Influence and Me year 2 (Bachelor year 2)

Description

We all deal with expectations of ourselves and others. There is a strong tendency to aim for perfection. Who do we blame when life does not seem perfect? Many of us believe that the pursuit of happiness is an individual responsibility. But what is happiness? What does perfect look like to you?

This course in year 2 is followed up by the course Influence and Me year 3. In these courses we are going to look at ourselves and the voices that surround us. You will reflect on what you want to be influenced by and how you want to influence yourself and the world around you.

In these courses we will focus on the interpersonal and intrapersonal through questions like:

• Who are you when nobody is watching?

• What story do you tell yourself about yourself? Is that story true?

• What are the consequences of your beliefs?

In the midst of the voices surrounding you, it can be difficult to hear your inner voice. How do you choose your direction?

The approach of the Influence and Me courses (year 2+3) is not diving into theory but experiential. You will research and bring together your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to feel more in charge of shaping your own path. A key element will be peer to peer interaction and collaborating with your fellow students. Together you will investigate, reflect, learn about yourselves, and document your findings. In a safe environment we will challenge our comfort zones. Individual and group coaching will support you in this process.

Course objectives

Through the Influence and Me courses (year 2+3), we strive to achieve that students are able to:

• identify the various sources of influence in their lives and understand the kind of impact they have (awareness that this impact varies from person to person);

• interactively learn, reflect, give feedback, and provide support to each other in a peer group;

• reflect on personal qualities, challenges, drives, beliefs, expectations, setbacks and set personal goals accordingly;

• gain understanding of how their insights can help them to live a more meaningful, empowered, and resilient life;

• design and present a TEDx talk connecting their personal findings to the world around them.

Course material

The course covers a variety of materials, which will be announced during the course.

Mode of instruction

The total study load of the courses Influence and Me in year 2 and year 3 together is 3 EC divided as follows:

• 1 EC (28 hours) in year 2

• 2 EC (56 hours) in year 3

So in total students are expected to invest approximately 84 hours of study for the Influence and Me courses:

• Actively participating during the sessions (in year 2: six; in year 3: TBA; participation is mandatory), (± 28 hours)

• Engaging meaningfully with the course material: (± 28 hours)
  o Individual assignments connected to the meetings
  o Group assignments connected to the meetings

• Preparing a TEDx talk and attending the final conference (year 3) (± 28 hours)

Assessment methods

The student passes the Influence and Me year 2 course upon the successful:

• completion of the preparatory assignments (individual and group assignments);

• completion of the reflective assignments (individual and group assignments);

• completion of the creative assignment at the end of year 2;

• active participation throughout the course.

Language

We will speak English during the meetings. The group assignments should be made in English. The individual assignments can be made in Dutch or English.

Skills

The skills covered in the Influence and Me courses (year 2+3) are predominantly interpersonal and intrapersonal. They are shown in bold in the table below:

Timetable

Students will be allocated to group A or B.

Admission requirements

Students of the Honours College FSW programme, Science, Society and Self, who are in their second year of their BA programme must take this course.

Registration

You do not need to register for this course. You will be enrolled by the Honours College FSW.

Contact information

If you have any questions, please contact the course coordinators: Simone Keijsers and Eva van der Meer (iam@fsw.leidenuniv.nl).