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.