The University will offer a certificate in Contemporary European Politics and Society for the first time this year.
"The program encourages the interdisciplinary study of modern Europe with a particular emphasis on politics, economics and society in western and central Europe since the first World War," politics professor Ezra Suleiman said.
As chair of the Committee on European Studies, he has spearheaded a decade-long effort to create the program.
"There is a substantial first-rate faculty in several of the departments at Princeton," he said. "Princeton has long had a tradition in being a leader among American universities in European studies, but we were getting to be among the last without such a program."
Suleiman said the idea for the program originated in response to student demand.
"There is a tremendous interest among the students for some kind of concentration on European politics and society," Suleiman said.
Ellie Powell '04, a politics major, is considering the certificate program.
"I'm planning on doing some of my independent work on European politics, so it seems like a really good fit for me," she said. "I heard rumors about it last spring . . . and it seemed as if there was definite interest in the idea."
However, the committee encountered resistance to starting the program for years, he said.
"Finally, when Ms. Tilghman became president, she lent a sympathetic ear to our proposal," he said. "[She] should take credit for helping push it through."
Two new courses have been developed for students pursuing this certificate.
The courses, EPS 300: History and Politics of Modern Europe and EPS 342/ECO 342: European Economy, have been developed as the core requirements for the program and will be offered this spring. EPS 300 will be taught by history professor Philip Nord and Suleiman. EPS 342/ECO 342 will be taught by Silvia Weyerbrock, a lecturer in the economics department. It will focus on the expanding role and increasing membership of the European Union.
"There are many students that have a strong interest in Europe, and there hasn't been an economics class in a long time that specifically focuses on Europe," Weyerbrock said.
In addition to taking the two core requirements, students must demonstrate proficiency in a European language and choose from several other approved courses in order to obtain the certificate.
An information session will be held next week.
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