Keeping Europe Relevant: Innovative Strategies for Study Abroad

Over the last decade undergraduate interest in European studies (comparative or focused on an individual country) has been gradually declining. This is most visible in the relatively low enrollments in courses offered by departments teaching language, literature, and culture courses linked to Europe but has also significantly affected the social sciences. At the same time, in the last ten years the percentage of U.S. students studying in Europe has also declined from 63 to 53 percent (Open Doors 2013). Because study abroad plays a crucial role in driving student interest in European studies, this trend is especially troubling. Within this context, the goal of this paper is to discuss a number of innovative strategies for developing and implementing new undergraduate academic experience programs in Europe, with an eye toward attracting students to focus their studies on European topics across the disciplines. The paper will (1) assess the "state of study abroad to Europe" using the latest evidence to discern how European destinations compare to other areas of growing interest (primarily Asia and Latin America); (2) profile a number of new approaches to study abroad in Europe, including interdisciplinary, service-learning, apprenticeship, and STEM-based programs; and (3) explore the potential impact of adopting these new approaches as a way to keep Europe relevant in the field of international education.