The Europe-In-America Project Outline
Fall Semester, 2003
PSci 137 - Europe In World Affairs

European Integration:
Europe has historically been a region of separate countries and independent political and economic systems. Since the 1950’s, however, European countries have gradually been integrating their economies and political systems because of their membership in the European Union (EU). As a result of this integration process, many believe that in addition to the presence of powerful European political and economic institutions, a European identity has emerged along side of Europe’s traditional heritage of national systems and identities. The EU is now represented in the world by its own EU embassies and staff. In addition, this may mean that Europe now also maintains a presence in the world by virtue of the many private organizations and corporations that are seen as representatives of this new integrated Europe.

The Project:
This project examines the presence and role of this new Europe and its various organizations in the US, by investigating the existence of such governmental and private organization in northern New Jersey and Manhattan. The research for the project has been carried out by students in political science classes at Drew University in Madison, NJ, located in the geographic area being investigated. The findings of the initial stage of the investigation, which took place during during the Fall semester of 2003, were the product of student efforts to locate and interview those who work in and could speak for European organizations of many types. (The actual class assignment may be visited by clicking on the appropriate link along the left hand side of this page.)

Seven Student Teams:
These initial findings of the project are presented below in seven student team reports, each of which investigated several organizations which represented one of the following seven themes:

Art And Culture
Banking And Finance
Commercial Corporations
Government Representatives
Media
Non-Governmental Organizations
Trade Monitoring Groups

Each of the seven reports was entirely investigated, organized, and written by the student members of the team. The investigation involved not only (a) general research on the category of organizations which might be found under each of the seven themes, but also (b) interviews with specific organizations that were carried out by individual team members. Each individual interview included students asking the same questions which their particular team were also asking of other similar organizations. The names of each individual student involved in the project are associated with the following team reports on which they worked. (The individual student team membership and report may be visited by clicking on the appropriate link along the left hand side of this page.)