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Learning Module
03
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La Unión Europea y el Mediterráneo: III Dimensiones
Políticas
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Academic Coordinator
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Prof. Franciso Aldecoa
Luzarraga | Complutense University of Madrid
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Abstract
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As political organization,
which institutions historically have been built on certain principles,
grounds and values -a legacy of centuries of human evolution towards emancipating
goals like Democracy, Rule of Law, Human Rights promotion and respect,
Social Welfare and Peace- the European Union [EU] maintains an intrinsic
engagement and relationship with the Mediterranean Area, expressed at least
in three dimensions.
1. The starting point is the unquestionable fact that several EU
Member States are genuine Mediterranean countries –Spain, France, Italy,
Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus and Malta [Monaco, Vatican]- forming a sort of
territorial “bow” at the Northern Mediterranean seaside.
2. As political community of values/international organization,
the EU maintains special institutionalized neighbourhood relations (Neighbourhood
Policy [ENP] + Euromediterranean Union) with all the other Mediterranean
countries in different levels, according to various historical, political,
economic, social and cultural reasons. These NP relations are mainly projected
in specific matters concerning respectively certain regions, areas and
countries at a multilateral level.
3. Last but not least, now in a bilateral level, several EU Member
States maintain special relations with certain Mediterranean countries/regions,
also grounded on historical links of mutual –not always peaceful or harmonic-
relations.
Considering the previous points, a comprehensive study of these
political structures, relations, perceptions and projections would be
highly useful to establish a political culture of dialogue, cooperation
and mutual understanding and respect among the peoples and countries
which form one of the world´s most ancient community of civilization.
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Course
Objectives
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The main objective is to
establish the structural political features of the Mediterranean Area,
considering their systemic interactions and relations. As main goals, the
Course will develop a special interest in:
- Determine the deep underlying historical and cultural elements
which subsist and eventually condition the present political circumstances.
- Establish today´s factors of cooperation and confrontation
in political issues.
- Promote a hermeneutical basis that stimulates dialectic-dialogic
engagements, issues, initiatives and debates.
- Study a range of selected new phenomena which can radically
influence and/or modify crucial aspects like political change/modernization,
political stagnation and delusion, social and cultural crisis and political
evolution, State´s failure and defeat, the role of elites and masses
as actors of political change.
- Establish, analyze and compare the traditional and new systems
of political values, norms and ideologies, their symbioses and mutual
implications, and their relations and interactions.
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Programmatic
Contents
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This Course intends to create
the sufficient conditions for a productive and intensive academic experience
of high educational standards. There are three means proposed to achieve
it:
01. To offer a comprehensive frame of
knowledge in order to qualify the students in the use of essential concepts
and the most relevant theoretical approaches concerning the Political
Dimensions of the Mediterranean Area. This means a good command of matters
like Political Theory and Philosophy, Theory of International Politics/Relations,
History, Philosophy and Theory of Culture.
02. To issue accurate methodological
approaches which combine the grounds of well established proceedings and
techniques with more reflexive and critical perspectives and formulas.
This means an efficient use of various disciplines of the Social Sciences,
taking into consideration the innovative character of a Course oriented towards
analytical-hermeneutical-critical dimensions. Therefore, besides more
conventional methods, a “diving” in qualitative social research techniques
(Semiotic, Semantic, Semiology, Philosophy of Language, Intertextual-Studies,
Iconology-Iconography, Symbolic Interaction, etc.) would be recommended-
promoted-requested.
03. The basis of a solid intellectual
work relies mostly on a fluent, comprehensive, efficient and confident
use of relevant sources (primary and secondary), its critical-analytical
ellaboration and systematic scrutiny. In that field, the Course will
intend to awake among the students a sort of enthousiastic discipline
combined with self-confidence, intellectual curiosity, initiative and,
eventually, assertive moods.
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Teaching Units »»»
3.1
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Mediterranean Europe: Political Thought, History and Culture
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3.2
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Dialogic vs. Dialectic: Towards a Positive Approach to Crisis and
Conflicts in the Mediterranean Area
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3.3
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On Method: the Restructuring of Research in Reflexive, Emancipating
and Critical Terms
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