European Studies

The College of Liberal Arts administers the interdisciplinary European Studies programs. Their purpose is to acquaint the student with historical and current knowledge of the European region, peoples, societies, economies, and cultures.

Concentration / Minor
(Print Version)

The BAIS European Studies Concentration:

The BAIS concentration in European Studies provides students with an interdisciplinary approach to the study of European cultures and societies. Until recently, many scholars took European societies to be the measure of all civilization. The demise of empire, the end of the Cold War and processes such as globalization have challenged that domination. Yet Europe remains one of the world's most important centers of political and economic power and cultural influence. The ever-expanding European Union balances the global domination of the United States, brings a new dynamic to the political, economic, societal, and cultural interactions of its member nations, and challenges the very idea of sovereign nation-states. In recent decades, waves of immigrants have been effecting transformations within European cultures themselves. The BAIS concentration in European Studies offers students a coordinated and focused approach to their understanding of the complexities facing this crucial region of the world.

BAIS graduates with a concentration in European Studies are prepared for career opportunities in international business, including exportation, marketing, finance, and tourism; in journalism and public relations; in international charitable or non-governmental agencies; and in U.S. governmental agencies, particularly the Foreign Service. With additional graduate training, students can expect to find careers in education or international law.

The BAIS requires 24 hours of course work in the student's chosen concentration. Those 24 hours must include IS 4998 (International Studies Internship), HIST 2305, and GEOG 2422 or GEOG 2424 (students may take both). 12 of the 24 hours must be in courses that are 2000-level or above. In addition, the concentration of 24 hours plus the 7 hours of electives must include 15 hours of course work in the social sciences. Students may take only nine hours of the 24 hours in a single discipline.

The European Studies Minor

In addition to the BAIS concentration in European Studies, the College of Liberal Arts offers a minor in European Studies that may be pursued by the students in any degree program at the UNO.

The requirements of the minor:

1. Completion of the requirements of a degree in one of the colleges at the University of New Orleans.

2. Completion of courses in French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, or other relevant languages through 2002 or its equivalent.

3. Completion of 6 credit hours in one of two CORE Curricula.

CORE I: Social Sciences (ANTH 2052 Cultural Anthropology; ECON 3211 Evolution of Economic Thought ; GEOG 2422 Geography of Western Europe ; HIST 1001,1002 World History; POLI 2600 Introduction to Comparative Government).

CORE II: Arts and Letters (ENGL 2371, 2372 World Classics ; FA 2201, 2202 Historical Survey of the Arts ; MUS 2201, 2202 History of Music ; PHIL 2311 History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy ; PHIL 2312 History of Modern Philosophy).

4. Courses in European Studies, to be approved by the Director of European Studies, for a total of 12 credit hours, with a minimum of 2.0 grade point average to include at least six credit hours at the 3000 level or above. These 12 credit hours must be chosen from a minimum of three disciplines and must cover different time periods. Courses on Europe in the major field that are counted as credits for that major may not also be counted toward this minor.

5. A minimum 2.0 grade point average must be attained in all courses in the minor program.

Elective Coursework in European Studies

There are over one hundred and fifty courses related to Europe offered by the University of New Orleans. Working with the program director, students may select their twelve hours of electives from this ample pool, which covers seventeen different disciplines in the College of Liberal Arts and in the College of Business.

International Study Programs

Students are encouraged to participate in one or more of the many programs offered by the University of New Orleans in various European settings. Among the study-abroad opportunities open to students are summer, semester, or academic year programs at the University of Innsbruck, Austria; at the Ezra Pound Center in Brunnenburg Castle in the Italian Alps; at Charles University in Prague, the Czech Republic; with the Glories of France program in Montpellier, France; at the University of Orléans, France; with the MICEFA program in Paris, France; at the Universitat Jaume I, Castellon de la Plana, Spain; Universidad de Salamanca, Spain; with the Greece Honors Tour; and with Middlesex University in London, England. Some of these require facility with the local language, but others provide courses in English as well. Many of the course hours undertaken in connection with these programs will apply toward the European Studies minor.