Academic Administration European Interdisciplinary Studies: the Internal and External Dimensions of the European Union College of Europe in Natolin PLURIDISCIPLINARY AND INTERDISCIPLINARY TRACKS Concept The first semester course offerings in the EIS academic programme aim to provide our students with the advanced general knowledge, orientation, and skills needed to analyse the foundations of European integration. Chief among these are Core Courses, which offer students a common base of knowledge in the main disciplines of EU studies, central debates surrounding the EU, its components and functioning, as well as on the determining forces guiding the EU’s development. Fully aware of the richness and diversity of disciplinary backgrounds of our incoming students, we constructed this central pillar of the first semester to avoid excessive overlap with students’ prior academic qualifications and allow them greater control over their curriculum. In other words, students with a background in one or more of the core subjects will be able to align it with their course selection thanks to greater choice; and students approaching the core subjects for the first time, or needing a brush up, will have more time to dedicate for these fundamentals. As a result, the Core Courses are divided into a Pluridisciplinary Track (PDT) and an Interdisciplinary Track (IDT). The PDT allows students to acquire knowledge in three different disciplines, progressively interconnect it and thus foster wider understanding. The IDT allows students to integrate knowledge from different disciplines in order to achieve a more complete, nuanced, and advanced understanding in each of the three themes studied. In more concrete terms, the pluridisciplinary approach surveys the main EU studies disciplines, such as political science, economics, history, and law. The interdisciplinary approach involves problem-based and issue-driven analysis, integrating knowledge and methods derived from different disciplines on selected pivotal themes shaping the EU. This interdisciplinary approach is then continued and deepened in second semester courses. Procedure As mentioned above, separation of the Core Courses into two tracks amounts to students having an increased choice in the selection of their curriculum. The mechanism has been devised as follows: All students are expected to take the PDT courses. However, students may replace one, two, or all three courses from this track with a choice of one, two, or three courses from the Interdisciplinary Track provided that they pass entry tests into the disciplines covered by the Pluridisciplinary Track. Participation to entry tests is voluntary. Students are assessed on a pass/fail basis. If a student passes the test(s) taken, they will be allowed to exchange the PDT course(s) for which they have taken the test(s) with any of the IDT course(s). The tests will take place in the very first days of the academic year. Registration for entry tests Students who wish to take entry tests will need to register via an online survey during the summer period. A deadline will be specified, after which the survey and student lists for each entry test will be closed. If you have any questions regarding the content of these courses, please address them to coe.assistants.pl@coleurope.eu. If you have any questions acadmin.natolin@coleurope.eu. regarding the procedure, please address them to
