About

The Center for the Study of Europe at Boston University provides institutional support for European studies across Boston University. We bring together faculty, students, international visitors, and others with interests in Europe across a variety of disciplines and coordinates the European Studies BA and minor. We also sponsor talks by leading scholars in the humanities and social sciences on political, economic, and social challenges facing Europe, as well as on European art, literature, and music.

The Center for the Study of Europe was established in 2011 and became part of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies in 2014. It was preceded by the Institute for Human Sciences (2002-2010), which promoted research and discussion of public policy issues among European and American intellectuals and policymakers.

The Center is a member of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) and the Council for European Studies. All Boston University faculty involved in the study of Europe through research or teaching, regardless of the school or college in which their appointments are based, are welcome to affiliate.

Vivien Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration, served as director of the Center through December 2016. She was succeeded by Cathie Jo Martin, Professor of Political Science, who directed the Center between January 2017 and December 2019. Daniela Caruso, Jean Monnet Chair and Professor of Law, became the Center’s third director in January 2020.

Daniela Caruso, Professor of Law and Jean Monnet Chair, with Vlad Perju, Director of the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy at Boston College. “Eastern European Democracies and the EU Rule of Law Framework (Europe and Law Series),” March 17, 2016.

The mission of the Center for the Study of Europe is to promote a deeper understanding of Europe through its cultural heritage; its political, economic, legal, and religious histories; its art, literature, music, and philosophy; as well as through its emergence as a new kind of supranational entity, the European Union. Operationally, the Center provides a focal point and institutional support for the study of Europe across Boston University through coordination of teaching missions, support of research, community-building among faculty and students, and outreach beyond the University.

Each year the Center offers a rich program of activities ranging from public lectures and panel discussions, international symposia and conferences, film screenings and concerts, to seminars, round-tables, and lunch talks. Participants have included well-known academic researchers, politicians, policy experts, and journalists as well as artists, poets, activists, and public intellectuals. We work closely with other centers, departments, and schools here at BU; with local universities and cultural organizations; with European Consulates and Embassies; and with publishers of literature in translation, among others.

The European Studies program offers a 10-course major and a 6-course minor, both of which draw on the resources of the Pardee School of Global Studies, the College of Arts & Sciences, BU Study Abroad programs in Europe, as well as on BU’s other schools and colleges. The program combines a unifying regional focus with a multidisciplinary approach, enabling students to bring together courses that develop language skills; social, historical, and cultural knowledge; and political, economic, and international relations expertise. Both the major and the minor require written and spoken knowledge of a European language other than English.

News, Events & Opportunities

  • Education for All? Literature, Culture and Education Development in Britain and Denmark (02/07/24)

    Cathie Jo Martin, Professor of Political Science at Boston University, as well as a former Director of BU’s Center for the Study of Europe, will present her new book—Education for All? Literature, Culture and Education Development in Britain and Denmark—on Wednesday, February 7, at 3 PM*, in the Rajen Kilachand... [ More ]

  • Event Highlights: The Albanian Perspective – Small States in the UN Security Council

    On Tuesday, November 7, 2023, the Center for the Study of Europe hosted a lecture by Mr. Ferit Hoxha, Ambassador of Albania to the UN. Accompanying Mr. Hoxha was Ms. Albana Dautllari, Minister Plenipotentiary. The event was moderated by Amb. Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at... [ More ]

  • Event Highlights: Mystery of the Havana Syndrome

    On Wednesday, November 1, 2023, we had journalist and podcaster Nicky Woolf back to Boston University to talk about his latest podcast venture, The Sound. The Sound: Mystery of the Havana Syndrome. Woolf talks to Vivien Schmidt, Professor of International Relations and Political Science, about his investigation into the global... [ More ]

  • Event Highlights: Eurowhiteness Book Talk

    This book talk by Hans Kundnani launched the Center for the Study of Europe’s Decentering Europe series, the aim of which is to understand Europe in relation to other sites of socio-cultural production, political engagement, and economic transformation. Hans Kundnani is an associate fellow at Chatham House, and the author of... [ More ]

  • Event Highlights: The Ottoman Legacy and Lausanne at 100

    This panel discussion - Translating God(s) into Politics: Contemporary Challenges - took place at Boston University's Howard Thurman Center on Monday, October 30, 2023 as part of a larger event on the Ottoman Legacy. The discussion followed a keynote lecture (not recorded) by Lerna Ekmekçioğlu: Your Turkey, My Lausanne: What... [ More ]

  • Summer 2024 Study Abroad in Warsaw

    Now in its 10th year, this summer program provides participants with unique perspectives on security issues in and from the perspective of Central Europe - and a resume-building experience. The 4-week in-person course is based in Warsaw, with travel to Berlin and Krakow. It is followed by a two-week online research internship with the... [ More ]

  • University of Tübingen Winter School 2024

    The University of Tübingen is pleased to announce that the Winter School 2024 “Tübingen International & European Studies (T-IES)” is open for applications. There are a few places left… To learn more about T-IES: https://youtu.be/j3u0xmLFWak?feature=shared The winter school offers students a unique chance to study at one of Germany’s most renowned Universities. [ More ]