Institute of European Studies
The Institute of European Studies (IES) houses the UC Berkeley Jean Monnet EU Center of Excellence, the National Resource Center for West European Studies, the France-Berkeley Fund and GHI-West, the west coast branch of the Washington D.C.-based German Historical Institute. It is also home of the Center for British Studies, the Center for German and European Studies, the Center for Portuguese Studies, the Austrian Studies Program, the Irish Studies Program, the French Studies Program, the Nordic Studies Program, the Program for the Study of Italy, the BENELUX Program and the Spanish Studies Program. Through extensive research activities and the training of undergraduate and graduate students, the centers and programs in this institute have effectively promoted a long-term commitment to European Studies at Berkeley, throughout the state of California, and in the nation as a whole.
The Institute’s mission is threefold: 1) to stimulate, initiate, facilitate, and finance research and education in European Studies at the University of California, 2) to disseminate research findings to the broader community of scholars, citizens, and younger students, and 3) to provide a community for students and faculty who share a European focus to their work.
To achieve these ends, the Institute sponsors faculty and student research on Europe focusing on thematic areas and current issues. In order to disseminate research, the Institute, along with the various programs under its umbrella, initiates and sponsors conferences, colloquia, workshops, and lectures; maintains a Working Paper Series to distribute research results; and brings together national and international scholars in order to encourage the current exchange of ideas and to promote future collaboration.
The Institute also maintains a fellowship program to support the training and nurture the research of young scholars, including undergraduate and graduate students as well as students in professional schools. The Institute also supports the teaching of less commonly taught European languages and the acquisition of library materials in those languages. Indeed, IES serves as a hub for the coordination and integration of all the diverse educational resources on Europe throughout the UC system.
Finally, IES has built strong bridges between Berkeley, top academic and research institutions in the US and Europe, European governments, and the EU administration. The Institute has ongoing relationships with the German Academic Exchange Service, the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation, the Austrian Studies Network, Viadrina University in Frankfurt (Oder), Hamburg University, the University of Cologne, the University of Greifswald, the University of Regensburg, the University of Jena, the University of Luxembourg and Uppsala University. The results of Berkeley faculty research have been presented to the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Presidium of Europe's Constitutional Convention and Europe's G-10 deputies, and have received wide press coverage.
