The seminar offers students the opportunity to improve their understanding of academic and political discussions on the concept of rule of law and democracy and to foster their knowledge on political conditions in the region of the Western Balkans. They will also engage in the analysis of attitudes, behaviours and policies of political actors. These can be individuals, judges, civil society groups who engage in defence of the rule of law or politicians, parties, entrepreneurs or other individuals or groups that act against it and contribute to its decline. By doing that, the course will also look into the EU's enlargement conditionality and the impact that this has on the region and vice versa. Students are supposed to develop own projects in teams. The course will include an excursion with a bloc seminar at UC Louvain and site visits to Brussels. The course will partly take place in collaboration with the UC Louvain as a contribution to the Circle U alliance. close