Resources
The study of Europe and the European Union is supported by a rich network of university centers across the United States, all of which maintain freely available educator resources. We encourage participants to explore the collections below from our peer institutions and our own. For examples of past lesson plans, syllabus modules, or other creative projects, please visit our classroom resources page.
European Studies Center, University of Pittsburgh
- Video Resources on Europe at Pitt - Archive of the ESC Conversations on Europe series, featuring expert panels on EU politics, democracy, transatlantic relations, and more.
- Lesson Plans and Syllabi - Curriculum materials developed by past Brussels Study Tour participants, organized by theme and grade level.
- Lesson Planning Templates- Curriculum materials developed by past Brussels Study Tour participants, organized by theme and grade level.
Center for European Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Teaching the EU Toolkits - Thematic classroom toolkits on key EU topics for K-16 educators.
- Lesson Plans - Classroom-ready lesson plans developed through UNC's educator outreach programs.
- Teachable Moments Videos- Short videos on specific European studies topics designed for classroom use.
- Virtual Europe Collections- Short videos on specific European studies topics designed for classroom use.
- EU-Futures Podcast - Interviews with faculty and visiting experts on EU-US relations, climate policy, AI regulation, and more. Available on Spotify.
Institute for European Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington
- Lesson Plans and Classroom Resources – Lesson plans designed by and for teachers for grades 6-12 in a variety of disciplines, developed through EURO curriculum development grants and covering European culture and society, government and politics, and current issues, including immigration and the economy.
- Film Library and Outreach - A film library and range of professional development resources for educators, including distance learning connections to IU European specialists.
Center for European Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Bringing Europe Into Your Classroom -A curated set of publicly available resources with European themes and content for teachers, organized by topic and updated regularly
- Teacher Workshops Archive- Archive of UW's professional development workshops for K-14 educators, covering topics from the rise of populism to genocide education to digital rights in Europe.
Council for European Studies and EuropeNow
- EuropeNow -An interdisciplinary online journal published by the Council for European Studies featuring research, commentaries, book reviews, interviews, and teaching and learning content on Europe, alongside literary nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and visual art. Accessible and wide-ranging — a strong resource for educators looking for fresh angles on European topics.
- Europe Now Campus- The teaching and learning section of EuropeNow, bridging interdisciplinary research with pedagogy by highlighting how educators engage students with major research questions about Europe. Includes syllabi, reading lists, and educator reflections from institutions across the US and Europe.
From the European Parliament
- Fact Sheets on the European Union- The complete, regularly updated collection of European Parliament fact sheets organized by policy area. An authoritative reference for any topic covered in this tour.
Some Classroom-Ready Materials for K-16 Students
Inspired by the topics above, the resources below are designed to be used directly with students rather than by educators preparing their own knowledge. They are organized roughly by age-appropriateness.
Elementary and Middle School (K-8)
- EU Learning Corner -The European Commission's free educational platform organized by age group and topic, featuring games, quizzes, activity books, timelines, videos, and competitions on EU history, climate, culture, citizenship, and digital safety. Available in all 24 official EU languages. A natural first stop for any K-8 classroom exploring Europe or the EU.
- European Parliament Learning Activities -Interactive virtual tours, educational games, and role-play activities for students aged 6 and up, including the opportunity to experience the Parliament in 360° and role-play as an MEP. Produced by the European Parliament.
Middle and High School (6-12)
- Facing History & Ourselves: Democracy and Current Events – A toolkit of lessons and strategies for helping students make sense of issues in the news related to democracy, including discussions of democratic and anti-democratic movements, civic participation, and the role of social media in political life. While US-centered, the frameworks translate directly to European contexts and work well paired with the FRONTLINE documentary and Carnegie materials from the Democracy section above.
- Facing History & Ourselves: Assessing the Strength of Democracy – A structured lesson on evaluating the health of democracy using frameworks from political scientists, adaptable to comparative Europe-US contexts. Grades 6-12.
- Euro Challenge – A national competition for US high school students in which teams research economic challenges facing the Eurozone and present policy recommendations. An engaging way to make EU economics and governance tangible for 9th-12th graders.
European School Education Platform: Learning Activities to Teach EU Values – A curated collection of classroom activities supporting teachers to integrate EU values into practice, including a six-lesson project for ages 16-17 exploring European integration through the lens of shared values, with student diaries, peer assessment, and civic engagement components.
Post-Secondary and Advanced High School (AP, IB, College)
- EuropeNow Campus - Syllabi, reading lists, and pedagogical reflections from university educators across the US and Europe, ideal for AP and IB teachers designing units on contemporary European politics, society, or history.
- Model EU Union (Indiana University) -IU's Midwest Model EU simulation gives students the experience of negotiating as EU member states. A rich capstone activity for high school or college courses on EU politics and decision-making.
EU Policy Forum Educator Workshops Resources- The University of Washington's annual K-14 educator workshop on EU topics produces publicly available curriculum resource guides and podcast recordings each year. The 2024 edition focused specifically on enlargement, the far right, and the Russian threat — directly relevant to this tour's themes.
Funding provided by the International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office of the U.S. Department of Education.