The course is offered fully online every fall semester and face to face every spring semester.

Europe: The land, the people, their artistic, intellectual and cultural movements, including art, architecture, languages and literatures.

In this foundational course, students examine the political, social, intellectual history of Europe from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. The topics include the origins of the First and Second World Wars, Communist Revolutions, Fascism, the rise and fall of The Soviet Union and Communism in  Eastern Europe, the Cold War, and the advent of the European Union.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• You will develop your understanding of the cultural history of Europe by comparing the origins of a specific cultural manifestation and by differentiating among the diverse cultures that form modern Europe. 

• You will interpret differing perspectives on European unity.

• You will understand the key issues of modern European Studies by discussing the role of the European Union in national politics of European countries.

• You will also develop your understanding of Europe from an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective.

• You will analyze several cultural issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective and integrate these perspectives in a paper as you compare a theme or issue as it affects two or more European countries.

• You will improve your ability to read and think critically.

• This course will provide you the opportunity to hone many of the skills required for success outside of the classroom, such as the abilities to research an argument and express it clearly and to collaborate with other students. 

This course fulfills part of the “Foundations of Learning” General Education requirement. Foundations of Learning courses follow and build upon Communication and Critical Thinking courses and are offered by individual departments and interdisciplinary areas in the Natural Sciences and Quantitative Reasoning, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Humanities and Fine Arts. Foundations of Learning courses introduce students to the basic concepts, theories, and approaches offered by disciplinary and interdisciplinary areas of study. They provide the foundation to understand and approach problems in the academy, and in local and global real-world environments. Consistent with class size and learning goals, they cultivate skills in reading, writing, communication, computation, information-gathering, and use of technology. Where appropriate, courses intended as preparation for a major may also be designated as Foundations of Learning courses. Only lower division courses are designated as Foundations of Learning courses.

Prerequisites: European Studies 101 for majors, and completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations II.C., Humanities for non majors.

Contemporary Europe, emphasizing artistic, intellectual, and cultural trends, as well as contemporary issues.

This course investigates the main political events, ideologies and aesthetic trends of the 20th century Europe and familiarizes students with cultural resources and social processes that contributed to the making of EU. The students will examine the close ties between art and ideology, art and politics of the twentieth-century Europe, making an emphasis on the specificity of relevant cultural, historical and social contexts in accounts of literature, film and visual arts. In the second part of the course we will focus on the cultural politics of European integration. The goal of the EU was to lay the foundations for a new kind of social and political order in Europe. The question that permeates the study of the EU is what role ‘culture’ plays in the process of European unification and how this concept was used in the creation of a more coherent sense of identity among European citizens.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Develop an understanding of contemporary Europe from an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective.
• Develop a familiarity with European value systems and the ways they are communicated across cultures.
• Apply the analytical tools of the interdisciplinary field of European Studies to analyze cultural, intellectual, and artistic trends with sensitivity to their diverse cultural contexts and historical moments.  
• Argue from multiple perspectives about Europe’s role in the world today.
• Demonstrate the ability to approach complex problems and ask complex questions drawing upon knowledge of contemporary Europe.

This course fulfills a portion of the “Explorations of Human Experience” general education requirement. Explorations of Human Experience courses are upper division courses which allow concentrated or thematic study. Explorations of Human Experience courses take the goals and skills of Foundations of Learning courses to a more advanced level. This may find expression in one or more of the following pedagogical elements: greater interdisciplinary, more complex and in-depth theory, deeper investigation of local problems, and wider awareness of global challenges. More extensive reading, written analysis involving complex comparisons well-developed arguments, considerable bibliography, and use of technology are appropriate in many Explorations of Human Experience courses. Courses narrowly centered within one aspect of a discipline are more suited to major study than general education, which encourages students to relate their learning across the range of their educational experience. Explorations of Human Experience courses are upper division and cannot be used to fulfill this requirement if taken before students reach junior standing.

Prerequisite recommended: European Studies 101.

Regional distinctions and traditions. Food consumption, distribution, preparation, sourcing, and sustainability

Two lectures and two hours of activity.

Prerequisites: European Studies 101 for majors, and completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations II.C., Humanities for non majors.

Issues and themes in European culture as seen through its films. May be repeated with new title and content. Maximum credit six units.

European Cinema provides students with an understanding of key issues of contemporary Europe as represented in film.  Students also develop skills in the critical analysis of films and their themes from interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives and within various European and global contexts.  This variable topic course has focused on such topics as: Crime in European Film, Now New Next: EU Expansion and Post-Communist Identity in Film, and Beyond Borders: Transnational and International European Contexts.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Define several key cinematic terms.

• Situate the films and their themes in historical and cultural context. 

• Identify the key social, political and cultural factors portrayed in the films.

• Examine the films for technique, theme and narrative style.

• Analyze a cultural issue in European Studies from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

• Assess and evaluate the role the “Other” in European cinema and culture. 

This course fulfills a portion of the “Explorations of Human Experience” general education requirement. Explorations of Human Experience courses are upper division courses which allow concentrated or thematic study. Explorations of Human Experience courses take the goals and skills of Foundations of Learning courses to a more advanced level. This may find expression in one or more of the following pedagogical elements: greater interdisciplinary, more complex and in-depth theory, deeper investigation of local problems, and wider awareness of global challenges. More extensive reading, written analysis involving complex comparisons well-developed arguments, considerable bibliography, and use of technology are appropriate in many Explorations of Human Experience courses. Courses narrowly centered within one aspect of a discipline are more suited to major study than general education, which encourages students to relate their learning across the range of their educational experience. Explorations of Human Experience courses are upper division and cannot be used to fulfill this requirement if taken before students reach junior standing.

Prerequisite: European Studies 101 or completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities for non majors.

Cross-cultural connections between the Muslim and Judeo-Christian worlds in Europe. Socio-cultural, ethnicity, race, and gender issues from the Middle Ages to the present day, using historical accounts, art works, literature, and film.

 

In this course we explore the complex relations and interactions between Muslim and majority/minority communities in Western and Eastern Europe.  We examine the concept of Muslim community in the historical contact of Islam and Europe. The topics of the course include cultural, religious, national identities and belonging, the frontiers of the freedom of speech, Islamic input in modern European art,  Orientalism, Muslim women in different cultural contexts, media representation of radical/terrorist groups in all European communities. In this course we use a variety of literary, historic, artistic and media sources.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Develop intellectual awareness of multitude of European cultures.

• Understand the main issues associated with the interaction of Muslim/Islamic high culture and other European cultures.

• Develop the critical understanding of the complexity of ideological and cultural dimensions of intolerance in the European cultural context. 

• Be able to analyze and assess the current debates about the roles of Muslim communities in Europe. 

This is an Explorations course in the Humanities and Fine Arts. Completing this course will help you to do the following in greater depth: 1) analyze written, visual, or performed texts in the humanities and fine arts with sensitivity to their diverse cultural contexts and historical moments; 2) describe various aesthetic and other value systems and the ways they are communicated across time and cultures; 3) identify issues in the humanities that have personal and global relevance; 4) demonstrate the ability to approach complex problems and ask complex questions drawing upon knowledge of the humanities.

Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities.

Social, economic, and cultural transformations in Europe after the collapse of communism. Daily life under communism and the impact of the collapse of this political system on language, individual identity, space, and community.

This course examines the social, economic and cultural transformations in Europe since the collapse of communism. Particular focus is given to the construction of communism in in people’s daily lives and the impact of its collapse on language, economics, space, identity and European culture. Students will utilize a wide variety of course materials including primary and secondary texts, scholarly articles, literature, memoirs and film.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Define the relationship between the individual and the state under communism and analyze the role of the state in constructing “identity” under communism (propaganda, policy and social institutions).

• Situate the lived experience of individuals in communist countries within the broader context of the state-promoted values and ideals of communism and socialism.

• Identify the key social, political and cultural factors which contributed to the end of communism. 

• Examine the ways in which individuals and institutions redefined themselves and their ideologies after the collapse of communism.

• Analyze the role of personal and institutional nostalgia for the collapsed system and how this influences life in former Communist nations.

• Assess and evaluate the different paths post-Communist countries took. Particular focus will be given to examining the wars, ethnic cleansing and revolutions that have been part of establishing a new political order in Post-Communist Europe.

• Evaluate contemporary life in formerly Communist countries.

Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities.

Human trafficking in context of migration, human rights, society, culture, and gender discourses in Europe. Historical accounts of trafficking, scholarly articles, literature, film, and primary documents from advocacy organizations and governmental institutions.

 

Use accordion for the rest of this info for this class?

The course will explore the subject of the trafficking of individuals to, from and within Europe for the purposes of commercial labor, domestic service or sexual exploitation. Students will study the historical evolution of human trafficking from fears over the "White Slave Trade" that gripped Europe in the early twentieth century to contemporary concerns about the human costs of globalization, international migration and European Cultural dynamics. Analyzing the topic from local and international perspectives, students will gain an understanding of the various forms of human trafficking, methods used to fight this problem and the underlying moral and ethical issues at the heart of globalization, migration and human rights. A wide variety of course materials engage students with historical accounts of trafficking, scholarly articles, literature, film and primary documents from advocacy organizations and governmental organizations.

The course was recently featured on SDSU NewsCenter in Off the Beaten Course. Read the article.

Course Goals and Outcomes:

• Develop an understanding of the various forms of human trafficking in Europe.

• Situate contemporary forms of human trafficking in a historical context. 

• Position human trafficking in the broader context of globalization and migration.

• Evaluate and assess the value system promoted by the anti-trafficking movement, particularly as it relates to issues of gender, migration, human rights and global inequality. 

• Identify current sites for trafficking including source, transit and destination countries in Europe. Particular focus should be given to countries that occupy all three categories (Russia, Moldova, Ukraine).

• Analyze and Critique the visual and narrative discourse techniques employed by filmmakers and writers in their portrayals of human trafficking.

• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of one aspect of human trafficking in Europe, particularly in the areas of European value systems, human rights and representations of traffickers and their victims.

This course fulfills a portion of the “Explorations of Human Experience” general education requirement. Explorations of Human Experience courses are upper division courses which allow concentrated or thematic study. Explorations of Human Experience courses take the goals and skills of Foundations of Learning courses to a more advanced level. This may find expression in one or more of the following pedagogical elements: greater interdisciplinary, more complex and in-depth theory, deeper investigation of local problems, and wider awareness of global challenges. More extensive reading, written analysis involving complex comparisons well-developed arguments, considerable bibliography, and use of technology are appropriate in many Explorations of Human Experience courses. Courses narrowly centered within one aspect of a discipline are more suited to major study than general education, which encourages students to relate their learning across the range of their educational experience. Explorations of Human Experience courses are upper division and cannot be used to fulfill this requirement if taken before students reach junior standing.

Prerequisites: Upper division standing in the major and consent of instructor.

Practical work experience in a field related to European studies. Work done under joint direction of activity sponsor and instructor. Approved international internships may count towards international experience requirement for major.

Selected topics. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor's degree.

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

Individual study. Maximum credit six units.

Prerequisites: European Studies 301.

This class will explore the role food plays in European Culture and identity. We will examine food culture in specific regions and countries, looking at the ways in which traditions, regional distinctions and every day routines are intimately connected with food sourcing, preparation and consumption. We will examine the ways in which people’s passion for food, spices and other consumables influenced cross-cultural exchange, global exploration and trade. We will also focus on the impact of Europe’s colonial history on food culture including the exploitation of lands and people for the extraction/production of products such as sugar and tobacco, the integration of food from the colonies into mainland European diets and the continued demands for globally sourced food products. The class will also examine the politics of food within the EU and its trading partners. Course materials will be interdisciplinary and include literature, historical analysis, films and academic studies of food culture. The course will center around five main topics: The Role of Food in defining European Culture, Food Preparation, Food Distribution, Food Consumption and Sustainability. We will examine these areas through a variety of lenses and diverse geographic areas.

Prerequisites: European Studies 301.

Specialized study of topics such as European union, European women, or European art. May be repeated with new title and content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units.

This course offers upper division students a specialized study of a topic pertinent to contemporary European culture. The thematic focus of the course is selected by faculty on a semester by semester basis. Past topics have included: the European Union, European Art, Women in Europe, Human Trafficking and Identity in Post-Communist Europe. Two regularly featured course topics include: Europe and Post-Colonialism, Europe and Terrorism, and Memory/History. Links to a more detailed description of those courses can be found below. Students may repeat the course if it is offered with a new title and content.

Europe and Terrorism

This course covers the colonial encounters between various European countries (Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the former USSR), and African, Caribbean, and Asian regions or nations. Students explore broad theoretical concepts such as colonialism and racism, decolonization, anti-colonialism, neo-colonialism, post-colonialism, nation and immigration, culture and identity. In the second half of the course, students focus on the history of colonial expansion (in the 19th century for most countries) and the resistance of colonized people to that invasion, including decolonization struggles (in the 20th century for most countries). Lectures also discuss issues of importance to post-colonial nations today, as well as issues of immigration and racism in European countries today.

Europe and Post-colonialism

In this course we deal with the complex historical, cultural, and moral dimensions of terrorism—one of the central political and moral issues of the 21st century.  Using a variety of literary, historic, and media sources we investigate the historical roots of terrorism in Europe and review many kinds of terrorism that have existed in postwar Europe. We explore extremist ideologies and religious intolerance in European cultural context. We look into the issues of gender and terrorism , explore the morality of political violence in general and terrorists’ violence in particular.

Learning Outcomes:

• Develop the critical understanding of the complexity of ideological and cultural dimensions of terrorism.

• Acquire research skills in the use of the library catalogue and electronic databases.

• Be able to explain the varieties cultural documents:  fiction , memoirs, plays, films, paintings, cartoons, and assess their strengths and limitations.

• Articulate and debate issues in a systematic and dispassionate manner.

• Articulate the relationship between the past and the present.

• Demonstrate skills of critical thinking and analytical reasoning in written work.

Memory, History & Trauma

Contemporary Europe’s cultural history has been shaped by many traumatic events during the 20th century: WWI, WWII, the Soviet Gulag system. Bringing together a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches we will study how diaries, memoirs, literary works, and film interpret past events and inform the present.  We will focus especially on the concept of memory in relation to history and on the effects of representing a traumatic event. Further we will contrast personal accounts “lived trauma” with fictionalized representations “imagined trauma.” Finally, we will also consider the various relationships among trauma, history and mourning, public memorials, and the cultural politics of trauma and memory.

Course Outcomes:

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• compare and analyze different authors responses to traumatic events.  

• compare and analyze “factual” vs. “fictional” accounts of World War II and the Holocaust.

• analyze the relationship between memory and trauma, specifically in the context of World War II and its aftermath.

• recognize and describe some significant events in 20th century European history.
• contrast interdisciplinary approaches to history and literature.

 

Prerequisites: European Studies 301 for majors and minors; upper division standing for all others.

Specialized topics in contemporary European culture. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content.

Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor's degree. Maximum credit of six units of 596 applicable to a bachelor's degree. Credit for 596 and 696 applicable to a master's degree with approval of the graduate adviser.