Year 1
Studying International Relations and Organisations is a full-time job; it will take you 40 hours a week on average. Attending lectures, tutorials, and work group sessions will take about 16 hours; these are the contact hours. The rest of the time you will study independently or with your fellow students preparing for the lectures and work group sessions, writing assignments and essays, and reading.
During the first year of the programme, you acquaint yourself with the basics of the political science discipline and international politics. Furthermore, you will study related subjects, such as economics and history. An important part of the programme is reserved for skills courses, where you practice text analysis, debating, and academic writing.
You attend lectures with all IRO students from the same year. The work groups consist of about 24 students, and during the work group sessions you actively work with your fellow students on deepening and processing the knowledge you have gained from the lectures and your reading.
Structure
The academic year runs from early September to July and consists of two semesters, each divided into two blocks. A block covers 8 weeks, with 7 weeks of teaching and one exam week. At the university, we use the European Credits Transfer System (ECTS) to represent the workload of courses. Each year of the three-year programme consists of 60 EC. One EC stands for 28 hours of studying.
Introduction meeting 2019-2020
On Thursday 29 August 2019 there will be a general Introduction Day for all IRO-students. You will receive an invitation by mail after your application has been confirmed.
Blackboard
Blackboard is a digital learning environment with course descriptions, readings lists and announcements from your teachers. It is important to enroll yourself on Blackboard before the start of each course!
Students enroll themselves for all courses on Blackboard. Click this link for instructions.
Registration for courses, work groups and exams
Courses and Work groups
Both first year students and recidivists will be registered for all courses and work groups in semester 1 by the Student Services Centre (SSC),
On Friday 30 August 2019 you can see in uSis for which work group(s) you have been registered. Changing of work groups is not possible.
As of semester 2 students can register themselves via uSis, according to this scheme:
Block 3: Monday 2 December 2019, 10.00h - Sunday 26 January 2020, 23.59h
Block 4: Monday 2 December 2019, 10.00h - Sunday 22 March 2020, 23.59h
Exams
See here the exam regulations of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Year 3
Program Year 3 International Relations and Organisations
Components:
1. Elective Credits (30 ECts)
2. Bachelor Seminar (10 ECts)
3. Bachelor Project & Thesis (20 ECts)
For information on prerequisites please consult the Course- and Examination Regulations
1. Elective credits
The elective credits in Year 3 (30 EC in total), can be covered with a period of study abroad, a minor, a combination of elective courses or a research internship in combination with electives.
a. Study Abroad/Exchange
Permission for a period of study abroad will only be granted if the student has passed the first year, and the period of study abroad fits in with the curriculum of the study programme and will not cause any delay in study progress. Another requirement for a period of study abroad is that the average grade must be a 7.0 or higher. More information can be obtained from the exchange coordinator, Ms Ariane Berends (studyadvisors.iro@fsw.leidenuniv.nl). For more information about studying abroad, please see the Political Science website.
b. Minor
Leiden university offers a wide range of deepening and broadening minors. The admission requirement for a minor is completion of the propedeutic phase. Students can also pursue a minor at another Dutch university. The minor ‘Politics: Conflict and Consensus’, offered by the Institute of Political Science, cannot be taken by Political Science students.
c. Elective courses
Criteria for elective courses
The elective course:
1. Is a component of a Higher Education bachelor’s programme / minor, or is included in the list of elective courses in the Prospectus, or is a course that you take in the context of studying at a university abroad;
2. Includes literature study;
3. Is concluded with a written assignment or examination;
4. Does not overlap too much in terms of content with courses from the compulsory Political Science curriculum (i.e., its theme may be close to the area of Political Science, but it must not cover the same material as the Political Science courses).
After receiving approval, you must personally enrol for the course via uSis or, if this is not successful, by sending an email to the Student Services Centre (SSC) ssc.pol@leiden.edu
Procedure relating to elective courses
When you have chosen the courses that you want to use for your elective credits in year 3, you can submit them to the Board of Examiners using a request letter (verzoekschrift) in uSis.
Procedure for Elective courses in uSis:
The procedure for submitting request letters via uSis is as follows:
1. In uSis, in the ‘elective credits’ (keuzeruimte) part, select ‘submit request letter’ (verzoekschrift indienen). You can choose from several request letters:
‘Replacement’ (Vervanging) request letter. This is the request letter to submit for courses that you take as elective courses and are not taking or have not taken in the context of another study programme (such as a second study programme, or a previous study programme).
‘Exemption’ (Vrijstelling) request letter. This is the request letter to use if you have taken courses in the context of another study programme and you want to use those courses for your elective credits in Political Science / IRO.
- The request letters submitted are administrated by the Student Services Centre (SSC) and forwarded to the Board of Examiners.
- The Board of Examiners either approves or rejects your request letter. You will be informed about this via uSis.
You can submit a request letter before taking a course, or you can also submit one afterwards (i.e., after taking and completing that course). Please note, however: in the latter case, it is possible that your request letter may be rejected and you are not permitted to include the course in your elective credits; it is therefore more sensible to request approval before taking an elective course.
d. Research internship (15 EC)
This should preferably be scheduled for the first semester of Year 3. Permission for an internship will only be granted if the internship is research based, if the student has passed the propedeutic phase and has obtained at least 40 EC of the second year, including the Research Methods in Political Science course, if the internship fits in with the curriculum of the study programme and will not cause any delay in study progress. The length of the internship must be at least ten weeks, with full-time working hours. An internship will normally be for 12 weeks or three months, including the writing of an internship process report and internship research report. The student must take the initiative to find an internship position.
Internship supervision:
During the internship, students are supervised by a member of teaching staff from the Institute and a staff member of the internship-providing organisation. To ensure that the internship runs smoothly, the agreements between the parties concerned – the internship provider, the University and the intern – must be set out by the student in an internship proposal in advance of the internship. The forms for this can be obtained from the study adviser. Credits will only be awarded for internship positions that are notified and approved in advance.
Internship research and report:
Every internship must be concluded with a short internship process report (consisting of 2 to 5 A4 pages) and a substantial internship research report (at least 15 A4 pages). On the basis of these reports, the internship will be assessed by the teaching staff member / supervisor of the Institute, after obtaining the advice of the staff member of the organisation providing the internship. The internship obligations will have been fulfilled when the internship process report and the internship research report have received a pass grade. For more information, please contact the study advisers:studyadvisers.iro@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Students whose last name begins with A – G should contact Ms Ariane Berends
Students whose last name begins with H - O should contact Ms Iggy Levy
Students whose last name begins with P - Z should contact Ms Ester Blom
2. Bachelor Seminar
The admission requirement for the Bachelor Seminar is completion of the propedeutic phase and possible additional requirements (see course description in Prospectus).
You can find more information about this element of Year 3 on BlackBoard page BSc Political Science Year 3 (IY3ES-POL-0000FSW)
Enrollment Bachelor Seminar:
Enrollment in uSis is possible according the following scheme:
Block I: Monday 8 July 2019, 10.00h - Sunday 25 August 2019, 23.59h
Block II: Monday 8 July 2019, 10.00h - Sunday 20 October 2019, 23.59h
Block III: Monday 2 December 2019, 10.00h - Sunday 26 January 2020, 23.59h
Block IV: Monday 2 December 2019, 10.00h - Sunday 22 March 2020, 23.59h.
Enrollment is on a first come first serve base; be sure to enroll in time! If fewer than 8 students enroll for a seminar, the Institute may decide to move or cancel the seminar.
3. Bachelor Project
The Admission requirement for the Bachelor Project is completion of the propedeutic phase + 40 EC of IRO year 2, including the course Research Methods in Political Science and Academic Skills –Research Design + possible additional requirements (see course description in Prospectus)
You can find more information about this element of Year 3 on BlackBoard page BSc Political Science Year 3 (IY3ES-POL-0000FSW)
Bachelor Project Information Meetings The Hague:
Semester I: Tuesday 14 May 2019, from 15.00-17.00 in room Wijnhaven 2.01.
Semester II: Wednesday 27 November 2019, from 13:00-15:00 in Schouwburgstraat, room A006.
Enrollment Bachelor Project:
Enrollment in uSis is possible according the following scheme:
Block I & II: Monday 15 July 2019, 10:00 - Sunday 21 July 2019, 23:59h
Block II & III: Monday 15 July 2019, 10:00 - Sunday 21 July 2019, 23:59h
Block III & IV:
09-12-2019 t/m 15-12-2019 Provide ranking of the Projects in order of preference via online form
13-01-2020 t/m 17-01-2020 Announcement of Project placement
Per 03-02-2020 Start of Bachelor Project
