Prospectus

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Grande Finale: Capstone projects

Course
2016-2017

Admission requirements

You have received your propaedeutic diploma within one academic year and your academic results are good (indication: 7,3 average). Students who meet the criteria may apply for a place in the Humanities Lab.

Description

The Grand Finale, the culmination point of the Humanities Lab programme, consists of a set of capstone projects. Each capstone project is a multifaceted assignment at the end of the Humanities Lab learning pathway. Teams of students are asked to demonstrate how insights and methods from the Humanities can make a difference to topical issues in society or in the world of science at large. Each project is strongly interdisciplinary, in the sense that it requires students to apply skills, insight and methods from different domains of knowledge.

Teams of 5 students select a specific topic or problem (referred to as a domain), identify and contact stakeholders, conduct research on the subject, and create a final product demonstrating their learning acquisition and conclusions (typically a written report, but other media may be chosen as well). They present their findings at a closing conference with staff, stakeholders, and community members.

Throughout the project, teams have weekly meetings (typically on Friday afternoon). Teams are coached by one or more staff members.

Course objectives

  • Students learn to connect their academic training in specific disciplines to topical issues in society or in the world of science at large.

  • Students train their ability to think critically, and to bring a variety of methods and insights from different disciplines to bear on a specific problem.

  • Students train their skills at planning, team work, goal setting, research skills, written and oral communication.

Timetable

Courses of the Humanities Lab are scheduled on Friday afternoon from 13.00 to 17.00. For the exact timetable, please visit the following website

Mode of instruction

Supervised team research project

Course Load

  • 28 hours contact (6 meetings and student conference)

  • 40 hours reading literature

  • 40 hours (common) research, research log

  • 12 hours preparation team presentation

  • 20 hours individual essay
    140 hours in total = 5 ECTS

Assessment method

Individual essay (2500 words) 50%
Final presentation on student conference 30%
Research log 20%
The individual essay and research log is assessed by the team’s coach and a second examiner. The conference presentation is collectively evaluated by staff, stakeholders, and community members at the conference itself.
If the final grade is insufficient (lower than a 6), there is the possibility of retaking the written report. Contact the course lecturer for more information.

Blackboard

Not applicable

Reading list

Not applicable

Registration

Students of the Humanities Lab will be registered via uSis by the administration of the Humanities Lab.

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Not applicable

Contact

Humanities Lab:
Office: e-mail

Remarks

More information: website