A surging wave: top fives of our most popular articles and podcast episodes (so far!)
To kick off the new academic year, we round up the top 10 most popular European Waves articles and Common Room episodes so far.
With summer over, European Waves is getting back into full swing, with many new articles and podcast episodes soon to come. In case you’d like to catch up on anything you might’ve missed, we’re rounding up the top 5 most popular articles and top 5 most popular episodes of The Common Room episodes (so far)!
The Common Room
At the time of publishing, there have been 18 episodes of The Common Room podcast (plus one blooper reel)! Though most listeners are based in Europe (we are European Waves, after all), our full audience hails from 41 countries—including 19 countries outside of Europe such as India, the Dominican Republic, and Canada. The Common Room has provided a forum for guests and hosts, including EPS students, academic experts, and student radio programs from other universities, to delve deeply into a wide range of issues around the world. Here are the currently most listened to episodes:
5. European Travel: Coach is the New First Class
Starting off our top 5 is this episode from April in which Olga Rybak, Ruben Sansom, Carl Schüppel, Wander Waals and Catherine Wood discuss how students can travel sustainably by using trains or buses. Even though many of us want to, doing so is often seen as cost-prohibitive. The guests in this episode talk about these challenges, what the European Commission is (and should be) doing about it, and give listeners practical advice for making their Erasmus travel sustainable—both for the environment and for their wallets.
4. European Fossé Culture: Depression and Elevation
Number four on our list is this episode from 1 April (if you’ve already listened to it, you’ll know why that date is relevant). Greta Scott and Friso van der Vijgh dig deep into this oft-overlooked topic. If you haven’t heard it yet and don’t know a fossé from a buse, give it a listen—you, too, will surely fall head over heels into fossé culture.
3. Sexism in Europe: Between Reality and Utopia
In this early episode from November, hosts Beatrice Giovannoni, Aria Guevara, and Greta Scott discuss sexism in Europe. They talk about whether, and to what extent, institutional sexism still exists in Europe and what the EU is doing about it. How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect gender equality in Europe? Is Sweden really a ‘feminist utopia?’ Give this popular episode a listen if you’d like to find out.
2. We’re Here, We’re Queer
The second-most popular Common Room episode on our list is this June installment on the issues facing the LGBTQ+ community in Poland. From recent hostile policies and rhetoric targeting the LGBTQ+ community to the long history of the Catholic Church in shaping attitudes and politics, this is a topic that deserves attention. Bianca Cunha, Roeland Endtz, Beatrice Giovannoni, Alexander Pachkov and Gijs Verhoeff tackle these issues and more in this can’t-miss episode.
1. Migration Waves and the Czech Republic
Finally, the most-listened to episode of The Common Room so far is also the first! Back in November, Aria Guevara, Daria Khannolainen, Greta Scott, Friso van der Vijgh and Jonah Zijlma premiered the podcast with an excellent discussion about migration in EPS’ home base, the Czech Republic. In particular, their analysis of the near-consensus amongst Czech political parties to reduce migration, and how this plays out in the media and at the EU level makes this episode worth a listen.
European Waves
European Waves celebrated its first anniversary back in May, and its founders graduated from EPS this summer. As we look ahead to the future of European Waves, welcoming new students to help carry on their work, we also look back at some of the most popular articles that have been published.
The fifth-most popular European Waves article is our review of the 2022 Barcelona Research Seminar. In it, Julian Theseira, Paulina Frank and Covadonga Solares share their thoughts on the Seminar, where first- and second-year EPS students present their thesis topics for peer and instructor review. Last year’s seminar took place in a hybrid format, so our writers give their different perspectives on the seminar’s many academic and social aspects.
Number four on our list is Sandra Colín’s October 2021 article on the state of women, peace and security in the EU. Colín outlines the current state of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda’s implementation in the EU, from National Action Plans in some Member States to the two EU Gender Action Plans. She also evaluates whether the EU as a whole is a leader in the WPS agenda—critically assessing the status of women in EU institutions and in the crafting of Common Security & Defense Policy. Finally, Colín addresses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the WPS agenda in the EU. For anyone interested in WPS issues or gender mainstreaming, this article is a must-read.
In this February 2022 collaboration with Eyes on Europe, Tommaso Rucci discusses the EU’s goals of carbon neutrality by 2050, and the massive infrastructure necessary to achieve this: the so-called ‘European Super Grid.’ Rucci explains the relationship between the Super Grid and the European Green Deal, as well as its geopolitical implications. Since the article’s publishing, these geopolitical implications have only been magnified after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—making European energy independence—and the idea of a ‘Super Grid’—all the more relevant and urgent.
Last August, EPS students Esther Eumann, Ruben Sansom, Maryse Boonstra, Olha Kotielnikova, Mauricio Mandujano and Anastasia Pinchuk gave us a look into how they spent their summers. From European integration to research methods, and both online and offline, each student made productive use of their EPS summers. This article is number two on our list, and for good reason—for any EPS students wondering what to do during their summer, the Summer School Review provides practical advice, details, and personal experience that will surely help you in your quest for summer schools’ best.
Finally, the most popular European Waves article so far is Manon Heerts’ May 2022 piece on period poverty. In honor of World Menstruation Day, Heerts tackles the often taboo, yet entirely natural topic of periods. She discusses the surprising figures on period poverty in Europe, why menstrual health management should be seen as a human rights issue, and the unfortunate social stigma that still surrounds menstruation. Finally, she proposes how to change the narrative surrounding periods. If you found the article as interesting as our other readers, Heerts also shares a number of helpful links and resources so you can learn even more about this important topic.
Conclusion
Above, we’ve shared with you our most popular podcast episodes and articles as of right now. If you missed out on any of these, we hope this little exposé will pique your interest and help you to get caught up! And of course, these articles and episodes are just the tip of the iceberg—there are many more to read and listen to, so we hope that you’ll check out The Common Room and our homepage to stay updated on what EPS students are learning about, interested in, and doing as part of their studies!
