(l-r): Heather Duncan, Mauro Nobili, Brian Sandberg, Cord J. Whitaker, Craig Koslofsky, Said Bousbina  by Sydney Lazarus, outreach & FLAS coordinator at the European Union Center Last Thursday, the EU Center’s 14th Illinois EU Studies Conference (“Paradigms of Racialization: Alternative Sources”) began with a panel of four presentations on primary sources that shed light on the question of race and racialization during the medieval and early modern periods.  The first presenter, Brian Sandberg, a professor of history at Northern Illinois University, sought to historic ..read more

(l-r): Alexandria Stratton, Alexis Delgado, Anastasia Calkins by Markian Dobczansky, Associate Director of the European Union Center Expertise about European affairs is increasingly in demand in our globalizing and fragile world. Undergraduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign can gain expertise in European affairs through the EU Center’s immersive learning programs as well as through the university’s numerous study abroad opportunities. As part of its mission to popularize the study of Europe, the EU Center in 2023-2024 sponsored student teams for the Schuman Ch ..read more

By Rhett Oldham, Ed.D, moderator of the Transatlantic Educators Dialogue (TED) program The European Union Center’s Transatlantic Educator Dialogue program just wrapped up its 15th year, one filled with numerous highlights. Any time one has the opportunity to collaborate with 39 educators from around the United States and Europe — educators who are open to talking about pedagogy, best practices, and global issues — a lot of great learning occurs. Every TED group develops a unique personality, and TED 2024 was no different. They start out as a group of strangers, but by the end of the program ..read more

  by Eylül Begüm Sağlam, PhD student in Political Science and a 2023-24 Research Assistant at the European Union Center This semester, the EU Center took part in another Multicultural Night hosted by South Side Elementary School on March 6th, 2023 (from 5:30pm to 7pm). The event served as a venue for familiarizing students with different countries, regions, and cultural traditions. Activities included local food tastings and experiencing vernacular languages of countries, and there were also tables on the contributions of various cultures to humanity (e.g., inventions). The Multicu ..read more

by Eylül Begüm Sağlam, PhD student in Political Science and a 2023-24 Research Assistant at the European Union Center On November 14th, 2023 (from 6pm to 7:30pm), the EU Center participated in the Multicultural Night of Leal Elementary School. The Multicultural Night included many activities to familiarize students with different cultures in the world, from being introduced to different alphabets to meeting various traditions. The event hosted many different Illinois Global Institute members, including but not limited to Center for African Studies, Center for South Asian and Mi ..read more

By Dr. Rhett Oldham, moderator of the Transatlantic Educators Dialogue (TED) program One of my favorite aspects of being the moderator of the Transatlantic Educators Dialogue (TED) program is how many talented educators I get to interact with during each cohort. Each teacher brings a growth mindset and incredible curiosity to the group, so it was no surprise when Sara Leisten brought up an idea that needed to be explored. Sara, a biology teacher from Connecticut and TED 2023 alum, noticed that most of the collaborations between American and European teachers revolved around social studies a ..read more

By Neal Benjamin, PhD student studying ecology, evolution, and conservation biology at the University of Illinois and a graduate assistant working with the Aspen Institute Germany The U.S.-German Forum Future Agriculture has completed the exchange of its first cohort, which focused on climate change and its impact on arable/row crop agriculture. The project which is coordinated by the Aspen Institute Germany in partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign brought together 16 German and American farmers and other key stakeholders from Eastern Germany and the U.S. Midwe ..read more

By Markian Dobczansky, Associate Director, European Union Center “We have sacrificed a lot for this,” wrote Mustafa Nayyem, the Afghan-born Ukrainian journalist and politician, on November 8. On that day, the European Commission issued its 2023 Enlargement package, which recommended that the EU begin membership negotiations with Ukraine. In doing so, the EU’s executive agency recognized the country’s progress in implementing substantial reforms of its judicial institutions, curbing the influence of oligarchs, and investigating corruption. Ukraine’s path toward the EU can be traced back to th ..read more

by Kelsi Quick, Political Science PhD Student & Research Assistant at the European Union Center The Democracy Summit ft. Dr. Daniel Ziblatt On the evening of October 23, 2023, the Student Affairs Office of Civic Life at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign hosted Dr. Daniel Ziblatt of Harvard University for the keynote lecture kicking off the week-long “Democracy Summit” centering recent American experiences of democracy with the aim of fostering civic engagement. Dr. Ziblatt, who is the Eaton Professor of the Science of Government at Harvard University as well as co-author ..read more

by Chiara Vincenzi, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Art & Design Between September 18 and 22, we had the privilege of hosting George A. Miller Visiting Artist Patrizia Polese on our campus. This residency was made possible through the support of the School of Art & Design, the European Union Center, and the Center for Advanced Study. During her visit, Polese conducted a three-day weaving workshop that was open to both the campus and the local community. The workshop provided an opportunity to dive headfirst into the world of textile art and encouraged participants to weave t ..read more