Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies programme.
Limited places are also open for exchange students.
Please note: this course takes place in The Hague. Traveling between University buildings from Leiden to The Hague may take about 45 minutes.
Description
International Studies offers a new academic approach to understand the world’s complexities and challenges of today. This approach is multidisciplinary, humanities-based, local as well as global oriented, and takes the present as its starting point.
We will see that the world has changed dramatically from less than a century ago: new ideals are pursued (equality, autonomy, human rights), there are new developments in world population (increase in demographics, health, education, prosperity), governments are facing new demands from their population (democracy, transparency), we hold new views of ourselves (gender, equality), and there is an unprecedented strain on earth’s resources (food production, oil and gas, water, essential minerals). The various approaches of International Studies will provide us with the means to come to a more comprehensive understanding of these large global issues.
Central in these issues is humankind itself: the world’s complexities and challenges are not discussed as abstractions, but as issues that are either created by people or that people need to deal with. An important aspect of this course therefore is to make the student realize that national and personal positions, perspectives, and preconceived notions about ‘other peoples’ and ‘other cultures’ play an important role when reflecting on international issues.
The course is divided into thematic issues like international justice, religionization, migration, sustainable development, armed conflicts, resources. Each of these issues will be addressed through the mentioned approaches. We will see, for instance, that not only national interests are driving motivators in the international domain, but also ideas and identities; that imagery and social media has an enormous impact on international politics; that foreign and domestic policy are not separate realms but very intertwined; that old politics of power and prestige are in competition with new politics of peace and prosperity.
Course objectives
The student will learn the specific approaches used in International Studies (i.e., multidisciplinary, humanities-based, local as well as global oriented)
The student will get acquainted with current issues in the international domain
The student will be introduced to the academic discussions and theories regarding current issues in the international domain
The students will become familiar with a variety of sources that are relevant to current issues in the international domain
The student will acquire the basics for knowledge and skills that will be relevant for work in the international domain
The student will develop familiarity with some of the major theoretical and methodological challenges involved in studying “other peoples” and “other cultures” in a global context.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Lectures
Lectures are held every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week.
Required readings
The required readings are to introduce the student to the various forms of knowledge available to academic study. These readings will not be discussed in the lectures but must be studied independently by the student. This is done best after the lectures.
Tutorials
Tutorials are held once every two weeks, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform your Tutorial-lecturer in advance. Being absent at more than two of the tutorial sessions will result in a lowering of your tutorial grade (30% of the end grade) with 1 point for each session missed after the first two sessions. Please note that being absent at any tutorial session may have a negative impact on the grade of the assignment due for that particular tutorial session. This is at the discretion of the Tutorial-lecturer.
Assessment method
Assessment
During the semester, the student’s knowledge and insight will be assessed in three different ways:
Final Report (800 words): on the basis of the various concepts and theories mentioned in the lectures, and the different source materials that will be studied in the Tutorials, the student is to write a Final Report about a topic that will be assigned during the course.
Tutorial Assignments: during 6 meeting, the student will make Assignments about different source materials and various concepts and theories. Some of these Assignments are meant to assist the student in the writing of their Final Report.
Multiple Choice questions: every week, for the period of 12 weeks, the student will make an online Multiple Choice Test about that week's lecture and readings. The test must be made within the time frame of 30 minutes, but the student chooses the moment in the week to take that test. The average of the ten best test results will be the grade for the MC tests. If a MC test is missed – regardless of the reason, however justifiable or force majeur – the result is '0'.
Extensions are not possible for any of these assessments, regardless of the reason for the requested extension.”
Weighing
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Final Report | 50% |
| Tutorial assignments | 30% |
| MC tests | 20% |
End Grade
To successfully complete the course, please take note of the following:
The end grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of Final Report grade, Tutorial Assignments grade and MC tests grade.
The Final Report grade needs to be 5.5 or higher.
This means that failing Exam grades cannot be compensated with a high Tutorial grade.
Resit
Resit is only possible for the Final Report: no Resit is possible for the Tutorial assignments and MC Tests.
Resit is only possible in two instances: if the total average grade is insufficient (lower than a 6.0), or the Final Report is lower than 5.5.
Please note that if the Resit Exam grade does not bring the final average grade into more than 5.5, you will not pass the course, regardless of the tutorial grade.
Retaking a passing grade
Please consult the Course and Examination Regulations 2024 – 2025.
Exam review 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 organised.
Reading list
The reading list will be made available on Brightspace.
Registration
- Enrolment through My Studymap is mandatory.
The programme’s administration office will register all first year students for the first semester courses in uSis, the registration system of Leiden University.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Registration Exchange
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Student Affairs Office for BA International Studies
Remarks
All other information.