Contributor(s): Dr Mareike Kleine | This course is an introduction to the causes and nature of European integration. The topic is presented from a historical, social scientific and normative perspective. We critically examine various theories of, and current debates about European integration by studying the process of integration, its effect on EU member states and third actors, and its constitutional character. The first part of the course analyses different stages in the integration process, asking why and how member states surrendered more and more power to European institutions. The second part discusses a number of big questions that this transfer of power raises. At the end of this course you will have gained an overview of the history of European integration, integration theories and their intellectual history, the political system of the European Union, and current public and scholarly debates about European Union politics.