Syllabus
Title of the course: Social and Political Development of Benelux States Lecturer: Doc. Ing. Petr Drulák, Ph.D. Teaching: 1/1 Zk Entry conditions: 0 Examination: 50% essay addressing a chosen topic (about 10 pages) 50% oral exam Program:
1. Introduction
2. Common historical and cultural roots
3. Contemporary politcal and cultural identities
4. Comparing politcal systems
5. Foreign policies
6. Benelux countries and European integration
7. Federalization of Belgium
8. Experience of colonialism
Annotation
The course deals with social and political development in Belgium, in the Netherlands and in Luxembourg. Its goal is to provide information about the features which are shared by the three countries as well as about the differences between them.
The countries are looked into from a variety of perspectives including historical, politcal, economic and cultural. Their international standing and its dynamics are also focused on.