Teaching European power: the case for an integrated approach

This paper advocates the integrated approach to higher education pedagogy, especially in EU Studies. The integrated approach is defined across two dimensions: the integration of space, which includes in-person and online sessions, as well as the integration of delivery method, which includes traditional lecture/seminar format and the more innovative, high-impact pedagogies such assimulations or technology-enhanced teaching. The paper illustrates this argument with the experience of delivering an undergraduate module on European power at a UK university. The integrated approach works well with EU Studies because of the timely and policy-oriented nature of the subject, with the history and structure of the EU encouraging simulation games and other innovative, high impact pedagogies, in order to get students more engaged. Conversely, the paper cautions against hastily moving towards either side of the spectrum, noting that, for example, eliminating lectures and organising a module entirely around student-led sessions can be ineffective if the wider institutional practice and culture does not follow a similar pathway. This paper is primarily aimed at advanced PhD students and early-career academic teachers. It intends to reassure them that one can have a systematic and well-grounded approach to teaching without becoming unnecessarily restrictive about what’s ‘innovative’ or ‘student-centric’.