Introduction to European Studies

This course provides an introduction to the study of contemporary Europe through an historical examination of the moments of crisis, and their political and cultural aftermath, that shaped modern Europe and continue to define it today. These crises will include: the revolutions of 1848, the advent of 19th-century nationalisms, the Great War, the Spanish Civil War, the rise and defeat of state fascism, the Cold War, the formation of the EEC and Union, May 1968, and the return of right-wing politics. After the study of these traditions, the final portion of the semester will consider contemporary Europe since 1991, considering such subjects as Green politics, internal migration and immigration, and the culture of the European Union.