Courses of Study 2020-2021 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Courses of Study 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

European Studies Minor


Institute for European Studies
120 Uris Hall
(607) 255–7592
cies.einaudi.cornell.edu
Pamela Hampton, IES Program Manager & European Studies Minor Coordinator
ph55@cornell.edu

Students from any college may choose an undergraduate minor in European studies to complement any major. While pursuing this minor, you will have the opportunity to explore Europe’s past, present, and future and to demonstrate a knowledge of European languages, culture, history, politics, and international relations. Through an interdisciplinary curriculum that you can mold to your interests, the minor offers you the chance to take courses across colleges and subjects that exemplify your understanding of a globalizing world, while also providing you with an area of expertise. You will gain invaluable critical thinking skills, language abilities, and helpful frameworks for assessing today’s most pressing issues in Europe and around the world.

The requirements for the minor range from five to seven courses depending on the level of language proficiency already achieved:

  1. Completion of the minor’s core course, GOVT 2553 : Inside Europe, which is an introduction to contemporary political, social, and economic issues facing Europe.
  2. Competency in a European Language – Competence can be demonstrated by completing a third-semester course (even if you have tested out of the first two) or by being a native speaker of a European language (although native speakers will have to substitute one additional course to reach the minimum five-course requirement).
  3. Completion of 3 courses – one in each of the following areas:
    1. Courses in European and comparative politics; options include GOVT 3323  (Cornell in Turin Program) and a range of courses offered in government, sociology, and the School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
    2. Courses in modern European history (post-1789).
    3. Courses in (post-1789) English and European literatures, comparative literature, semiotics, FGSS, fine arts, architecture, music, philosophy, and film and theatre arts. 

Under certain conditions, you may be permitted to substitute courses. The general threshold for a qualifying course requires that a minimum of 50% of the content is focused on the study of Europe.