Minor in European Studies
College of Liberal & Creative Arts
Acting Dean: Dr. David Landy
European Studies Program
Humanities Building, Room 331
Coordinator: Scott Siegel
Program Scope
The European Studies minor is a multidisciplinary program in European history, politics, and culture designed to provide undergraduate students with a broad understanding of European ideas and institutions over time. Europe is intrinsically connected to important concepts and historical developments such as revolution, religion, imperialism, capitalism, industrialization, nationalism, democracy, communism, human rights, rationalism, expressionism, romanticism, and post-modernism. These concepts, formative for Western society, have had global significance as well. European politics and society has also had around effects on developments in many other regions of the world.
This minor allows students to engage critically in the examination of Europe's past and present through courses in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. It is designed to accommodate a wide range of student interests in particular time periods and specific countries, but also recommend a set of courses that provide a core knowledge of Europe's political, cultural, and social development. It is especially recommended for students who wish to study abroad in one of SF State’s exchange programs in Europe and for students considering careers in teaching, the arts, international politics, international business, and the foreign service. In an era of global interdependence, a Minor in European Studies demonstrates interest in and knowledge of a region outside of the United States from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Understand how European countries developed through an interconnected web of political conflict and cooperation, economic integration, and cultural exchange.
- Examine critically the conditions for the emergence of the core European institutions that we observe today--democracy, capitalism, social welfare, and cultural values.
- Trace the roots of Western culture and how it changed across time and was expressed differently in a variety of different artistic forms or modalities.
European Studies, Minor – 12 units minimum
The European Studies Minor consists of courses that include material and perspectives that span the usual disciplinary divisions of the university. A full list of approved electives is available from the European Studies coordinator. The minor must include one course from each of the three core research areas. 3-4 units of electives can come from any course taken in any research area listed below or another course with approval from the coordinator.
All coursework used to satisfy the requirements of the minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
A minimum of 6 upper-division units are required to complete the minor.
Core Courses (9-11 Units)
Select one course from each research area:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Historical Background | 3 | |
| The Renaissance | ||
| Society, Culture, and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Europe | ||
| Europe since 1914 | ||
| History of Modern European Imperialism | ||
| Jewish History II: 1650 to Present | ||
| Contemporary European Politics and Business | 3-4 | |
| Europe: Forming a More Perfect Union | ||
| Introduction to the European Union | ||
| Doing Business in Europe | ||
| Fascism and Communism in Europe | ||
| Culture | 3-4 | |
| Global Art History II | ||
| French Culture - GWAR | ||
| Thought and Culture in Modern Europe | ||
| Italian Culture and Civilization | ||
| European Jewish Writers | ||
| Modern Philosophy | ||
| Political Theory: Reformation to Nineteenth Century | ||
| Culture and Civilization of Spain | ||
| Global Theatre History II | ||
Electives (3-4 Units)
Under advisement, students select a course on Europe as a civilization (e.g., the formation of Europe, Europe in transition, and contemporary Europe), a section of Europe (e.g., Russia and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the European community, etc.), or on European artistic and intellectual traditions. Elective courses are listed below.
Elective Courses
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ARTH 201 | Global Art History I | 3 |
| ARTH 202 | Global Art History II | 3 |
| CINE 305/JS 405 | Film and the Holocaust | 3 |
| CINE 307 | National/Regional Cinemas | 3 |
| CWL 420 | Studies in Comparative Literature | 3 |
| CWL/HUM 423 | Going Medieval: Medieval Literature and Contemporary Adaptations | 3 |
| CWL/HUM 424 | Multicultural Middle Ages | 3 |
| ENG 501 | Age of Chaucer | 3 |
| ENG 510 | The Age of Wit | 3 |
| ENG 512 | 18th-Century British Women Writers | 3 |
| ENG 514 | Age of the Romantics | 3 |
| ENG 550 | The Rise of the Novel | 3 |
| FR 350 | French for the Business World | 3 |
| FR 360 | Press and Social Media in French | 3 |
| FR 400GW | French Culture - GWAR | 3 |
| FR 410 | Contemporary French Civilization | 3 |
| FR/PLSI 421 | Social Movements in the Francophone World | 3 |
| FR 450 | Translating Themes: English/French | 3 |
| FR 500 | Introduction to Literary Texts | 3 |
| GER 502 | Contemporary Germany | 3 |
| GER 600 | Mobility, Travel, and Identity in English | 3 |
| GER 613 | Weimar Literature | 3 |
| HIST/JS 317 | The Holocaust and Genocide | 3 |
| HIST 330/HUM 403 | Vikings, Caliphs, & Carolingians: Europe in the Early Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST 334 | The Renaissance | 3 |
| HIST 342 | French Revolution and Napoleon | 3 |
| HIST 343 | Soviet Russia, the West, and the Cold War | 3 |
| HIST 344 | Society, Culture, and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Europe | 3 |
| HIST 347 | Women in Modern Europe | 3 |
| HIST 385 | The Russian Revolution | 3 |
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City: United States Cities | 3 |
| HUM 373 | Biography of a City: European Cities | 3 |
| HUM 404/HIST 331 | The High Middle Ages | 3 |
| HUM 407 | Romanticism and Impressionism | 3 |
| HUM 415 | Thinking the Present: Comparative Arts and Culture | 3 |
| HUM/PHIL 432 | Nietzsche and Postmodernism | 3 |
| I R/PLSI 327 | Europe: Forming a More Perfect Union | 4 |
| IBUS 593 | Doing Business in Europe | 3 |
| ITAL 250 | Food for Thought: The Importance of Food in Italian Culture | 3 |
| ITAL 401 | Italian Culture and Civilization | 3 |
| ITAL 600 | Italian Literature on Film in English | 3 |
| JS/HIST 332 | Ancient and Medieval Jews Among Pagans, Christians, and Muslims | 3 |
| JS/CWL 437/ENG 533 | Holocaust and Literature | 3 |
| JS/CWL 480 | European Jewish Writers | 3 |
| JS 633/HIST 335 | Jewish History II: 1650 to Present | 3 |
| MGS/HIST 350 | Greece and the Balkans | 3 |
| MGS/C W 497 | Modern Greek Literature | 3 |
| MGS/CLAS 510/HIST 326 | The Byzantine Empire | 3 |
| MUS 550 | Western European Music History from the Middle Ages to 1750 | 3 |
| MUS 551 | European and American Classical Music History of the 18th and 19th Century | 3 |
| PHIL 302 | Medieval Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 303 | Modern Philosophy | 3 |
| PLSI/I R 407 | Politics of Russia | 4 |
| SPAN 401 | Culture and Civilization of Spain | 3 |
| SPAN 521 | Spanish Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Literature | 3 |
| SPAN 523 | 19th Century Spanish Literature | 3 |
| SPAN 525 | The Contemporary Spanish Novel | 3 |
| SPAN 562 | Cervantes: The Quijote | 3 |
| TH A 401 | Global Theatre History I | 3 |
| TH A 402 | Global Theatre History II | 3 |
Foreign Language Requirement
All students completing this area studies minor are required to demonstrate intermediate-level competency in a language other than English that is relevant to the region. This requirement may be met by the University entrance requirement of two years of high school language study in a modern European language, or two semesters of study in a lower or upper division course in a modern or ancient European language, one year of study abroad in the region, or by demonstration of equivalent competency. Please see the European Studies coordinator or faculty advisors to determine if this requirement is met.
Study Abroad
Students completing the European Studies minor are strongly encouraged to participate in study-abroad programs. At the discretion of the European Studies coordinator, courses taken in certified SF State Study-Abroad programs may be substituted for the minor requirements.