European Studies

This seminar introduces the scientific study of European politics. The course applies the basic theoretical tools, concepts, and empirical methods of comparative politics to analyze, understand, and explain some of the systematic relationships that exist between economic, political, and social variables within European countries and the European Union. The seminar is divided thematically into three parts. Following a brief introduction to the course and review of the comparative method, the first section covers the origins of European states and democracy in Europe as well as the democratic transition processes of the ‘third wave’ in Southern, Central, and Eastern Europe. The second section focuses on the domestic political institutions of liberal European democracies and the variation that exists between them and the institutions of the European Union. While the course covers country-specific knowledge, the course is not an in-depth study of individual countries. Instead, the course discusses the similarities and differences in the executive-legislative relations, electoral systems, and party systems across Europe. The final section of the seminar deals with the effects and policy consequences that the variation in these institutional arrangements has on government accountability, representation, economic performance, political stability, and various economic and social policies.

This course provides an introduction to European fairytales within a historical, geographical, and cultural context including European folk genres such as myth or legends and a close focus on Czech fairytales. The course describes and surveys the changes in the approach to European fairytales within the development of scholarship about them. It presents sociohistorical, psychological, or anthropological interpretations, as well as biologically based and gender or feminist methods of their interpretation. The course topics include ethical or moral principles in fairytales, gender and social roles, and historical and political influences on fairytale adaptation.

At the end of the 20th century, the official reinvention of the city for the 1992 Olympic games placed Barcelona on the map for the rest of the world. The dramatic changes in the cityscape post-1992, as well as the clever marketing campaigns, rapidly turned Barcelona into the place to be. In the wave of that international renown, Ferran Adrià’s worldwide fame influenced and revolutionized not only the work of many chefs, but also the ways in which we all understand the creative process behind transforming food into cooking and cuisine. The city and industry would never again be the same, but thirty years later and with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 on the horizon, Barcelona is now looking at the significant tensions that this transformation involved in terms of gentrification, food insecurity, and social inequalities. This course explores the clash between the celebrated innovation of cuisine that transformed Barcelona and the complex challenges of the resulting 21st century global city, thus deconstructing the myths of food and celebrity.

This course offers a cultural history journey of the Mediterranean, employing the lens of food as a unique entry point. Through critical reflection on the intricate interplay of tradition and innovation in food systems within Syracuse, Florence, and Istanbul, the course traverses the Mediterranean's evolution from antiquity to the modern era. The exploration analyzes the social history of exchanges, interactions, and cultural encounters, emphasizing their pivotal role in shaping sustainable food practices. Drawing upon the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a guiding framework, the course facilitates an understanding of the relationship between innovation and sustainability in contemporary food systems. Key themes covered in the course are as follows: 1) Relational Dynamics: Explore regionalism, cosmopolitanism, and orientalism as distinct forms of relationality that shape cultural encounters within the Mediterranean. These dynamics, whether resulting in rapprochements or conflicts, provide a conceptual toolbox for comparative analysis across the three city modules. 2) Historical Impacts: Discuss the transformative impact of the opening of the Atlantic and the Columbian exchange on food systems and Mediterranean trade relations. Critically analyze imperial networks within the Mediterranean, highlighting the pivotal role of port cities as hubs for economic interactions among diverse cultures. 3) Cultural Encounters: Study various forms of cultural encounters and their implications for the development and transformation of regional and local identities. Through this exploration, students gain insights into the intricate dynamics that have shaped the cultural tapestry of the Mediterranean.
 

This interdisciplinary course discusses the identities of nations in European space that have served as a crossroad of ideas and ideologies, as well as wars and totalitarian regimes. The course covers masterpieces of Russian, Hungarian, German, French, Georgian, Polish, and Czech cinematography, focusing on several crucial periods of history, in particular WWII, its aftermath, and the Stalinist years. Students are exposed to often controversial works of film art focusing on the moral dilemmas of individuals under the stressful times of history. Students map the European space through the means of film, analyzing the individual’s approach to historical events, and gain a general picture of Europe in its crucial periods of history. Students participate in open discussion sessions following each screening.

The course begins with a study of the rebuilding of Europe and the stark division of the continent following the Second World War. It compares how countries across Western Europe embraced varying combinations of liberalism and socialism while the 'Iron Curtain' sealed Eastern Europe within Communism until that system's stunningly peaceful collapse that climaxed in November 1989 with the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. It also traces the evolution of the European Union, despite references to the 'United States of Europe', dating back to the earliest visions of European integration. The course analyzes how the European Union has been developing on a fundamentally different path from the United States of America and any other political system.