EUROGATOR
Center for European Studies University of Florida
Volume 3 Issue 1 Spring 2021
From the Director The Center for European Studies transitioned to a hybrid format in Spring 2021. The Center held in-person course sections, virtual course sections, mostly virtual events, and a few in-person events. Despite the variations in format, CES had a successful Spring 2021. As the University of Florida navigated out of the pandemic restrictions, Spring 2021 courses were offered in a hybrid format with hi-flex. Each course had virtual and in-person sections. CES offered new area studies courses, such as Lifting the Curtain: Life Under Communism in Eastern Europe and Human Rights in International Law, along with some returning courses, such as Politics and Institutions of the European Union and Intro to Refugee Studies. Two Foreign Language Across the Curriculum (FLAC) courses were offered. FLAC courses are taught in a European language but cover an area studies topic, such as Current Affairs in Germany and Imperial Russia: Film and History. The Jean Monnet Center of Excellence (JMCE) seminar, EU Cultural Policy: Beyond Masters and Museums, was re-tooled from a two-week intensive course to a full semester on topics covered in the course work. virtual course. The students also participated in the JMCE workshop, a series of three panel discussions. The series was open to the general public, but presented The Center introduced a new educator resource to K-12 outreach with Educators in Residence. This semester was a pilot cohort of six educators who shared an interest in expanding their modern-European classroom content. This semester long program offered virtual opening and closing conferences, six virtual workshops presented by UF faculty on topics such as “Sustainability in Action” and “Art and War in Europe,” and UF library access. The educators created lesson plans from the workshops, which are located on the CES website as additional educator resources. The pilot program was a success, and therefore, the Center will offer Educators in Residence for the academic year starting in 2021-2022. Applications are open each summer for the following academic year cohort. In addition to Educators in Residence, the Center was proud to partner with Talbot Elementary School to provide short introductory videos on Turkey, Poland, and Russia for the school’s multicultural month. CES also partnered with Carolyn Beatrice Parker Elementary School for virtual classroom visits. The Center continued to expand K-12 educator and student resources in this virtual environment. The Spring 2021 semester brought continued partnerships with universities across the US for virtual talks and panels, co-sponsorship, and cross promotions. The JMintheUS network, a collection of Jean Monnet Centers of Excellence, assisted CES with event promotions, which can be seen in an average of 48% event attendees from outside of UF. CES co-sponsored eight talks presented by other Centers of Excellence, and through our weekly newsletter 43 virtual talks were promoted to the CES community. Three National Resource Centers partnered with CES for the first annual business lightning talk workshop. Seven speakers presented on global supply chains from the perspective of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Global. All of these events benefitted from a virtual format, but the Center was able to provide six socially distanced and masked in-person events. The 34th Street Wall Mural Competition was held in early January. Thirteen students from Alachua County high schools submitted art pieces in 2020. However, that event was postponed due to Covid protocols. CES was happy that the students were able to paint their murals and compete in the final portion of the contest. Lastly, the Center presented five movies to the general public. One film, Casablanca, was a rescheduled presentation of the themed series Beyond the Battlefields: Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the End of World War Two, which was held in Spring 2020. The Commitments, Roman Holiday, and To Catch a Thief were presented in a new series, Cinema on Tap, where CES partners with local breweries for community film screenings. CES partnered with Tioga Town Center in Newberry to screen the family film, Ratatouille, to escape to a night of animated Parisian culinary culture. The Center successfully presented 40 events in Spring 2021 with both virtual and in-person activities. The Center expects to return to normal operations in Fall 2021. However, this experience may have shown that some events would benefit from maintaining the virtual format while others are better suited for in-person. The Center looks forward to providing many courses, resources, and events in Fall 2021 in all available formats.
CES Academic Year 2020-2021 At a Glance
35 34 $95,000 680 127 73 4,045 area studies classes
area studies classes enrollment
grants to grad students
language classes
language classes enrollment
events
event attendees
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Virtual Viva Europe Viva Europe is an annual celebration of European cultural diversity put on by the Center for European Studies. The Center originally planned a large free festival to be held in Gainesville’s Depot Park in March 2020, complete with European folk music, craft activities, mini language lessons, food, and much more. Unfortunately, as with many other social activities in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic threatened to spoil the party when CES was forced to cancel the in-person event. That didn’t mean that the fun was over, however. CES took advantage of the turn towards the digital interface and transformed key elements of the festivities into online versions, creating Virtual Viva Europe! The Center’s faculty and staff produced educational videos to introduce European culture, traditions, and language to students of all ages. This collection of videos— titled Euroductions, Eurocrafts, and Eurolingo— is a free resource hosted on YouTube that can be used to educate students at UF, in the Gainesville community, and even beyond. To this end, CES would like to thank everyone who helped make Virtual Viva Europe possible. Funding for the Viva Europe festival has been secured through 2022 by the Department of Education’s Title VI National Resource Center grant, so hopefully we can celebrate the next festival together in-person. In the meantime, you can learn more about European culture
The first level of Viva Europe videos, the ones catered to younger kids, are called Eurocrafts. Like the name suggests, they are short how-to videos on different European-themed crafts with facts about Europe sprinkled throughout. Outreach Coordinator, Carla Ruffer, demonstrates to viewers how to make British soldiers with popsicle sticks and Dutch windmills with items they can find around their house. Professor Edit Nagy jumped in to teach people how to make their own Hungarian Puli dogs with yarn and a paper towel roll. All great crafts for a teacher to
The next level of videos is a series of European topic introductions. Made with middle schoolers and high schoolers in mind, the videos strive to familiarize viewers with a broad range of European topics. Senior lecturer Emrah Sahin talks about Turkish coffee and how it created European café culture. PhD candidate Richard Tate gives a crash course on biocultural diversity in the continent. Professor Agata Kowalewska, who is also an accomplished nutritionist and registered dietician, teaches viewers about nutrition and food customs. Senior lecturer Dr. Esther Romeyn tackles the subject of refugees and the refugee crisis. Assistant professor Marcel Lewandowsky lectures on liberal democracy and populism. Anyone who watches the Euroductions is guaranteed to learn something new and interesting.
Language is a huge part of European culture. The European Union alone has 24 official languages. CES promotes the learning of several less commonly taught languages – Czech, Hungarian, Modern Greek, Polish and Turkish. For a successful Virtual Viva Europe, a language component was necessary, so this series of mini language lessons for beginning learners was created. Professors Kowalewska and Sahin stepped up again to teach the basics of Polish and Turkish, respective-
Jak s i mów ę i...?
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Wie heißen Sie?
Thank you to everyone who helped make Virtual Viva Europe possible. Hopefully, we can celebrate the next festival together, in addition to highlighting and sharing European culture through YouTube.
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Faculty Holly Raynard, Senior Lecturer, Undergraduate Coordinator Holly Raynard is known for many things around UF—being a senior lecturer, the director of UF in Prague, undergraduate coordinator—just reading that list makes clear her talents and achievements. But speak with her for merely a minute, and so much more will be revealed about her passion for the job and the joy that it brings her. Life Before Gainesville Raynard isn’t a Florida native, nor is she a UF alum. She hails from across the country, California to be exact. Both her undergraduate and graduate years were spent at UCLA where she studied Russian language and literature. Her entire life, she was drawn to the humanities. As a child, she loved art and dance. In college, she was able to experience more literature, film and language. She knew what she wanted to do in life but didn’t know if it would materialize. “I had always hoped to teach Czech one day, but I wasn’t sure it was a possibility.” There aren’t too many positions for Czech teachers in the country. So much so that even her advisor in grad school told her that she should have a backup plan. However, the stars aligned in 2005 when a job opened up in the Center for European Studies at UF, which moved her 2,416 miles and turned her from a Bruin into a Gator. Teaching at UF At the time of the opening, she wasn’t sure she was ready to take the plunge and move across the country. After seeing how it checked all of her boxes – being able to teach Czech, teaching other Europe-related courses, valuing pedagogy – she knew it’s where she was meant to be. And now? She knows it’s one of the best decisions she’s made. “I feel amazingly lucky… I get to do something that I love. I basically get paid to learn new things and think about interesting topics. It’s a pretty ideal job.” Teaching both foreign language and area studies involves more prep work, but she likes to be able to use different parts of her brain. This semester, she taught beginning and intermediate Czech language classes and had a Czech independent study on astronomy, which is not something she could have ever imagined doing. A Few of Her Favorite Things When asked about her favorite part of the job, her answer came quickly and confidently – the relationships. She says that her job is set apart from other faculty at UF by the time she gets to spend with her students and the rapport she builds. She has had students in her classes for three-and-a-half straight years. This semester was the sixth class she had with one student. In her language courses, the students are writing about their lives, so much so that she doesn’t just get to know them but learns about their family and their siblings. She treasures that level of interaction and considers herself spoiled because for most of her courses, she knows that the students have chosen to be there. She also values her relationships with her colleagues and appreciates being a part of a more progressive department. Going Virtual Transitioning to online classes was a unique experience for everyone at UF – from teachers to students to administrators. For her, switching to Zoom lectures mid-spring 2020 wasn’t too difficult because she had been able to establish a relationship with the students in the beginning of the semester. Having settled into a pattern and rhythm already, she believes that the students knew each other enough to feel safe. As for going the entirety of fall 2020 online, she called it more difficult. Although the classes went well, the lack of feedback and interaction was unnerving. In a statement many people would probably agree with, she called it a learning experience. Ultimately though, she had a positive take – “I feel grateful that I’m in a job where I could teach remotely.” Other Roles at UF As mentioned earlier, she has additional responsibilities on top of lecturing. When she was approached about becoming undergraduate coordinator, she didn’t know what it was but already had experience with academic requirements and advising. Calling the position a “natural progression,” she accepted the role. “The coolest thing about it is I do meet a much wider section of students. Students who wouldn’t be taking my courses, but they do take courses in European Studies.” As for becoming the director of UF in Prague, it was “a no-brainer.” She wanted to be able to take students to Prague, so they could experience the culture and apply what they had learned.
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Feature What the Future Holds Luckily for CES, she sees herself remaining at UF. Not only does she enjoy having her Czech language position, but she’s glad that it is in the European Studies department where she gets to work alongside historians, political scientists and sociologists and have interesting water cooler chats. Regarding her syllabus, she’s toyed with the idea of adding a class on myths, literature and architecture of Prague or possibly one on European drama. Colleagues have suggested she use her talents for a course on cinema in Eastern and Central Europe. She laments that the problem with designing a new class would be deciding which current one to drop. Over her 16 years, she feels that she has evolved with the Center and hopes that its visibility will continue to increase. “I understand my place in the Center and the work of the Center better after all this time.” Advice With so much experience in academia, as a professor and in an advising capacity, it would be remiss to go without asking if she has any advice for students. Her two main tips did not fall short of expectations – 1. Take advantage of resources 2. Actively explore your interests From her time in college and watching students’ journeys over the years, she knows how difficult it can be to figure out what you want to do. Coupled with that indecision is the pressure that comes with higher education. Her best solution is using the tools that are available, like the Career Connections Center, to help figure out next steps. When she sees students at Preview, this is what she says – “Who do you want to be when you graduate? You need to start doing some work to get yourself there, even if it’s learning who you want to be when you graduate.” Outside of Class When she’s not teaching or advising, she enjoys the simple things. Often times, you can find her on a walk, among plants, animals, nature, as long as it’s not the peak of summer, which a lot of Florida-transplants can relate to. “I’m not from Florida, so I do find summer kind of traumatic still.” Recently, she’s taken to attempting growing plants. She is still trying to figure out what grows well in Florida, so at this stage she says it is mostly killing things in her backyard. She used to be big into yoga, and as quarantine has stretched on, she has tried to pick it back up again. “One thing I’ve noticed about yoga is I really love being a student.” For her, having the roles reversed and being tasked to just listen and follow instructions has a meditative quality. Her love of listening also led her to radio and podcasts. As she gets older, she enjoys that more and spends time listening to Czech podcasts. Even when she’s not at work, she can’t escape her love for what brought her to UF in the first place back in 2005. “I’m obsessed with language in all manifestations, whether it’s teaching it, learning it [or] appreciating it.”
Fall 2021 Courses:
Sample of Previous Area Studies Courses:
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Academic 2021 Model European Union Going virtual was no problem for the EU Club, as the 2021 Model EU was a success, just as the in-person competitions had been in previous years. The UF event was first held in 2009 and on-and-off again until 2016. The Model EU was relaunched in 2019, making this year the third consecutive competition. Credit for the organizing the 2021 event goes to Griffen Ballenger, Center for European Studies Research Assistant; club president, Kyle Leonard; the vice president of Model EU, Gabriel Martin; and the Center for European Studies’ Academic Programs Coordinator, Corinne Tomasi. The topics for this year’s contest were the European Commission’s mandatory minimum wage proposal and the EU’s ongoing relations with Turkey. There was a conscious decision to have one topic be about a domestic issue and the other be on foreign policy. To ensure a successful event, Ballenger said, “We select topics that are fresh enough in the news [so] as to be relevant but not so recent that member states don’t have defined positions on them.” According to Ballenger, the transition to an online event was “easygoing,” and it was not difficult to adapt. The only downside to the virtual contest was missing out on the excitement that in-person competition has brought in the past.
Eve Vanagas
Registration for the 2021 competition looked promising from the beginning. Club regulars claimed their spots immediately and new faces were even able to be recruited. There ended up being 14 roles filled for this year’s contest – the European Commission, the President of the European Council, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, France, Hungary, Sweden, Italy, Greece, Germany and two faculty judges, Asli Baysal and Marcel Lewandowsky. On top of being virtual, the 2021 Model EU had another first. The member states were not able to come to a Julia Shapiro consensus, and as such, no final communique was produced. While there was no satisfactory outcome, all of the delegates performed well, and the judges handed out two prestigious titles. Eve Vanagas representing as Austria won “Outstanding Delegation,” and Julia Shapiro representing as Hungary was awarded “Best Position Paper.” Vanagas, a third year studying political science and economics, had been meaning to try out the Model EU simulation since she first heard about it during her freshman year, so when her professor, Dr. Amie Kreppel, who is also the director of the Center for European Studies, mentioned it in class, she decided it was time to sign up. At first, she was worried about the prospect of spending so long on Zoom, but that worry was quickly assuaged once the competition began – “The time flew by.” She was drawn to the event because of her past experience with Model UN in middle and high school and the fact that she is considering a career in diplomacy or international relations one day, saying “It seemed like something right up my alley.” She chose to represent Austria, a country she didn’t know much about, so she could learn something new and bring the perspective of a non-Western European nation to the table. After being recognized as “Outstanding Delegation” in her debut year competing, Vanagas excitedly called it “surreal.” Like Vanagas, Shapiro is a third-year student who entered the Model EU for the first time this year. She is a political science and history major with a focus on Central and Eastern European politics and authoritarianism. Her introduction to the EU Club came toward the end of her sophomore year after her professor, Dr. Asli Baysal, gave a talk to the club on EU-Turkey relations. “I kept going because I really enjoy the club culture,” said Shapiro. “It always has interesting, thought-provoking activities for meetings.” Although she felt that Model EU is an event better suited to be held in person, she said it exceeded her expectations and she “enjoyed the discussion and the backroom diplomacy that drives a lot of real-world politics.” Part of her inspiration for choosing to represent Hungary was being able to play the antagonist. She finds the country very interesting politically and calls it a cautionary tale about how international cooperation, such as the EU, cannot completely prevent backsliding. This year’s judges happened to be past professors of hers, so she knows how high their standards are and found it even more exciting to see her work pay off in the form of an award. The rest of the delegates better watch out because she’s already planning for the next competition, saying “I think I will give myself more time to focus on the procedures and public speaking.” Check back next year to see if Vanagas and Shapiro are able to pull off repeat performances in what will hopefully an in-person 2022 Model EU.
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Programs European-related Student Clubs
Jean Monnet Center of Excellence
There are many amazing clubs at UF, and CES likes to support and promote European-related clubs when it gets the opportunity. We reached out to those clubs to ask their presidents one simple question – why should people join? Here are their answers.
In 2007, UF Center for European studies became the first Jean Monnet Center of Excellence funded by the European Union in the US. Named for one of the founding fathers of the European project, the center is dedicated to promoting awareness of the EU on campus and in the community. CES’s current grant runs from 2018-2021 and is funded by the European Commission Erasmus+ programme.
Reach out to one or more of these clubs, and you might find your home at UF. At the very least, you’re guaranteed a fun and educational experience. Ailigéadar Irish Dance Company: “Ailigéadar Irish Dance is the perfect club to comfortably step outside your comfort zone, whether you dance every day, want to try something new, or are just looking for a completely unexpected party trick for your next St. Patrick's Day celebrationour club will welcome you with open arms.” – Stephanie Kokeas Hungarian Club: “Hungarian Club is meant to bring people together; whether it is to help students learn about food, traditions and customs they have familial ties to, or to exercise cultural awareness and learn about an entirely new community, Hungarian Club is more than happy to welcome them.” – Emily O’Connor French Club/Le Cercle Francais: “Learn about francophone cultures and practice French language skills.” – Daniel Betancourt The Lithuanian Club: “The Lithuanian Club aims to expand its members' understanding about the country's political, cultural, and historical aspects by sharing this information during various service events.” – Indre Zalepuga POLSA: “People should join POLSA because it is a great place to learn about Polish culture and food, and we have monthly meetings and language nights for members to enjoy.” – Kasia Bezen
European Union Club: “There's few clubs on campus that combine unique academic interests, new friendships and leadership opportunities as well as the European Union Club!” – Kyle Leonard Italian Student Association: “Italian Student Association boasts the opportunity for students to reconnect with one of the world’s oldest cultures, whether they speak the language or not!” – Derek Ginoris Greek American Student Association: “This club is for everyone, regardless of background, to connect, to cherish and to explore Greek culture through social events, fundraisers and travel opportunities.” – Victoria Lehoczky Balkan Student Association: “People should join the Balkan Student Association because we offer a very casual, friendly opportunity to share opinions and experiences. Our club is not just for people from the Balkans; we would really enjoy if anyone interested in the culture joined.” – Helena Visic Russian Club: “Russian Culture Club is centered around Russian language, culture, and community. Through general body meetings and socials, we have dynamic and engaging opportunities for all students interested in Russia or Russian!” – Samantha Safirstein
The current grant provides funding for specialized seminars taught by guest scholars from the EU. The seminars cover a wide-range of non-traditional topics including new approaches to security, sustainability in practice, and new perspectives on cultural heritage. In addition to the specialized seminar, CES and our EU guest scholars organize academic workshops bringing together leading scholars in the field to discuss current research. Both the seminars and workshop are open to all students on campus, and the workshop is open to the greater Gainesville community. Traditionally, the courses are two-week long intensives on campus ending in the day-long workshop with guest speakers. However, due to COVID-19, the last two years have transitioned to online platforms for both the class delivery and workshop panels. Beginning in spring 2020, the last two seminars were offered online via Zoom with the EU guest scholars joining from Europe. While not originally planned for, the transition allowed new technologies and platforms to be utilized that enhanced the overall delivery of the courses. Likewise, the workshops also transitioned to an online platform that allowed a greater scope of participants and reached a wider audience across both the US and Europe. In spring 2021, the final seminar discussed “EU Cultural Policy: Beyond Masters and Museums,” examining different perspectives on cultural policy in the EU including, digital technologies, cultural heritage preservation as foreign policy, representation and inclusion, and the economics of cultural policy. The JMCE course was taught by three European scholars, Francesca Fiorentini (University of Trieste), Kristin Hausler (British Institute of International and Comparative Law), and Andrzej Jakubowski (University of Opole), editors of Cultural Heritage in the European Union – A Critical Analysis of Law and Policy. The spring 2021 workshop was held over the course of the semester and included three panels discussing EU policy on the digitization of art collections, the protection of minority and indigenous rights in EU cultural heritage, and EU cultural policy, external relations, and preservation projects in third-party countries. Scholars for the workshop came from across the EU including speakers from academia, think tanks, EU institutions, and the private sector. All panels are available to watch on the CES YouTube channel. For more information on the seminar, panels, and guest speakers, please visit https://ces.ufl.edu/jean-monnet-center-of-excellence.
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Outreach “Traveling Europe” 34th Street Wall Mural Contest The 34th Street Wall is a charming and historic Gainesville landmark, and the Center for European Studies is proud to have an outreach project that pairs the storied tradition of painting on the wall with the celebration of European culture. CES’ 34th Street Wall Project is aimed at all high school graffitists and muralists to allow them to do what they love—make art. The project is meant to be held annually and serves to introduce local students with the Center’s mission of expanding awareness, interest and training in European studies. In January, CES was able to pull off a successful and socially distanced competition. Originally scheduled for May 2020, the event was postponed until CES was able to safely execute the project. The theme of the contest was “Traveling Europe,” which aptly served the purpose of engaging participating Alachua County high school art students with European ideas and concepts. To encourage students to enter, cash prizes are promised to the top 3 finishers. Participants could either fly solo or become groups of 3-5. For each contest, participants submit their designs to executive director, Lisa Booth. This contest hopes to encourage creativity in the submissions. As long as students follow the theme, the designs can be abstract, modernist, realist or any other style that they enjoy. Of the submissions, three were selected to join CES and bring their design to life on a wall panel. All materials were provided by the Center, and staff was there to assist in any way needed, such as transforming their letter-sized designs to 8’x10’ murals through grid patterns. CES and its outreach projects are funded by different grants. The 34th Street Wall Project was introduced as part of the “Getting to Know Europe” grant and now falls under the Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center grant. The condition of the funding is that it is used to provide outreach on European-area studies and languages to the K-12 community. The 34th Street Art Contest has proven to be a fun and exciting way to do just that. Fresh off the success of January’s delayed-2020 contest, CES will be holding another one this year. Moving on from travel, the next theme will be food and food culture in Europe. Painting is set to take place in May, so drive down 34th street and keep an eye out for students and CES making their mark with a colorful and artistic flourish.
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Programs Thank You for Collaborating with CES CES thanks the many partners who collaborated with the Center over the 2020-2021 Academic Year.
Collaborating Organizations: American Council on Germany; American University Transatlantic Policy Center; Bob Graham Center; Career Connections Center; Center for European and Transatlantic Studies at Georgia Institute of Technology; Center for European Union, Transatlantic, and Trans-European Space Studies at Virginia Tech University; Center for Gender, Sexualities, and Women's Studies Research; Center for Global Studies at the University of Washington; Center for Greek Studies; Center for Humanities in the Public Sphere; Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona; City of Gainesville; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Cypress & Grove Brewery; Department of History; Duke University Middle East Studies Center; European Union Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne; Florida Humanities; Institute for Global Studies at the University of Minnesota; Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at the University of Colorado Boulder; JMintheUS network; Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Miami-Florida Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at Florida International University; Oak Hammock: Institute for Learning in Retirement; Ottoman Greeks of the United States Project; PK Yonge High School; Premier Outdoor Movies; Russian Studies; Samuel Proctor Oral History Project; Santa Fe College; Stone Center for Socioeconomic Inequality; Talbot Elementary School; The Graduate Center, CUNY European Union Studies Center; The Harn Museum of Art; Tioga Town Center; UF Student Government; UF International Center; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Center for European Studies; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Middle East & Islamic Studies; University of Pittsburgh European Studies Center
In previous years, CES partnered with a number of on-campus departments and centers and local organizations, but for this academic year, the Center expanded partnerships to include organizations across the country, which allowed CES to co-sponsor eight additonal virtual events and increase the Center’s reach to audiences across the country and Europe. CES looks forward to working with these organizations for future virtual and in-person events.
CES Social Media & Communications Digital resources are always important but never more so than in the past year. The relaunch of the CES website and all the exciting additions it entailed came at the perfect time to be a reliable wealth of information. EU Need to Know is a student-driven blog full of insightful analysis of the latest issues facing the EU. Students select the topics they write about and produce in-depth blog posts with statistics, sources, and places to go to for even further reading. News from Europe, a longstanding social media campaign, expanded to become a weekly news recap available on the website. Each week, five interesting and timely news stories are selected to provide an overview of European news, along with the link to see a full article. Career Resources was an integral part of the relaunch, getting its very own tab on the site as CES is committed to providing students with information and opportunities. Through Alumni Conversations and the Career Speaker Series, students can hear firsthand from CES alumni who have gone into a variety of careers and industry professionals who work in Europe-related fields. Additionally, CES collaborates with departments and offices around campus to offer other career-focused events to students. On the Career Resources page are an abundance of links aimed to help Gators get the future they want. On social media, CES continued many popular campaigns, including “Meet CES,” “This Day in History” and “News from Europe.” To help bring attention to the CES YouTube channel, posts were frequently made about the many different videos it has, such as Virtual Viva Europe content. We celebrated the current Capitals of Culture and European films that were nominated during awards season. In an exciting move, CES launched a TikTok that was met with great success. TikTok topics ranged from facts about the EU to language tutorials to differences between the U.S. and Europe, and the videos often had hundreds of views!
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Study Abroad Highlight In a normal year, CES boasts a rich selection of study abroad programs. It sponsors two, UF in Brussels and UF in Prague; is affiliated with another, UF in Salzburg; and supports other European programs, such as African-Americans in Paris and UF in Mannheim. With programs canceled due to the pandemic, social media was used to highlight past experiences, like senior UF student Maria Forero’s. In this exclusive, you can see more pictures from her travels and hear straight from the source. Maria’s story: “I participated in UF in Brussels in Summer of 2019, and it was an amazing experience. It connected me to students in a similar field of study in which I have made long-lasting relationships with and learned from. They have introduced me to interesting classes and opportunities! Through study abroad, I was able to do an internship in Brussels and learn more about the EU, which encouraged me to choose a specific field to focus on. I also made connections that could facilitate my career path. Along with that, I was able to travel to five countries in Europe with friends and visit new cities in Belgium!”
When our study abroad programs are back, here is what you can look forward to: UF in Brussels Spend the summer in the ‘capital’ of Europe learning about the European Union while having the opportunity to visit EU institutions such as the European Commission, European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union. Interested in interning while abroad? UF in Brussels offers a competitive internships program through our host university, Vesalius College. UF in Prague Travel to the heart of Europe and travel back in history while walking through the streets of Prague. The program offers students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the history and culture that define the city and country more broadly. Prague will serve as part of the classroom as students explore Czech museums, architecture, and historical neighborhoods in their coursework and excursions. UF in Salzburg Offering a Music, European Studies, or Business track, the Salzburg program provides a wide range of courses for students to select, from the music of Beethoven to Contemporary Austrian Business Culture. The program is open to all majors, and students in music, history, economics, and history can receive major credit. Magazine Concept & Design: Antonina Gerus & Carla Ruffer Copyright © 2021 Center for European Studies at the University of Florida. Images Provided by: Linda Dillon (cover), Amie Kreppel (pg 1), Holly Raynard (pg 3), Eve Vanagas (pg 5), Julia Shapiro (pg 5), Lisa Booth (pg 7), Susan Irene Johnson (pg 7), Maria Forero (back cover) Articles Written by: Casandra Swartz Illustrations by: Delaney Regnier (pg 2), Carla Ruffer (pg 2), Stella Vasilopoulos (pg 2)
Center for European Studies 3324 Turlington Hall PO Box 117342 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-7342 (352) 294-7142 (352) 392-8966 (fax) ces@clas.ufl.edu