European Studies

The course focuses on developments in the Low Countries in the late Middle Ages, in relation to other parts of Europe. After a general introduction, the course focuses on a number of case studies related to medieval court and town culture from the viewpoint of various disciplines. Among the topics covered are defining a medieval town, musical institutions, the role of literature, and the changing function and styles of art and architecture in this period. The classes taught by faculty from different disciplines: art history, history, Dutch language and literature, and music.

Today, the European Union tends to elicit, at best, indifference and boredom, and at worst, rejection. That is why it is urgent to consider ways to foster a sense of European identity, to give substance to this Europe that is perceived as too distant and too abstract. For Europe does indeed exist; it is present in our shared history, in a common past, in cultural references so obvious that we no longer see them. This course (re)discovers literary and audiovisual works, analyzes them, and discusses them in order to build a shared reflection on the nature of European identity. Sessions begin with students’ oral presentations on the selected works, followed by a class discussion on the lessons to be drawn from these works and the avenues for reflection they offer for thinking about the construction of a sense of European belonging.