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Dutch Debates – Topical Questions in Dutch Society, Culture I

Vak
2019-2020

Admission requirements

This course is part of the BA-curriculum Dutch Studies. 40 places are available for other (non-Dutch Studies) students.

An open mind and the willingness to get to know the Netherlands and other cultures, is a prerequisite for this course. Although with a large group, this seminar is an interactive one. It is expected from participants that they prepare for the classes and contribute to the discussions, either outside, or during class hours.

Description

The Dutch have created their own country, but how will the changing climate effect this low lying land? Who are the Dutch and what problems does society face when its population changes, in age, in ‘color’ or in religion? Do these changes effect feelings of national identity (if we can decide what that is)? How do the Dutch react to those changes, and does the Dutch reaction differ from other countries’ reactions? These are questions that we will explore in this course.
Five Topical debates will be discussed, each in two sessions: a lecture and a discussion seminar. In preparation for each lecture, students study several chapters from the handbook Discovering the Dutch (check reading list below), and take online quizzes with multiple choice and short open questions (check assessment methods below). In the lectures, subjects will be deepened, broadened, and illustrated.
In the accompanying discussion seminars, we will examine the subject from different angles. Each subject will be studied both from the Dutch perspective and in an international context. For these seminars, students will collaborate in groups and with varied assignment. One of these assignments will serve as a graded midterm assignment.
In class, students report orally on their work in small groups, in which all the different perspectives will be heard. After the discussions, some groups will present their outcomes to the whole class. As participation of all students is essential for this part of this course, active participation is required.
The two final sessions are for reflection, and for preparation for the final paper. In the final paper, students relate what they have seen of the Netherlands with what they have discussed with Dutch people and with what they have read during the course. In the last session, students will pitch their paper, have the opportunity to discuss what they struggle with, and get feedback from their peers.

Sessions
13 Sept. |Introduction
20 & 27 Sept. |A Low Country and a Changing Climate
4 Oct. |Leidens Relief – No Class
11 & 18 Oct. |A Welfare State and an Ageing Population
25 Oct. |Midterm Break
1 & 8 Nov. |Religion in a Secularized Country
15 & 22 Nov. |Politics, Populism and Immigration
29 Nov. & 6 Dec. |National Identity and Traditions in a Uniting Europe
13 Dec. |15-Minute Paper and Pitch your Paper

Course objectives

During this course, students:

  • will learn the backgrounds of several topical subjects in the Netherlands

  • will read, summarize and recapitulate academic texts and place them in the debate

  • will meet with people and places in the Netherlands and experience the subjects firsthand

  • will develop their intercultural communication skills by presenting and discussing with other international students

  • will work in international groups

Timetable

The timetable is available on the BA-Dutch Studies website

Mode of instruction

  • Lecture

  • Seminar

Course Load

Total course load 5 EC x 28 hours= 140 hours

  • Weekly meetings: 24

  • Study Discovering the Dutch including quizzes: 30

  • The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen: 6

  • Preparation seminars: 40

  • Field Trip, pitch and papers: 40

Assessment method

Assessment and Weighing

  • 10% - Online quizzes with multiple choice and short answer questions (must be completed before the accompanying lecture – graded only with 0-5-10)

  • 30% - Midterm assignment: summarize and recapitulate a scholarly text

  • 60% - Final field trip, pitch and paper

  • 15-minute paper in week 13: reflection on learning in an international group (must be completed)

  • Attendance and active participation in the seminars is mandatory; absence or insufficient participation will have to be compensated with a written assignment.

The final mark for this course is established by determining the weighted average.

Resit

Students who fail the course, will get the opportunity to revise their final paper.

Test Review and feedback

If necessary, quizzes will be discussed in the lectures; comments on papers will be available on line.
Unsatisfactory final papers will be discussed with the student.

Blackboard

Blackboard will be used for:

  • Program information

  • Additional class materials

Reading list

  • Emmeline Besamusca & Jaap Verheul [eds.], Discovering the Dutch. On Culture and Society of the Netherlands Revised and Enlarged Edition. Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam, 2014. From this book: Introduction and chapters 1 – 2 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 9 – 10 – 12 – 19 – 21 – 23 – 24 (160 pgs).

  • 80 pages from: Hendrik Groen, The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old. (This novel is available in many languages).

  • Leo Lucassen en Jan Lucassen (2015), The Strange Death of Dutch Tolerance: The Timing and Nature of the Pessimist Turn in the Dutch Migration Debate. The Journal of Modern History 87 (March 2015): 72– 101. (for the midterm assignment; available online)

  • For the seminars: some additional materials (max. 50 pages in total) and assignments. These will be announced on Blackboard.

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on the website

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Registration Studeren à la carte
Registration Contractonderwijs

Contact

For questions about the course, please contact the lecturer L. Winkelmolen.
For administrative matters or if you have questions about the registration in uSis, please, contact the administration office.
For other questions you can send an e-mail to the study adviser.

Remarks

Not applicable