The birthplace of Western civilization and the home of many great research institutions, Europe has been an influential presence at WashU since its founding in 1853.
Today, our partnerships with European colleagues have yielded studies in far-flung places of discovery, such as the Azores archipelago, where students have engaged in field geology techniques critical to understanding earth’s history, climate, and the challenges we must face now to secure our future. In the social sciences, our research has introduced blueprints for change regarding working mothers and their families, and the health of young girls.
WashU is now a major center for the study of contemporary German literature thanks in part to a vibrant exchange of research, educational programs, and visiting faculty, many of which come through the Max Kade Center for Contemporary German Literature. Additionally, WashU faculty and a team of international researchers are working to produce a series of publications fundamentally rethinking the field of Holocaust narrative. This corpus of literature will encompass many thousands of texts, resulting in the comprehensive, multi-authored Cambridge History of Holocaust Literature.
We come to our work because we fell in love with another language and culture. The foreign language classroom is transformative.
Rebecca Messbarger on the joy of language learning,
Professor of Italian in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures in Arts & Sciences
Research excellence
Strengthened by our global networks in Europe, WashU researchers are addressing critical needs in the areas of public health, climate change, and the humanities. A shared understanding of ourselves and the world around us unites us in powerful ways.
Making Motherhood Work
Of all Western industrialized countries, the United States ranks last for supportive work-family policies. It has the highest gender wage gap. Moreover, there is no federal paid parental leave and no minimum standard for vacation and sick days. Can American women look to European policies for solutions?
More research stories
Underwater caves yield new clues about Sicily’s first residents
Archaeological surveys led by scientists at Washington University in St. Louis suggest that coastal and underwater cave sites in southern Sicily contain important new clues about the path and fate of early human migrants to the island.
Parvulescu wins $1.2M EU grant to study comparative literature origins
Anca Parvulescu, the Liselotte Dieckmann Professor in Comparative Literature and a professor of English, both in Arts & Sciences, at Washington University in St. Louis, will serve as principal investigator for a $1.2 million grant exploring the history of comparatism and the origins of the comparative method. The project is funded by the European Union, […]
Italian Enlightenment illuminated
Rebecca Messbarger specializes in the Italian Enlightenment, in particular the intersections of anatomy and art, medicine and religion, and the shifting roles of women in civic and academic life during the age.
Education and outreach
Europe is the most popular destination for study abroad programs. Both on campus and beyond, our students choose from a plethora of opportunities to explore Europe’s rich heritage, linguistic and cultural diversity.
Signature programs
The Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures offers a comprehensive program in the language, literature, and culture — past and present — of Germany and German-speaking countries. The department offers many opportunities for interdisciplinary study, including a one-of-a-kind joint PhD program with comparative literature and an innovative certificate program that gives students the option of developing expertise in one of seven associated fields.
The department has a longstanding relationship with the University of Cologne that brings students to St. Louis to study and teach alongside the PhD students on campus. In turn, WashU doctoral students often pursue research at universities throughout the German-speaking world. Exchange is further facilitated by the university’s Max Kade Center for Contemporary German Literature and the corresponding Mike Lützeler Contemporary German Literature Collection.
The Sam Fox School’s Florence Summer Program provides an exciting, interdisciplinary learning environment to study art, architecture, and art history.
Collaborative in nature, the studios use drawing and design as a medium for exploration and visual experimentation, alongside study of nuanced layers of history within the dynamic context of contemporary life. Visits to other Italian cities will encourage exploration of urban diversity and multiculturalism. Students will explore the themes of history, politics, conflict, and social justice and their impact on creative work.
Work in the studio extends into the city streets, allowing the students to engage the full cultural landscape of contemporary Italy. The small size of the program allows each student to work closely with professors in developing a body of work that is highly personalized, culminating in well-developed final projects.
The program includes collaborative studios in art and architecture within the rich, historic landscape of Florence, home of the Renaissance as well as a vibrant cosmopolitan city. Field trips throughout the summer engage the region’s myriad cultural offerings.
Sam Fox School’s Florence Summer Program
Featuring an interdisciplinary learning environment to study architecture, art, and art history, within the rich, historic landscape of Florence, home of the Renaissance as well as a vibrant cosmopolitan city.
More education stories
Why Treblinka, part of ‘the largest single murder campaign within the Holocaust,’ remains unknown to Americans
The Evolution of Mass Murder
Forensic Archaeological Perspectives on Mass Violence at the Treblinka Labor and Extermination Camps
Learning the French way to better health
After a pandemic pause, WashU undergrads were back at Hôpital Pasteur on the French Riviera over the summer, learning why the French live healthier and longer than anyone else in the industrialized world.
“Lest We Forget”
Since 2014, the Italian-German photographer Luigi Toscano has created portraits of more than 500 Holocaust survivors. In 2022, Toscano traveled to St. Louis to photograph 12 survivors living here.
Alumni networks and impact
Did you know more than 300 alumni, parents, and friends live in London? International networks support WashU alumni, students, families, and friends by offering opportunities to socialize, network, and share memories. We welcome you to reach out, make new connections, and build on your lifelong connection with WashU.
WashU CNX is the university’s online networking platform where alumni and current students share experiences and expertise, ask questions, find answers, and help each other grow. They make meaningful connections every day.
NETWORK CONTACT
Tami Holder
Executive Director, International Advancement Programs
Contacts by Major City
Russ Shaw: champion of the London tech sector
For Russ Shaw, BSBA ’85, the founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, achieving the honorary title Commander of the British Empire (CBE) was a shock. “When I received the congratulatory email last November, I fell off my chair,” he says.
More alumni stories
The owner’s box
For lawyer and investment group co-founder Fitzann Reid, owning an Italian basketball team is ‘just the beginning.’ In the 11 years since graduating from Washington University, Fitzann Reid, JD ’12, has worked as an attorney, taught courses at WashU’s School of Law and co-founded Cotogna Sports Group (CSG), an investment group focused on purchasing and […]
Ten WashU alumni awarded Fulbright awards
Ten recent alumni of Washington University in St. Louis earned Fulbright awards in 2023 to travel abroad to conduct research or to teach English.
Junior year in France: remembering the first study-abroad program in 1962
Lynne Breakstone, PhD, AB ’64, MA ’67, was among the first students to study abroad in 1962.
Latest news in Europe
Explore our impact in other regions
No single map can reflect all global perspectives. The country borders on this map do not reflect the official policy of Washington University in St. Louis or any specific government.