Contemporary European Studies
Contemporary European Studies offers you the chance to explore and understand how Europe is changing, economically, politically and socially. The programme builds on a longstanding tradition of interdisciplinarity at the University of Sussex and takes a broad and inclusive approach to analysing the way in which Europe has developed and to examining the challenges it faces.
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Teaching in contemporary European studies
Students can take Contemporary European Studies in combination with a wide range of subjects. The programme is available as both a joint major and a minor, depending on the course of study chosen.
The programme covers Europe in its historical and its current contexts, as an idea and a reality and in terms of its relations with its neighbours and the wider world. Teaching staff are drawn from the Departments of Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, International Relations, Sociology as well as the Department of Politics and Contemporary European Studies in which the programme is based.
Research in contemporary European studies
Contemporary European studies at Sussex was rated as joint second in the UK for research in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). 90 per cent of our research was rated as recognised internationally or higher, and 60 per cent rated as internationally excellent or higher.
Faculty are active researchers on a wide range of issues affecting Europe's economic, political and social development. Much of their work is carried out under the auspices of the Sussex European Institute (SEI). Founded in 1992, SEI is the leading research and postgraduate training centre on contemporary European issues. It has a distinctive philosophy built on interdisciplinarity, a broad and inclusive approach to Europe, policy relevance at the academic cutting edge, and integrating the European and the domestic levels of analysis.
SEI was designated a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in 1998 and works in close collaboration with pre-eminent research centres in Europe and the wider world. The Centre acts as the hub of a large range of networks of academics, researchers and practitioners who teach on our programmes, supervise our doctoral students and collaborate with us on research projects.
Department office
T: +44 (0)1273 678578
E: polces.office@sussex.ac.uk