The Study Of Europe In The United States
by Christopher J. Makins
V. Envoi
The diversity and complexity of the activities
that fall under the heading of the study of Europe in the United States make it
hard to do justice to the field in the short span of time and space allotted to
a review such as this one. And the recommendations in this report, concentrated
as they are on the programs of its two sponsors, may create a further sense of
narrowness of scope and vision.
It seems appropriate, therefore, both
to underline the richness and strength of much of what is currently happening
within universities and colleges relating to Europe and to sound a note of warning
that the health of the field should not be taken for granted, given the multiple
pressures on those institutions and many of their funders. Much of what needs
to be done to ensure the strength of the field in the future should not be the
province of external funders, but rather that of the educational institutions
themselves. On those institutions rests the primary responsibility for preparing
their students for a fast-changing world in which Europe's importance seems more
likely to increase than to diminish in the coming years. In the unceasing struggle
concerning educational and institutional priorities, the voices of practitioners
of the study of Europe, as well as those of employers in government and the private
sector, need to be strong and articulate about the case for revitalizing the study
of Europe and supporting higher levels, and a broader spread, of knowledge about
Europe.
Nevertheless, money talks. The hope of
this report is that it may serve to redirect to some degree the resources of its
sponsors so as to achieve two goals: facilitating the adaptation of the field
to the dramatic changes Europe has undergone in the last decade; and catalyzing
new thought and action about how the study of Europe, and of related U.S. policy,
should develop in the future as a part of a broader rethinking of the practice
of area studies in this country. If that should happen, it should also become
easier to make a compelling case for appropriate financial support both from the
universities and colleges themselves, which will always be by far the largest
sources of such support, and from foundations, governments, corporations and other
external funders, which can provide invaluable marginal funds to broaden and enrich
the field.
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