Central Europe, especially in the area between the Baltic, the Adriatic, the Aegean, and the Black Seas, is home to 24 majority and minority national groups. These groups differ from each other in their language, traditions, culture and religion. The disintegration of the Ottoman, the Hapsburg, and the Soviet empires caused the awakening of national identity of these minority groups who thus challenged the existing political systems of the region. As a result civil wars, border shifts, and general unrest has continued to persist in Central Europe.

This semester program aims at understanding both the history of these minority issues and their effect on the region today. Students will study for two months in Budapest, Hungary and for two months in Cluj-Napoca, Romania to form a broad insight into the minority issues of the entire region and to compare the strategies of the two countries in dealing with these issues.

Students will enroll in the same courses as on a semester program, with exception of a special Central European Studies Seminar, which will include topics such as the nation state in Central Europe, communism and minorities in Romania, transitions in East-Central Europe, and national minorities in the neighboring states. All course work focuses on the minority issue in both Hungary and Romania. Instruction will primarily be in English with language classes available in Hungarian and Romanian.