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African Dynamics

Minor

Leiden-Delft-Rotterdam (LDE) Minor African Dynamics, 2019-2020

Africa has undergone significant transformations in the past decades and this is likely to accelerate. Current projections indicate that the continent’s population will double in the next 30 years, with more than half of its people living in urbanized environments. The subsequent growing demand for food, water, energy, land, infrastructure, health services, education, jobs, etc. can be powerful drivers of growth, but may also present severe social, economic, and environmental threats. The way in which Africa unfolds will greatly impact the course of the world’s shared future in the 21st century.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasise the necessity of partnership and collaboration to create the ‘World We Want’. Sustaining our technologically advanced, climate vulnerable and complex globalised world, requires a holistic and interdisciplinary approach. The African Dynamics minor combines knowledge and expertise in the humanities, social and natural sciences and technology to offer you an analytical view of Africa from different perspectives and establish an understanding of what diverse fields have to offer and why it is important to know and integrate specialisations. This is achieved by bringing students from separate disciplines together in an environment where they can combine their academic backgrounds in innovative ways to understand and address the continent’s challenges and strengthen the opportunities Africa presents, with an emphasis on how Africans themselves view their continent and the world.

This LDE minor is a valuable opportunity to build your understanding of integrated and sustainable development approaches in Africa from leading academics of the universities of Leiden, Delft, and Rotterdam, as well as guest speakers. The African Studies Centre Leiden research library functions as a hub of this knowledge.
The minor is presented in English and also serves as a pre-master for the Master's and Research Masters in African Studies at Leiden University. Collaborative teaching methods that stimulate co-creation of knowledge include seminars, discussions, debates, group workshops and a conference, as well as interactive webinars with African and Dutch policy makers, think tanks, knowledge platforms, NGOs, and entrepreneurs. Knowledge will be embedded through day excursions to relevant ministries and institutions. Through participating in a Small Private Online Course (SPOC), presented as a Global Classroom you will critically engage with peer students from African universities on advancing the SDGs. To compare the theoretical knowledge you have gained in the minor to African realities, the second block concludes with a three week field study in Africa.

Maximum number of students: 30
Prospectus number: 5000MAFDYN
Class number: 1059
Language: English

Courses

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2
Reading Africa 5
Exploring Africa 10
Collaboration Africa 15

Structure of the Minor

Admission requirements

Third year enrolled students from LU, TUD and EUR.
Proficiency in English reading, speaking and writing.

Description

Fusing expertise in the humanities, social and natural sciences and technology, the aim of the minor is to capacitise students from different disciplines to identify, track, and help strengthening Africa’s role in the globalised world. It offers students a valuable opportunity to build their understanding of integrated and sustainable development approaches in Africa from leading academics of all three universities.

The minor consists out of a cohesive package of two subjects in the first quarter of the first semester (for selected students from Delft, Rotterdam and Leiden Universities) and one subject in the second quarter (for Delft and Leiden University students).
The first quarter is the theoretical underpinning of your study and consists out of two subjects:

1. Reading Africa (5 ECs),

an introduction to Africa’s history, rich traditions, demography, geo-political, and developmental complexities.

2. Exploring Africa(10 ECs),

analyses African developmental challenges and opportunities from different perspectives. Following a flipped classroom online study of the SDGs, three separate modules will be presented:
i. Social Dynamics - Leiden University
ii. Resources and Infrastructure - Delft University of Technology
iii. Economies - Erasmus University Rotterdam

The second quarter is the practical component of the minor, and its only subject:

Collaboration Africa

(15 ECs), consists of three modules:

i. Building Networks – Four webinars, each followed-up with an excursion
ii. A Critical Engagement with Advancing the SDGs – A global classroom Small Private Online Course (SPOC)
iii. Interdisciplinary Field Study - three week field study in Africa or a Dutch-based organisation serving Africa. This module will take place in January 2020. Students will be assisted to apply for scholarships to cover some of the additional costs involved in the African-based field study.

To avoid study delay, students from Erasmus University Rotterdam can only take part in the first quarter (15 ECs) of the minor. Students from Delft University of Technology and Leiden University can complete the whole minor (30 ECs). If you are unsure please discuss this with your study coordinator.

Target Group

If you are concerned about issues impacting on Africa, want to know more about emerging opportunities and sustainable growth and development approaches, interested in the continent’s rich socio-cultural traditions and diversity, or considering to pursue a career in Africa, this minor will provide you with a solid multidisciplinary foundation. You will be discovering African realities and dynamics together with students from different study and disciplinary background, and collaborate with students from African universities in the SPOC and during the field study in the second quarter.

Whether you are completing a bachelor study in Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Geosciences, History, International Relations and Global Affairs, Languages, Law, Management, Medicine and Health, Natural Sciences, or Social Studies and Behavioural Sciences, you could be an ideal candidate for this minor. We are looking for a diversity of interests and backgrounds, to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration.

Application and Contact

Only 30 students will be selected to complete this minor in 2019. If you are interested you have to submit a short letter of motivation in English between 300 to 500 words in which you describe:

  • Who you are and your field of study;

  • Why you are interested in Africa;

  • Your personal learning goals from this minor;

  • Your expectations from an interdisciplinary study;

  • Your experience with or in Africa;

  • Your future career plans.

Besides the quality of your motivation letter, we aim to select an equal number of participants from the three participating universities. If a lower number of students from one of the universities enrols or is selected, vacant places will be allocated to students from the other two or even outside universities.

Submit your letter of motivation NOT LATER than Monday 15 April 2019 to: MinorAfricanDynamics@asc.leidenuniv.nl
Your application will be reviewed by the Selection Committee which includes a representative of each university. You will be notified by 26 April 2019 whether you are admitted into the LDE African Dynamics minor.

For general questions regarding the LDE Minor African Dynamics you can contact the minor coordinators Prof. Marleen Dekker and Madi Ditmars. Please, send your enquiries to: MinorAfricanDynamics@asc.leidenuniv.nl

The Board of Examniers for the minor can be reached by examcom.africastudies@hum.leidenuniv.nl

Registration

To apply for a LDE minor, you must be enrolled for a Bachelor’s programme at your home university. If you have been selected to enrol for the LDE Minor African Dynamics, beside an active enrolment at your home university you also need to register as a guest-student at the other participating LDE universities. Leiden University (LU), Delft University of Technology (TUD), and Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), will exchange the necessary registration information (your name, address, contact details, etc.), but you also need to take action.

Interested students must follow these guidelines:

Leiden University (LU) students:

  1. Register for the minor in uSis between 1 and 15 April 2019.
  2. Submit a letter of motivation NOT LATER than Monday 15 April 2019 to MinorAfricanDynamics@asc.leidenuniv.nl
  3. If accepted you will be notified by 26 April 2019 and thereafter you need to:

  • enrol as a minor-student at TUD through www.studielink.nl. Select the Minor Civil Engineering and follow the steps on the screen.

  • enrol as a guest student at EUR. You will receive an email requesting you to upload a passport photo, without which you cannot be enrolled as a guest student at EUR.

  1. Make sure you have an active registration as a Bachelor student for 2019-2020 at LU before 1 September 2019!!

Delft University of Technology (TUD) students:

  1. Register your minor preferences via Osiris between 1 and 15 April 2019.
  2. Submit a letter of motivation NOT LATER than Monday 15 April 2019 to MinorAfricanDynamics@asc.leidenuniv.nl
  3. If accepted you will be notified by 26 April 2019 and thereafter you will:

  • receive an email from LU regarding your registration as guest student with the request to activate your UCLN account. After activating this, you can access Blackboard Leiden that will function as the electronic learning environment.

  • receive an email from EUR requesting you to upload a passport photo, without which you cannot be enrolled as a guest student at EUR.

  1. Make sure you have an active registration as a Bachelor student for 2019-2020 at TUD before 1 September 2019!!

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) students:

  1. Register your minor preferences via Osiris between 1 and 15 April 2019.
  2. Submit a letter of motivation NOT LATER than Monday 15 April 2019 t0 MinorAfricanDynamics@asc.leidenuniv.nl
  3. If accepted you will be notified by 26 April 2019 and thereafter you will:

  • receive an email from LU regarding your registration as guest student with the request to activate your UCLN account After activating this, you can access Blackboard Leiden that will function as the electronic learning environment.

  • need to enrol as a minor-student at TUD through www.studielink.nl .Select the Minor Civil Engineering and follow the steps on the screen.

  1. Make sure you have an active registration as a Bachelor student for 2019-2020 at EUR before 1 September 2019!!