Admission requirements
None.
Description
Academic Writing is a group of courses that will teach you, step by step, how to write excellent essays and conduct relevant research at university. The Academic Writing courses not only differ in terms of their subject but also the periods they cover, which range from the early modern period to the contemporary era. They offer an introduction to particular academic disciplines, including history, literary studies, cultural studies, international relations, and (international) law.
Every Academic Writing course consists of two blocks and a total of fourteen highly interactive seminars. In the first block, the writing part of the course will cover the stages and skills involved in the composition of an academic argument, including close reading, effective note-taking, developing a thesis, articulating mini-claims, organizing ideas with clarity, and supporting arguments with evidence. The course will also include a discussion on generative AI, as well as plagiarism and, of course, how to avoid it. Above all, you will learn through experience that writing is thinking; the two cannot be separated. As academics, we write in order to discover what we think and want to argue, and then we rewrite in order to explain better what we think.
The focus of the second block of the course will be on research and this part of the course will take you through every step of the research essay, from how to prepare and write a research proposal to adding the final touches to your paper. Throughout the block, you will work in a research group and learn how to collaborate in a number of important academic activities. You will also learn how to examine and evaluate your peers’ texts and to provide constructive feedback.
Please make sure you read the descriptions of the different courses below carefully before choosing which course you want to take as it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to move to another course after you have registered. Also note that course placement is subject to availability and course schedules.
Section A: To be confirmed
Sections B + H: The State as an Actor in International Affairs (Bryan O’Donovan)
This course will examine the role states play in the conduct of international affairs. States have been the dominant actors in international politics ever since the Treaty of Westphalia, taking responsibility for waging war and making peace, conducting and regulating trade across borders, and exercising sovereignty over their respective societies. However, the 20th and 21st centuries have seen other actors enter the fray: regional and global organizations to which nation states have ceded varying degrees of sovereignty; non-governmental and civil society organizations who claim their own transnational constituencies; transnational corporations which wield vast economic influence, sometimes beyond the control of traditional state structures. Some bemoan these developments and question the effectiveness of such actors in addressing global issues which often require prompt and decisive action. Some, on the other hand, welcome this diffusion of power, claiming the old system is no longer best placed to deal with global challenges such as climate change, migration and international security. This course will consider a number of perspectives from the field of International Relations and how well they account for the traditional, current, and future role of states in international affairs.
Section C: The Concept of Genocide (Philomeen Dol)
In this particular section, we will focus on the concept of Genocide. The term Genocide was first coined during World War II by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jewish lawyer who became aware of atrocities committed against groups of people midway through the 20th century. Genocide was legally defined in the Genocide Convention, but it was not until the Rwanda Tribunals in the 1990s that suspects were prosecuted for the crime of Genocide. The delay between the first attempts at a definition of Genocide and its ultimate application in a Court suggests that Genocide is not a straightforward concept. During the course, we will consider various issues connected to Genocide, such as its historical development, its link(s) with crimes against humanity, the notion of cultural Genocide and the role of state policy in relation to Genocide.
Section D: The History of Uncertainty (Brianne Wesolowski)
While the history of uncertainty has ancient roots, this course will pick up the story with the so-called ‘age of uncertainty’ that emerged towards the end of the nineteenth century. It was then that the trust in the absolute values of Enlightenment-era rationality eroded to accommodate the possibilities of uncertainty and chance. Designed to bring order to an uncertain world, statistical ways of seeing and knowing took on new prominence, shifting not only the methodologies of scientific knowledge production but also in the ways that popular culture began to present the world through statistical infographics. With the age of uncertainty, Newtonian physics gave way to quantum mechanics, eventually intersecting with the violence of the World Wars and the creation of the atomic bomb. Ideas about bodies and medicine were reconfigured as the definition of health shed its reliance on the balance of humors to be instead rendered statistically, divided into categories of ‘normal’ and ‘pathological.’ Finally, the provocative aesthetics of avant-garde art, in which chance played a primary role, challenged more traditional forms of artistic representation. The age of uncertainty thus involved new ways of seeing and knowing that appeared in the sciences, the arts, medicine, society, and politics. The group will explore some of these historical entanglements from the perspective of the history of science and technology, that is, the history of knowledge production. The history of science and technology not only invites us to think historically but challenges us to think critically about the relationships between politics and knowledge production, between ‘expert’ and ‘lay’ communities, and between scientific and other kinds of knowledge production, such as that of art, aesthetics, and material culture.
Section E: Church, Mission and Colonialism: 1600-1940 (Alexander van der Meer)
In this section we will explore the colonial religious encounter. Ministers and missionaries founded churches, schools and congregations in the Americas, Africa and Asia in the wake of European trading companies and colonial states. Faith was an important aspect of daily colonial practice, which is all too often overlooked in existing literature. Local populations often had more contact with pastors, schoolmasters and missionaries than with colonial officials. We will investigate three key themes: (1) Religion as an Instrument of Empire: To what extent were the overseas churches and missionaries extensions of colonial power? We will examine how religious institutions contributed to empire-building, including the use of conversion to legitimize rule, extract labor, and foster moral communities of loyal subjects. At the same time, we will analyze moments of friction, where missionaries or religious leaders opposed colonial interests by for example advocating for the rights of locals. (2) Syncretism and Religious Transformation: We will study processes of religious syncretization—'mixing' of beliefs and practices as the result of intercultural and interfaith interaction. This allows us to approach mission history not only as a story of imposition, but also of adaptation, agency and interaction. (3) Reflexive Impact on the Metropole: Finally, we will turn to the metropolitan consequences of the colonial religious encounter. How did developments in the colonies shape religious thought, practices, and ideologies in Europe? How did colonial experiences influence emerging ideas about race, civilization, and Christianity in the imperial centers?
Section F: Dilemmas of Justice in the Aftermath of Mass Atrocities (Barrie Sander, course convener)
In recent decades, the field of international criminal law has experienced a degree of judicialisation that few thought imaginable. During this period, international criminal courts have not only become normalised but also prioritized as a response to episodes of mass atrocity. In this course, we will grapple with some of the justice dilemmas that have arisen in responding to mass atrocities within international criminal courts. Traversing tensions centred on the expressive limits of international criminal law and the political choices and constraints of international criminal courts, this course invites students to reflect on the contested meaning of justice in the aftermath of episodes of mass violence.
Section G: Food, Globalization and National Identity (Kasia Cwiertka)
Food is a universal, yet highly diverse, feature of the human condition. It is absolutely essential for our biological survival and the maintenance of health. It plays a critical role in our daily routines, and the ways through which individuals and societies define themselves. Production, processing and consumption of food are crucial components of every economy and a factor in environmental degradation. Regardless of which angle we choose to analyze food, its importance is undeniable. The opposite is true, however, when we consider the consciousness of this importance. The topic tends to be considered trivial and unworthy of scholarly attention. Until the 1980s, the humanities and social sciences remained largely uninterested in food-related phenomena. Today, in contrast, food studies are one of the fastest-growing interdisciplinary fields of research. This course will explore diverse possibilities that the focus on food can offer. From political economy and nation branding to social change, cultural expression and the psychology of eating disorders, food serves as tool in the understanding of the complexities of the past and present and the forces that have constructed our ever-globalizing world. Examples will be drawn from across the world, taking into consideration students interests.
Section I: The Ancient World Today (Walter Crist III)
Through this course, students will explore and learn some fundamentals about ancient cultures and how archaeologists study them. Ancient societies continue to be influential in today’s world. While historical processes that began in antiquity have affected the ways that we live in today’s society, the ways that we think about, depict, and utilize ancient societies and their remains affects the ways that we construct the present and the future. Outdated unilinear theories of cultural evolution still pervade contemporary thinking about long-term cultural processes, which clouds the ways that cultures are discussed. Importantly, the past has profound implications for the construction of identity in the present, but such identities do not always align with processes of identification in the ancient world, so we will explore this disconnect while recognizing the importance of finding connections to the past. Such identity constructions relating to the ancient world are both explicitly and covertly mobilized by political and social movements to legitimize their ideologies, ranging from highly power-related phenomena such as territorial claims, liberation movements, and white supremacy, to more colloquial themes including diet, fashion, entertainment, and conspiracy theories. Through this seminar, students have many avenues to explore the various ways that the past is constructed in scholarly, political, and popular sources to illuminate how they intersect to create narratives about the past. This ranges from exploring theoretically-focused sources that explicitly outline visions of past realities, to critiquing forms of media such as literature, film, and games that purport to depict these societies.
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, students can:
Skills
carry out an essay project, from the first idea to the final revision
formulate and structure an effective thesis and argumentation
properly style all different elements of an academic essay according to a basic style manual
collaborate with peers in terms of providing peer reviews of other students’ work and effectively processing the feedback on their own as well as working together on planning a project and doing the research for it
understand the risks of generative AI, explain exactly what plagiarism entails and how to avoid it through proper citation and referencing
conduct research at undergraduate level and have the skills to find, evaluate, analyze and process sources
Knowledge
- describe and explain basic principles of their chosen subject and some of its main concepts and debates.
Timetable
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2025-2026 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.
Mode of instruction
Every Academic Writing course is different and, depending on which one you take, may include different methods and activities. However, the structure and the teaching of the writing and research skills is exactly the same for all courses, including the general set-up of the writing assignments and their deadlines.
The backbone of the course is formed by the close reading, analysis, and discussion of texts, with one 2-hour session per week from Weeks 1 to 14. Throughout the course, you will write short assignments, all of which build up progressively towards the two graded essays. The first essay will centre around four sources set by your instructor, which you will discuss and reflect upon together in class. The second essay will be based on your individual research. On the basis of your research idea, you will be placed in a research group and will be expected to work very closely with your group members throughout the block. You will exchange ideas and sources, peer-review each other’s drafts, and support each other through the process.
In the first block, all students will have a short, individual tutorial with their instructor to receive and discuss individual feedback on their writing and in the second block, every research group will attend a group-tutorial to discuss the research proposals.
Attendance: Given that this is an intensive course in which you will be learning skills that are crucial to your career, as a student at LUC and afterwards, you should try not to miss any classes unless you have an exceptional and valid reason. If you have to be absent, please be aware that it is your responsibility to catch up with any missed classwork and submit your assignments on time or by the extended deadline agreed on in advance with your instructor.
Participation: You are expected to participate actively in class discussions, take notes, and respond to your peers’ writing. Throughout the course, you will be set tasks that help prepare you for the final essays of each Block. These so-called Building Blocks will be included in your participation grade.
Assessment Method
Participation (in-class participation and Building Blocks)
Percentage: 15%
Deadline: ongoing all weeks
Essay 1 (exam conditions)
Percentage: 40%
Timing: week 8 (Block 1)
Essay 2 (3,000 words including footnotes, excluding bibliography, 10% rule applies)
Percentage: 45%
Deadline: week 8 (Block 2)
Reading list
All readings will be listed in the course syllabus which will be distributed via Brightspace in advance of the opening class.
Registration
Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Dr. Barrie Sander, b.j.sander@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Please note that passing Academic Writing is a requirement for a positive BSA. If you do not pass the course, you can retake it in blocks 3 and 4. If you fail the course again, you will not be able to continue your studies at LUC in the second year. Please see the Student Handbook for more information on this.
Also note that the grade of Essay 2 (the final research essay) cannot be compensated by the other grades and that you need to receive at least a C- for this essay in order to pass the course. If your final paper receives a D+ or lower, your final grade for the course cannot be higher than a D+ and you will fail the course.
Please note:
In accordance with article 4.8 of the Course and Examination Regulations (OER), within 30 days after the publication of grades, the instructor will provide students the opportunity to inspect their exams/coursework.
There is a no re-sit policy at Leiden University College.