UK and the European Union

Read these articles: 

1)article 27 (Britain and the European Union) (outdated but good)

2)Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU (BBC)

3) Brexit, the most pointless, masochistic ambition in our country's history, is done (Ian McEwan)

4) For Europe, the Brexit deal makes the best of a bad business (The Economist, 2021)

Watch: 

5) Brexit explained for confused Americans (WT)

6) Brexit: A history of the rocky relationship between the UK and EU

Updates 

2022  Post-Brexit Guide (Euronews)

2023 The Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework 

2024, Why most people regret Brexit: A majority of British voters now believe the split was a mistake

Complementary materials: 

Better Off Out or In?  (BBC)

Brexit with John Oliver (1)

Brexit with John Oliver (2)

Brexit with John Oliver (3)

Brexit explained (CNN)

Timothy Garton Ash

UK: North and South

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNdVPQps5JM&ab_channel=JOE 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT0ay9u1gg4

Beginning of classes: February 4

Course Description

G1808 “EUROPEAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION”

(DIPLOMA IN SPANISH HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION, UNIVERSIDAD DE CANTABRIA)

ECTS	6
Taught by	Prof. Dr. Jesús Ángel González, gonzalezja@unican.es Class Blog: http://europeancultureandcivilization.blogspot.com/
Course language	English
Schedule	Classes: Wed 12:30-13:30, Thu 10:30-12:30
Content	The course will deal with the concepts of culture and European unity and diversity. Therefore, the different concepts of culture and the diverse dimensions of Europe (geographical, historical, religious, economic, cultural) will be analyzed and followed by an individual analysis of the culture and civilization of some specific European countries. The course will also present key facts about the creation and development of the European Union. Some of the topics to be covered are: Origin of the EU, how the EU works, monetary union, European issues and priorities, the EU in the world, current developments and future possibilities.
Assessment	-Class attendance and participation 10% (MINIMUM 80 %) -Oral presentation 30% Students will choose one European country and prepare an oral presentations about its culture and civilization.. The presentations should last between 20 and 30 minutes and some of the following fields could be covered: Background, history, geography, languages, sociological overview, education, religion, economy, politics, the Media, cultural conflicts, cultural products (Literature, Cinema, Art). Special emphasis should be placed on each student’s field of expertise or University Major. - Reading and Writing Assignments: 20 %: Students are expected to read a number of articles, discuss them in class and hand in article reviews.  - Final paper: “What is then a European?" 40 %. Remember that the university uses a detection system ("Turnitin Integrity") to check for plagiarism and inappropiate use of AI.
Teaching methods	Participants will be encouraged to actively participate in class and share their experiences and ideas with others to explore new ways of thinking. The course will be conducted using a mixture of lectures; small group activities; practical exercises, facilitated discussions and oral presentations.
Teaching material	§  Core Texts: Class materials to be picked up by students at the Interfacultativo Copy Centre §  Additional material: Barbour, P. (Ed.) The European Union Handbook. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. 1996 Chernotsky, Harry & Heidi Hobbs. Crossing Borders: International Studies for the 21st Century.         CQ Press, 2015. Díez Medrano, J. Framing Europe. Princeton University Press. 2003. González López, Jesús A. An Introduction to North American Culture and Literature.        Santander: TGD, 2006. Harari, Yuval Noah. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. London: Penguin, 2011. Hartley, Emma. 50 Facts you Need to Know: Europe. Icon Books: 2006. Marshall, Tim. Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need To        Know About Global Politics. London: Elliot & Thompson, 2015. Oxford Guide to British and American Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Rifkin, Jeremy. The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream. London: Polity, 2005.