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Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges

Leiden University College The Hague (LUC) is the international Honours College of Leiden University and offers an innovative Liberal Arts & Sciences programme to highly talented and motivated students from all over the world. LUC teaching is intensive and small-scale, offered in a residential setting which also stimulates students to develop outside the classroom through a range of extracurricular activities.

LUC offers BA and BSc degrees in Liberal Arts & Sciences that focus on the global challenges of today: peace and justice, sustainability, prosperity, and diversity. In keeping with the liberal arts ethos, students have a high degree of freedom to construct their own programmes. However, each student will organise their diverse, interdisciplinary studies around a central theme or major: Human Diversity (BA); International Justice (BA); World Politics (BA); Earth, Energy, and Sustainability (BSc); Global Public Health (BSc); or Governance, Economics, and Development (BSc). The goal of the programme is encapsulated in the motto of LUC, “Building Knowledge for a Better World” and our graduates aspire to make a real difference in the world.

Programme

PROGRAMME @ LUC

Classes of 2017 and 2018
First-year programme (60 EC)
Major (80 EC)
Minor or Electives (30 EC)
Global Citizenship (10 EC)

Please note:

  • the standard course load is 15 EC per block.

  • students have the option to go abroad for a semester, provided they are in good academic standing; this semester abroad should ideally take place in the first semester of the third year and its courses typically count towards the 30 EC elective component .

Classes of 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016

Important Acronyms

For the classes of 2013-2017, every course has one or several “labels”; these tags indicate the Major, Minor, or other programme component(s) the course is part of. You will find the labels in the course descriptions. This is an overview of the different labels:

Majors:
GJ: Global Justice;
GPH: Global Public Health;
HI: Human Interaction;
ID: International Development;
PSc: Policy Science;
PA: Political Arts;
S: Sustainability;
WP: World Politics.

New majors:
EES: Earth, Energy, and Sustainability;
GED: Governance, Economics, and Development;
GPH: Global Public Health;
HD: Human Diversity;
IJ: International Justice;
WP: World Politics.

Minors:
Ec: Economics;
En: Entrepreneurship;
GWS: Gender & Women’s Studies;
J: Journalism;
RA: Rhetoric & Argumentation.

New minors:
BE: Business & Entrepreneurship;
GS: Gender Studies;
J: Journalism;
L: Languages;
Psy: Psychology.

Other:
GC: Global Citizenship.

Year 1

YEAR 1 @ LUC

Overview
Block 1: a) Global Challenges: Peace & Justice, b) Academic Writing, c) History of Philosophy, d) History of Science
Block 2: a) Global Challenges: Sustainability, b) Academic Writing, c) History of Philosophy, d) Elective
Block 3: a) Global Challenges: Prosperity, b) Statistics, c) Elective
Block 4: a) Global Challenges: Diversity, b) Mathematical Reasoning or Mathematical Modeling, c) Elective

The first-year programme comprises of nine compulsory courses (45 EC in total) that fall under the broad categories of Global Challenges, General Education, and Academic Skills:

The first-year programme also allows students to enroll in three 5 EC elective courses in blocks 2, 3, and 4 (15 EC in total). These courses represent an ideal opportunity for students to explore other facets of the academic programme not represented in the compulsory part the first-year programme. Grades received in optional courses in the first year will not count towards the graduating GPA (but will count towards the cumulative GPA), although the EC may be used towards fulfilling the 80 EC or 30 E requirement for a Major or Minor, respectively. As their first-year elective courses, students may select any of the 100-level courses below.

Contact hours, Year 1, 2015-2016
The overview of scheduled contact hours in the first year (propedeuse) of the BA/BSc Liberal Arts & Sciences: Global Challenges programme here.

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Compulsory Year 1 courses:

Global Challenges: Peace & Justice 5
History of Science 5
Academic Writing 5
History of Philosophy 5
Global Challenges: Sustainability 5
Global Challenges: Prosperity 5
Statistics 5
Global Challenges: Diversity 5
Mathematical Modeling 5
Mathematical Reasoning 5

Elective Year 1 courses

Not available to first-year students (no elective in Block 1)

Calculus 5
Comparative Criminal Justice Systems 5
Foundations of Common Pool Resource Management 5
Gender and Development 5
Introduction to Gender Studies 5
Introduction to Psychology 5
Physics 5

Available to first-year students

Introduction to Socio-Legal Studies 5
Introduction to Transnational Politics 5
Principles of Economics 5
Introduction to Social & Political Philosophy 5
Institutions of Governance and Development 5
Introduction to International Relations and Diplomacy 5
What is Culture? 5
Essentials of Journalism 5
Health Systems & Management 5
Sociolinguistics 5
Energy and Resource Management 5
Birth of the Modern World 5
Introduction to Comparative Politics 5
Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies 5
Public International Law 5
Sovereignty & Statehood 5
Environmental Science: Ecosystems and Biodiversity 5
Introduction to Epidemiology and Global Public Health 5
Chemistry 5
Health, Society and History 5
Media and Communication Theory 5
Social Determinants of Health 5
The World of Entrepreneurs 5
Earth System Science 5
Biology 5

TUTORIAL GUIDANCE @ LUC

Tutorial Guidance 0

Majors

MAJORS @ LUC

Classes of 2017 and 2018
For students who enrolled in the programme for the first time on or after 1 September 2014, the following Majors are offered in the second and third year:

Earth, Energy, and Sustainability (BSc)
Global Public Health (BSc)
Governance, Economics, and Development (BSc)
Human Diversity (BA)
International Justice (BA)
World Politics (BA)

Every Major consists of 80 EC worth of courses:

  • at least three 5 EC 100-level courses, one in each core track as specified per major;

  • two or three 5 EC methodology courses at 200-level, as specified per major;

  • at least 20 EC at 300-level in at least two tracks, as specified per major;

  • a 10 EC 400-level capstone;

  • an additional 20 or 25 EC in at least two tracks, as specified per major/

Classes of 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016
Students who enrolled in the programme for the first time before 1 September 2014 (Classes of 2013-2016), will be able to graduate in one of the following Majors:

Global Justice
Global Public Health
Human Interaction
International Development
Policy Science
Political Arts
Sustainability
World Politics

A few notes on these Majors:

  • The links above refer to the pages of the new Majors. Students will find the Global Justice courses on the page of International Justice, the Human Interaction courses on the Human Diversity page, and the Sustainability courses on the Earth, Energy, and Sustainability page.

  • The International Development and Policy Science Majors, together with the Minor in Economics, have merged into the Governance, Economics, and Development Major students will find the International Development and Policy Science courses on that page.

  • Political Arts does not return among the new Majors, but its courses have been incorporated in the Human Diversity Major; please refer to the outlines on that page to review the Political Arts courses. Note that the methodology courses of the Political Arts Major are Art & Power I and Art & Power II (previously Performance as Citizenship and Performance as Scholarship).

  • The titles of Global Public Health and World Politics Majors remain unchanged; students will find the courses of these Majors on their respective pages.
    Finally, for students who have enrolled in the programme for the first time before 1 September 2014 (Classes of 2013-2016), the Major requirements remain the same:

50 ECTS – nine 5 ECTS courses tagged with the Major, at least four at 300-level
10 ECTS – two methodology courses tagged with the Major
10 ECTS – two optional courses
10 ECTS – Capstone project

*Please note that the integrative course can be any 300-level course tagged with your Major. Please see your tutor for more information; s/he will also have the integrative course approval form.

Minors

MINORS & ELECTIVES @ LUC

Classes of 2017 and 2018
LUC offers its own pre-structured Minors, all consisting of a coherent 30 EC package of courses, including 10 EC in 300-level courses. Students may complete a Minor in one of the following four ways:

Instead of doing a Minor, it is also possible to take 30 EC of electives. This option requires a set of elective courses (30 EC) within the context of the individual study plan. Do note that a maximum of 15 EC of post-first-year 100-level courses may be used towards the 30 EC. The selection of courses should be in consultation with the student’s tutor. Any course of a Major or Minor can be taken as an elective. In addition, LUC will offer a small selection of pure electives; please find an overview here.

Classes of 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016
Students of these cohorts should note the following:

  • students may take any of the Minors listed above, provided they still have the opportunity to take the appropriate courses;

  • the name Gender and Women’s Studies has been replaced by the broader title “Gender Studies”: Gender Studies

  • the Rhetoric & Argumentation Minor has been discontinued per 2014-2015; however, its more popular courses have been included in the Languages Minor, allowing students to still complete their Minor in Rhetoric & Argumentation;
    the Economics Minor has been discontinued and its courses have been incorporated in the Governance, Economics, and Development Major; students may still complete their Economics Minor by enrolling in the appropriately tagged courses of the aforementioned Major (look for the Ec tag);

  • the former Entrepreneurship Minor has been renamed Business & Entrepreneurship.

Global Citizenship

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP @ LUC

Classes of 2017 and 2018
The Global Citizenship component offers students various options to develop their cross-cultural communication and reflection skills, and increase their appreciation of cultural and social diversity. This can be done by learning another language, participating in a community project, or by taking classes on citizenship and urban studies. Each path aims to increase the understanding of and communication with people from other cultures.

Within the Global Citizenship component (10 EC) students have three options:

Classes of 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016
Students of the cohorts 2013-2016 need to successfully complete 25 EC worth of Global Citizenship courses. They may select any of the courses listed below. but should note the course-specific admission requirements. Please note that for these students, the Urban Studies and Paradoxes of Citizenship courses as well as the Community Project are also available.

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

100-level

Introduction to Gender Studies 5
Arabic Beginners 10
Chinese Beginners 10
Dutch - Beginners 10
French Beginners 10
Russian Beginners 10
Spanish Beginners 10
Sociolinguistics 5
Health, Society and History 5

200-level

Climate Change 5
Community Project: Multicultural Education in The Hague 10
Paradoxes of Citizenship 5
Gender, Media, and Conflict 5
Medical Anthropology 5
Skills Lab I: Argumentative and Rhetorical Strategies 5
Gender and Development 5
The Power of Words 5
Arabic Elementary 10
Chinese Elementary 10
French Elementary 10
Russian Elementary 10
Spanish Elementary 10
Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality 5
Urban Studies 5

300-level

Soils, Sediment and Society 5
French Intermediate 10
Spanish Intermediate 10
Globalization, Diversity, Justice 5
Philosophies of the World 5
Ethics: Ideals of the Human and Life 5
Feminist Philosophy 5
Languages and Cultures in Contact 5
Skills Lab II: Public Speech and How to Argue 5

400-level

French Advanced 10
Spanish Advanced 10

Capstone

CAPSTONE @ LUC

Capstone 2015-2016

Once available, the Capstone 2015-2016 programme overview will be published here.

LUC Capstone Repository

The LUC Capstone Repository assembles bachelor theses written between 2013 and 2015. The goal of the Repository is to show the variety, depth and scope of research being done by students in preparation for graduate programmes or future employment. The Capstone overview can also function as a point of reference for successive LUC students in the process of their own Capstone research.

Please use the following link to access the LUC Capstone Repository:
LUC Capstone Repository

Tutorial

TUTORIAL GUIDANCE @ LUC

The academic autonomy afforded by a liberal arts and sciences environment, while stimulating, also requires individualised attention and advice to ensure that students’ intellectual and personal development at LUC is well-conceived, well-integrated, and fruitful. To this end, LUC has a unique tutorial support system which pairs each student with a member of the academic staff for regular contact and guidance through the three years of your BA or BSc programme.

For more information, please visit this link: Tutorial Guidance @ LUC.

Exchange @ LUC

EXCHANGE @ LUC

Are you an international student and interested in spending a semester or a year studying at Leiden University College (LUC) in The Hague? This page contains all the relevant information on course offerings for incoming exchange students.

For general information about LUC’s unique character and structure within Leiden University as well as the application criteria please visit the LUC The Hague website for incoming exchange.

LUC Exchange students may select any course offered at LUC. However, please do take into account the following:

  • LUC maintains a maximum of 20 students per course. This means your enrolment in any specific course cannot be guaranteed. Courses will be allocated about a month before the start of the autumn semester and about two weeks before the start of the spring semester (due to the winter holidays). For more information please refer to LUC’s website for incoming exchange.

  • Some courses may have prerequisites, which are indicated in the course descriptions listed in this e-Prospectus. If you are worried you might not meet these prerequisites, please contact the course instructor.

At LUC, all courses are part of different Majors and Minors. As an exchange student, you will not complete the entire academic programme; the Majors and Minors therefore do not directly apply to you. Nevertheless, they might come in handy when choosing your courses, as it will allow you to search those courses that correspond to your academic interests.

Please find below and overview of the different Majors and Minors. Follow the links to see an overview of the different courses which are part of the Majors and Minors.

Majors
Earth, Energy, and Sustainability
Global Public Health
Governance, Economics, and Development
Human Diversity
International Justice
World Politics

Minors
Business & Entrepreneurship
Gender Studies
Journalism
Languages
Psychology

In addition to the courses which are part of the different Majors and Minors, there are also courses which are part of the compulsory (for degree-seeking LUC students) first-year programme and so-called Global Citizenship courses. All these courses are open to incoming exchange students as well.

The first-year courses fall under the broad categories of Global Challenges, General Education, and Academic Skills. Please click here to find the course descriptions of the first-year courses (scroll down and find courses listed as ‘Compulsory Year 1 courses’).

There are various types of Global Citizenship courses: semester-long language courses (in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, Russian, and Spanish), the Urban Studies course and the Community Project. Click here for an overview of the Global Citizenship courses.

For the timetables and the Student Handbook (which contains information on attendance, the grading policy, etc.), please click here.

Information

INFORMATION @ LUC

Timetables 2015-2016
Once available, the timetables of 2015-2016 will be published here.

Semester 1, Block 1 (updated 10/08/2015)
Semester 1, Block 1 – Examinations (updated 22/09/2015)
Semester 1, Block 2 (updated 29/10/2015)
Semester 1, Block 2 – Examinations (updated 08/12/2015)
Semester 2, Block 3 (updated 11/02/2016)
Semester 2, Block 3 – Examinations (updated 22/02/2016)
Semester 2, Block 4 (updated 01/04/2016)
Semester 2, Block 4 – Examinations (updated 29/04/2016)

Student Handbook & OER 2015-2016
The Student Handbook contains information on class attendance (page 34), the grading policy (page 67), information from the Board of Examiners (page 73), etc. Moreover, it contains the “Course and Examination Regulations” (Onderwijs- en Examenregeling) of the Bachelor’s Programme Liberal Arts & Sciences: Global Challenges (BA and BSc) of the academic year 2015-2016 (page 53).

Student Handbook 2015-2016

Contact hours, Year 1, 2015-2016

The overview of scheduled contact hours in the first year (propedeuse) of the BA/BSc Liberal Arts & Sciences: Global Challenges programme here.