During the 2015-2018 European Commission Erasmus+ granting cycle, European Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will carry out a Jean Monnet Action Module which will equip students and young professionals with knowledge of EU subjects relevant for their academic and professional lives and enhance their civic skills. Module instructors will achieve three objectives:
- Upgrade and update pre-existing EU simulation modules to meet the specific needs of students.
- Broaden the use-value and applicability of blended learning modes within the University to achieve higher teaching efficacy.
- Provide updated content to existing EU specific teaching portfolios, encompassing new developments in the EU politics and process, new economic developments, and equipping graduate students early in their professional careers with advanced knowledge of practical matters relating to the EU in its global context.
Elizabeth Covington, Executive Director of European Studies and Faculty Associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will lead this initiative, in partnership with the Jean Monnet Chair, Professor Nils Ringe, and recent doctoral recipients. The WISC-EU Module aims to create specialized teaching on the European Union through highly developed course offerings on EU affairs through two methods:
- “Blended learning” formats which combine online teaching with traditional classroom modules, replacing portions of lecturing with online tasks which develop skills-based knowledge and active participation
- Specialized short workshops for professional students. Covington has revised a EU simulation module for the International Studies major, where she teaches a seminar each spring (Spring 2017 Syllabus, Spring 2018 Syllabus). The simulation combines traditional interdisciplinary subject matters (i.e. political science, history, political economy) with a practical exercise in EU simulated decision-making. Covington has prepared modules on youth unemployment, migration policy, and will work on a security policy for 2017.
In 2017, UW-Madison Political Science doctoral recipients Dr. Jess Clayton and Prof. Mert Kartal taught a specialized workshop on Human Rights for K-14 educators. Click here to read our news story on the workshop.
In 2018, Prof. Mert Kartal, Ph.D Candidate Anna Oltman, and Prof. Brian Porter-Szucs taught a specialized workshop on Nationalism and Populism in Advanced Economies to K-14 educators. Click here to read our news story on the workshop.