IES Taking the Lead in EU Studies
IES has taken the lead in creating one of the foremost programs
for undergraduate students in European Union Studies. This initiative
began in the Spring of 2004 with a course on the European Union,
taught by Michelle Bertho, who has taught EU Studies at the University
of San Francisco and San Francisco State University, and is the
program coordinator of IES’ France-Berkeley Fund...
In April, twelve students from Berkeley -- most
of whom were participants in the EU Course -- were selected to attend
the annual undergraduate
conference
on the EU at Scripps College, initiated and co-sponsored by IES. And
as a result of their participation in that conference, several Berkeley
students were selected to attend the Rome Summer Institute on US-EU relations
from June
10-July 10, 2004.
Michelle Bertho* was
also selected as a member of the faculty for the Rome Summer Institute.
These activities create an
important
presence for UC Berkeley and IES in European Studies, and IES is proud
to take the lead in creating this initiative. In the coming academic
year,
we will build on these achievements to create an undergraduate association
focused on EU Studies. Below is a more detailed description of these
Spring and Summer activities.
In the Spring of 2004, IES sponsored an undergraduate course entitled "The
Promethean Enlargement of the European Union," which was taught by
Michelle Bertho, the IES France-Berkeley Fund and French Studies Program
Coordinator. The course was an
overview of the process of European integration, reviewing the milestones
of
European construction in
historical theoretical perspective. The course emphasized the enlargement
process in the context of transatlantic relations, and was grounded in
the conviction that a healthy transatlantic relationship is an essential
prerequisite
for progress in organizing a stronger and more balanced international
system.
This course generated a great deal of enthusiasm about the European
Union among Berkeley undergraduates, many of whom have taken steps to expand
their
knowledge this summer. UC Berkeley sent 12 students to a conference held
at the European Union Center at Scripps College on April 29-30, 2004
entitled “The
Transatlantic Relationship: Conflict and Cooperation,” which was co-sponsored
by IES. Participants for this conference were chosen in a highly competitive
process, and UC Berkeley represented an overwhelming majority of the
48 participants selected to attend. Participants from 13 colleges and
universities in California
participated in the conference. Amd one participant came from Europe.
The
conference began on Thursday evening after a welcome from Patricia Dillon,
Director of the European Union Center of California and Gabrielle
Jungels-Winkler Professor of European Studies at Scripps College, and
a keynote address by Professor Federiga Bindi from the University of Rome,
Tor Vergata. The two days of the conference were organized into 12
panels
running in parallel and covering various topics relevant to EU affairs
(see conference schedule for panel topics). Each panel was composed
of 3-5 students and a faculty discussant, and a co-discussant in some cases,
which critiqued each panelist’s paper and presentation. Students
had the opportunity to interact with the Claremont Colleges language
residents Tina Simon (France) and Francesca Crocchiolo (Italy). Both
of them participated
as co-discussants and engaged the students on a variety of topics.
On Friday, the Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the
United Nations
in New York, Ambassador Hynek Kmonicek, and the Czech Consul General,
Margita Fuchsova visited the conference participants. Ambassador Kmonicek
talked
to the conference participants on the subjects of common foreign and
security policy of the EU after May 1 and the role of the Czech Republic
in the
EU.
The conference was a highly interactive experience. Student participants
received constructive feedback from the discussants on how to improve
their work. They were also able to interact with each other and the
discussants on an individual basis and establish important contacts for
the future.
In addition to facing the critique of the discussants, student participants
answered questions from the audience composed of fellow students and
faculty.
The quality of research was high. Based on the feedback received from
student and faculty participants, the conference was an invaluable
experience for
the students in preparing for their future careers and a very rewarding
one for the faculty. The results of the conference, in the form of
student papers, will be published on a CD and sent out to all participants.
As
a result of their participation in this conference, several students
from Berkeley have been selected to attend a summer program from June
20 to July 10 at the Center for American Studies in Rome entitled “Europe
and the USA in a Changing World.” The seminar is sponsored by the
European Commission with the aim of creating mutual understanding and
networks among the European and American leaders of tomorrow. Instructors
represent
some of the most prestigious universities in Europe and the United
States, including our own Michelle Bertho, from UC Berkeley! In addition,
students
were privelaged to study with top EU officials, including Professor
Giuliano Amato, Vice President of the European Convention and former
President of
the EU Council of Ministers, Professor Rocco Buttiglione, EU Minister
for Community Policies, and Jose Lamego, a senior advisor on refugee
policyto the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.
*Read Michelle's article about this topic, "
Tomorrow
is Up to Us" (doc,
92kb).
