DESCRIPTION OF COURSE UNIT

1. Course unit title Code

The South Europe and the Mediterranean Sea Regions in the 20th-21st cc.
2. Name of lecturer(s) Coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Vladislav Sotirovi a. o.: 3. Cycle of course unit M.A. (second) 4. Mode of delivery Class room 5. Prerequisites: Study requirements Co-requisites: No co-requisites Year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered First year, second semester (spring) Language of instruction Lithuanian Department(s) Political Science Department Faculty of Politics and Management Mykolas Romeris University Type of course unit Free optional

Level of course unit Course for specialized education

Background knowledge of European studies Good knowledge of English language (reading skill) Background knowledge about historical development of the making European Union 6.

Recommended optional programme components No recommended optional programme components 7. Number of ECTS credits allocated 6 ECTS 8. Purpose of the course unit: programme competences to be developed The purpose/aim of the course is to give to the students a knowledge about the characteristics of political, economic, social and cultural developments of the countries from the regions of South Europe and Mediterranean Sea Learning outcomes of the programme Students will be able to receive knowledge within a common education framework of humanitarian and social sciences Students will be able to analyze and try to solve problems in contemporary regions of South Europe and Learning outcomes of the course unit To be able to understand characteristics of both South Europes and Mediterranean Sea regions To be able to present and discuss foreign research results upon developments of political systems and economic and social Teaching and learning methods Assessment methods Students workload 162 hrs Contact work hours 32 hrs Independent work hours 130 hrs

Problem learning

Control work

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Mediterranean Sea Students will be able to disseminate their received knowledge and trained skills

peculiarities of both South Europes and Mediterranean Sea regions

To be able to present and discuss historical, geographic and cultural characteristics of the South Europes and Mediterranean Sea regions To be able to analyze security problems of the South Europes and Mediterranean Sea regions and the means for their solving

Case studies

Written exam

To be able to analyze a case study by individual or group work To be able to choose an adequate research strategy and methods

Learning and organization of the work by electronic means (moodle)

Group or individual presentation

To be able to do case study and political problem analyze To be able to criticize an opponents view within a framework of tolerance and competence Co-operative learning method Group or individual presentation

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9. Course contents Contact work hours and planned learning activities Training exercises Laboratory work Independent work hours and tasks

Consultations

Topics Lectures

All contact work hours Independent work hours

1. Introductory lecture: Geographic, political and cultural Europe and European regions Where are the borders of European continent ? Euroasia? Regional division of Europe? Region of the Mediterranean Sea? Cultural-historic aspect of definition of Europe and European regions? Political aspects of regionalization of Europe?

Internship

Seminars

Tasks

Reading scientific literature

2. Phases of European integration and the region of South Europe Development of the European unification from 1951 and the countries of the region of South Europe. Political, economic, social and cultural differences between the northern and southern European countries

10

Reading scientific literature

3. Characteristics of the regions of Middle East and North Africa Geographic, political, social, religious and economic similarities and dissimilarities between the regions of Middle East and North Africa 4. Israeli-Palestinian conflict Religious, state and international aspects of the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 5. The region of South-East Europe Cultural, anthropologic and historical characteristics of the Balkan states and their developments. Balkans on the crossroads of civilizations. Different aspects of transformation of the Balkan states. Historical aspects of the ethnic identities of the Balkan nations. Comparative political analyzes of the 20th-21st cc. South-East Europe. Regional security formula (2+2+2)

10

Reading scientific literature

10

Reading scientific literature

15

Reading scientific literature

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during the Cold War period

6. Dissolution of the ex-Yugoslavia and the Yugoslav civil war, 1991-1995: Context and Development Specifications of the Yugoslav model of socialist federation. Two types of dissolution of the communism in Europe: Central European and Balkan. Theoretical models of nationalism and practical ethnic projects by the Yugoslav states from 1991 The Yugoslav conflict and its impact to the international relations and European security system. The EU and OUN peace-plans for Yugoslavia. The Dayton Peace-Agreement: perspectives for the peace and problems concerning developments of the exYugoslav states. Developing processes of the ex-Yugoslav states. Political debates about European security between EU and OSCE 7. Kosovo: Past, present and future Different Serbian and Albanian national state projects: conflict upon historical and ethnic rights over Kosovo territory. Comparative regional conflict situation analyze: Balkan Kosovo and Caucasus Nagorno Karabach, Abchazia and South Ossetia. EU neighborhood policy and attempts to solve regional conflicts 8. Turkey: Between Asia and Europe The processes of modernization and secularization in Turkey during the first half of the 20th c. Geo-politic importance of Turkey during the time of the Cold War and its NATOs membership. Political, economic and cultural interests of Turkey: creation of its own sphere of interest in the South-East Europe 9. Cyprus question and relations between Turkey and Greece Political conflict between Turkey and Greece upon the Cyprus case. The OUN, NATO and EC positions concerning the Cyprus case and their proposals for solving the conflict. Division of Cyprus as a model of solving inter-ethnic conflicts for other multi-ethnic states (ex. Bosnia and Herzegovina according to the Dayton Agreement) 10. EU enlargement to the territory of the

15

Reading scientific literature Watching video archival material

10

Reading scientific literature Watching video archival material

10

Reading scientific literature

10

Reading scientific literature Watching video material

10

Reading scientific literature

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South-East Europe EU membership conditions and programmes for the ex-Yugoslav states and Albania. EU financial-technical support and special requirements concerning a co-operation with the Hague Tribunal for the ex-Yugoslavia. Bosnia and Herzegovinas, Serbias and Croatias dilemmas upon EU membership Negotiations processes, stages and specific problems: anti-corruption and organized crime struggle, problems with the refugees and immigrants and ability to fight for protection of the human rights (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey) EC relations with Turkey from 1963 up today. Slowing political, economic and juridical reform processes

11. Ethnic minorities question in the regions of the South-East Europe and Mediterranean Sea Model of autonomy in Italy, assimilation policy in France, regionalization policy in Spain and manifestation of the intolerancy in the South-East Europe. The Kurdish question in Turkey. The question of ethnic minorities in the Arab world

10

Reading scientific literature

12. Imigration problems in the region of South Europe and emigration question in the region of Mediterranean Sea Imigration policy in the region of the South Europe: restriction of the migrations, possibilities for the integration and problems of xenophobia (Spain, Italy, Portugal, France) The problems of refugees in the South-East Europen countries: consequenses of the war in ex-Yugoslavia, a policy of returning of the refugees to their former living places and adaptation problem solving question means The emigration vawe from the region of the Mediterranean Sea to the region of the South Europe

10

Reading scientific literature

13. Summing-up: European neighborhood policy: the problems and coming

Reading scientific literature

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challenges Overall 10. Assessment strategy 15 17 32 130

Weighting percentage 50%

Written exam (integral test to check theoretical and practical knowledge) Class room work during the seminars Individual self-work during the semester period 11. Required reading

Period or date of assessment Session period

Assessment criteria

Written exam

20%

Semester period Session period

Realization of the seminar work tasks

30%

Written essay

Gallagher T. The Balkans in the New Millennium. In the Shadow of War and Peace. London, New York: Routledge, 2007. Sorli E. M., Gleditsch P. N., Strand H., Why is there so much conflict in the Middle East, Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2005, 49, pp. 141-165. Ferrera M. (ed.). Welfare State Reform in Southern Europe : Fighting Poverty and Social Exclusion in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. London, New York: Routledge, 2005. Mohapatraka K. A., Democratization in the Arab world: Relevance of the Turkish model, International Studies, 2008, 45, pp. 271-294. Vitkus G. Europos Sjungos usienio politika: trumpas vadovas. Vilnius: Vilniaus universiteto leidykla, 2008. Yildiz K., Muller M. The European Union and Turkish Acccession: Human Rights and the Kurds. London, Ann Arbor (Mich.): Pluto Press, 2008. Recommended reading

Ginsborg, P. Italy and its Discontents. Family, Civil Society, State, 1980-2001. London: Allen Lane the Penguin Press, 2001. Lalaguna, J. Spain. London: Phoenix, 2003. Pettifer, J. (ed.). The New Macedonian Question. London: Palgrave, 2001. Pinson, M. (ed.). The Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Their Historic Development from the Middle Ages to the Dissolution of Yugoslavia. Cambridge (Mass.): Harvard University Press, 1996. Markovich G. S. Weaver B. E., Pavlovic V. (eds.). Challenges to New Democracies in the Balkans. Belgrade: Cigoja Press, 2004. Monitoring the EU Accession Process: Minority Protection, Open Society Institute, EU Accession Monitoring Programme. Budapest, 2001. Nonneman G., International Relations of the Middle East, Sage publ., 2013. European Union and its New Neighborhood: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities. Vilnius: Mykolas Romeris University Press, 2006.

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Journal of Asian and African Studies, http://jas.sagepub.com Allcock, B. J. Explaining Yugoslavia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.

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