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International Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in International Studies provides students with the tools to investigate globalisation, and its regional effects, from a humanities perspective. They study these effects through the prism of four disciplinary perspectives: culture, history, politics and economics, coupled with in-depth knowledge of one of eight world regions. The humanities perspective is ensured by placing an understanding of the historic and cultural context central in the programme, and linking this directly to the political and economic conditions. Students learn to apply the acquired knowledge of the four disciplinary approaches in the analysis of a geographical area of their choice with the aid of a language native to that area.

The programme’s combination of multidisciplinary knowledge, geographical specialisation, language training, and a global perspective, provides students with a unique understanding of the interactions of global, transnational, national, and subnational conditions and developments. Disciplinary understanding is introduced in three stages. The programme starts with a general introduction of the relevant theoretical and methodological approaches. It goes on to provide students with practical knowledge of the historical, cultural, political and economic conditions in a specific geographical area, and completes the disciplinary understanding by placing these conditions in their international context.

The areas offered in the degree, and their corresponding languages are:

Area Foreign Language
Africa Arabic, French, Portuguese, Swahili
East Asia Japanese, Korean, Mandarin
Europe Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish
Latin America Portuguese, Spanish
Middle East Arabic, Modern Hebrew, Persian, Turkish
North America French, Spanish
Russia and Eurasia Russian
South Asia and Southeast Asia Hindi, Indonesian

First Year

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

First semester

Academic Reading & Writing 5
Cultural Studies 5
Economics 5
Global History 5
Introduction to International Studies 5
Sociolinguistics 5

Second semester

Configuring the World 5
Politics 5

Culture

Choose one of the following courses:

Culture: Africa 5
Culture: East Asia 5
Culture: Europe 5
Culture: Latin America 5
Culture: Middle East 5
Culture: North America 5
Culture: Russia and Eurasia 5
Culture: South and South-East Asia 5

History

Choose one of the following courses:

History: Africa 5
History: East Asia 5
History: Europe 5
History: Latin America 5
History: Middle East 5
History: North America 5
History: Russia and Eurasia 5
History: South and South-East Asia 5

Foreign Language 1

Choose one of the following courses:

Arabic 1 Beginners 10
Dutch 1 Beginners 10
French 1 Beginners 10
French 1 Pre-Intermediate 10
German 1 Beginners 10
German 1 Pre-Intermediate 10
Hebrew 1 Beginners 10
Hindi 1 Beginners 10
Indonesian 1 Beginners 10
Japanese 1 Beginners 10
Korean 1 Beginners 10
Mandarin 1 Beginners 10
Persian 1 Beginners 10
Portuguese 1 Beginners 10
Russian 1 Beginners 10
Russian 1 Pre-Intermediate 10
Spanish 1 Beginners 10
Spanish 1 Pre-Intermediate 10
Swahili 1 Beginners 10
Turkish 1 Beginners 10

Second Year

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

First semester

Cultural Interaction: A Global Perspective 5
Politics 5

Culture

Choose one of the following courses:

Culture: Africa 5
Culture: East Asia 5
Culture: Europe 5
Culture: Latin America 5
Culture: Middle East 5
Culture: North America 5
Culture: Russia and Eurasia 5
Culture: South and South-East Asia 5

Economics

Choose one of the following courses:

Economics: Africa 5
Economics: East Asia 5
Economics: Europe 5
Economics: Latin America 5
Economics: Middle East 5
Economics: North America 5
Economics: Russia and Eurasia 5
Economics: South & South-East Asia 5

Foreign Language 2

Choose one of the following courses:

Arabic 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
Dutch 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
French 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
French 2 (Upper-) Intermediate 10
German 2 Pre-intermediate 10
German 2 (Upper-) Intermediate 10
Hebrew 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
Hindi 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
Indonesian 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
Japanese 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
Korean 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
Mandarin 2 Pre-intermediate 10
Persian 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
Portuguese 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
Russian 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
Spanish 2 Pre-Intermediate 10
Spanish 2 (Upper-)Intermediate 10
Swahili 2 Pre-Intermediate 10

Second semester

International Economics 5
International Politics 5

Politics

Choose one of the following courses:

Politics: Africa 5
Politics: East Asia 5
Politics: Europe 5
Politics: Latin America 5
Politics: Middle East 5
Politics: North America 5
Politics: Russia and Eurasia 5
Politics: South and South-East Asia 5

Foreign language 3

Choose one of the following courses:

Arabic 3 (Upper-)Intermediate 5
Dutch 3 (Upper-)Intermediate 5
French 3 (Upper-) Intermediate 5
French 3 Advanced 5
German 3 (Upper-)intermediate 5
German 3 Advanced 5
Hebrew 3 (Upper-)Intermediate 5
Hindi 3 (Upper-) Intermediate 5
Indonesian 3 (Upper-) Intermediate 5
Japanese 3 (Upper-) Intermediate 5
Korean 3 (Upper-) Intermediate 5
Mandarin 3 (Upper-)Intermediate 5
Persian 3 (Upper-)Intermediate 5
Portuguese 3 (Upper-) Intermediate 5
Russian 3 (Upper-) Intermediate 5
Spanish 3 (Upper-)Intermediate 5
Spanish 3 Advanced 5
Swahili 3 (Upper-) Intermediate 5

Elective

Choose one of the following courses:

Elective: Argumentation and Debate 10
Elective: Art, Literature, and Law - The Question of the Human Nature of Right(s) 10
Elective: Censorship and Social Transformation 10
Elective: Close-Reading Comics: Hybrid Storytelling in Graphic Memoirs 10
Elective: Comparative Accounts of Human Flourishing 10
Elective: Critical Heritage Studies 10
Elective: Cultures of Conflict in the Modern Middle East 10
Elective: Emerging Economies 10
Elective: Feminist Philosophy 10
Elective: Film Journeys, the World on Screen 10
Elective: Global Protest Movements 10
Elective: Hamilton: (Re)Presentations of History in the Present 10
Elective: International Migration: Contemporary Practices, Trends, and Debates. 10
Elective: International Relations of the Asia-Pacific 10
Elective: Languages and Cultures in Contact 10
Elective: Languages of the World 10
Elective: Lessons in (In)Tolerance: a Comparison of Myanmar and Java 10
Elective: Nationalism and Nation-Building in the Twentieth Century 10
Elective: Postwar Reconstruction 10
Elective: Race, Class, and Gender in the British Empire 10
Elective: Regional Politics of South Asia - year 2 10
Elective: Political Justice: Local and Global 10
Elective: Religions in the Modern World 10
Elective: Social Struggles: Global Histories of Capital, Labour and Society 10
Elective: Terrorism: Philosophical Perspectives 10
Elective: The Linguistic Lens: How Language Influences our Perception of the World 10
Elective: Waging War – Cultural Approaches 10
Elective: What is a Human? Critical Gender and Diversity Approaches 10
Elective: WWII in Asia: Images, Realities, Legacies 10

Optional Internship program

This course is mandatory for students who intend to take up an internship.

Organizational Theory, Culture and Behavior 5

Third Year

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

First semester

Discretionary Space International Studies 30

Optional for students taking a two semester minor:

Thesis seminar

Choose one of the following courses:

Thesis and Thesis Seminar Africa A, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Africa B, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia A, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia B, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia C, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia D, Sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia E, Sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Europe A, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Europe B, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Latin America A, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Latin America B, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Latin America C, Sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Middle East A, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Middle East B, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Middle East C, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Middle East D, Sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Middle East E, Sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar North America A, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar North America B, Sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Russia and Eurasia A, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar South and South-East Asia A, sem 1 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar South and South-East Asia B, sem 1 15

Second semester

Practising International Studies 5

Elective

Choose one of the following courses

Elective: Authoritarian Politics: the Politics of Conflict, Violence, and Genocide 10
Elective: A World Made New: Human Rights in Theory, in History and in Practice 10
Elective: Borders and Borderlands: From the Politics of Sovereignty and Security to Everyday Life 10
Elective: Cosmopolitics: Ethics and International Politics, Theory and Practice 10
Elective: Dictatorship and Revolution: Non-Democratic Regimes in the Contemporary World 1 10
Elective: Dictatorship and Revolution: Non-Democratic Regimes in the Contemporary World 2 10
Elective: Experiences of Empire: Britain and the World Since 1500 10
Elective: Foreign Direct Investment, Multinational Companies and the Political Economy of Emerging Market Countries 10
Elective: How We Are Human: Cultural Reflections on Human Identity in Contexts of Technology, Digitalization, and Gender 10
Elective: Intercultural Communication 1 10
Elective: Intercultural Communication 2 10
Elective: Memory, Truth and Transitional Justice in Modern World History 10
Elective: Modernity, Zionism, and Jewish Radicalism 10
Elective: Regional Politics of South Asia - year 3 10
Elective: Religions ‘On the Move’: the Case of Global Buddhism. 10
Elective: Science, Media, and Society 1 10
Elective: Science, Media, and Society 2 10
Elective: The Future of Religion in the West 10
Elective: The Politics of Migration and Refugees 10
Elective: The Transformation of (Inter-) National Political Community 10
Elective: What is this War About Anyway?: Armed Conflicts in the Twentienth Century 10

Thesis seminar

Choose one of the following courses:

Thesis and Thesis Seminar Africa A, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Africa B, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Africa C, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia A, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia B, Sem 2 15
Thesis and thesis seminar East Asia C, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia D, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia E, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia F, sem 2 15
Thesis and thesis seminar East Asia G, sem 2 15
Thesis and thesis seminar East Asia H, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar East Asia I Sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Europe A, sem 2 15
Thesis and thesis seminar Europe B, sem 2 15
Thesis and thesis seminar Europe C, sem 2 15
Thesis and thesis seminar Europe D, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Europe E sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Latin America A, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Latin America B, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Latin America C, sem 2 15
Thesis and thesis seminar Latin America D, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Latin America E, sem 2 15
Thesis and thesis seminar Middle East A, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Middle East B, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Middle East C, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Middle East D, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Middle East E, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Middle East F, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar North America A, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar North America B, sem 2 15
Thesis and thesis seminar North America C, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar North America D, Sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Russia and Eurasia A, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar Russia and Eurasia B, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar South and South-East Asia A, sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar South and South-East Asia B, Sem 2 15
Thesis and Thesis Seminar South and South-East Asia C, Sem 2 15

Additional Information

Objectives

The Bachelors of Arts in International Studies provides students with the tools to investigate globalization and its regional effects, from a humanities perspective. They study these effects through the prism of four disciplinary perspectives: culture, history, politics and economics, coupled with in-depth knowledge of one of eight world regions. The humanities perspective is ensured by placing an understanding of the historic and cultural context central in the programme, and linking this directly to the political and economic conditions. Students learn to apply the acquired knowledge of the four disciplinary approaches in the analysis of a geographical area of their choice with the aid of a language native to that area.

For the programme's achievement levels please see the Course and Examination Regulations.

Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Duration: 3 years, full-time
Credits: 180 EC
Language of instruction: English

Additional requirements Binding Study Advice (BSA)

To be issued with a positive binding study advice (BSA) students must obtain at least 45 EC in their first academic year and meet the additional requirements set by the study programme.
For International Studies the additional requirements are passing the courses: Academic Reading and Writing (semester 1) and Foreign Language 1 (semester 2).

More information on the BSA regulations can be found on the University website.

Programme

Please note that the programme will undergo some changes from 2017-2018 onwards. More information on this topic can be found here.
The programme’s combination of multidisciplinary knowledge, geographical specialisation, language training, and a global perspective, provides students with a unique understanding of the interactions of global, transnational, national, and subnational conditions and developments. Disciplinary understanding is introduced in three stages.
The programme starts with a general introduction of the relevant theoretical and methodological approaches. It goes on to provide students with practical knowledge of the historical, cultural, political and economic conditions in a specific geographical area, and completes the disciplinary understanding by placing these conditions in their international context.
Parallel to the disciplinary approach the students are equipped with a range of instruments essential to the study of the impact of global developments on an area, including language and research skills.
In their higher level courses students can further pursue self-selected combinations of an internship or exchange programme, electives and a consultancy project culminating in the BA thesis. Students thus exit the programme with a set of analytic skills and tools for investigating, understanding, and navigating the world and its diverse regions.

Discretionary Space

In the third year all students have 30 EC of Discretionary Space to spend on courses outside of the programme. There are different options to choose from: Study Abroad, conduct an Internship or follow a minor. More information can be found here.

BA Thesis and requirements for graduation.

The Bachelor programme is concluded with a Bachelor thesis (10,000 words, excluding footnotes and bibliography). The Bachelor thesis is written in the context of a Thesis Seminar specialising on the student's chosen area.
Requirements for graduation are: succesful completion of all courses in the Bachelor programme including the Discretionary Space and the Thesis.
In order to graduate you will be asked to fulfil certain administrative procedures, which can be found on the website of International Studies (BA).

Follow-on master's programme

Not applicable

Compensation Regulations (If applicable)

Not applicable

Transitional Arrangements

Year 1 courses 2016/17 Retake in 2017/18 Remarks
Global History (S1) Global History (S1) No change
Configuring the World (S1) Configuring the World (S2) Content change, course 5EC + 5EC additional assignment for retake (see below), Semester change
Reading and Writing in International Studies (S1) Academic Reading and Writing (S1) Name change
Introduction to Area Studies (S1) Introduction to International Studies (S1) Content change, name change
Communicating Power (S1) Sociolinguistics (S1) Name change
Philosophy of Science (S2) Philosophy of Science (S2) Special course for retakers, no tutorials
Economics (S2) Economics (S1) Semester change
Cultural Studies (S2) Cultural Studies (S1) Semester change
Area History (S2) Area History (S2) No change
Foreign Language 1 (S2) Foreign Language 1 (S1) No change

There are no changes for year 2 and year 3 courses academic year 2017-2018.

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Second Semester

Philosophy of Science 5
Additional Assignment Configuring the World (resit) 5