BA in European Studies
European Studies is a major offered by the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies to students enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Boston University’s European Studies Program combines a unifying regional focus with a multidisciplinary approach, enabling students to bring together courses that develop their language skills; social, historical, and cultural knowledge; and political, economic, and international relations expertise. The 10-course interdisciplinary major draws on the resources of 13 College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) departments and on Boston University Study Abroad programs in Europe. Students study Europe’s cultural heritage; its political, economic, military, and religious histories; its literature, music, film, and philosophy; as well as its emergence and development as a new kind of international form through the European Union.
The breadth of the European Studies major enables students to pursue a variety of career paths. These include but are not limited to roles in government, law, business, education, and the arts.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate substantive interdisciplinary knowledge of legal, political, economic, social, cultural, and historical factors influencing European studies.
- Display an in-depth understanding of an important functional subfield of the discipline and a major geographical region of the world.
- Conduct theoretically informed and empirically based analysis of real-world conditions and events and present the results of that analysis persuasively in written and oral forms.
Requirements
BU Hub General Education
All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in European Studies will ordinarily, through coursework in the major, satisfy BU Hub requirements in Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship, as well as some requirements in Philosophical, Aesthetic and Historical Interpretation, Scientific and Social Inquiry, Communication, and the Intellectual Toolkit. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.
Major Requirements
The major in European Studies requires ten 4-unit, nonlanguage principal courses, as well as knowledge (written and spoken) of a European language other than English through at least the sixth-term level. The principal courses will be distributed across the humanities and the social sciences.
Ten Principal Courses
- Nine courses chosen from the following lists. At least four courses must be Humanities courses and at least four must be Social Science courses.
- One multidisciplinary capstone course, usually taken in the senior year.
Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses for the major. Three of these 10 principal courses must be at an advanced level (400 or above). No more than five of the courses may be in a single discipline. It is recommended that students take courses covering at least two European countries. Although the focus of the European Studies major is on the modern and contemporary period (18th–21st centuries), students may choose to substitute up to two courses from the Middle Ages through the 17th century, with approval of the Pardee School Associate Dean of Studies or the Director of the Center for the Study of Europe.
Required Related Language Courses
Knowledge (written and spoken) of a European language other than English through at least the sixth-term level is required of all European Studies majors. In French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish, this requirement may be satisfied by successful completion of two 300-level language courses (or their equivalents abroad) or by demonstration of equivalent proficiency. For other languages, please consult with an advisor.
Courses by Track
Humanities
Cinema & Media Studies
- CAS CI 269/XL 281/RN 385 Holocaust Literature and Film (in English Translation)
- *CAS CI 351 Topics in Auteur Studies
- CAS CI 378 Modern Greek Culture and Film
- *CAS CI 390 Special Topics in Cinema and Media Studies
- *CAS CI 394 Topics in Film and Literature
- *CAS CI 551 Auteur Studies
- *CAS CI 590 Special Topics in Cinema and Media Studies
Core Curriculum
- CAS CC 201 Core Humanities: Renaissance, Rediscovery, and Reformation
- CAS CC 202 Core Humanities IV: From the Enlightenment to Modernity
- CAS CC 211 Core Social Science: Power, Political Forms, and Economics
English
- CAS EN 323 British Literature II
- CAS EN 331 Topics in Nineteenth-Century British Literature
- CAS EN 341 History of the Novel in English
- *CAS EN 347 Topics in Contemporary Fiction
- *CAS EN 348 Topics in Modern Literature
- CAS EN 355 Drama and Performance, 1840–1945
- CAS EN 356 Drama and Performance, 1945–Present
- CAS EN 373 Detective Fiction
- *CAS EN 375 Topics in Literature and Film
- *CAS EN 386 Topics in Anglophone Literature
- *CAS EN 390/LR 456/XL 470 Topics in Comparative Literature
- CAS EN 394 Cultures of Science
- *CAS EN 465 Critical Studies in Literature and Society
- *CAS EN 466 Critical Studies in Literature and Society
- *CAS EN 475 Critical Studies in Literature and Gender
- *CAS EN 482 Critical Studies in Modern Literature
- *CAS EN 483 Critical Studies in Literature and Ethnicity
- CAS EN 490 Critical Studies in Comparative Literature: The Gothic, Identity, and the (Post) Human
- CAS EN 493 Critical Studies in Literature and the Arts
- *CAS EN 495 Critical Studies in Literary Topics
- CAS EN 535 Twentieth-Century British and Irish Poetry
- *CAS EN 574 Studies in Literary Genres
- *CAS EN 584 Studies in Literature and Ethnicity
- *CAS EN 594 Studies in Literature and the Arts
History
- CAS HI 102 The Emergence of Modern Europe: Renaissance to the Present
- CAS HI 358 Twentieth-Century European Thought and Culture
- CAS HI 426 Music and Ideas from Mozart to the Jazz Age
- CAS HI 440 Refugee Hollywood (1933–1950)
- CAS HI 507 Three Revolutions
- CAS HI 514/PH 412/PO 592 Enlightenment and Its Critics
- CAS HI 539 Nazis on Film
History of Art & Architecture
- CAS AH 295 History of Photography
- CAS AH 389 Impressionism
- CAS AH 391 Twentieth-Century Art to 1940
- CAS AH 392 Twentieth-Century Art from 1940 to 1980
- CAS AH 393 Contemporary Art: 1980 to Now
- CAS AH 398 Twentieth-Century Architecture
- *CAS AH 497 Seminar: Contemporary Art
- CAS AH 503 Art Historical Methods
- *CAS AH 520 The Museum and Historical Agency
- *CAS AH 585 Twentieth-Century Architecture and Urbanism
- *CAS AH 589 Topics in Nineteenth-Century Art
Philosophy
- CAS PH 248 Existentialism
- CAS PH 253 Social Philosophy
- CAS PH 310 History of Modern Philosophy
- CAS PH 410 Continental Rationalism
- CAS PH 412/HI 514/PO 592 Philosophy of the Enlightenment
- CAS PH 413 Kant
- CAS PH 418/PO 498 Marx and Marxism
- CAS PH 419 Nietzsche
- CAS PH 422 Analytic Philosophy
- CAS PH 424 Wittgenstein
- CAS PH 426 Phenomenology
- CAS PH 427 Heidegger and Existential Philosophy
- CAS PH 453/PO 495 Theories of Political Society
Religion
- CAS RN 328 Judaism in the Modern Period
- CAS RN 384 The Holocaust
- CAS RN 410 Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain
- CAS RN 439 Jewish Bioethics and Holocaust Studies
- CAS RN 459 Primo Levi within Holocaust Literature
- CAS RN 460 Seminar on the Holocaust
- *CAS RN 524/XL 560 Topics in Religion and Literature
Romance Studies—French
- *CAS LF 303 French Composition and Conversation I
- *CAS LF 304 French Composition and Conversation II
- CAS LF 307 French Arts and Society
- CAS LF 308 French through Film and Media
- CAS LF 309 French in the World
- CAS LF 311 French Popular Culture
- CAS LF 341 Contemporary Trends in French Culture and Society
- CAS LF 348 France Past to Postmodern: French Civilization Through Film
- CAS LF 350 Introduction to the Analysis of French Texts
- CAS LF 351 Introduction to the French Novel
- CAS LF 441 Topics in Urban Imaginaries in Literature and Film
- CAS LF 453 The French Enlightenment (variable topics)
- CAS LF 455 Studies in Nineteenth-Century French Literature
- CAS LF 456 The Postcolonial Novel
- *CAS LF 481 Genocide in Literature & Film
- CAS LF 556 French Cinema and Literature
- CAS LF 569 Topics in Francophone Writing
- CAS LF 570 Topics in Twentieth-Century/Twenty-First-Century French Literature
- CAS LF 571 Topics in Nineteenth-Century French Literature
Romance Studies—Italian
- CAS LI 283 Twentieth-Century Culture and the Italian Film (in English translation)
- CAS LI 312 Italian for the Professions
- CAS LI 313 Italian Media and Popular Culture
- CAS LI 386 Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy
- CAS LI 450 The Novel in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Italy
- CAS LI 459/RN 459/XL 459 Primo Levi within Holocaust Literature
- CAS LI 473 The Masters of Italian Cinema
Romance Studies—Spanish
- *CAS LS 307 Literature and the Arts
- *CAS LS 308 Spanish Film and Media
- CAS LS 350 Introduction to Analysis of Hispanic Texts
- CAS LS 450 Contemporary Spanish Literature
- CAS LS 454 Survey of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Spanish Literature
- CAS LS 504 History of the Spanish Language
- *CAS LS 575 Topics in Peninsular Literature
- *CAS LS 579 Topics in Hispanic Cinemas
World Languages & Literatures—German
- CAS LG 250 Masterpieces of German Literature (in English translation)
- CAS LG 283 The Faust Tradition
- CAS LG 307 Contemporary Cultural Issues in the German-Speaking World
- CAS LG 309 German for the Professions
- CAS LG 325 Modern German History and Culture through Film
- CAS LG 350 Introduction to German Literature
- CAS LG 450 Origins of German Culture
- CAS LG 453 Romanticism
- CAS LG 455 Twentieth-Century Culture: Before 1945
- CAS LG 463 German Theatre
World Languages & Literatures—Russian
- CAS LR 250 Classics of Russian Prose (in English translation)
- CAS LR 281 Tolstoy (in English translation)
- CAS LR 282 Russian Prose Classics of the Twentieth Century (in English translation)
- CAS LR 289 Russian Culture (in English translation)
- CAS LR 355 Chekhov: The Stories and Plays (in English translation)
- CAS LR 442 Russian Media
- CAS LR 443 Contemporary Russian Culture
- CAS LR 456 Topics in Twentieth-Century Russian Literature
World Languages & Literatures—Comparative Literature
- CAS XL 222 Introduction to Comparative Literature: Western Literature (in English translation)
- CAS XL 281/RN 385 Holocaust Literature and Film (in English translation)
- *CAS XL 381 Topics in Gender and Literature (in English translation)
- CAS XL 387 The Holocaust Through Film
- *CAS XL 470 Topics in Comparative Literature
- CAS XL 540 Theory and Practice of Literary Translation
- *CAS XL 550 Topics in Literary Criticism
- *CAS XL 560/RN 524 Topics in Religion and Literature
*These courses may sometimes be credited toward the European Studies major, but only with advisor approval and when the topic is developed through central focus on European works, contexts, issues, movements, and engagements.
Note: Courses not listed above may fulfill European Studies program requirements with prior approval from the program director.
Social Sciences
Anthropology
- CAS AN 316 Contemporary European Ethnography
History
- CAS HI 191 What Is Europe?
- CAS HI 208 Renaissance Europe
- CAS HI 209 The Reformation: Religious Conflict in Early Modern Europe
- CAS HI 210 Europe Between Renaissance and Revolution
- CAS HI 218 Power and Authority in Europe since World War I
- CAS HI 221/PO 394 Catastrophe & Cultural Memory
- CAS HI 226 Cities and Cultures
- CAS HI 229 The Great Powers and the Eastern Mediterranean
- CAS HI 243 Britain and the European Question: The Confluence of History and Politics
- CAS HI 246 London since 1666: Imperial Capital to World City
- CAS HI 247 The Making of Modern Britain
- CAS HI 248 Modern Britain, 1867–Present
- CAS HI 249 London Women’s Social History from Aphra Behn to the Blitz
- CAS HI 250 British Youth Culture from 1950 to the Present
- CAS HI 252 Cultural Capital: The History of Popular Culture in London
- CAS HI 253 London at War: From the Home Front to the Front Line
- CAS HI 254 History of Ireland
- CAS HI 259 Italian Emigration and Immigration
- CAS HI 266 French Revolution and Napoleon
- CAS HI 267 Nineteenth-Century France
- CAS HI 268 Postcolonial Paris
- CAS HI 271 The Nazis
- CAS HI 272 The History of Imperial Russia
- CAS HI 273 The History of the Soviet Union
- CAS HI 278 Central Europe
- *CAS HI 290 Topics in History
- CAS HI 317 Nineteenth-Century European Thought and Culture
- CAS HI 332/IR 349 History of International Relations, 1900–45
- CAS HI 336 World War I
- CAS HI 424 Communism, 1789–1989
- CAS HI 430 Comparative European Fascism
- CAS HI 434 Monarchy in Modern Britain
- CAS HI 449 The History of Soviet Terror
- CAS HI 514/PH 412/PO 592 Enlightenment and Its Critics
- CAS HI 533/IR 514 Empire and Power: British Foreign Policy, 1782–Present
- CAS HI 537 World War II: Causes, Course, Consequences
International Relations
- CAS IR 250 Europe and International Relations
- CAS IR 325/HI 229 The Great Powers and the Eastern Mediterranean
- CAS IR 333 Non-State Actors in International Relations
- CAS IR 341/HI 278 Central Europe
- CAS IR 362/PO 341 European Politics
- CAS IR 373 Global Governance and International Organization
- CAS IR 452/PO 539 Topics in European Politics and Culture
- *CAS IR 500 Topics in International Relations
- CAS IR 510 Comparative Immigration and Racial Politics
- CAS IR 514 Empire and Power: British Foreign Policy, 1782–Present
- CAS IR 538/HI 538 France, Europe, and the World: The History of French Foreign Relations in Modern Times
- CAS IR 542 The Reemergence of Russia
- CAS IR 543 The Changing Face of Eastern Europe
- CAS IR 550/PO 535 European Integration
- CAS IR 551/PO 536 Social Europe: Identity, Citizenship, and the Welfare State
- CAS IR 589/PO 582 North Atlantic/European Security Issues
- CAS IR 596/PO 529 Globalization and Contemporary Capitalism in Advanced Industrialized Nations
Law
- LAW JD 880 European Union Law
Political Science
- CAS PO 221 British Political Institutions
- CAS PO 324/IR 340 Comparative Public Policy
- *CAS PO 330 Special Topics in Comparative Politics
- CAS PO 341/IR 362 European Politics
- CAS PO 343/IR 250 Europe and International Relations
- CAS PO 384/IR 373 Global Governance and International Organization
- CAS PO 392 Modern Political Theory
- CAS PO 528/IR 723 The Political Economy of Advanced Industrialized Societies
- CAS PO 535/IR 550 European Integration
- CAS PO 536/IR 551 Social Europe: Identity, Citizenship, and the Welfare State
- CAS PO 537/IR 537 The British Political System
- CAS PO 539/IR 452 Topics in European Politics and Culture
- CAS PO 542 Immigration: Politics and Policy
Sociology
- CAS SO 203 Introduction to Sociological Theories
- CAS SO 303 Substantive Themes in Sociological Theory
*These courses may sometimes be credited toward the European Studies major, but only with advisor approval and when the topic is developed through central focus on European works, contexts, issues, movements, and engagements.
Note: Courses not listed above may fulfill European Studies program requirements with prior approval from the program director.
Capstone Courses
Capstone courses are taught from a disciplinary perspective but use materials from other disciplines and illuminate issues or themes of concern to other disciplines. There is also a substantial final paper or project. Courses that meet the capstone requirement are noted on the European Studies website. Other courses may fulfill the capstone requirement; please consult an advisor if you have questions.
- CAS EN 495 Critical Studies in Literature and Society: Time and Literature 1800–1930
- CAS HI 408 War in Film & Literature
- CAS HI 434 Monarchy in Modern Britain
- CAS HI 440 Refugee Hollywood (1933–1950)
- CAS HI 539 Nazis on Film
- CAS IR 452 European Politics and Culture
- *CAS IR 500 Topics In International Relations
- CAS LF 481 Genocide in Literature & Film
- CAS LF 556 French Cinema/Literature
- CAS LI 459/RN 459/XL 459 Primo Levi within Holocaust Literature
- LAW JD 880 European Union Law
- CAS RN 524/XL 560 Topics in Religion and Literature: Apocalypse and Literature
*These courses may sometimes be credited toward the European Studies major, but only with advisor approval and when the topic is developed through central focus on European works, contexts, issues, movements, and engagements.
Required Related Language Courses
The major is designed to accommodate and encourage study in Europe through Boston University’s Study Abroad programs.
Honors in the Major
Honors in the European Studies major within the Pardee School may be earned by completing two terms of independent senior honors work (CAS IR 401/402) and presenting an original research paper (thesis) in written and oral form to a committee of faculty readers. The committee will consider both the thesis and the result of the oral examination to determine whether the student will receive honors in the major. A grade of B+ or better in each term of CAS IR 401/402 is also required for the award of honors. CAS IR 401 carries one of each of the following Hub requirements: Writing-Intensive, Critical Thinking, and Research & Information Literacy. CAS IR 402 carries one unit in Writing-Intensive and a unit in Oral and/or Signed Communication. Students are required to attend structured workshops in the fall and spring related to each of these competencies. The research and writing is conducted under the guidance of a faculty advisor who will serve as the instructor of record for CAS IR 401/402. In consultation with their faculty advisor, students are also required to complete cocurricular activities that expand their understanding of their research topic. European Studies majors may earn principal course units for CAS IR 401 and 402.
Admission to the European Studies Honors program requires a 3.50 cumulative and 3.60 major grade point average, at the time of application. To learn more about the application process, please visit the Pardee School of Global Studies website. Interested students should contact their Academic Advisor to discuss ideas for research and faculty advisors. Students typically apply for the Honors program in the spring of their junior year. Effective fall 2022, students may not simultaneously study abroad and participate in the Honors program.