New challenges and opportunities in a transforming Europe

Senior Lecturer Ayca Arkilic is coordinating a Jean Monnet Module focusing on European Union affairs.

Following the outbreak of the 2011 Syrian war, the migrant crisis has served as a litmus test for European integration. In the following years, Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have triggered mobility, food, and energy crises in Europe and beyond. However, new opportunities have also arisen, such as growing cooperation among EU member states, the EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, and the Christchurch Call.

The project

NECOTE - New Challenges and Opportunities in a Transforming Europe, supported by the European Commission between 2023-2026 (Project ID 101126961), provides a unique learning opportunity to students of Victoria University of Wellington and wider society in the country’s capital and political centre.

Themes

Led by a European politics expert, NECOTE covers key themes, including:

• the EU’s history
• challenges of European integration and migration
• climate action
• promotion of democracy in the rules-based world order
• EU-New Zealand relations.

Activities

The project comprises:

1. An undergraduate (POLS 205: The New Europe) and a graduate course (POLS 416: Borders, Migrants and States) that will attract students beyond political science, law, and economics
2. Guest lectures by diplomats from the Delegation of the EU to New Zealand and various European embassies
3. Guest lectures by EU studies scholars from New Zealand and Europe
4. Study visits to the Delegation of the EU to New Zealand
5. Research outputs
6. A pedagogy roundtable on the teaching, learning, and research of sensitive topics pertaining to EU affairs, which will result in a special issue
7. Public talks on EU-New Zealand relations by diplomats and scholars.

About NECOTE

NECOTE advances EU studies by:

1. creating the first Jean Monnet module at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand’s top research university
2. bringing scholars, students, diplomats, and wider society together
3. improving students’ career prospects by honing their critical thinking and networking skills, and enhancing their comprehension of EU-New Zealand relations.

Contact

If you're interested in knowing more about this module and its activities, contact: