Opening Statement

The Max Kade Center for European and German Studies in the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt University is spearheading an effort in Tennessee and the mid-South to raise awareness about the European Union, European developments in general, and the importance of Europe for transatlantic relations during the calendar year 2009. Developments in Europe especially since the fall of the Berlin Wall and of the Iron Curtain in 1989/1990 have been momentous. The opening of the border between East and West allowed a reconfiguration of the cultural, economic, and socio-political fabric of the European peninsula that most observers had discounted. The continued expansion of the EU and the reorientation of national programs have had a profound affect on traditional, Cold-War-era transatlantic relations. To be prepared for the 21st century, Americans and Europeans alike need to be aware of commonalities and new opportunities.
 

EU “Getting to Know Europe” Grant               
Awarded to the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies at Vanderbilt University (Jan-Dec. 2009)
Project Title: Post-Wall Europe: EU and US as Rivals or Partners?        

Few ordinary citizens in the Mid-South know very much about the relevance of the EU and its member states for international affairs or for the local and regional economy. Most are unaware that EU member states have invested heavily in Tennessee and its neighboring states, accounting for almost $9 billion in Tennessee alone with another one billion dollars on the way with the selection of Chattanooga, TN, as the site of the new Volkswagen AG factory. (Austrian, Belgian, Danish, British, Finnish, French, Irish, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, and Swedish companies also do business in Tennessee. The Nissan Corporation, a joint venture with Renault, recently moved its headquarters for North and South America to the Nashville area; Mercedes is in Tuscaloosa, AL; BMW in Greenville, SC; Thyssen AG in Mobile, AL.) The EU and transatlantic relations hardly register in the public mind in the Mid South as a powerful partner, even though we share common security goals, common immigration challenges, common emphasis on human rights, and common commercial interests with EU-member states. While cultural exchanges are growing in frequency in the region, they are only gradually finding their way into the public spotlight. This lack of awareness of our interconnections with Europe inhibits our effectiveness in solving the challenge of human development at home and abroad.

The activities we propose for the calendar year 2009 represent initial steps in raising the general consciousness of important European and transatlantic issues. We seek to be more effective by targeting the most influential policy makers at the local and state levels: elected officials, media specialists, public health executives, school superintendents and principals, and teachers. Reaching out to them promises the best chance for long-term change in attitude in the public at large. We wish to organize information sessions and workshops for teachers and, in cooperation with teachers, competitions for students. Our goal is to disseminate information that will help communities understand what the EU is, what it does, and how it affects us. Ultimately, our objective is to prepare citizens for a more informed and hence effective course of action at the local, regional, and hopefully global levels. Our economic, social, and cultural connections to Europe will serve as the vehicle for advancing human development and leadership qualities in general.

Our outreach activities will gravitate to the following major themes

• The European Union: its institutions, policies, and impact;
• The significance of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and of the Iron Curtain;
• European identity, culture, and diversity and their parallels in American society;
• Educational reform in Europe and the USA and its impact on human development;
• Pros and cons of European and American public health policies;
• Common security challenges in Europe and the USA.

The perspectives range from cultural forms (film), historical interconnections, to educational systems, security issues, and social programs (health care). Of interest in contemporary terms is the continent’s regionalization since 1989/1990 from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Alpe Adriatic in the south, from the original European Community core in the west to the emergent regional networks in the east.

Outreach activities include:

• Information seminars for school superintendents and principals on the EU, its organization, and objectives with special emphasis on developments since 1989/1990;
• Information seminars for media and government officials from the Mayor’s Office of Nashville, the Governor’s Office of Tennessee, the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, and the Nashville Health Care Council;
• Workshops for social studies and foreign language teachers on the EU, Europe, and the altered nature transatlantic relations since 1989.
• Classroom visits by teams of Vanderbilt students to local and regional schools 8-12 to speak on the idea of Europe and developments in Europe of importance to us.
• The public recognition of the contestants and their teachers at Vanderbilt in connection with Europe Day.
• A European film series with discussion of central topics such as: the political, social and economic implications of the Turn in 1989/1990; EU enlargement, cultural diversity and identity; health and environmental concerns.

On-Campus Workshop for Secondary Educators

We hope to invite high school social studies and modern language teachers and department heads from schools in Middle Tennessee to meet with Vanderbilt faculty and students to discuss how best to integrate a European perspective into their curricula. Faculty leaders include John McCarthy (German & European Studies), Virginia Scott (Dept. of French and Italian), Henning Grunwald (History and European Studies), Gerrit B.M. Dielissen (EU Scholar in Residence, Sociology, University of Utrecht), and M. Donald Hancock (Political Science & European Studies). Student members will consist of teams of volunteers for presentation in the schools on a range of topics.