Students are vital contributors to the Center's intellectual vibrancy, events and new initiatives. At its core, and perhaps as its most rich resource, CES offers students access to an integrated community of faculty, visitors and leading speakers and specialists. At the Center, students take a leading role in developing programs and academic opportunities, as graduate student affiliates, research assistants or members of the Undergraduate Board. Believing that first hand experience abroad is crucial to learning about Europe, the CES also provides internship possibilities and research funding for Harvard students. CES invites students to explore the coming pages, and to find out more about opportunities for participation in its rich student life.
- Graduate Students: CES aims to provide graduate students with a thought-provoking, lively community for European research and study. Graduate affiliates are encouraged to take part in all aspects of life at the Center, including conducting study groups, presenting conference papers, giving practice job talks and helping to host and introduce visiting politicians and academics at the Center's breakfast series. CES offers support for in-depth research in Cambridge and abroad through grants and fellowships for both summer and year long dissertation research and writing.
Graduate training is at the heart of the Center's mission and CES develops educators who go on to teach others about Europe at colleges and universities around the world. For over thirty years, the Center has been the preeminent American training ground for faculty and scholars of European politics, history and society. As the great émigré generation of the twentieth century retires, CES graduates are now central figures in the universities of the United States, preserving a knowledge base about Europe of increasing importance in a globalizing world.
- Undergraduate Students: CES aims to be a place students can explore throughout their undergraduate careers - whether
students are just beginning to discover new European interests, or are refining their academic
expertise and professional experience. The Center's dedication to undergraduate programming,
funding and outreach is part of a broad and growing commitment at Harvard to internationalize
the university experience, and to help students acquire an extensive and lasting global
competence.
As part of their first exposure to the CES, undergraduates encounter a rich set of course offerings, deep faculty knowledge in a wide range of subject areas, and regular opportunities to hear from key policy makers and scholars on the latest political, social and economic developments. As members of the Undergraduate Board, students can play a leadership role in organizing Center events. In the latter part of students' undergraduate study, they can take part in CES workshops to help develop and craft a Senior thesis or identify career paths after graduation.
CES is deeply committed to providing students with the resources to travel to Europe for research and work. Undergrads have access to first-hand learning about Western and Eastern Europe and beyond through summer research travel grants for students preparing senior thesis, and summer internships with European alumni in an exciting range of fields.