Hosted by Babeș-Bolyai University · Funded by the European Union
Populism,
citizens &
European
democratic power.
POPULIST-GAMEMODE is a three-year Jean Monnet Module for the Leadership and Communication in International Organizations master’s programme, hosted by the Department of International Studies and Contemporary History at the Faculty of History and Philosophy of Babeș-Bolyai University. It examines how populist actors contest European democratic decision-making – and trains a new generation of students to understand, analyse and respond to that contestation through teaching, research and public engagement.
Sole Beneficiary · Cluj-Napoca
A Jean Monnet response to contested European democracy.
POPULIST-GAMEMODE brings together students, teachers and practitioners to study how democratic decisions are made in the European Union when politics is polarised and populist actors shape public debate.
Across Europe, populist movements increasingly question mainstream institutions and fuel scepticism about how the EU works. This creates pressure on democratic leaders and makes it harder for citizens to distinguish between responsible criticism and manipulative narratives. Existing EU-related curricula rarely combine leadership training, critical analysis of populist rhetoric and hands-on work with real policy cases – this is the gap the module addresses.
Over three academic years, the project delivers a 300-hour teaching programme that blends lectures with simulations, AI-supported debates, gamified activities and fact-checking labs. The two courses are fully integrated into the Leadership and Communication in International Organizations master’s programme, hosted by the Department of International Studies and Contemporary History at Babeș-Bolyai University. This anchors the module’s innovation in accredited coursework rather than parallel events; the result is a sustained, interdisciplinary, problem-based learning environment where students not only study populism in a rigorous way, but also learn how EU institutions function and how citizens can influence decisions rather than just react to them.
Three lines of activity,
woven into a single module.
The Jean Monnet Module operates on three reinforcing pillars – teaching, research and public engagement – which together build a community of learning and practice around European democracy and populism.
Teaching
Two accredited master’s courses – HMR4312 (Leadership and Decision-Making in Organizations) and HMR4229 (The Role of Leadership in the European Union: State and Citizens) – delivered within the LCOI master’s programme. Case studies, role-play, debates and team projects replace one-way lectures.
Research
The Populist Discourse Observatory collects, codes and analyses examples of populist narratives from EU and national politics. Findings feed into policy briefs, peer-reviewed articles and student work, with the module functioning as both a research environment and a publishing platform.
Public Engagement
Three annual public events bring together students, policymakers, journalists and NGO representatives to discuss EU governance and populism. Fact-checking and media-literacy labs extend the curriculum into open workshops, and the annual conference anchors the academic calendar each May.
A measurable commitment
to European studies.
The Jean Monnet Module is a quantified deliverable: every figure below corresponds to a contractual commitment under Grant Agreement 101238497 with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency.
Three places
to begin.
Whether you are a prospective student, a researcher, a journalist or a policy professional, the module is most easily entered through one of three doors below.
Master’s Courses
Two integrated master’s-level courses on leadership and decision-making, with detailed syllabi, curriculum, assessment structure and reading lists. The natural starting point for students and Erasmus visitors.
Browse the courses →Populist Discourse Observatory
A working corpus of populist political statements coded by students using standardised methodology, built as an open research resource and used in seminar work across both courses of the module.
Visit the Observatory →Conference 2026
The annual conference Manipulation and Populism in the European Union extends the curriculum into a research-and-policy forum where students, faculty, journalists and policymakers present and debate.
Conference details →A multidisciplinary team
at Babeș-Bolyai University.
POPULIST-GAMEMODE is delivered by a team of academics working at the intersection of EU governance, political communication and leadership studies, hosted by the Department of International Studies and Contemporary History.
Conf. univ. dr. Ioan-Mihai Alexandrescu
Babeș-Bolyai University
Faculty of History and Philosophy
Department of International Studies
and Contemporary History
Ioan-Mihai Alexandrescu is the coordinator of POPULIST-GAMEMODE and is responsible for the overall design and supervision of the module. He teaches both core courses of the project – Leadership and Decision-Making in Organizations and The Role of Leadership in the European Union: State and Citizens – and oversees research dissemination, stakeholder engagement and compliance with Jean Monnet requirements.
His expertise lies in EU governance, leadership theory and political science, with a sustained publication record on EU citizenship, European integration and the historical foundations of functionalist thought. Recent work includes peer-reviewed articles on EU public opinion and sanctions support, the wartime justification trajectory of European leaders, and the institutional leadership of the European Union.
Conf. univ. dr. Mihnea-Simion Stoica
A specialist in political ideologies, populist narratives and EU political communication. Within POPULIST-GAMEMODE he leads research on populist rhetoric, media influence and political advertising, contributes to the development of the Populist Discourse Observatory, and serves as a key trainer in the annual workshop on EU media strategies and methods for countering populist rhetoric.
Lect. univ. dr. Paul Popa
A specialist in human rights and critical thinking. He co-coordinates the annual event Countering Populist Discourse in the European Union, where he guides students through critical-thinking exercises, discourse-analysis sessions and leadership simulations, helping them connect theoretical insights on populism with concrete democratic practices.
POPULIST-GAMEMODE regularly invites external experts – academics, policymakers, journalists and practitioners from EU institutions and think tanks – to act as guest lecturers and policy advisors. They contribute to the annual conferences and workshops, bringing real-world perspectives into the classroom and into student research.
Students are not only beneficiaries of the module; they are co-creators. They help build the Populist Discourse Observatory, design fact-checking reports, co-author policy briefs and present their work in public events. In this way, the project functions as a genuine community of learning and practice around European democracy and populism.
Questions about the module?
Get in touch.
For curriculum questions, research collaborations, invitations to guest lectures, press requests on the annual conference, or interest in becoming an Erasmus visiting student, contact the module coordinator directly. Replies usually within 48 hours during the academic semester.
and Contemporary History · DSIIC
Faculty of History and Philosophy
Babeș-Bolyai University · Cluj-Napoca