To declare a major/minor with us please email european.studies@nyu.edu
FALL 2022 COURSES
EURO-UA 565 20th Century European Capitalism
Colloquium | 4 points
Professor Stephen Gross | Tue, 2:45—4:45pm
Room: KJCC, Rm 324
Same as HIST-UA 272
Nineteenth century Europe was the birthplace of economic liberalism. The gold standard, the night watchman state, and the writings of the classical economists laid the foundation for a golden age of laissez-faire capitalism centered on the nation-state. More than a century later Europe is known as the pioneer of the welfare state, the host for an experiment in fascist and communist economics, and the center for a supra-national process of economic cooperation: the European Union. This course traces the evolution of European capitalism during the twentieth century, from laissez-faire to welfare state economies. Throughout the semester we will study the key themes and turning points that shaped Europe’s economic development: the Great Depression, the world wars; alternative ways of organizing economic life under fascism and communism; the stagnation and crises of the 1970s; and finally Europe’s ongoing project of economic integration.
EURO-UA 950 Contemporary Europe
Seminar | 4 points
Professor Hadas Aron | Tue, 10:15-12:15
Room: KJCC, Rm 324
Please note: This is a required course for all CEMS majors.
The course examines the liberal order in Europe that was formed after WWII, its institutional design, the challenges it has been facing, and the implications of the liberal order for politics, society, and culture in Europe. The first part of the course reviews the social, economic, and security concerns Europe faced in 1945, and the institutions that were constructed to respond to these concerns. We will also explore the Cold War and its consequences for the politics, and the realities of people throughout Europe. The second part of the course explores the integration of Europe into a social, economic, and identity community, and the expansion of European institutions and identity first to Southern Europe and then to the former Soviet Bloc. The third part of the course addresses the current "Crisis of Europe" from the 2008 financial crisis through the surge of refugee migration and the rise of populism. We will ask whether and to what extent the current crisis threatens the system formed after 1945.
The course is interdisciplinary in nature. To explore political change and continuity in contemporary Europe we will combine theories from international relations, political science, sociology, and economics, as well as readings of historical primary and secondary resources. In addition to scholarly literature we will use contemporary media outlets, cultural resources and video, when available.
EURO-UA 983 Nationalism, Populism, and the Far Right in Europe
Seminar | 4 points
Professor Emma Rosenberg | Wed, 10:15—12:15pm
Room: KJCC, Rm 324
This course unpacks the interactions between nationalism, populism, and far-right ideologies. We explore how these political ideologies become vehicles for identity, ethnicity, race, and religion. We will examine the nature and origins of nationalism, populism, and far-right ideologies in Europe through a series of historic and contemporary case studies including Germany, Russia, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Serbia. The course will explore draw on literature from multiple fields including political science, sociology, journalism, and history.
SPRING 2023 COURSES
EURO-UA 646 The Global Space Age
Seminar | 4 points
Alexander Geppert | Fri, 12:30-2:30
KJCC, Room 324
Note: This is an advanced undergraduate seminar open to juniors and seniors; freshmen and sophomores must get instructor approval.
Over the course of the twentieth century the infinite void that surrounds planet Earth has stimulated the human imagination as never before. For several decades, anticipation of human spaceflight was intimately bound with futuristic visions of technoscientific progress, while space exploration became key to how societies understood themselves, not only in Russia and the United States, but also in Europe, China, India and other parts of the world. This course charts the rise and fall of the Space Age from a global perspective. Individual sessions will be devoted to the ‘rocket fad’ of the Weimar Republic; Nazi ‘wonder weapons’; the so-called Sputnik shock and the American moon landings; UFOs and alleged alien encounters; the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI); Earth photography and the making of a planet from without; satellites and space-based communication infrastructures; as well as the role of private technocelebrities and astropreneurs in bringing back what some observers have been quick to label a “Second” or “New” Space Age. Students will watch and analyze various classical space movies, from Woman in the Moon (1929) to Forbidden Planet (1956). They will participate in the concomitant ‘NYU Space Talks: History, Politics, Astroculture’ lecture series (space-talks.com). A field trip to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum also forms part of this class.
EURO-GA 982 Comparative Government in Europe
Seminar | 4 points
Thomas Zittel | Wed, 10:15–12:15pm
In Person | KJCC, Room 324
The question how to organize the political game is key to any student of politics. Europe is a fascinating laboratory in this regard. It involves a rich tapestry of political regimes. This, for example, ranges from a majoritarian form of democracy such as the one that we find in the UK to consensual systems that are located in the Nordic countries. It also involves advanced forms of direct democratic regimes such as Switzerland compared to staunch representative systems such as the one in Germany. This class will explore the different patterns of democracy in Europe including both the old democracies in Western Europe and the new democracies in Eastern Europe. It aims to provide an overview to students about how democracy is organized on the European continent. Most importantly, this class will explore the stimulating question, why Europe is home to different types of democracy and how history and social context matter in this regard. Furthermore, we ask whether differences in institutional regimes matter for the lives of ordinary people, for example in terms of different policies that may result from them or in terms of different living conditions.
EURO-UA 983.001 Crisis of Europe
Seminar | 4 points
Hadas Aron | Tue, 10:15-12:15
In Person | KJCC, Room 324
In the past decade the countries of Europe, and the European Union as an organization, have been facing multiple challenges. The 2008 financial crisis hit several countries and generated a crisis in the shared Eurozone; Euroscepticism has given rise to populist movements throughout the continent; waves of migration were met with struggle and backlash; Western European countries have been threatened by terror; Russia is increasingly aggressive; and recently the US is increasingly indifferent and even hostile toward its European allies. In this course we will attempt to evaluate the following questions: Do these challenges amount to a crisis? Is the integrity of the EU in danger? What can be done to face these multiple challenges? The course explores the dimensions of the European crisis: sovereignty, democracy, economy, security, and culture. We will explore these questions in the EU, in its relationships, and in key individual cases such as Britain, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Hungary.