European Culture & History
The European Culture & History program is designed for students majoring in the humanities. The program offers a wide variety of courses allowing you to gain in-depth knowledge and analytical skills in the fields of the European cultural tradition – from ancient art and religious studies to modern film and European history.
The core course and study tours, by applying the themes of memory and identity to specific European destinations, offer you a comprehensive view of the social, political and artistic culture as well as the historical background of an important European country; an understanding of factors that contribute to the creation of specific national cultures and identities in general; and the ability to make comparative observations between the country under investigation, Denmark, and your home country.
Core Course
This 3-credit course forms an interdisciplinary study of a major European country from the perspective of its 'memory and identity', i.e. its history, national myths, ways of dealing with a troublesome past, plus, for the present, power relations, production and wealth, and ethnic relations. You can choose among three different sections of the course: France, Germany or the Czech Republic. Please click the links below for further information on the specific tours.
Study Tours
- A short regional study tour in Denmark
- A longer European study tour related to your region of interest:
Czech Republic: Prague-Ceský Krumlow | France: Paris-Reims-Verdun | Germany: Berlin-Dresden
The study tours, which are covered by the DIS tuition, form an integral part of the core course. Through visits to the capital city and a provincial town, they introduce you to the cultural past and contemporary affairs of the country studied in class.
Elective Courses
In addition to the required core course, you are free to select any combination of courses from the DIS curriculum. Please click here for a full course overview. If you want to learn more about the fruits of European cultural history, from ancient art to modern film, check out courses listed under History, Art History, Literature, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Film Studies, etc.
Kierkegaard in Copenhagen
Looking for something uniquely Danish and, at the same time, universal? Discover the father of existential philosophy, Copenhagen’s most radical author, Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). In collaboration with the Søren Kierkegaard Research Center at the University of Copenhagen, we offer you a variety of academic opportunities within the humanities spanning from introductory courses on leading continental intellectuals to an Honors Level Seminar on Kierkegaard taught by renowned scholars in the heart of historic Copenhagen.
Says Kierkegaard: “What then is education? I had thought it was the course of study that each individual must follow in order to obtain himself; and that being born in the most enlightened age will help but little if he [or she] refuses to follow this course.”
Or: “Man is spirit. But what is spirit? Spirit is self. But what is the self? The self is a relation which relates to itself.” Sounds complicated? Learn more in Copenhagen!
