The study of a world region is intended to provide liberal arts majors with a broad, integrated overview of the influences that have shaped, and continue to shape, its internal evolution as well as the role it plays in the world. The Western European Studies major introduces students to the cultural, economic, historical and political forces, arising inside and outside the region, that have combined to determine the past, present and future of Western Europe.
Students pursuing both a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or Bachelors of Science (BS) degree are required to complete a minimum of two years of foreign language study in a language appropriate to the chosen specialization. Ohio State currently offers courses in French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, and Spanish.
To learn more about major requirements, check out the links below. Requirements and course offerings do change, so if you have any questions please reach out to internationalstudies@osu.edu or contact your academic advisor.
West European Studies Major Requirements
Bachelor of Arts
Foreign Language Requirement
This major requires completion of a minimum of two years of language study. Coursework completed at OSU or abroad and/or appropriate placement test results can document this.
To fulfill the foreign language requirement students have three options:
- Complete two years (4 semesters) of a single language
- Complete a foreign language minor
- Complete a second major in a language
For those opting to complete two years in a single language, OSU offers courses in French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, and Spanish. After completing 1101, 1102, 1103, you must complete one advanced language course at the 2000 level.
Embedded Literacies: 3 courses (9 hours)
Students must complete at least one course each in Advanced Writing (AW), Data Analysis (DA) and Technology (TECH). These courses are part of the major and courses which fulfill the requirements are indicated below.
Required Foundations: 2 courses (6 hours)
- INTSTDS 3850 - Introduction to Globalization
- INTSTDS 4852 - Research in Globalization (AW)
Methods & Analysis: Choose one course (3 hours)
- Geography 4103 - Introductory Spatial Data Analysis (DA)
- INTSTDS 3400 - The Analysis & Display of Data (DA)
- Political Science 3780 - Data Literacy & Data Visualization (DA)
- Sociology 5650 - Presenting & Communicating Quantitative Data (DA)
Primary Specialization & Secondary Specialization
If Western European Studies is your Primary Specialization, choose five courses (15 hours). You will choose an additional 3 courses (9 hours) for your Secondary Specialization.
If Western European Studies is your Secondary Specialization, choose three courses (9 hours).
- CLAS 3203 - War in Ancient Greek & Roman Literature
- CLAS 3408 - Ancient Roman Religion
- COMM 3554 - Social Implications of Communication Technology (TECH)
- ECON 5130 - Economic History of Western Europe
- ENGLISH 4513 - Introduction to Medieval Literature
- ENGLISH 4514 - Middle English Literature
- ENGLISH 4520.01 - Shakespeare
- ENGLISH 4542 - The19th Century British Novel
- GEOG 3701 - Making of the Modern World
- GERMAN 3252.01/3252.02 -The Holocaust in German Literature and Film
- HISTORY 2204 - Modern European History
- HISTORY 3253 - 20th Century Europe to 1950
- HISTORY 3254 - Europe Since 1950
- HISTORY 3642 - Women in Modern Europe, from the 18th Century to Present
- INTSTDS 3350 - Introduction to Western Europe
- INTSTDS 3703 - Ethical Issues in Information Technology (TECH)
- INTSTDS 4700 - Terror & Terrorism
- INTSTDS 4701 - The Development & Control of Weapons of Mass Destruction (TECH)
- ISLAM 3201 - Muslims in America & Europe: Citizenship & Living Between Worlds
- POLITSC 4285 - Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
- SOCIOL 3302 - Technology & Global Society (TECH)
Foreign Language Requirement
This major requires completion of a minimum of two years of language study. Coursework completed at OSU or abroad and/or appropriate placement test results can document this.
To fulfill the foreign language requirement students have three options:
- Complete two years (4 semesters) of a single language
- Complete a foreign language minor
- Complete a second major in a language
For those opting to complete two years in a single language, OSU offers courses in French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, and Spanish. After completing 1101, 1102, 1103, you must complete one advanced language course at the 2000 level.
Embedded Literacies: 3 courses (9 hours)
Students must complete at least one course each in Advanced Writing (AW), Data Analysis (DA) and Technology (TECH). These courses are part of the major and courses which fulfill the requirements are indicated below.
Required Foundations: 4 courses (12 hours)
- Geography 3753 - Geography of the European Union
- INTSTDS 3350 - Introduction to Western Europe
- Political Science 4210 - Politics of European Integration
- Political Science 4214 - Northern European Politics
Critical Perspectives: Choose 4 courses (12 hours), must include one EL Technology, one EL Advanced Writing & one EL Data Analysis
- History 3525 - 19th Century European International History
- History 3526 - 20th Century European International History
- History 3712 - Science and Society in Modern Europe
- INTSTDS 3400 - Analysis & Display of Data (EL Data Analysis)
- INTSTDS 3450 - Human Rights: An Introduction
- INTSTDS 3703 - Ethical Issues in the Information Age (EL Technology)
- INTSTDS 4700 - Terror & Terrorism (EL Advanced Writing)
- INTSTDS 4701 - The Development & Control of Weapons of Mass Destruction (EL Technology)
- INTSTDS 4703 - Science, Technology & the Cold War
- INTSTDS 4850 - Understanding the Global Information Society
- INTSTDS 4852 - Research in Globalization (EL Advanced Writing)
- Political Science 3780 - Data Literacy & Data Visualization (EL Data Analysis)
Electives: Choose 2 courses (6 hours)
For electives, students can choose any combination of two courses from other International Studies specializations, the list below and unused courses from the Critical Perspectives.
- English 4513 - Introduction to Medieval Literature
- English 4514 - Middle English Literature
- English 4520.01 - Shakespeare
- English 4521 - Renaissance Drama
- English 4522 - Renaissance Poetry
- English 4531 - Restoration and 18th Century Literature
- English 4533 - The Early British Novel: Origins to 1830
- English 4540 - 19th Century British Poetry
- English 4542 - The 19th Century British Novel
- English 4543 - 20th Century British Fiction
- German 3252 - The Holocaust in Literature & Film
- German 3351 - Democracy, Fascism & German Culture
- History 3249 - Early-Modern Europe, 1560-1778
- History 3250 - Revolutionary and Napoleonic Europe, 1750-1815
- History 3251 - History of Europe in the 19th Century
- History 3253 - 20th Century Europe to 1950
- History 3254 - Europe Since 1950
- History of Art 3002 - The History of Western Architecture
- History of Art 3521 - Renaissance Art in Italy
- History of Art 3601 - 19th – 20th Century European Art
- INTSTDS 4195 - Selected Problems in International Studies
- INTSTDS 5191 - Student Intern Program
- Modern Greek 3710 - Modern Greek Literature in Translation
Foreign Language Requirement
This major requires completion of a minimum of two years of language study. Coursework completed at OSU or abroad and/or appropriate placement test results can document this.
To fulfill the foreign language requirement students have three options:
- Complete two years (4 semesters) of a single language
- Complete a foreign language minor
- Complete a second major in a language
For those opting to complete two years in a single language, OSU offers courses in French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, and Spanish. After completing 1101, 1102, 1103, you must complete one advanced language course at the 2000 level.
Required Foundations: 4 courses (12 hours)
- Geography 3753 - Geography of the European Union
- INTSTDS 3350 - Introduction to Western Europe
- Political Science 4210 - Politics of European Integration
- Political Science 4214 - Northern European Politics
Critical Perspectives: Choose 4 courses (12 hours)
- History 3525 - 19th Century European International History
- History 3526 - 20th Century European International History
- History 3712 - Science and Society in Modern Europe
- INTSTDS 4251 - Organized Crime and Corruption in Contemporary Europe
- Political Science 4212 - Southern European Politics
- Political Science 4219 - European Political Development
- Political Science 4285 - Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
Electives: Choose 2 courses (6 hours)
For electives, students can choose any combination of two courses from other International Studies specializations, the list below and unused courses from the Critical Perspectives.
- Classics 4597 - Nationalism Revisited
- English 4513 - Introduction to Medieval Literature
- English 4514 - Middle English Literature
- English 4520.01 - Shakespeare
- English 4521 - Renaissance Drama
- English 4522 - Renaissance Poetry
- English 4531 - Restoration and 18th Century Literature
- English 4543 - The Early British Novel: Origins to 1830
- English 4540 - 19th Century British Poetry
- English 4542 - The 19th Century British Novel
- English 4543 - 20th Century British Fiction
- German 3252 - The Holocaust in Literature & Film
- German 3351 - Democracy, Fascism & German Culture
- History 3249 - Early-Modern Europe, 1560-1778
- History 3250 - Revolutionary and Napoleonic Europe, 1750-1815
- History 3251 - History of Europe in the 19th Century
- History 3253 - 20th Century Europe to 1950
- History 3254 - Europe Since 1950
- History 3460 - European Jewish History, 1783-1989
- History of Art 3002 - The History of Western Architecture
- History of Art 3521 - Renaissance Art in Italy
- History of Art 3601 - 19th – 20th Century European Art
- INTSTDS 3400 - The Analysis and Display of Data
- INTSTDS 4195 - Selected Problems in International Studies
- INTSTDS 5191 - Student Intern Program
- Modern Greek 3710 - Modern Greek Literature in Translation
Bachelor of Science
Foreign Language Requirement
This major requires completion of a minimum of two years of language study. Coursework completed at OSU or abroad and/or appropriate placement test results can document this.
To fulfill the foreign language requirement students have three options:
- Complete two years (4 semesters) of a single language
- Complete a foreign language minor
- Complete a second major in a language
For those opting to complete two years in a single language, OSU offers courses in French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, and Spanish. After completing 1101, 1102, 1103, you must complete one advanced language course at the 2000 level.
Embedded Literacies: 3 courses (9 hours)
Students must complete at least one course each in Advanced Writing, Data Analysis and Technology. These courses are part of the major and courses which fulfill the requirements are indicated below. The Stats 2450.01 prerequisite satisfies the EL Data Analysis.
Embedded Literacies: 3 courses (9 hours)
Students must complete at least one course each in Advanced Writing (AW), and Technology (TECH), and complete a 3- course sequence in Data Analysis (DA). These courses are part of the major and courses which fulfill the requirements are indicated below.
Required Foundations: 2 courses (6 hours)
- INTSTDS 3850 - Introduction to Globalization
- INTSTDS 4852 - Research in Globalization (AW)
Data Analysis: 3 courses (9 hours), Choose 1 3-course sequence)
- Series 1
- Geography 4103 - Introductory Spatial Data Analysis
- Geography 5103 - Intermediate Spatial Data Analysis
- Geography 5210 - Fundamentals of Geographic Information System
- Series 2
- INTSTDS 3400 - The Analysis & Display of Data or Political Science 3780 - Data Literacy & Data Visualization
- Political Science 4781- Data Literacy in Political Science I
- Political Science 4782 - Data Literacy in Political Science II
- Series 3
- Statistics 2450.01 or 2450.02 Introduction to Statistical Analysis I
- Statistics 3301 - Statistical Modeling for Discovery I
- Statistics 3302 - Statistical Modeling for Discovery II
Specialization: Choose 6 courses (18 hours)
- CLAS 3203 - War in Ancient Greek & Roman Literature
- CLAS 3408 - Ancient Roman Religion
- COMM 3554 - Social Implications of Communication Technology (TECH)
- ECON 5130 - Economic History of Western Europe
- ENGLISH 4513 - Introduction to Medieval Literature
- ENGLISH 4514 - Middle English Literature
- ENGLISH 4520.01 - Shakespeare
- ENGLISH 4542 - The19th Century British Novel
- GEOG 3701 - Making of the Modern World
- GERMAN 3252.01/3252.02 - The Holocaust in German Literature and Film
- GERMAN 3254H - Representations & Memory of the Holocaust in Film
- HISTORY 2204 - Modern European History
- HISTORY 3253 - 20th Century Europe to 1950
- HISTORY 3254 - Europe Since 1950
- HISTORY 3642 - Women in Modern Europe, from the 18th Century to Present
- INTSTDS 3350 - Introduction to Western Europe
- INTSTDS/GEOG 3650 - A World Divided? Place, Space, and Regions in World Affairs
- INTSTDS 3703 - Ethical Issues in Information Technology (TECH)
- INTSTDS 4700 - Terror & Terrorism
- INTSTDS 4701 - The Development & Control of Weapons of Mass Destruction (TECH)
- ISLAM 3201 - Muslims in America & Europe: Citizenship & Living Between Worlds
- POLITSC 4285 - Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
- SOCIOL 3302 - Technology & Global Society (TECH)
Foreign Language Requirement
This major requires completion of a minimum of two years of language study. Coursework completed at OSU or abroad and/or appropriate placement test results can document this.
To fulfill the foreign language requirement students have three options:
- Complete two years (4 semesters) of a single language
- Complete a foreign language minor
- Complete a second major in a language
For those opting to complete two years in a single language, OSU offers courses in French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, and Spanish. After completing 1101, 1102, 1103, you must complete one advanced language course at the 2000 level.
Embedded Literacies: 3 courses (9 hours)
Students must complete at least one course each in Advanced Writing, Data Analysis and Technology. These courses are part of the major and courses which fulfill the requirements are indicated below. The Stats 2450.01 prerequisite satisfies the EL Data Analysis.
Required Minor:
Students must complete one of the following minors, or a second major in the same field:
- Agribusiness: 4-5 courses (minimum 12 hours)
- Prerequisite: AEDECON 2001, or Econ 2001.01 or 2001.02
- Business: 5 courses (15 hours)
- Prerequisites: Econ 2001.01 or 2001.02, CSE 1110 or higher, Math 1130 or 1148 or math placement in M or L.
- City and Regional Planning: 4 courses (12 hours)
- Environmental Science: 5 courses (15 hours)
- Geographic Information Science: 6 courses (18 hours)
- Global Public Health: 5 courses (15 hours)
- Information Security: 6 courses (16 hours)
- Consult INTSTDS advisor for prerequisites and scheduling
- International Business: 6 courses (15 hours)
- Quantitative Economics: 5 courses (15-16 hours)
Required Foundations: 4 courses (12 hours)
- Geography 3753 - Geography of the European Union
- INTSTDS 3350 - Introduction to Western Europe
- Political Science 4210 - Politics of European Integration
- Political Science 4214 - Northern European Politics
Critical Perspectives: Choose 4 courses (12 hours), must include one EL Technology & one EL Advanced Writing
- History 3525 - 19th Century European International History
- History 3526 - 20th Century European International History
- History 3712 - Science and Society in Modern Europe
- INTSTDS 3703 - Ethical Issues in the Information Age (EL Technology)
- INTSTDS 4700 - Terror & Terrorism (EL Advanced Writing)
- INTSTDS 4701 - The Development & Control of Weapons of Mass Destruction (EL Technology)
- INTSTDS 4703 - Science, Technology & American National Security
- INTSTDS 4852 - Research in Globalization (EL Advanced Writing)
- Political Science 4212 - Southern European Politics
- Political Science 4219 - European Political Development
- Political Science 4285 - Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
Electives: Choose 1 course (3 hours)
For the elective, students can choose from the list below, unused courses from the Critical Perspectives, or a courses from other International Studies specializations.
- English 4513 - Introduction to Medieval Literature
- English 4514 - Middle English Literature
- English 4520.01 - Shakespeare
- English 4521 - Renaissance Drama
- English 4522 - Renaissance Poetry
- English 4531 - Restoration and 18th Century Literature
- English 4533 - The Early British Novel: Origins to 1830
- German 3252 - The Holocaust in Literature & Film
- German 3351 - Democracy, Fascism & German Culture
- History 3249 - Early-Modern Europe, 1560-1778
- History 3250 - Revolutionary and Napoleonic Europe, 1750-1815
- History 3251 - History of Europe in the 19th Century
- History 3253 - 20th Century Europe to 1950
- History 3254 - Europe Since 1950
- History 3460 - European Jewish History, 1783-1989
- INTSTDS 4195 - Selected Problems in International Studies
- INTSTDS 5191 - Student Intern Program
- Modern Greek 3710 - Modern Greek Literature in Translation
Foreign Language Requirement
This major requires completion of a minimum of two years of language study. Coursework completed at OSU or abroad and/or appropriate placement test results can document this.
To fulfill the foreign language requirement students have three options:
- Complete two years (4 semesters) of a single language
- Complete a foreign language minor
- Complete a second major in a language
For those opting to complete two years in a single language, OSU offers courses in French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, and Spanish. After completing 1101, 1102, 1103, you must complete one advanced language course at the 2000 level.
Required Minor:
Students must complete one of the following minors, or a second major in the same field:
- Agribusiness: 4-5 courses (minimum 12 hours)
- Prerequisite: AEDECON 2001, or Econ 2001.01 or 2001.02
- Business: 5 courses (15 hours)
- Prerequisites: Econ 2001.01 or 2001.02, CSE 1110 or higher, Math 1130 or 1148 or math placement in M or L.
- City and Regional Planning: 4 courses (12 hours)
- Environmental Science: 5 courses (15 hours)
- Geographic Information Science: 6 courses (18 hours)
- Global Public Health: 5 courses (15 hours)
- Information Security: 6 courses (16 hours)
- Consult INTSTDS advisor for prerequisites and scheduling
- International Business: 6 courses (15 hours)
- Quantitative Economics: 5 courses (15-16 hours)
Required Foundations: 4 courses (12 hours)
- Geography 3753 - Geography of the European Union
- INTSTDS 3350 - Introduction to Western Europe
- Political Science 4210 - Politics of European Integration
- Political Science 4214 - Northern European Politics
Critical Perspectives: Choose 4 courses (12 hours)
- History 3525 - 19th Century European International History
- History 3526 - 20th Century European International History
- History 3712 - Science and Society in Modern Europe
- INTSTDS 4251 - Organized Crime and Corruption in Contemporary Europe
- Political Science 4212 - Southern European Politics
- Political Science 4219 - European Political Development
- Political Science 4285 - Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
Electives: Choose 1 course (3 hours)
For the elective, students can choose from the list below, unused courses from the Critical Perspectives, or a courses from other International Studies specializations.
- Classics 4597 - Nationalism Revisited
- English 4513 - Introduction to Medieval Literature
- English 4514 - Middle English Literature
- English 4520.01 - Shakespeare
- English 4521 - Renaissance Drama
- English 4522 - Renaissance Poetry
- English 4531 - Restoration and 18th Century Literature
- English 4543 - The Early British Novel: Origins to 1830
- German 3252 - The Holocaust in Literature & Film
- German 3351 - Democracy, Fascism & German Culture
- History 3249 - Early-Modern Europe, 1560-1778
- History 3250 - Revolutionary and Napoleonic Europe, 1750-1815
- History 3251 - History of Europe in the 19th Century
- History 3253 - 20th Century Europe to 1950
- History 3254 - Europe Since 1950
- History 3460 - European Jewish History, 1783-1989
- INTSTDS 4195 - Selected Problems in International Studies
- INTSTDS 5191 - Student Intern Program
- Modern Greek 3710 - Modern Greek Literature in Translation