Admission requirements
This course is available for students of the Humanities Lab.
If you have received your propaedeutic diploma within one academic year, your academic results are good and you are a very motivated student, you may apply for a place in the Humanities Lab.
Description
What are the humanities? At Leiden University, the Faculty of Humanities consists of programs as diverse as history, linguistics, Japanese studies, philosophy, Arabic, and Film and Photographic studies. What these programs have in common is not immediately evident. A historical perspective, however, may help us understand why these fields are often grouped together and why they are called the humanities.
This course offers an introduction to the history of the humanities: a young but vibrant field committed to exploring connections, similarities, and differences between fields like philology, art history, theology, and Oriental studies. Given the rich history of Leiden University in these areas, the course will pay special attention to the humanities at Leiden in the 17th and 19th centuries.
In addition to reading recent literature on the history of the humanities, we will delve into published and unpublished source material from the 17th to the 20th centuries (all in English). We will encounter inaugural addresses, teaching reports, handwritten letters, and blatantly polemical texts. Also, if COVID-19-related restrictions allow for it, we will visit the Bibliotheca Thysiana at the Rapenburg and inspect a collection of clay tablets at The Netherlands Institute for the Near East.
Course objectives
The student has obtained knowledge of and insight into the history of the humanities.
The student is able to situate local case studies in larger historiographical debates.
The student is able to set up and carry out a small research project related to the theme of this course.
The student is able to present his/her ongoing research to fellow students.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Excursion
Assessment method
Assessment
Active participation (20%)
Oral presentation (20%)
Small research paper (60%)
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by (i) determination of the weighted average combined with (ii) the additional requirement that the paper is graded with at least a 6.
Attendance
Attendance is compulsory for all meetings (lectures, seminars, excursion). If you are unable to attend due to circumstances beyond your control, notify the lecturer and/ or the Humanities Lab coordinators in advance, providing a valid reason for your absence, and hand in your weekly assignment in writing to the lecturer (if applicable). Being absent without notification and valid reason may result in lower grades or exclusion from the course.
Resit
If the final grade is insufficient (lower than a 6), there is the possibility of a resit. Contact the course lecturer for more information.
Reading list
All literature will be made available in PDF or can be found online through Leiden University Libraries.
Registration
Students of the Humanities Lab will be registered in uSis by the administration of the Humanities Lab. Students register for the Humanities Lab modules through an online form, more information will be provided by Umail.
General information about uSis is available on the website.
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.