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Minor in European Studies

What Benefit to Students?

  • Transcript enhancement, certifying a rigorous interdisciplinary study of Europe, without investment in another major.
  • Certification of international content expertise for students in professional majors (business, journalism, architecture, etc.); certification of regional European content expertise for students planning graduate work in international studies or related fields, and for students seeking internships in Europe.
  • For liberal arts majors, including those with significant Europe content, an approach to the study and idea of Europe that is cross-disciplinary, combing social sciences and the humanities.
  • Faculty advising from an area outside that of the student’s major.

Undergraduate program

A minor in European Studies is available for undergraduates. The program allows students to incorporate, within another major program, an increased international perspective in their work with a special focus on an understanding of Europe’s identity and role in the world. Students in an major may earn this minor as an enhancement to their degree program. Click here for an advising form.

Core courses – two required

  • GEOG 202: Geography of Europe – an introduction to the physical, historical, linguistic, economic, religious, and political frameworks by which Europe might be understood as a distance region. Usually offered at least once a year.
  • HIST 420/RL 407: Idea of Europe – a creative immersion in Europe’s historical traditions and contemporary cultures from perspectives of multiple disciplines and professors. The following fields have been represented in the past: art history, literature, geography, music, history, political science, classics, religious studies, anthropology, linguistics. Offered every Spring term.

Electives – four required

  • European Studies accepts a wide range of existing courses to satisfy this requirement, offered in many different departments on campus. Designed to assure some interdisciplinary breadth these are to include: 2 courses in the humanities, of which at least one at the 400 level or substitution approved by your European Studies advisor and 2 courses in the social sciences, of which at least one at the 400 level, and including at least one outside of the History department, or substitution approved by your European Studies advisor.
    NOTE: The Minor also requires that at least three of the courses (including GEOG 202 and HIST 420) be outside the student’s Major department.

Language Requirement

  • For BA students, three years college level study of a European language other than English.
  • For BS students majoring in a science, BArch or other students with majors outside the social sciences and the humanities, two years of college level study of a European language other than English.

Project Requirement

  • Completion of a project, usually a research paper of 10-15 pages, on any topic pertaining to Europe. The project may be done in a student’s major (eg. a case study in business; a seminar in history, political science, or literature), or it may be done in the context of HIST 420: Idea of Europe.

Study Abroad

  • You are not required to study or to work in Europe, but we strongly encourage you to do so. The best way to get to know a place is to spend time there. Your language skills improve dramatically when you are immersed int he culture. By living in Europe, even for one term, you can observe, first-hand, the developments and conditions that you have studied in class. In most cases, financial aid will help support you European experience. Some internships provide cost-of-living stipends or another form of compensation.
  • The UO offers dozens of exchange programs, study experiences, and internships in the Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and other countries. Begin planning your European experience soon to fit it into your overall program of study.
  • Check out the Study Abroad section of our website to find out more information.

Additional Activities

The European Studies program supports and trains our annual delegation to the Model European Union simulation at the University of Washington. Team members are selected competitively each year (usually in December or January), based on knowledge of Europe and the EU. They work with UO faculty to prepare for the simulation, and are given an expense-paid trip to Seattle (usually in April).