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Instructor Contact Information:

Instructor	Dr. Kerstin Hamann
Office	Howard Phillips Hall 302
Office hours (spring 2008)	Tu 12:30-2:30 p.m., Wd 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Phone	407-823-2608
E-mail	khamann@mail.ucf.edu
Instructor homepage	Dr. Hamann's homepage

Course Description

The 3-credit hour course familiarizes students with the theory, history, evolution, institutions, policy-making process, and policies of the European Union. The underlying question guiding all these topics relates to the relationship between individual countries and the EU. Why do countries decide to join the EU? Why are they willing to give up national sovereignty? How do countries benefit from EU membership? These are some of the questions this course strives to answer.

Expectations

I expect all students to be actively engaged in the course throughout the entire semester. This class requires that you meet regular deadlines, prepare the readings, participate in online discussions, complete some research, and write shorter essays. I also expect students to read a European newspaper that deals with EU issues regularly so you can contribute to the discussions with reference to current events and discussions concerning the EU. The EU is a very dynamic organization, and it is important to update your knowledge learned in the class by following EU news. There will be no on-campus meetings; the entire course will be conducted online.

Required Reading

Michelle Cini (ed.). 2007. European Union Politics (2nd edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Additional readings will be available online.

Grading and Requirements

You will have to complete a total of 8 online modules: one introductory module, 6 substantive modules, and a substantial research paper. I will drop the lowest grade of your the substantive modules. This means that if there is a personal emergency, conflicts with work schedules, or crunch time at college, you do not need to ask for extensions etc but instead you can opt to use that as your grade to be dropped. The grades for the introductory module and the research paper will not be dropped.

Assignment	Weight towards final grade
Introductory module	3%
8 substantive modules (drop lowest grade)	70% (10% each for 7 modules)
Research paper (3,000 -3,500 words)	27%

The nature of on-line classes requires cooperation among students. So, this class is not a “competitive sport” but should be an interesting, thought-provoking, collaborative discovery of major issues and topics in Comparative politics.
Grading information on specific assignments will be provided in the assignment itself.
The class takes an active learning approach. Thus, students should be prepared to engage in discussions, read and think, write short essays and papers, complete quizzes, and identify additional sources to share with the class.

Course Policies

Grading and Evaluation	Grades will be assigned according to final points students earn in the course. There will be no + or - grades in this class: 100-90 A, 89-80 B, 79-70 C, 69-60 D, 59 or lower F
Assignments	You are responsible for keeping a copy of all assignments for this class. You are also responsible for checking that the grades posted online are correct; any discrepancies must be reported to the instructor within 1 week of being posted.
Late, make-up, and extra-credit work	All late work will be penalized at a rate of 5 points per day late (including weekend days and holidays unless otherwise noted in the module) If only parts of a module are submitted late, that particular assignment will receive the late penalty (unless noted otherwise in the module) Late discussion postings will receive no credit - there is no late option for discussion postings. Late quizzes will be allowed only under exceptional, documented circumstances; no exceptions! No work will be accepted more than a week after the deadline. There are no substitute assignments and positively no extra-credit, so please don’t ask!
Academic integrity	The University of Central Florida has a very clear policy with respect to academic integrity. Please familiarize yourself with the policies of the "Golden Rule." All Assignments will have to be completed on your own. Research papers written for this course must be submitted for this course exclusively; it is not acceptable to submit the same paper, or any part thereof, for any other course, or to use a previously written paper.
Disclaimer	The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus during the semester as she deems appropriate
Accommodation for students with disabilities	If you need to make any arrangements for fulfilling assignments due to a disability, please contact the instructor.

Grading and Evaluation

Grades will be assigned according to final points students earn in the course. There will be no + or - grades in this class:

100-90 A, 89-80 B, 79-70 C, 69-60 D, 59 or lower F

Assignments

You are responsible for keeping a copy of all assignments for this class.

You are also responsible for checking that the grades posted online are correct; any discrepancies must be reported to the instructor within 1 week of being posted.

Late, make-up, and extra-credit work

All late work will be penalized at a rate of 5 points per day late (including weekend days and holidays unless otherwise noted in the module)

If only parts of a module are submitted late, that particular assignment will receive the late penalty (unless noted otherwise in the module)

Late discussion postings will receive no credit - there is no late option for discussion postings.

Late quizzes will be allowed only under exceptional, documented circumstances; no exceptions!

No work will be accepted more than a week after the deadline.

There are no substitute assignments and positively no extra-credit, so please don’t ask!

Academic integrity

The University of Central Florida has a very clear policy with respect to academic integrity. Please familiarize yourself with the policies of the "Golden Rule." All Assignments will have to be completed on your own. Research papers written for this course must be submitted for this course exclusively; it is not acceptable to submit the same paper, or any part thereof, for any other course, or to use a previously written paper.

Disclaimer

The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus during the semester as she deems appropriate

Accommodation for students with disabilities

If you need to make any arrangements for fulfilling assignments due to a disability, please contact the instructor.