Department of European Studies
The Department of European Studies at San Diego State University is one of the few integrated, interdisciplinary European Studies departments in the United States. It takes a comprehensive and transnational approach to the study of Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, the Mediterranean, and Europe’s diasporic and postcolonial communities around the world.
The department offers a number of distinct degree programs, which in addition to the European Studies major include specialized B.A. degrees in French, German, German Studies, Russian, and Russian and Central European Studies. The department also offers minors in European Studies, French, German, Italian, Russian, and the Master’s degree in French.
Clarissa Clò wins prestigious Flaiano International Award for Italian Studies
(From left) Clarissa Clò and Amir Issaa
Work on the critical bilingual edition and English translation of Italian-Egyptian rapper Amir Issaa’s memoir, along with a team of students and academics, was recognized by the Premi Internazionali Flaiano and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
This inspiring collective project, published by SDSU Press, was five years in the making.
It began when Clarissa Clò, professor of Italian and chair of European Studies was asked to help find an American publisher for Amir Issaa’s memoir, “Vivo per questo” (“This Is What I Live For”) in 2019. Issaa is a hip-hop artist, educator, and author who grew up in Rome, Italy and uses rap and the power of words and rhymes to tell the powerful story of overcoming his difficult youth to a worldwide audience.
Read the full story on the CAL website.
Department Bookshelf
Coerced Liberation: Muslim Women in Soviet Tajikistan
Zamira Abman
2024
Postsocialist Memory in Contemporary German Culture
Kristin Rebien
2024
Sex Work in Contemporary Russia: A Cultural Perspective
Emily Schuckman-Matthews
2023
This Is What I Live For: An Afro-Italian Hip-Hop Memoir
Clarissa Clò
2023
Germans of Waterloo Region
Mathias Schulze
2022
The Algerian War in Film Fifty Years Later, 2004-2012
Anne Donadey
2020
Statement of Solidarity
with the people of Ukraine
The Department of European Studies strongly condemns Russia’s unlawful and unprovoked invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine. We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine for whom this war will take an enormous toll and join those around the world, including in Russia and Belarus, who are urging for an end to this war of aggression.
with Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
The Department of European Studies stands in solidarity with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. We stand against racist misogyny, gendered racism, and hate. We encourage everyone to Sign the Pledge.
with Black Lives Matter and Against Anti-Blackness
SDSU’s College of Arts and Letters stands in solidarity with our Black communities. We denounce racism in any form and violence against Black people, and we stand firm in our belief that Black lives matter. We encourage everyone to Sign the Pledge.
As a community of university faculty and staff, it is our duty to actively support
and advocate for solutions to systemic racism across our nation, the world, and our
campus. Read the full statement.