Given the interdisciplinary character of Regional Studies and its basic approach strongly linked to the practical political issues raised by the emerging regional development in the border areas, the academics involved in this co-operative project thought that cross-border team teaching would be particularly suitable in this case. That is why it was agreed that the course would be offered simultaneously at the Partium Christian University (Romania) and the University of Debrecen (Hungary), both located in the Romanian-Hungarian border region. The team of lecturers is coming from both universities. We presume that it would be particularly suitable to expose students to the teaching practices from the country on the opposite side of the border. In this way, students will have the opportunity to familiarise with different viewpoints, theoretical and methodological approaches.

In the same time, cross-border teaching also includes, beyond the student learning objectives, an important component of international cross-border academic co-operation. In this respect, the project is oriented towards the development of a shared understanding of the concept of regionalism and the elaboration of an adequate theoretical and methodological framework of teaching and research in the field of Regional Studies, in view of the advancing enlargement of the European Union. Following this objective, in the course design planning stage the participating academics from the two partner universities made a considerable effort to draw up a unitary theoretical and methodological vision. We envisaged that the major topics to be covered by the course should reflect as adequately as possible the structure of contemporary scholarship, as well as of the intellectual and political debates concerning the roles and functions of regions, regionalism and regional policies in the emerging united Europe.

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