Admission requirements
This course is available for students of the Honours College Humanities Lab.
Students in the first year of their bachelor’s programme who achieve good academic results and are very motivated, may apply for a place in Humanities Lab.
Description
Understandings of politics, ethics and religion today—at least in the West—often fixate upon rules. Global political challenges like conflict or environmental degradation are thought best resolved by strengthening international law, behaviour is deemed ethical when adhering to a framework of rights derived from the “moral law”, and religion is understood in terms of divine command. This course seeks to think about politics, ethics and religion differently—as inextricably bound up with the lives of exemplary figures.
One component of the course reflects upon the nature of exemplarity. To do so, it draws insights from several fields of study in the humanities—philosophy, political theory, religious studies, and literary studies. The other component of the course explores the writings and lives of exemplary religious figures in order to unpack how their visions and their lived practice disclose new ways of thinking and acting ethically and politically. The current iteration of the course focuses on religious exemplars of nonviolence, including figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Etty Hillesum and Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
Course objectives
Gain an understanding of the nature of exemplarity and its implications for thinking about politics, ethics and religion
Expand knowledge of the writings and lives of particular religious exemplars
Develop critical thinking skills through application of insights drawn from across the humanities to the study of the ethics and politics of religious exemplars
Learn to synthesize and prioritize large amounts of information
Cultivate the ability to distil complex arguments
Improve writing skills through assignments
Improve public speaking skills through engagement with peers in class discussion
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Humanities Lab courses are usually scheduled on Friday afternoon from 13.30 to 17h.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
20% Participation
40% Two Response Papers (750wds each)
40% Research Paper (3000wds)
Weighing
To complete the final mark, please take notice of the following:
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Attendance
Attendance is compulsory for all meetings (lectures, seminars, excursions, etc.). If you are unable to attend, notify the lecturer (listed in the information bar on the right) in advance. Being absent may result in lower grades or exclusion from the course.
Resit
Students who have been active participants in class and submitted the research paper on time, but scored an overall insufficient mark, are entitled to a resit. For the resit, students are given a chance to hand in a new version of the research paper.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
The reading list will be available on Brightspace prior to the start of the course.
Registration
Students participating in this module will be enrolled in MyStudymap by the Education Administration Office of Humanities Lab. Students can register for the Humanities Lab modules about two to three weeks before the start of the module through an online form. On this form students indicate the modules in order of their preference. The coordinators assign students to a module based on their preference and bachelor’s programme, in order to create a diverse group of students and equal amount of students per module. Usually students get assigned to the module of their first or second choice. More information and the link to the form will be provided by Umail.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga
Remarks
This course is part of the Humanities Lab programme, visit the website for more information.
Visit the Honours Academy website for more information about the Honours College.