Eastern Europe, according to the common definition, stretches from the newer EU member states to Russia’s eastern border and includes the countries of Southeast Europe and the Caucasus. While Eastern Europe was once often described as a separate world beyond the Iron Curtain, the focus today is on its unique diversity of ethnicities, languages, cultures and religions, as well as on the numerous political, economic and cultural connections between the eastern and western regions of Europe. 

The first interdisciplinary Eastern European Studies program in Switzerland has over twenty years of successful teaching about Eastern Europe. It covers the culture, languages and history of the entire region with an emphasis on Slavic cultures. A distinctive feature of the Basel model is the intensive engagement with film as a medium and cooperation with art history, as well as with social sciences and economics.

The Bachelor’s program in Eastern European Studies is offered jointly by the Department of Slavic Studies and the Chair of Eastern European History in the History Department. In addition, students can take relevant courses in art history, economics and social sciences. 

The focus of Eastern European Studies at the University of Basel is on the culture and history of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Courses cover all three subregions — the East Slavic area (Ukraine, Belarus, Russia/former Soviet Union), East Central Europe, and Southeast Europe. After an introductory phase giving an overview of the various regions and the methods and theories of the disciplines involved, students can choose their own regional and thematic focus areas and deepen their knowledge through study trips and stays abroad. 

A special feature of Eastern European Studies in Basel is its cultural studies orientation. This includes, among other things, an in-depth engagement with Eastern European film, beginning with an introduction to film studies and continuing with regular courses on Eastern European cinema throughout the program. 

Learning at least one Eastern European language is mandatory for all students, and acquiring at least one additional Eastern European language is recommended. Courses are offered in Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), Polish, Czech and Russian. Courses in Ukrainian, Hungarian and Yiddish are also currently available. 

Eastern European Studies is structured into the following areas: 

1. Language acquisition — first Eastern European language
2. Area studies of Eastern Europe
3. Historical core: introduction to history, introduction to Eastern European history, basic and advanced modules in Eastern European history, and “Archives/Media/Theories of Eastern European Studies”
4. Core area in cultural studies with the three modules: “Slavic Literary Studies,” “Slavic Linguistics,” and “Visual Media in Eastern Europe.”
5. Extension area with seven modules (two of which must be chosen): “Art in Eastern Europe,” “Society in Eastern Europe,” “Economy in Eastern Europe,” “Second Eastern European Language Acquisition” (Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian, Polish, Russian, Czech, or another language).