European Studies

European Studies was created as an academic program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1972. Our mission is to bring together scholars from across the campus to specialize knowledge on Europe, its history, languages and cultures, and the European Union as an international actor. For the past 26 years, European Studies has competed successfully for U.S. and international competitive research grants. In 1998, a major grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) created the Center for German & European Studies, now in its 27th year. Later that year, the first of many successful bids for European Commission funds arrived on campus, the Jean Monnet European Union Center of Excellence for Comparative Populism, and numerous Module and Project grants. Our students and faculty have also benefited from U.S. Department of Education Title VI funds since in the form of Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships and National Resource Center awards. Currently, we are one of only six comprehensive Title VI Centers on Western Europe in the U.S.(2022-2026). European Studies plans symposia, conferences, and guest lectures on a wide variety of topics, which are presented on campus and throughout the State in conjunction with the “Wisconsin Idea.” We have provided events and resources for outreach to business, the media, governmental agencies, the K-14 community through the Midwest, and the general public. We also work on long-term initiatives with domestic and international partners. Our fellowships for the study of Europe are also wide-ranging, and include funds for the acquisition of less-commonly-taught-languages (LCTLs) for graduate and undergraduate students. Study of European languages takes place in seven departments and summer institutes (NORDsummer Intensive Language Program, the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Summer Language Institute (MEDLI), on campus, primarily via U.S. Department of Education FLAS grants.