1) Why is the question about values relevant for explorations of cultural dimensions of Europe/Europeanization? What are major aspects / trends / developments in this context that are most striking?

2) What are major assumptions of the so-called World-Polity- or World-Society-Theory?

In what way, the European Union can be interpreted as a particular expression of what is described by the neo-institutionalist world-polity approach?

3) What is critical about the world-polity approach? What is mainly neglected/disregard here and in what way these blind spots can be problematic for a proper reflection about Europe and the world?

4) What is an identity and how is identity conceptualized in cultural sociology? Is there a difference between identity and identification?

5) Why is the question about identity relevant for the sociology of Europe? What are major issues / topics / discussions in this context? What can we (as sociologists) say about the emergence of European identity