Introduction

The European Affairs Program is designed to develop an interdisciplinary expertise on modern Europe, combining rigorous language training with in-depth knowledge of Europe’s history, politics, and culture. For students who desire the linguistic competence, the cultural comprehension, and the specialized knowledge necessary to operate effectively in the "new" Europe, the major program provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to focus on Europe through a wide variety of courses and disciplines with a focus on economics, history, language and politics. A major in European Affairs offers preparation either for further specialized or professional study at the graduate level or for work either in Europe itself or within a Canadian-based organization/business dealing with Europe.

Language competence is at the centre of the European Affairs Program. Students majoring in European Affairs are expected to acquire, in the course of their Program, a working fluency in one or more of the following designated languages: Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Macedonian, Modern Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, or Ukrainian. European Affairs majors may want to consider working toward language citation. To ensure that graduates in European Affairs have the historical understanding and specialized knowledge, as well as linguistic competence, necessary to comprehend contemporary Europe, a balanced syllabus is presented: core courses on the political evolution of Europe and on the economics and politics of European integration are complemented by choices from courses offered by the twelve academic departments participating in the Program. Students who choose to minor in European Affairs will acquire in-depth knowledge of modern Europe.