Europe immediately after World War II was memorably described by
Winston Churchill as a "carnal house, a breeding place for pestilence
and war." Today, (Western) Europe is prosperous, politically stable,
and at peace. Our general aim in this course is to provide an
introduction to the European Union, a unique political entity that
emerged and has developed coincident with Europe's resurgence. We
have two related goals. The first is to try to understand the
connections between the development of the European Union and
Europe's prosperity and political stability. The second is to examine
how Europe has remained relatively at peace and to assess prospects
for the future as the European Union expands to include countries in
Central Europe.
Each class member will take two short answer examinations and
will participate in a group project. There will be a choice of
project topics. There will be no final examination. I would be
pleased to discuss any aspect of the course. My office number is 5-
9100, email Furniss@indiana.edu.