Courses / Module

This first semester survey module will introduce students of European Studies to some of the key debates and defining controversies about European identity, culture, politics, and history. It is an inter-disciplinary module, meaning that classes cover a range of subjects having to do with Europe (History, Philosophy, Classics, Sociology). Each week students will attend two lectures on a topic in European Studies.
The module will give you a broad overview of some of the most important dimensions of Europe’s historical and contemporary identity. You will understand the historical roots of contemporary European political systems, especially in the classical, early-modern, and modern contexts. You will have been introduced to some of the key political philosophers in twentieth-century European thought and you will understand their intellectual contribution. You will understand the role played by war and peacemaking in shaping borders and states in contemporary Europe.

Each of you will have contributed to part of a short in-class presentation, and taken part in a subsequent discussion based on this. You will have read and thought critically and reflexively about a key published work in European Studies. You will have carried out independent research (primarily in the university library) and have learnt to write in a scholarly, academic fashion.