Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
THE COURSE WILL NOT BE ORGANIZED DURING THE YEAR 2026-2027.
THE COURSE IS HELD EVERY ODD YEAR (2025-2026, 2027-2028, ...).
Students taking the exam this year are advised to consult the "Assessment methods and criteria" section.
This cours is about interstates organisations and especially about regional integrations. It aims to apprehend regional schemes as a level between states and global politics. It starts by defining a couple of concepts such as "region", "regionalism" and "regionalisation". The course also aims to apprehend the historical origines of regionalism in Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia. After having analyzed the idea of region, the course will consider regionalism during both the bipolar system and the post-cold war. It will pay especial attention to the new regionalism and its implications for the global governance. It will analyse the internal and systemic reasons of regionalism. The course will also take into account the role played by both publics (States, International organisations) and private (transnational companies, NGOs) actors. It will also pay attention to the theories on regionalism: neorealism, neoliberal institutionalism, regional economic integration and the new regionalism approach. Finally, it will analyze various regional organizations such as SADC, ECOWAS (Africa), MERCOSUR, NAFTA (Americas), ASEAN (Asia) and the EU (Europe) by offering a comparative view.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Study regionalism as a phenomenon of international relation.
Give to the students a broad vision of regionalism.
Through the study of an international issue, the course analyse most of the continents of the world: Asia, Africa, the Americas, Western Europe.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
To follow this course, it is desirable that the students have empirical and theoretical knowledge in international relations (see: "Introduction to International Relations" (SPOL1203-2)).
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course is Ex Cathedra one. The course will encourage students to participate. It will also try to develop students critical thinking skill.
To this end, during the semester, some sessions will combine lectures and collective text analysis, in order to link theoretical insights with critical reflection on the readings.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Ex Cathedra lectures though students are warmly invited to participate.
If the opportunity arises, there will be external interventions.
It is also possible the students will have to follow a couple of conferences related to topics tackled during the course.
The presence of the students is needed. Especially since each time the course is given, it is modified because regionalism is a dynamic and changing phenomenon.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège
Further information:
The course is based on notes prepared by the responsable of the course and obligatory readings given during the course. (Syllabus: Sebastian Santander, Régionalisme dans la politique mondiale, Liège, Presses universitaires de Liège, 2023), or by clicking on this link: https://hdl.handle.net/2268/335435
Obligatory reading:
Jean-Marie Chenou, « Relations internationales et - nouveau - régionalisme » dans Dario Battistella, Relations internationales: bilan et perspectives, Paris, Ellipses, 2013, pp. 339-356.
Valère Ndior, « Le régionalisme, alternative au multilatéralisme » Questions internationales - N° 105 Janvier - Février 2021, pp. 82-88.
Robert Frank, « La construction de l'Europe : une histoire cyclique », Questions internationales - N° 88 Novembre - décembre 2017, pp. 10-22.
Gilles Andréani, « Les crises et la nécessité », Questions internationales - N° 88 Novembre - décembre 2017, pp. 4-9.
Nina Bachkatov, « L'Union eurasiatique : projet collectif pu levier de puissance pour la Russie ? », dans Sebastian Santander (coord.), Concurrences régionales dans un monde multipolaire émergent, Bruxelles, P.I.E. Peter Lang, 2016, pp. 253-267.
Sebastian Santander « Prolifération de régionalismes en Amérique latine : convergence ou concurrence ? », dans Sebastian Santander (coord.), Concurrences régionales dans un monde multipolaire émergent, Bruxelles, P.I.E. Peter Lang, 2016, pp. 83-100.
Peter Draper, « Une approche locale de l'intégration régionale en Afrique, ou comment sortir des sentiers battus européens », international center for trade and sustainable development, éclairage sur les négociations, Vol 10, n°4, 2011, pp. 1 & 3
Simão L. Makiadi, « L'intégration régionale en Afrique: Un processus déjà ancien... pour quels résultats? », Mulemba, Vol 6, n°12, 2016, pp. 51-71.
Sebastian Santander, « Un regard comparatif sur les régionalismes africain et latino-américain », Revue Interventions économiques [Online], Hors-série. Transformations | 2017, Online since 01 March 2017, pp. 6-9.
Olivier Dupont « ASEAN : à la poursuite d'un régionalisme de type réaliste » dans Sebastian Santander (coord.), Concurrences régionales dans un monde multipolaire émergent, Bruxelles, P.I.E. Peter Lang, 2016, pp. 51-64.
Jacques Ténier « Universalisme et régionalismes : les moyens d'un partenariat en Asie du Sud » dans Sebastian Santander (coord.), Concurrences régionales dans un monde multipolaire émergent, Bruxelles, P.I.E. Peter Lang, 2016, pp. 37-50.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Further information:
Oral Examination - First and Second Examination Sessions
The assessment takes the form of an oral examination in both the first examination session (January 2027) and the second examination session (August 2027), according to two distinct sets of arrangements:
A) Arrangements for students who attended the course during the 2025-2026 academic year and must retake the examination following a failure, while the course is not being offered during the 2026-2027 academic year.
The students concerned must meet the following two requirements in preparing for the examination:
1. Study the course's compulsory reading portfolio (see the section entitled "Course materials and recommended or required readings").
2. Master the material covered in the oral lectures delivered during the 2025-2026 academic year.
The oral examinations will take place during the following periods:
- First examination session: January 2027.
- Second examination session: August 2027.
B) Arrangements for newly enrolled students who did not attend the oral lectures during the 2025-2026 academic year:
As the course's oral lectures are not being delivered during the 2026-2027 academic year and no written syllabus is available, the assessment arrangements have been adapted.
The students concerned must meet the following two requirements as part of the assessment:
1. Study the course's compulsory reading portfolio (see the section entitled "Course materials and recommended or required readings").
2. Write a paper involving a comparative analysis based on these readings and defend it in a compulsory individual oral examination. An information session on the requirements for the written comparative analysis assignment will take place on 15 October 2026 at 8:30 a.m. in the professor's office. Students who are unable to attend are invited to contact the professor to arrange an alternative meeting.
The submission requirements and deadlines for the written assignment are as follows:
- First examination session (January 2027): The mandatory submission of both an electronic copy by email AND a printed copy delivered to the professor's office must take place on 10 December 2026, between 3:45 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. One point will be deducted for each day of late submission. The oral defence will take place in January 2027.
- Second examination session (August 2027): The mandatory submission of both an electronic copy by email AND a printed copy delivered to the professor's office must take place on 16 August 2027, at 12:00 noon. One point will be deducted for each day of late submission. The oral defence will take place in August 2027.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
To succeed the exam it is highly recommended to attend the course. New issues are tackled each year during the cours.
At the end of the cours, students will have the plan of the cours. The document will be available on MyULiege. A passive knowledge of English is necessary.
Contacts
- Professor:
Sebastian Santander (Bureau: R71, niveau 0 tel. 04 366 30 46), sebastian.santander@uliege.be
- Assistants :
Vincent Bricart, CEFIR, B31, niveau 0, Bureau R.73 ; Tel. : 043 66 42 59, v.bricart@uliege.be
Alex Arnoldy, CEFIR, B31, niveau 0, Bureau R.73 ; Tel. : 043 66 42 59, Alex.Arnoldy@uliege.be
Association of one or more MOOCs
Items online
Papers
Papers for the course about Regionalism in world politcis