Dutch

This course invites both international and Dutch students who want to develop an understanding of Dutch culture and society from an intercultural perspective. It first considers the notion of (national) culture, and different approaches to (national) culture. In relation to the Dutch, the course considers auto-images and hetero-images, and the dynamics between the self and “the Other”. Students explore the mechanisms involved in representing “the Other” in an international context. Which hetero images of the Netherlands and the Dutch exist, and how are these images to be understood? Case studies from contemporary Dutch culture resonating abroad are covered, e.g. the monarchy, and policies of toleration concerning ethical issues. Representations of “the Other” in a domestic setting are explored. How are notions about Dutch identity constructed, what is the position of newcomers, expats, and other “Others” in such a context? Again, case studies from contemporary Dutch society are considered, such as the rise of (nationalist) populism on the political stage, and public discourse related to religious and ethnic diversity. The handbook and supplementary texts on selected themes present various disciplinary perspectives. Participants are encouraged to seek out representations of Dutch culture and contribute from their own perspectives. By comparing perspectives and exchanging experiences, students thus gain firsthand insight into the dynamics of the intercultural communication.

This version of the Dutch Art History course includes an Independent Study Project (ISP) done under the direction of the instructor. The ISP is 10-12 pages and counts for 1/3 of the overall grade for the course. The course is about Dutch art – with an emphasis on painting. Since the Middle Ages, the Netherlands has played a pivotal role in the history of European art and culture. Dutch and Flemish artists were the first to use oil paints, the first to visually document the lives and cultures of ordinary people, and the first to produce art for a free market. Painters such as Van Eyck, Brueghel, Bosch, Rubens, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Mondrian are counted among the great masters of history. Their art embodies qualities that are believed to be typical for the country, such as a devotion to truthfulness, attention to detail, and a love of textures. But there were many more artists whose works are still considered among the most important in history – if only because they were the first to notice the mundane things nobody else had paid attention to, such as the beauty of a still-life or the wonders of a cloudy sky. From the late Middle Ages through the Renaissance and the Baroque to the modern era, Dutch artists have tried to come to terms with ever-changing principles and conceptions regarding the world around them and have been constantly improving techniques to visualize it. The results of their efforts are the subject of this course. The course mostly follows a chronological order. In the first lecture, the (religious) significance of art in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Baroque is introduced. In the following lectures, students are given an overview of the development of Dutch art from the Middle Ages to the modern era. The course includes tours to various museums in Mauritshuis and the Hague. 

This course focuses on Dutch language at the beginning level. The course reviews speaking, listening, and reading skills, with some attention also paid to writing. The basics of Dutch are covered, including numbers, telling time, introducing yourself, ordering food at a restaurant, getting directions, and describing your family. This intensive seven week course consists of two classes per week.

This course invites students to explore the history of the Netherlands and Belgium guided by literary texts reaching back to the seventeenth century and moving to the twentieth century (using English translations). From the fight for independence against Spanish oppression into the Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish culture when the Netherlands became a European superpower, through the changes of industrialization in the nineteenth century, on into the twentieth century with Modernism, Fascism, the German occupation in World War II and the ensuing times of the Cold War. The selected texts for this class, written by leading Dutch and Flemish authors and recognized as being part of World Literature, provide an authentic view of the history and culture of the “low countries” within the European context. Starting with Vondel and his dramatized discussion of cultural and religious struggles in the seventeenth century, followed by a portrait of Holland in the nineteenth century, the literary journey reaches the realms of decadence at the turn of the century. The turbulent events of the twentieth century and the effect they had on the “low countries” is then explored from Dutch and Flemish perspectives, including comic book-art, a movie viewing, the depiction of the Maastricht region in fiction and vice versa views from the United States with Williams Carlos Williams and Joseph Heller. Artistic concepts and writing styles from Symbolism to Post-modernism are central elements of the class discussion, together with the continuing presence of the Dutch and Flemish past. The class comes with a day-long academic field trip to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bruges in Belgium, exploring and tasting one of the European capitals of Decadence.