European Studies

The course analyzes the main historical, political, and institutional developments in the evolution of the European Community/European Union from 1945 to circa 2000. Topics include the unique nature of the European Union polity, the origins & developments of European Integration from 1945 to circa 2000, the evolving role of key EC/EU institutions, key EU treaties, the enlargement process, and Ireland's membership of the EU. 

After its total defeat in World War II, a divided Germany developed differing forms of socio-political organizations in an attempt to find a sustainable response to the challenges posed by modern industrial society. While the East experimented with state socialism, the West implemented a liberal democracy. Yet despite their political division, the two German states remained deeply interconnected through economic linkages, a shared cultural heritage, and similar ambitions to redefine their nationhood and global position. This course explores their special relationship against the backdrop of the global Cold War. Topics include political consolidation, East and West European integration, consumption and identity, the role of the cultural institutions, social movements and dissent, immigration and ethnic diversity, holocaust memory and foreign policy, the collapse of communism and reunification. It engages critically with the attempts of both German states to deal with their problematic history, and the way history was used to legitimize the different regimes. 

This course highlights the political and intellectual bases of the European project since the 19th century to better understand the current transformations.

This course explores EU enlargement dynamics, focusing on the process, negotiation, and accession of candidate countries. It examines pre-accession processes, enlargement negotiations, and the reasons behind EU expansion from legal, economic, and political perspectives. The course compares past enlargement rounds and assesses their impact on EU institutions and policies, highlighting the evolving nature of enlargement dynamics. It introduces the scholarly debate on conditionality and the EU's approach to current candidates' membership aspirations, emphasizing the need to adapt the EU's institutional structure. Through a simulation exercise, students participate in EU negotiation simulations, discussing and negotiating specific policy domains based on EU acquis chapters. This approach fosters teamwork, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the negotiation process. The course also critically analyzes the principles and concepts underlying European enlargement policies, equipping students with comprehensive knowledge of enlargement negotiations, membership conditionality, and the interaction between candidate states and the EU.

During the Viking Age, Northmen streamed out of Scandinavia, travelling far and wide across and around Europe, and to Constantinople and the Caspian Sea in the east. A vast amount of diverse source material, written and archaeological, bears witness to the Scandinavian expansion and conveys a multitude of roles in which they engaged, e.g. terrifying raiders, peaceful traders, or mercenaries.

The objective of this course is to examine the geographical expansion of vikings, and their interrelations with different cultures, and how this comes across in the source material. At the end of the course students are expected to have a thorough overview of the main events of the period, and a good idea on the relevant geographies and cultures, as well as a grasp on comparing different viking communities in different regions.

One of the primary functions literature serves is as a vehicle for memory. From the portrayal of national histories, to the embodiment of collective myths, to the expression of individual identities, literature has both lent authority to and constructed contentious arguments for our image of our past. The literature of central and eastern Europe is particularly rich in explorations of history and memory. While in earlier times literature was called upon to lend social and historical legitimacy to communities without nation-states, more recent literature of the region has played a major role in attempts to come to terms with the catastrophes of the 20th century.

This course examines society’s continuing fascination with competitive sports and explore their role in European societies from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War through the lenses of empire, nation, class, race, and gender.

This course offers a study of Catalan language, culture, and society. Topics include: symbols of Catalunya-- flag, anthem, emblem; Catalan food; basic phrases; writers; artists; music; Pompeu Fabra; celebrations and legends.

This course examines the history of European cultures, with a special focus on Spain, from pre-history to the present day. Topics include: the Renaissance; Reformation; Enlightenment; Industrial Revolution; Russian revolution and formation of the USSR; WWI; WWII; Spanish republics; dictatorship; Cold War; de-colonization; democracy; the European Union.

This course provides a historical analysis of the Europeanization movement within the context of the creation and consolidation of the idea of Europe, the projects that led to the integration of people and countries, and the materialization of Europe with the development of the legal and economic institutions that constitute the present model of the European Union. It discusses issues that arose during the integration process, the solutions implemented, the goals attained, and the challenges that still exist.