More resourses on Europe

  

HISTORY

 

HISTORY OF 1989

 

Making the History of 1989

New website on the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe in 1989. The site, Making the History of 1989, offers students, teachers, and scholars access to hundreds of primary sources on or related to the events of 1989 and the end of the Cold War in Europe, interviews with prominent historians, and a series of resources for teachers at both the high school and college level. As with all resources created by our Center, all the resources contained in Making the History of 1989 are and will remain free and open access. If you have questions about this project, please contact the project's Executive Producer, T. Mills Kelly (tkelly7@gmu.edu). This project has been made possible by the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the German Historical Institute (Washington, D.C.).

 

1989-2009: 20 years of Liberty!

Poland

20th Anniversary of democratic change in Central and Eastern Europe

The Berlin Wall - to the rest of the world - is the symbol of the division of Europe.

 

Thank You! Dziekuje!

The clip produced by the European Commission Representation in Poland celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Iron Curtain from a Polish perspective. It is about the birthday of a Polish girl Marta who was born on the 4th of June 1989, i.e. exactly on the day of the first half-free elections in the Central-East Europe which took place in Poland and which paved the way for the democratic change in this part of Europe. A mix of scenes show key events for Poland, such as the Solidarnosc movement with its leader Lech Walesa, Polish Round Table Talks, integration with NATO and the EU.

 

The Rape of Europa

THE RAPE OF EUROPA tells the epic story of the systematic theft, deliberate destruction and miraculous survival of Europe’s art treasures during the Third Reich and World War II. In a journey through seven countries, the film takes viewers into the violent whirlwind of fanaticism, greed, and warfare that threatened to wipe out the artistic heritage of Europe. For twelve long years, the Nazis looted and destroyed art on a scale unprecedented in history. But heroic young art historians and curators from America and across Europe fought back with an extraordinary campaign to rescue and return the millions of lost, hidden and stolen treasures. Now, more than sixty years later, the legacy of this tragic history continues to play out as families of looted collectors recover major works of art, conservators repair battle damage, and nations fight over the fate of ill-gotten spoils of war. Joan Allen narrates this breathtaking chronicle about the battle over the very survival of centuries of western culture. Please see PBS web page on the subject at http://www.pbs.org/therapeofeuropa/?campaign=features_t

 

Goethe-Institut Transatlantic Outreach Program - The TOP Project

The Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) aims to enhance the quality of classroom teaching about Germany today by developing and disseminating teaching materials about modern Germany to K-12 social studies educators and social studies methods professors at the university level and by organizing study/travel tours to Germany. The participants of the study tours are expected to contribute lesson plans to the Program and to offer in-service training to other educators about Teaching Modern Germany.

The Netherlands
Four hundred years ago Henry Hudson explored the region around what is today New York City on behalf of the Dutch East India Company, laying the ground for Dutch migration to, and settlement in, North America. Four centuries later, both the United States and the Netherlands are still debating the implications of cultural and ethnic diversity. For more information see http://www.ny400.org/

Dutch Minister  for Europe Frans Timmermans spoke about the history and values shared by the Dutch and American peoples and reflected on their common challenges and opportunities during the recent visit at CES-EUC. Please see:
Conversations on Europe. "From the Netherlands in the Golden Age to European co-operation and a global world." H.E. Frans Timmermans, Minister for European Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Wed, Apr 8, 2009. (audio ) 

 

CULTURE

 

European Capitals of Culture 2009: Linz, Austria and Vilnius, Lithuania

 

City of Dreams. Concert season and cultural enrichment project about Vienna 1900-1935.
“In the Vienna of the early 20th century, encounters across disciplines were crucially formative, as the city was home to innovators in many spheres – not only composers such as Mahler, Schoenberg and Berg, and the pioneering Freud, but artists like Klimt and Kokoschka, the designers of the Wiener Werkstätte, and the philosopher Wittgenstein.” Source: ft.com

 

In 2009, the music world around the globe is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the death of Franz Joseph Haydn, one of the greatest, most famous Austrian composers of his era.

Haydnhaus

 

University of Michigan Chopin Project

 

The Year of European Cultural Dialogue

 

Promoting Europe's rich cultural heritage

 

Austrian Press and Information Service, Embassy of Austria, Washington DC

For more information please visit www.austria.org

 

Fete de la Musique celebrating music throughout Europe, 2009.

 

Programs offered by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States www.frenchculture.org

 

The French Educational Portal in the United States www.frenchresources.info

 

The French Government, through their Cultural Services in U.S., offers 3 week grants to France for qualified Primary and Secondary School French Teachers interested in improving their language skills and enhancing their knowledge of French culture. Apply online.

The French Language Initiative. For more information please visit www.TheWorldSpeaksFrench.org

 

France Synergies created in partnership with the University of Wisconsin at Madison, is an online resource center for French and Francophone educational communities.

 

Educational and Cultural Audiovisual Resources for French Teachers.Go to www.espacefrancophone.org or www.frenchmedia.org and download, free of charge, the entire content of the programs offered by the Bureau Audiovisuel in New Orleans: teaching methods, French music videos, portraits on French civilization, shows and audio CDs on a variety of subjects.

 

Kids Euro Festival, Washington DC, Oct-Nov, 209

 

Resources on European Studies, University of Michigan Libraries

 

European Poetry in Motion Public Arts Project
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the European Union and the cultural diversity of Europe, all 27 European Union member states and the European Commission in Washington, DC, launched an ambitious literary project titled European Poetry in Motion on May 1, 2007. A total of 135 poems, five from each country in both their original language and in English, were on display inside Washington DC Metro buses, on the the outside of buses and in Metro stations.The project's website, www.europeanpoetryinmotion.eu features all the poems, author biographies, country information and more. The site will be available for information and as an educational resource for one year.

 

SCIENCE

 

The 2009 is a centenary year of Galileo and for the history of astronomy, because it was in 1609 that Galileo, the Tuscan mathematician first peered through the telescope and wrote down his observations.  The University of Michigan library owns a first draft of a letter Galileo wrote about the telescope containing sketches of what he saw through it from August, 1609. Link to the manuscript: http://www.lib.umich.edu/special-collections-library/galileo-letter

Read more about "The EU and Space: Reaping the Benefits of Space Exploration and Technology" in EU Focus, June 2009 issue.

 

The centennial of Charles Darwin:  In February 2009, the world celebrated the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and November 2009 marks the 150th anniversary of his book “The Origin of Species.”

 

PhysicsQuest 2008: Nikola Tesla and the White City

The American Physical Society, parent group of physics teachers, is sponsoring a learning contest for all middle school students in grades six through nine this year. The focus is on the Serbian born American scientist Nikola Tesla “whose discoveries in the field of alternating electrical current advanced the United States and the rest of the World into the modern industrial era.”(From the commemorative plaque – Hotel New Yorker, NY)

Teachers can obtain free materials at www.physicscentral.com/physicsquest.

Why the name "TESLA"? (TESLA Motors, Inc.)
“Were we to seize and eliminate from our industrial world the result of Mr. Tesla‘s work, the wheels of industry would cease to turn, our electric cars and trains would stop, our towns would be dark, and our mills would be idle and dead. His name marks an epoch in the advance of electrical science.”

— B. Behrend, Vice President of the Institute of Electrical Engineers

Nikola Tesla Museum, Belgrade, Serbia.

 

EDUCATION

 

European Higher Education Area - The Bologna Process

 

Study in Europe

 

The International Studies Schools Association (ISSA) is a national network of K-12 schools dedicated to improving students' understanding of the world.

 

The European Union
Published by the European Commission Delegation of the European Commission to the USA.

 

The EU for Young People
This is a web page from the European Commission in the US web site. It includes links to teaching materials and general information on the European Union, as well as, links to pages on traveling and studying in European Union countries.

 

EU Youth Portal

 

The European Union at a Glance
Basic information about the European Union and links to more detailed information.

 

Teaching the European Union
Information aimed at scholars and teachers.

 

Questia
The world's largest online library. Site includes selected European Union resources.

 

EURO School
Site created by the European Central Bank to familiarize audience with the euro banknotes and coins. Includes games and other activities.

 

Project Finland
Project Finland is a project of the Embassy of Finland, Washington, DC. Developed by the government of Finland , Project Finland offers three exciting virtual tours: Environment, Social Change and Global Connection. By showing how Finland has addressed these important issues, it provides a great starting point for your class to discuss these topics as well as learn about Finnish culture. Discover how Project Finland can work in your classes by downloading our Site Guide. It includes a complete overview of the site as well as an answer key to our interactive quizzes. Or you can visit our quick user tips section for a head start. Then give us your comments on the site and you could even win a chance to visit Finland yourself!