European Studies

The course provides an overview of the development of Icelandic culture from early to modern times, with emphasis on contemporary culture and art. Focus is placed on the rapid development of the country from a rural to an urban society during the past decades and the way in which the development has influenced Icelandic music, visual arts, films, theatre, and literature. 

This course explores the making of contemporary Europe diachronically and in a global context through four parts. It considers the plurality of “Europes” that emerged in the postwar period, including the institutional evolution of the European Communities and European Union, their challenges and their achievements. It situates the development of regional cooperation agreements within the global context of World War, decolonization, Cold War, economic crises, globalization, the Soviet collapse, and the turmoil of the early 21st century. It evaluates the the roles that different actors – including multilateral organizations and multinational corporations – played in shaping European governance. It equips students to apply this knowledge to their own analyses of contemporary political debates, through readings, discussions, and a capstone podcast project. 

This course focuses on the process and theoretical background of The European Union (EU). It explores its formation by three creative processes: deepening of the integration, enlargement of the EU, and economic transformation in former socialist countries. After introducing those processes and some theoretical background, students analyze different EU economic policies. Considering that the participants are American undergraduates, this course systematically compares and contrasts the EU and its role in the world with the USA. Preliminary knowledge of principles of microeconomics is strongly recommended, but all necessary theoretical concepts are briefly summarized as part of this course.

The course covers the development of European integration after the Second World War with a special focus on questions concerning national and supranational identities and values. The aim is to study the EU's development from the time of the European Coal and Steel Community to the UK's withdrawal in 2020, partly chronologically, but also based on a present-day perspective.

This course draws on a range of political science research on European integration and European Union politics to analyze the development of the EU and how it operates today. The course addresses one of the most important questions in the study of European politics and international organization's: why did a diverse group of states construct what is currently the world’s most extensive example of international integration? This course provides an extensive overview of the contemporary EU, including its institutions and policy-making processes using approaches from modern political science. Students also assess how the EU has influenced both public opinion and party competition, and the debate concerning whether the EU suffers from a democratic deficit. 

This is a special studies course involving an internship with a corporate, public, governmental, or private organization, arranged with the Study Center Director or Liaison Officer. Specific internships vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. A substantial paper or series of reports is required. Units vary depending on the contact hours and method of assessment. The internship may be taken during one or more terms but the units cannot exceed a total of 12.0 for the year.

This course explores how the EU can be understood as a differentiated political system, both in relation to its member states and non-EU countries. It looks into differentiation in various forms, including variation in the extent to which states participate in EU policies (horizontal differentiation) and in the level of integration across policy areas (vertical differentiation), and it explores the drivers of such differentiation. The course also discusses the consequences of differentiation for the legitimacy of European integration.

This course focuses on the The European Union (EU) and how the EU is often accused of suffering from a ‘democratic deficit’.  Students examine how part of this argument is rooted in a notion that the EU is not visible enough in media, and that because of this, European citizens do not have enough information about what the EU does and how it functions to form informed opinions about EU policies and the EU as a system. The course also examines the problematic way in which the EU is presented, with a tendency towards a national and negative focus on European issues. Such arguments about the EU’s presence in the public sphere have become all the more important as the EU has experienced increased contestation over the last decades. How is the EU portrayed and debated in traditional and social media, and how does it matter for the EU’s democratic legitimacy? Students explore these topics and questions through recent literature and analyze empirical examples from different types of media.

The course examines how values, social relations and institutions have changed in European societies. Are there similar trends in all or at least most European societies? Have European societies converged, i.e., become more similar over time, or are there persisting divergences and cleavages? The course identifies the forces that drive changes in values, social relations, and institutions in European societies and the structures that shape particular regional and country-specific responses. It deals with a variety of topics such as religion, gender relations, and friendship patterns. While the course does compare a few countries at one point in time, it tends to look at many European countries (and occasionally countries beyond Europe) for longer periods to identify common patterns and the main differences between them.

This course delves into the multifaceted landscape of social policies across Europe, examining the diverse approaches taken by various nations to address social welfare challenges. The course begins by providing a foundational understanding of social policy concepts and theories. It then transitions into an in-depth analysis of the evolution of welfare systems in Europe from the post-war period to the present day. Emphasis is placed on understanding the historical legacies, institutional frameworks, and ideological underpinnings that influence the design and restructuring of social policies in different European countries. The course finally delves into the comparative examination of key areas of social policy, including family policy, labor market policy, healthcare, and long-term care.