EUC Hosts Summer Curriculum Workshop on European Union Policy, Trade, and Geopolitics

Professor Cleeton gives keynote talk.

All photos, unless otherwise indicated, are courtesy of EUC Research Assistant Tuba Akin.

The European Union Center recently hosted a group of K-14 educators on campus for a three-day curriculum workshop titled “The EU Today: Policy, Trade, and Geopolitics.” Faculty from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois Chicago, Illinois State University, and National Louis University, as well as a Brussels-based project officer from the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, presented and led discussions on a range of topics that are salient to the EU, from security and transatlantic relations to domestic politics to climate policy.

This workshop was the latest in a series of in-person and virtual summer curriculum workshops that the EUC has organized since 2005, with the purpose of helping K-12 and community college educators develop a more effective curriculum on the EU. Funding for this workshop was provided by a National Resource Center grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Nanette Fandino-Diaz and Hala Abdou visit Krannert Art Museum. 

The workshop began on Tuesday, July 29 with a keynote talk by David Cleeton, Professor of Economics at Illinois State University and an external faculty affiliate at the EUC, on EU-U.S. relations in the areas of defense, immigration, and trade. Prior to the official start of the workshop, a few educators had arrived on campus early in order to squeeze in a visit to the Krannert Art Museum. 

The schedule for the following day was packed with activity: two presentations in the morning, two in the afternoon, and a film screening in the evening. The first presenter of the day was Edward Kolodziej, Emeritus Research Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who led a discussion on the EU and global security concerns. This was followed by a Zoom presentation by Elisa Decourcelle, Project Officer for Climate & Energy at the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, on the status of the EU's climate projects. Afterwards, the participants explored Campustown and took a break for lunch before coming back to Coble Hall for presentations by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign political science professor Kostas Kourtikakis and economics professor George Deltas. 

Professor Kourtikakis presents on the EU's soft power.

Professor Deltas discusses the impact of U.S. trade and economic policy on the EU.

The workshop participants gathered in Coble Hall again in the evening for dinner and a screening of the 2023 award-winning Belgian film "Omen," which was selected by the Gene Siskel Film Center as the opener for last year's Chicago European Union Film Festival. 

Pre-film screening dinner from Shawarma Joint

One of the highlights from this summer's workshop was having Larry Neal, Emeritus Professor of Economics at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and EUC Founding Director, back on campus. When Prof. Neal was researching the War of 1812 for his recent book, The Forgotten Financiers of the Louisiana Purchase: European Bankers, the U.S., and the Rise of International Finance (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024), he noticed a parallel between the current Russian invasion of Ukraine and the U.S.'s attempts in 1812 to invade Canada — which he presented on at the workshop.

In front of Coble Hall. Photo courtesy of Petia Kostadinova

The workshop concluded with a pair of presentations that looked at political trends within the EU. Petia Kostadinova, Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Illinois Chicago, spoke about European Parliament elections, party groups, and election promises. Magda Giurcanu, Assistant Professor in National Louis University's Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, discussed the consequences of far-right politics for EU governance and policy.

Like last summer, the EUC organized an optional excursion to Springfield on Aug. 1 for workshop participants. This year's itinerary featured the Lincoln Museum, Dana-Thomas House, and Lincoln Tomb.

To see more photos from the workshop, visit the European Union Center’s Facebook page. For more information on previous summer curriculum workshops, see here.