Europa

By Janet Spaulding

Introduction

Task

Process

Resources

Evaluation

Conclusion

Introduction

Welcome!  The European Union (EU) was formally established in 1993 (although the organizing body that constitutes the European Union has existed since 1950) and currently has 15 member states -- Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.  The EU seeks to establish European citizenship; ensure freedom, security, and justice; promote economic and social progress; and assert Europe's role in the world.

Thirteen Eastern and Southern European countries have applied for membership.  These countries are Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey. 

The presidency of the Council of the European Union rotates among the member countries and changes every six months.  Currently, Spain is the host nation.  As membership in the European Union expands, a new schedule needs to be determined.  Of course, every nation wants to be early in the rotation to have maximum influence.

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Task

You and your team members represent one of the 15 member nations and are your country's liaison to the EU Council.  Each of you has a specific role -- economist, historian, or environmentalist.  Together, you must gather information about the country you are representing so that you can convince the council that your country should host the presidency as soon as the current schedule ends.  Design a PowerPoint presentation and write a report explaining your position, based on your findings.  The report should include at least one graph/chart and/or other visual.

For each role, the information you collect should include:

Economist	Historian	Environmentalist
Currency Infrastructure, industry, and natural resources of the country Trade	Official name of the country Flag and anthem of the country Government structure Major historical events History within the EU Important cultural days	Geography Climate Environment Interesting attractions or activities that are unique to the country Vital Statistics

You may, of course, explore other topics of interest.

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Process

Starting with the resources listed below, learn about your member country.  Remember that not every piece of information that you find will be useful for your argument.  With this in mind, you should look for relevant information and clear graphical images and maps.  Design a presentation using PowerPoint that displays the information you have gathered in an appealing layout.  This information should also be used in your paper.

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Resources

When using the links below, be sure to look at the links to other information that are available on these sites.

General

Flags of the World

Embassies of the World in Washington, D.C. (includes a fact sheet on each country)

Embassies of the World in the United States

NATO

European Union

The Official Site of the European Union

The Presidency of the European Council

The Council of the European Union

The Euro

Information on the Resources of the European Union

Resources on the European Union on the Internet

Austria

Information on Austria from the United States Embassy, Vienna

Lonely Planet World Guide: Austria

Belgium

Embassy of Belgium in the United States

Lonely Planet World Guide: Belgium

Denmark

Royal Danish Embassy, Washington D.C.

Lonely Planet World Guide: Denmark

Finland

Embassy of Finland, Washington, D.C.

Lonely Planet World Guide: Finland

France

Embassy of France in the United States

Lonely Planet World Guide: France

Germany

German Embassy, Washington, D.C.

Lonely Planet World Guide: Germany

Great Britain

British Embassy, Washington, D.C.

Lonely Planet World Guide: England, Scotland, Wales

Greece

Embassy of Greece, Washington, D.C.

Lonely Planet World Guide: Greece

Ireland

Embassy of Ireland, Washington, D.C.

Lonely Planet World Guide: Ireland

Italy

Embassy of Italy in the United States

Lonely Planet World Guide: Italy

Luxembourg

Luxembourg Embassy and Consulate, Washington, D.C.

Lonely Planet World Guide: Luxembourg

The Netherlands

Royal Netherlands Embassy, Washington, D.C.

Lonely Planet World Guide: Netherlands

Portugal

Lonely Planet World Guide: Portugal

Spain

Embassy of Spain in the United States

Lonely Planet World Guide: Spain

Sweden

Embassy of Sweden in Washington D.C.

Lonely Planet World Guide: Sweden

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Evaluation

PowerPoint Slides	Is the design appealing?	/5
	Is the PowerPoint presentation arranged in a logical manner?	/5
	Is the information relevant?	/5
Presentation	Are you prepared and knowledgeable about your country?	/5
	Did you state your arguments clearly and concisely?	/5
Paper	Are there grammatical errors or misspellings?	/5
	Does it cover the basic information?	/5
	Is the information arranged in a clear, logical manner?	/5
	Did you include a bibliography, maps, and charts?	/5
Teamwork	Did you work together as a team to gather your information and present it to the class?	/5
Total		/50

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Conclusion

Now that you have concluded your research and presentation, hopefully you have increased your knowledge about some of the countries that reside across the Atlantic Ocean.  Through this project, you have had the chance to explore the countries within the European Union.   You have studied the culture and physical aspects.   Please discuss as a group the following questions.  Be prepared to share your thoughts with the class.

Is there anything you learned that surprised you?

Is there anything you wished you could have studied in more detail?

If you could redo the project, what would you do differently?

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Created April 2002, Last updated March 2005 by Trisha Armstrong