EU478 Half Unit
The Culture of European Politics
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Prof Simon Glendinning
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe, MSc in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe (LSE & Columbia), MSc in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe (LSE & Sciences Po), MSc in International Migration and Public Policy, MSc in International Migration and Public Policy (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in Political Economy of Europe in the World, MSc in Political Economy of Europe in the World (LSE and Fudan), MSc in Political Economy of Europe in the World (LSE and Sciences Po) and MSc in Social Anthropology (Religion in the Contemporary World). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
To apply for a place, ALL students should submit a statement via LSE for You outlining your specific reasons for applying, how it will benefit your academic/career goals, and how you meet any necessary pre-requisites (maximum 200 words).
The first round of offers will be made from 12-noon on Friday 26 September. The final deadline for applications is 12-noon of Friday of Autumn Term week 2.
For queries contact: ei@lse.ac.uk
This course has a limited number of places (it is controlled access) and demand is typically very high. Priority is given to students from the European Institute, so students from outside this department may not get a place.
Course content
Over the last three hundred years European societies have undergone a fundamental changeover from a traditional form, with a largely self-sufficient agrarian economy, into a modern, industrial and technological form based on international trade and tele-communication. This revolution developed in the seventeenth century first and only in Europe, but today, through processes of globalisation that are often inseparable from colonialism, it has spread worldwide and increasingly dominates the entire planet. This course explores one of the basic dimensions of this unprecedented globalization: the culture of European politics.
We are used to speaking about globalisation as a political-economic phenomenon, but its European origin makes it also an unavoidably cultural one. Europe’s predominant cultural form – its double form, both Christian and secular – is not a neutral set-up, and other world cultures can find themselves alienated from and in revolt against everything that belongs to what might be called the Christianising of the world, whether the forces in play are colonial, commercial, or ideological. International migrations and projects of European integration sharpen these concerns and add new ones. This is the background to our study of the culture of European politics, its history and heritage from ancient European empires, to the European Union and beyond.
Teaching
15 hours of seminars and 10 hours of lectures in the Autumn Term.
1.5 hours of seminars in the Spring Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term.
The Lecture slots will consist in a flipped lecture with the pre-recorded lecture available on Moodle beforehand.
A review session will be held at the start of the Spring Term to prepare for the e-exam.
Formative assessment
Essay (2000 words)
Essay (2000 words)
Indicative reading
- Norman Davies, 'Introduction' to Europe: A History
- Anthony Pagden (ed) The Idea of Europe
Assessment
Exam (100%), duration: 120 Minutes in the Spring exam period
The summative assessment will take the form of an e-exam in the Spring Term. E-exams are assessments run under invigilated exam conditions on campus. Students will complete the assessment using software downloaded to their personal laptops.
Key facts
Department: European Institute
Course Study Period: Autumn Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Total students 2024/25: 21
Average class size 2024/25: 11
Controlled access 2024/25: YesCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Communication