Legal History of the European Union

This course deals with the history of legal integration in Europe after 1945. It explores how the role and substance of European Union (EU) law have evolved and what interests, biases, and structures have been perpetuated or promoted by the EU legal system. Students are introduced to the main historical approaches to the study of EU law and EU integration and invited to critically reflect on the importance of history, and of law, in the construction of the EU. The course combines doctrinal aspects of law, on the one hand, with historical and socio-legal approaches to the key milestones in EU integration and the development of different EU policy fields, on the other. It examines the evolution of the laws on competition, equality and anti-discrimination, environmental protection, external relations and citizenship.

The course will be held in English from October 2024 to February 2025 and is open to undergraduate students from Goethe University. The course coordinator is Prof. Stefan Vogenauer. Sessions will also be led by researchers from the Department of European and Comparative Legal History. Students will be expected to have read two or three articles or chapters prior to each lecture. Reading materials will not exceed 50 pages per sessions and will be made available online.