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Honours College: Tackling Global Challenges

Introduction

Current societal challenges require new thinkers and leading experts to solve evermore complex crises. TGC presents the idea of 'wicked problems', complex social issues that require non-linear thinking. The Honours Track looks at how wicked problems play out within government, science and society and gives you the skills to tackle some of these issues both theoretically and practically. The learning experience is thereby based on thought-provoking theoretical courses and interactive activities, such as excursions to (public) organisations and the government as well as exciting simulation games and assignments; for example, students will receive a real-life assignment in cooperation with the municipality of The Hague. In the Honours Track, you will learn how to address issues and problems in society, as well as how you can provide advice on such problems and find solutions, thus also developing invaluable personal competences such as negotiation and leadership skills. The Honours Track helps you analyze and approach problems using different scientific fields, such as political science, psychology and philosophy.

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’.

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.

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 tackle 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.

Double Bachelor Plus

Are you following two Bachelor’s programmes and would you like to take part in the Honours College? Then why not join the Double Bachelor Plus programme? Click here for more information.

Admission

For admission criteria and deadlines see: Application & admission

Contact coordinator

Annette Righolt

First year

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.

“Many great ideas have been lost because the people who had them could not stand being laughed at.” - Anon

In 2018-2019 you can choose Crucial Skills or Negotiation LAB. Crucial skills trains you to become an effective 21st century skills professional. The course will make you more effective in making decisions and getting things done through an investigation of those values, assumptions and habits that will strengthen your empathetic, ethical and expressive qualities. In Negotiation 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—in ways that equip you to deal also with all kinds of conditions and circumstances.

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2
Internship 5
Individual project 5
Negotiation LAB 5
Crucial Skills 5

Second year

Exploring Global Challenges

The second year (15 ECTS) aims at shaping future scholars and leading experts and offers different courses that will enable you to look at today’s challenges with a new/different view. Governing Science, Society and Expertise focuses 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. The course about the Early Silk Roads: Archaeology & Global Networks makes you discover universal rules in both ancient and today’s global networks. Both courses are extremely helpful to better understand the reality we live in. In the second semester you can explore one of the global challenges Water; Migration and asylum from an EU perspective; and Public Leadership. The latter deepens your understanding of the function of both public and personal leadership.
In the second year students also choose one of the numerous Honours Classes offered by the Honours Academy or alternatively a Honours Class offered by Leiden University College.
In spring or summer in the second year students go on a two-day working visit to Brussels.

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

Semester 1 - choose 5EC

Crucial Skills 5
The Early Silk Roads: Archaeology & Global Networks 5
Governing Science, Society and Expertise 5

Semester 2 - choose 5EC

Living with Water Scarcity 5
Attacking Global Problems at EU level 5
Public Leadership 5

Third year

The third year (5-10 ECTS) you will be back in Honours in the second semester. You will have to advise the municipality of The Hague or another organization about a wicked problem. We offer you a theoretical foundation in the Wicked Problems Lab and the experimental space to act like a consultant.

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2
Internship 5
Individual project 5
Wicked Problems Lab: working with governance, leadership and social innovation 5

TGC Individueel Traject

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.

Disclaimer: If the learning aims differ per track (see below beneath “Tracks”).

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 on a local level (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 programma: 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.

Structure

BA1
Internship
Individual Project

Semester 2 – mandatory choose 5 EC

  • Negotiations LAB

  • Crucial Skills

BA2
Internship
Individual Project
Courses Tackling Global Challenges
Courses other Honours Colleges

Semester 1 or 2 mandatory – choose 5 EC

  • Elective (Honours class from Honours Academy pool)

BA3
Internship
Individual Project

Semester 2 mandatory – choose 5 EC

  • Wicked Problems LAB

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