and other Areas of Study), or just for interest. Applications for non-Arts students are administered through the home faculty. You should consult your home faculty for advice on whether you can include one or more of the Arts in Prato offerings unit among your elective units.

Monash University Handbook information

Study activities

Study activity over the two weeks covers three main areas:

  • Origins of the European Union
  • Internal organization of the single free market and its consequences
  • EU relations with the outside world

Readings

  • John McCormick, Understanding the European Union, Basingstoke, Palgrave, Macmillan, 2008
  • A selection of articles on specific EU policies will be available on Blackboard in June

Further information

Unit details

Contact the unit coordinator Dr Eva Polonska-Kimunguyi

Application procedures

How to apply for Prato Winter Semester units

Fees and funding

Fees, grants and loans