Building upon the success of its international programs and the rewarding experience of collaboration with future European change-makers, the Jean Monnet Chair in EU Legal Studies and Legal Europeanization is offering a new hybrid course: “The EU and its Eastern Neighbours: Law, Policies, and Politics”
The course includes:
- 14 weeks of focused lectures, seminars, and group and individual work (online). Synchronous online meetings will take place once per week on Thursdays from 17:00 to 19:00 CET.
- A 4-day intensive on-site study visit to Armenia, including a simulation game, meetings with representatives of governmental institutions, civil society actors, experts, scholars, and local youth.
- A 1-day long-distance sightseeing trip in Armenia
- Planned visit dates for Autumn semester cohort: 16-20 February 2026
Lecturer and Contributors:
- Core lecturer: Dr. Anna Khvorostiankina
- Core lectures will be supplemented by guest speakers.
Key Dates:
- Application deadline: 20 September 2025
- Confirmation of participation: 23 September 2025
- Online classes start: 17 October 2025
- Online classes end: 30 January 2026
- On-site visit: 16-20 February 2026
ECTS Credits:
Upon successful completion, students will be awarded 6 ECTS (subject to recognition by their home university).
Participation Fee:
€450 (the fee covers the online and on-site academic and cultural program)
Not included: travel to and from Yerevan and accommodation.
Organisers will assist with finding economic options and support applications for external funding.
Scholarships:
3 merit-based scholarships (covering 50% of the tuition fee) are available for outstanding applicants.
The course will offer an in-depth discussion of the following (selected) topics:
- Geopolitics of the Eastern Neighbourhood: the case of the South Caucasus
- The EU as a global actor: competences and policies
- The European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership
- EU agreement with Armenia compared to EU agreements with Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine
- Legal approximation and support for domestic reforms
- Constitutional identity and constitutional transformation in EaP countries
- Rule of law, democracy, and human rights
- Trade, energy, and economic cooperation and integration
- Civil society and participation
- Security, conflict, and crisis response
- Potential enlargement and the future of EU–EaP relations
Teaching Methodology:
The course combines interactive online lectures and group discussions, enriched with on-site study visits, expert meetings, and reflection sessions in Yerevan. Theoretical content is integrated with case studies (with the specific focus on EU-Armenia relations), and both European and local perspectives are explored. Students will also participate in a simulation of EU decision-making processes in the context of external relations.
How to Apply:
Submit your CV and a 1-page motivation letter by 20 September 2025 via the application form or directly to: 📧 anna.khvorostiankina@eiu.am.
For inquiries, contact: 📩 Dr. Anna Khvorostiankina (Head of the Department of Law, Political Science and International Relations, Academic Coordinator of the course) at anna.khvorostiankina@eiu.am.
Our previous initiatives: please see here
