Our teachers are experts in language acquisition. You will get to practice regularly with your fellow students as well as with native Dutch speakers, while also reading Dutch newspapers, literature and watching Dutch films.  

After the first semester, most lectures will be given in Dutch, ensuring a high level of proficiency. Upon graduation you will be able to confidently speak Dutch and present your bachelor's thesis (a report on research or an internship) in both spoken and written formats at the CEFR level C1.

You will explore fascinating questions in the topic Linguistics, such as issues as whether it is harder to learn Dutch when your mother tongue language is Japanese or when it is Swedish, and if there really exists such a thing as a ‘knack for languages’.

The courses on Dutch literature will give you an overview of the history of Dutch literature and the opportunity to read and dissect the most important literary works, such as Multatuli’s ‘Max Havelaar’ (1860) or ‘Hilda van Suylenburg’ (1897) by Cécile de Jong van Beek en Donk. 

In the course Representation of The Netherlands in Film, you will analyse and reflect on the representation of societal themes in Dutch films, such as ‘Süskind’ (2012), ‘Michiel de Ruyter’ (2015)”, and De Libi (2019). 

This course deals with Dutch history from approximately 1780 until now. Attention is given to political, socio-economic, religious and cultural aspects. Which political incidents were of great importance to the Dutch identity? How are these incidents remembered to date? And what do the recent political developments mean?

In your classes on Art History we focus on understanding the phenomenon of famous Dutch and Flemish artists and their impact. Artists we will discuss include: Jan van Eyck, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Mondrian.