IES Abroad European Union Summer

The EU Summer Program examines the past, present, and future of the European periphery in relation to Europe’s core. You will explore the political, economic, environmental, and societal reasons for current tensions in South Eastern and Eastern Europe, with a focus on the interaction and competition between the EU and the Russian Federation. The challenges that result from different degrees of integration into the European Union will be a focus throughout.

The program begins in the heart of Europe—Freiburg, Germany—where you’ll start a specialized curriculum that will take you on two weeks of academic explorations to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Russia, and the Baltic states.

On your first trip, you will travel to Sarajevo and Belgrade, the capitals of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, to look at EU foreign and security policies in the Balkans, increased Russian influence, and the role of non-state actors, NGOs, and businesses. In meetings with political and NGO professionals, you will discuss economic underdevelopment, ethnic fault lines, and the implications of EU enlargement fatigue.

On your second trip, you will visit the Russian Federation and one of the Baltic states—Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania—to explore EU-Russian geopolitical competition in the Caucuses, the Black Sea region, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltics. On this trip, you will meet with authorities, academics, and others. The focus will be on issues of hard and soft power, the Maidan revolutions in Ukraine, questions of energy supplies, and the ongoing role of the United States in the region.

Throughout, you will visit sites of historical significance and beauty, and you will engage with your fellow students, your faculty, and local players to take your learning far beyond the classroom.

Required Languages:

Application Procedure:

Applying to an IES Abroad program is easy—just follow the three study abroad application steps outlined below. If you have any questions during the application process, visit the FAQs or contact your Program Advisor at 800.995.2300. You can do this!

1.    Check the application deadline and review the application requirements for your study abroad or internship program of interest. Plan to submit all of the required information by the deadline.

2.    Create an account or log in to complete and submit the initial online study abroad application.

3.    After 1-2 business days, sign in to your MyIESabroad account to view and submit the rest of the application requirements. You will also receive regular emails about deadlines and missing items.

Something unexpected is just around the world. Are you ready? Apply now at: https://www.IESabroad.org/apply