Minor in European Studies

College of Liberal & Creative Arts

Dean: Dr. Ifeoma Kiddoe Nwankwo

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. Though no longer dominant, Europe remains a complex, fascinating, and vital region of the world, and one grappling with an array of fundamental political, socioeconomic, and cultural challenges, from enlarging the European Union to determining the future of the welfare state to integrating former colonial subjects into European societies as full citizens.

This minor allows students to engage critically in the examination of Europe 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. 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.

Professor

Gustavo Adolfo Calderon (1989), Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of Iowa.

William Christmas (1996), Professor in English Language and Literature. Ph.D. University of Washington.

Sophie Clavier (2003), Professor in International Relations, Dean of Graduate Studies. Ph.D. La Sorbonne, France.

Sarah Curtis (2003), Professor in History. Ph.D. Indiana University.

Sara Hackenberg (2004), Professor in English Language and Literature. Ph.D. Stanford University.

Shirin A. Khanmohamadi (2005), Professor in Comparative and World Literature. Ph.D. Columbia University.

Martha E. Klironomos (1996), Professor in English Language and Literature. Ph.D. Ohio State University.

Volker M. Langbehn (2002), Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of Minnesota.

Kitty Millet (2004), Professor in Jewish Studies. Ph.D. University of Minnesota.

Jarbel Rodriguez (2001), Professor in History. Ph.D., Princeton University.

Andrei Tsygankov (2000), Professor in Political Science, Professor in International Relations. Ph.D. University of Southern California.

Ilona Vandergriff (1996), Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley.

Nicole Watts (2003), Professor in Political Science. Ph.D. University of Washington.

Associate Professor

Olivia Albiero (2016), Associate Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of Washington.

Michael Hammer (2003), Associate Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles.

Anne E. Linton (2012), Associate Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. M.Phil., Ph.D. Yale University.

Laura Lisy-Wagner (2006), Associate Professor in History. Ph.D. Harvard University.

Scott N. Siegel (2014), Associate Professor in International Relations. Ph.D. Cornell University.

Alice Sowaal (2005), Associate Professor in Philosophy. Ph.D. University of California, Irvine

European Studies, Minor — 18-23 Units

A minimum of 6 upper-division units are required to complete the minor.

All coursework used to satisfy the requirements of the minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0.

The European Studies Minor consists of a core curriculum of 9 to 12 units, which contain material and perspectives which reach across the normal disciplinary divisions of the university and 9 to 11 units of electives. A full list of approved electives is available from the European Studies coordinator. The minor must include courses from at least three different disciplines (prefixes) and 6 units of upper-division coursework.

Core Courses (9-12 Units)

Select one from each area:
Historical Background3-4
History of Western Civilization II
Society, Culture, and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Europe
Europe since 1914
Era of the World Wars 1918 to 1945
International History 1814-1918
Jewish History II: 1650 to Present
Fascism and Communism in Europe
Contemporary European Politics and Business3-4
Europe: Forming a More Perfect Union
Introduction to the European Union
Doing Business in Europe
PLSI 406
Culture3-4
Western Art History II
French Culture - GWAR
GER 401
Thought and Culture in Modern Europe
HUM 410
Italian Culture and Civilization
European Jewish Writers
Modern Philosophy
Political Theory: Reformation to Nineteenth Century
PLSI 353
Culture and Civilization of Spain
Global Theatre History II

Electives (9-11 Units)

Under advisement, students select three courses 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.

Students may select appropriate electives in:

  • Art History
  • Cinema
  • Comparative and World Literature
  • English
  • French
  • German
  • History
  • Humanities
  • International Business
  • International Relations
  • Italian
  • Jewish Studies
  • Modem Greek Studies
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Political Science
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Theater Arts

Foreign Language Requirement

All European Studies Minors are required to demonstrate intermediate-level competency in a European language other than English, relevant to their area of focus. This requirement may be met by completing the university entrance requirement of two years of high school language study, one year of successful college-level language study, or demonstration of equivalent competency.

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.

Elective Courses

ARTH 201Western Art History I3
ARTH 202Western Art History II3
ARTH 406Global Renaissance and Baroque Art3
CINE 305/JS 405Film and the Holocaust3
CINE 307National/Regional Cinemas3
CWL 420Studies in Comparative Literature3
CWL 421Celtic Literature3
CWL/HUM 423Going Medieval: Medieval Literature and Contemporary Adaptations3
CWL/HUM 424Multicultural Middle Ages3
ENG 501Age of Chaucer3
ENG 510The Age of Wit3
ENG 51218th-Century British Women Writers3
ENG 514Age of the Romantics3
ENG 550The Rise of the Novel3
ENG 5523
FR 350French for the Business World3
FR 360Press and Social Media in French3
FR 400GWFrench Culture - GWAR3
FR 410Contemporary French Civilization3
FR/PLSI 421Social Movements in the Francophone World3
FR 450Translating Themes: English/French3
FR 500Introduction to Literary Texts3
FR 5253
GER 4013
GER 502Contemporary Germany3
GER 600Mobility, Travel, and Identity in English3
GER 613Weimar Literature3
GER 6173
HIST/JS 317The Holocaust and Genocide3
HIST 330/HUM 403Vikings, Caliphs, & Carolingians: Europe in the Early Middle Ages3
HIST 334The Renaissance3
HIST 3363
HIST 3383
HIST 342French Revolution and Napoleon3
HIST 343Soviet Russia, the West, and the Cold War3
HIST 344Society, Culture, and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Europe3
HIST 347Women in Modern Europe3
HIST 385The Russian Revolution3
HIST 390Era of the World Wars 1918 to 19453
HIST/I R 395International History 1814-19183
HIST 398History of Modern European Imperialism3
HUM 375Biography of a City: United States Cities3
HUM 404/HIST 331The High Middle Ages3
HUM 407Romanticism and Impressionism3
HUM 4103
HUM 415Thinking the Present: Comparative Arts and Culture3
HUM/PHIL 432Nietzsche and Postmodernism3
I R 327Europe: Forming a More Perfect Union4
I R/PLSI 3284
IBUS 593Doing Business in Europe3
ITAL 250Food for Thought: The Importance of Food in Italian Culture3
ITAL 401Italian Culture and Civilization3
ITAL 5103
ITAL 5113
ITAL 5253
ITAL 5503
ITAL 5603
ITAL 5703
ITAL 5803
ITAL 581Divina Commedia3
ITAL 600Italian Literature on Film in English3
ITAL 600GW3
JS/HIST 332Ancient and Medieval Jews Among Pagans, Christians, and Muslims3
JS/CWL 437/ENG 533Holocaust and Literature3
JS/CWL 480European Jewish Writers3
JS 633/HIST 335Jewish History II: 1650 to Present3
MGS/ANTH 3163
MGS/HIST 350Greece and the Balkans3
MGS/CWL/C W 4653
MGS/C W 497Modern Greek Literature3
MGS/CLAS 510/HIST 326The Byzantine Empire3
MGS 5553
MUS 550Western European Music History from the Middle Ages to 17503
MUS 551European and American Classical Music History of the 18th and 19th Century3
PHIL 302Medieval Philosophy3
PHIL 303Modern Philosophy3
PHIL 3653
PLSI 3534
PLSI/I R 407Politics of Russia4
RUSS 2603
RUSS 5113
RUSS 6103
RUSS 6153
SPAN 401Culture and Civilization of Spain3
SPAN 521Spanish Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Literature3
SPAN 52319th Century Spanish Literature3
SPAN 525The Contemporary Spanish Novel3
SPAN 562Cervantes: The Quijote3
TH A 401Global Theatre History I3
TH A 402Global Theatre History II3