Prospectus

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Honours College Tackling Global Challenges

Honours Education

Introduction

Current challenges require new thinkers and potential leading experts and public leaders to solve crises at global and local level. The Honours Track has the goal of educating students on how current problems play out among government, science and society and give them the skills to tackle some of these issues theoretically, based on academic literature, and practically, by doing an Honours Internship and an assignment for a real-life organization. The learning experience is thereby based on interactive activities, such as excursions, visits to the EU institutions in Brussels, (public) organizations in The Hague as well as simulation games.
Students are asked to go beyond the boundaries of their own field of study, look at themes, issues and trends in society that require a combination of scientific disciplines and analytical lenses. The program links analysis or existing patterns to a future outlook. While using their own ‘home’ discipline to understand old and new issues, students are also expected to understand and integrate the contributions from other disciplines. Students are further involved in shaping the program, in suggesting and preparing topics of analysis and discussion.

Learning objectives

  • Students who have successfully completed this programme are able to:
  1. Understand the relationships among government, science and society and how they affect public problem-solving capabilities.
  2. Apply theoretical knowledge to challenges in the real world.
  3. Demonstrate personal leadership capacities based on theoretical and practical insights.
  4. Combine knowledge from their own field of study with theories from the courses.
  5. Reflect on global challenges from various academic perspectives and arrive at possible solutions
  6. Use bilateral and multilateral negotiation skills.
  7. Understand and analyse the complexity of (wicked) problems from different scientific fields, including philosophy, psychology, archaeology and political science.
  8. Understand and use techniques and methods such as visualisation, stakeholder.
    analysis, integrative negotiation, framing and/or reframing and their relation to problems.
  9. Give policy advice to real-world policy makers on some of the problems they struggle with based on research and literature.

Content of Honours College Track

This honours programme offers a three-year 30 EC package for students entering the programme in the first BA year, and a two-year 30 EC package for those entering in the second BA year. A combination of didactic principles is used to reach the aims of the programme: lectures, workshops, case study sessions, simulations, field trips, guest speakers and assignments, personal and leadership development conversations, Honours internships and individual projects. All activities serve to connect theory and practice in order to tackle personal, local and global challenges. The Living Lab is used intensively for the interactive sessions ‘in house’.

For whom

The Honours Track is open to all students who meet the Honours College requirements. In addition to excellent performance in the BA we expect a strong motivation to deal with personal and global challenges. Moreover, we want you to finish what you start. You must be willing to develop your personality and personal leadership skills, as well as integrate yourself with our international student body. You must also be comfortable completing this track in English.
This track is especially interesting to those students who would like to explore the relationship between theory and practice, to acquire the tools to connect these and who like to work in a innovative and multidisciplinary setting that prides itself on accountability.

Admission

For admission criteria and deadlines see: Application & admission

Contact coordinator

Annette Righolt honours@fgga.leidenuniv.nl

First year

BA1 Tackling Personal Challenges

The first year of ‘Tackling Global Challenges’ (5 EC) is called ‘Tackling Personal Challenges’ because you will learn more about your personality and competences.

‘Crucial skills’ trains to become an effective 21st century skills professional. The course will make you more effective in decision making and productivity through an investigation of those values, assumptions and habits that will strengthen your empathic, ethical and expressive qualities. The course is interactive, because each theme will partly be covered by the teacher and by teaching groups existing of students (guided by the teacher).
In ‘Negotiations Lab’ you will acquire a new repertoire of negotiating skills in a variety of different conflict settings. You will develop a systematic and positive approach to negotiating with colleagues, bosses, clients, other stakeholders and external groups of all kinds, and in ways that equip you to deal also with all kinds of conditions and circumstances.

You need to do one Honours Internship or Individual Project in BA1, BA2 or BA3. You can do it already in the summer of your first Honours year.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2
Internship 5
Individual project 5
Negotiations LAB 5
Crucial Skills 5
Current Issues & Archaeology: Global Networks of the Silk Roads 5

Second year

BA2 Exploring Global Challenges

The second year (15 ECTS) offers different courses that will enhance your skills and/or enable you to look at today’s challenges with a new/different view.

The first semester you can choose between three courses. In ‘Negotiations Lab‘ you will acquire a new repertoire of negotiating skills in a variety of different conflict settings. You will develop a systematic and positive approach to negotiating with colleagues, bosses, clients, other stakeholders and external groups of all kinds, and in ways that equip you to deal also with all kinds of conditions and circumstances.
In ‘Governing Science, Society and expertise’ you will focus on the relationships between government, science and society and how they affect public problem-solving power. The goal is to get a sense of how politics, science and society are connected regarding today’s global challenges and what role expertise, money and power can play in these dynamics.
In ‘The Early Silk Routes: Archaeology & Global Networks’ you will gain knowledge about archaeological data from the earliest trade networks of the Silk Roads, and connect past and present by using informed historical knowledge to interpret and better understand current world connections. You will be able to exchange insights from your own study by essay writing and academic discussions in the multi-faculty group of students.

In the second semester you have two options. You can choose to learn about diplomacy and multilateral negotiations in ‘International Relations: on diplomacy and negotiation’. Participation in ‘The Hague Peace Conference Simulation’ will be a vital part of this course. The other option is ‘Attacking Global Problems at EU level’, where you learn more about the formal and informal EU by exploring how the EU is dealing with security and migration issues. In this course you will participate in a European Parliament simulation.

In the second year, you need to choose one of the numerous Honours classes offered by the Honours Academy or alternatively one of the classes of the Leiden University College (LUC).
In spring or summer you may go on a two-day working visit to Brussels.

You need to do one Honours Internship or Individual Project in BA1, BA2 or BA3. If you didn’t yet undertake it, you can plan it in this second year of Honours.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2
Internship 5
Individual project 5
Elective (Honours Class from Honours Academy Pool) 5

Semester 1 - choose 5EC
Governing Science, Society and Expertise 5
Negotiations LAB 5
The Early Silk Roads: Archaeology & Global Networks 5

Semester 2 - choose 5EC
Attacking Global Problems at EU level 5
International Relations: on diplomacy and negotiations (HC TGC) 5

Third year

BA3 Consulting on Global Challenges

In the third year (5-10 ECTS) you will be back in Honours in the second semester and build on your consultancy skills.

You can choose between three courses that all have in common that you combine theory with practice while doing an assignment for an external party. You can choose the ‘Wicked Problems Lab’, where you learn to approach wicked problems and advice the Dutch Investment Bank FMO on investment decisions to make. Another option is ‘Public Leadership Consultancy’ where you will learn about leadership and at the same time work for an external company on a leadership challenge. The third possibility is ‘Enhancing a rule of law in practical ways’, where you learn about access to justice as key tool of empowerment for all in society. The practical component of this course will engage you in crafting innovative solutions to (access to) justice based on comprehensive data collected by the Hague Institute for Innovation for Law (HiiL).

If you didn’t undertake your Honours Internship or Individual Project until now, you can plan it in this final year of Honours.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2
Internship 5
Individual project 5
Wicked Problems Lab: Working on sustainable development 5
Public Leadership Consulting 5
Enhancing a rule of law culture in practical ways 5

Honours Internship or Honours Individual Project

Ongoing in Year BA1, BA2, BA3 (5 EC): Honours Internship or Honours Individual Project

During all the years of your bachelor study you can choose an academic or personal choice of Honours internship. However, most students undertake the assignment in the winter break or during summer. Students can also choose to do an individual project by answering a research question of his or her own choice. The output can be a paper, a documentary, a workshop or an event. Students who entered TGC in the second BA year miss the 5 credits of the first year. Alternatively, they can follow an extra TGC course, an extra honours class or do more honours internships or an honours individual project. It is also possible to double the duration of the HC Internship.

See excel sheet for the different TGC programmes and the courses.

TGC Individual Track

Honours College: Tackling Global Challenges: Individual Track

Introduction

This track is for students who feel challenged to go the extra mile, but are in need of more individual space. The student need to come up with an overarching theme that guides the choice of courses. There are some restrictions to these freedom of choice. The student has to select one of the courses of the BA1 and BA3 year

Learning objectives

Students who have successfully completed this program are able to:

  1. Apply theoretical knowledge to challenges in the real world.
  2. Combine knowledge from their own field of study with theories from the courses
  3. Reflect on global challenges from various academic perspectives and arrive at possible solutions
  4. Understand and analyze the complexity of (wicked) problems from different scientific fields, including philosophy, psychology, archaeology and political science
  5. Give policy advice to real-world policy makers on some of the problems they struggle with based on research and literature.

Content of Honours College track

This honours programme offers a three year 30 EC package for students entering the programme in the first BA year, and a two year 30 EC package for those entering in the second BA year. A combination of didactical principles is used to reach the aims of the programme: lectures, workshops, case study sessions, simulations, field trips, guest speakers and assignments, personal and leadership development conversations, Honours Internships and Individual Projects. All activities serve to connect theory and practice in order to tackle personal, local and global challenges. The Living Lab is used intensively for the interactive sessions ‘in house’.

For whom

This TGC Individual Honours track is open to all students who meet the Honours College requirements. In addition to excellent performance in the BA we expect a strong motivation to partly design your own Individual track. Moreover we want you to finish what you start. You are willing to develop your personality as well as to connect with our international group of students. You feel comfortable doing this track in English.
This track is especially interesting to those students who would like to explore the relation between theory and practice, to acquire the tools to connect these and who like to work in a self-responsible, innovative and multidisciplinary setting.

Tracks

To understand more of the Individual track you need to understand the regular learning line of Tackling Global Challenges.

The regular programme consists of four building blocks:

a. BA1 tackle your personal challenges (5 EC);
b. BA2 explore global challenges (10 EC) and follow one HA Honours Class (5 EC);
c. BA3 advising in a real-life assignment about a global challenge (5 EC).
d. BA1-BA3 learning by doing in an Honours Internship or Individual Project (5 EC)

The individual track gives you the freedom to spend 15 EC on courses of your own choice.

If you start TGC in BA1, you will have to spend 15 EC in the regular programme: 5 EC in BA1 on personal challenges; 5 EC in BA3 by doing a real-life assignment based on a theory; 5 EC Honours elective.

If you enter TGC in BA2, you will have to spend 10 EC in the regular programme: 5 EC in BA3 by doing a real-life assignment based on a theory; 5 EC Honours elective.

You may add extra Honours Classes, Honours Internships and Honours Individual Projects to your Honours curriculum.

Admission

For admission criteria and deadlines see: https://www.student.universiteitleiden.nl/en/study--studying/honours-education/honours-college/application/

Contact coordinator

Annette Righolt: a.j.e.righolt@fgga.leidenuniv.nl