About the Project

POPULIST-GAMEMODE is a three-year Jean Monnet Module hosted by Babeș-Bolyai University, through the Department of International Studies and Contemporary History . It examines how populist discourse, citizen engagement and political leadership interact in the European Union’s decision-making process, combining EU studies with innovative, practice-oriented teaching.

What is POPULIST-GAMEMODE?

POPULIST-GAMEMODE (“Populism, Citizens, and Leadership in EU Decision-Making”) brings together students, teachers and practitioners to explore how democratic decisions are made in the EU when politics is polarized and populist actors shape public debate. 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 module includes two university courses – The Role of Leadership in the European Union: State and Citizens and Leadership and Decision-Making in Organisations – which are fully integrated into the master’s curriculum at Babeș-Bolyai University. Around 120 students are expected to participate directly in these courses during the project’s lifetime.

Why this project?

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. POPULIST-GAMEMODE responds to this context by offering students a space to study populism in a rigorous way, while also learning how EU institutions function and how citizens can influence decisions rather than just react to them.

The project is rooted in a clear need identified at the university: existing EU-related courses rarely combine leadership training, critical analysis of populist rhetoric and hands-on work with real policy cases. POPULIST-GAMEMODE fills this gap with interdisciplinary, problem-based learning.

Our main objectives

POPULIST-GAMEMODE pursues four core objectives:

Deepen EU knowledge and skills – help students understand EU institutions, leadership theories and how populist actors influence decision-making.
Promote active and informed citizenship – strengthen media literacy, critical thinking and leadership capacities so that students can respond constructively to populist discourse.
Connect academia and society – create regular spaces where students, policymakers, journalists and civil society can discuss EU governance and populism.
Innovate in EU teaching – experiment with AI-driven debates, gamification and simulations to make EU studies more engaging and relevant

What we do in practice?

To achieve these aims, the project organises a set of mutually reinforcing activities:

Teaching programme – delivery of two accredited master’s courses over three years, integrating case studies, role-play, debates and team projects.
Populist Discourse Observatory – an online platform where students collect, code and analyse examples of populist narratives from EU and national politics.
Fact-checking and media literacy labs – workshops in which participants evaluate claims made in political speeches, campaigns or social media posts.
Public workshops and roundtables – three annual events bringing together students, policymakers, journalists and NGO representatives to discuss findings and share experiences.
Policy briefs and publications – short, accessible papers summarising key insights on populism, leadership and EU decision-making, made available to a wider audience.

Our team

POPULIST-GAMEMODE is hosted by Babeș-Bolyai University (BBU), within the Faculty of History and Philosophy, Department of International Studies and Contemporary History. The module is delivered by a multidisciplinary team of academics, researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of EU governance, political communication and leadership studies.

Project Coordinator

Ioan-Mihai Alexandrescu – Associate Professor, Babeș-Bolyai University

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 and political science, with a strong publication record on EU citizenship and European integration.

Teaching & Research Team

Mihnea-Simion Stoica – Associate Professor, Babeș-Bolyai University

Mihnea-Simion Stoica is 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, and contributes to the development of the Populist Discourse Observatory. He is also a key trainer in the annual workshop, focusing on EU media strategies and methods for countering populist rhetoric.

Paul Popa – Senior Lecturer, Babeș-Bolyai University

Paul Popa is a specialist in Human Rights and critical thinking. In this project, 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.

External Experts and Students

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 team of POPULIST-GAMEMODE functions as a genuine community of learning and practice around European democracy and populism.

Project duration

POPULIST-GAMEMODE is a Jean Monnet Module co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme. The project runs for 36 months and is coordinated by Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.