UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT LEARNING GOALS

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Dutch Studies are World Studies

Program and General Goals

The Dutch Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley is of unique national importance. No other American university offers a Dutch Major and such a comprehensive education in Dutch language, literature, cultural history, and linguistics. Moreover, the Berkeley Main Library and Bancroft Library possess the richest Dutch book collection in the United States. Intensive collaboration with Dutch and Flemish universities and cultural organizations has made Berkeley into the Dutch intellectual center in the US.

The structural idea of Berkeley's Dutch Studies Program is that Dutch Studies are also World Studies. Each course in our program helps students not only to learn about the Low Countries (the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg), but also to sharpen their view of world history, global problems and transnational cultural connections. Our program offers four levels of Dutch language acquisition in combination with a rich variety of English-taught courses dedicated to the culture, language, politics and history of the Low Countries. In cooperation with Summer Sessions, Dutch Studies also organizes an annual Travel Study Course: The Amsterdam-Brussels Connection.

Dutch History is World History
Through a broad curriculum, Dutch Studies offers a critical reflection on the multicultural past and present of the Netherlands. Few European countries have as profound a legacy as the Netherlands in both colonial and post-colonial studies. Some of the best world literature has been written in the former Dutch East Indies and in the Dutch-speaking Caribbean. Traces of Dutch influence can be found all over the world, from Japan and Indonesia over South Africa to the United States, where present-day New York City goes back to the former Dutch colony of New Amsterdam.

Dutch Politics are World Politics
Dutch Studies offers a critical reflection on the political past and present of the Low Countries. Few European countries have as profound a legacy in freedom, liberty and tolerance as the Netherlands. The Dutch Act of Abjuration served as a model for the American Declaration of Independence. Historically, it was not the aristocracy, as in most European nations, but the citizenry that shaped Dutch culture and identity. Its strong attachment to freedom is what makes the Netherlands unique in the world as a model for progressiveness.

Dutch Economy is a World Economy
Dutch Studies pays attention to the importance of the economy in the Low Countries. Located at the estuary of some of Europe's most important rivers, the Low Countries represent a vital economic artery of the European continent. This location enabled the Netherlands to become the first modern economy in the world. Today, the Netherlands is the third biggest foreign investor in the United States. The present-day Low Countries (the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) represent the fourth biggest export economy in the world. Europe's two biggest seaports are located in the Low Countries (Rotterdam and Antwerp), as is the EU capital in the Dutch- and French-speaking city of Brussels.

Dutch Culture is a World Culture
Dutch Studies offers a profound study of the cultural importance of the Low Countries. The singular development of the Netherlands has been accompanied by splendid cultural achievements in painting, book printing, architecture and literature right through contemporary dance and design. Dutch culture is represented by several of the world's most famous painters, from van Eyck to Rembrandt and from Vermeer to van Gogh.

Dutch Language is a World Language
Dutch Studies offers four levels of Dutch language acquisition, from introductory to advanced Dutch, as well as a linguistic course on the structure of modern Dutch. While in Europe, Dutch is the mother tongue of approximately 23 million people (some 17 million in the Netherlands and 6 million in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium), it is also spoken by half a million people in the Caribbean and, although in a creolized form, by some 6 million people in South Africa. Due to its colonial legacy, knowledge of Dutch language proves to be of essential importance for scholars interested in the history of Japan, South-East Asia, South-Africa, the Caribbean and the early European colonization of the United States.

The structural idea that Dutch Studies are also World Studies reflects itself in the flexibility and inter-departmental orientation of the program. Thanks to its flexibility, Dutch Studies enables students to select precisely those courses they consider to be an interesting complement to their general study. The main ambition of the program is to add a specifically Dutch component to a broad field of studies. Therefore, Dutch Studies is structured as an ideal Minor or Double Major program in combination with a variety of fields such as Art History, Post-Colonial Studies, European Medieval History, South-East Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, African Studies, European Politics, Holocaust Studies, Germanic Linguistics, Gay and Lesbian Studies, Multicultural Studies, Film Studies, etc. To stimulate inter-departmental cooperation, courses offered by the Dutch Studies Program are generally taught in English and cross-listed with other departments.

Students who wish to specialize in Dutch Studies are encouraged to enroll in our gateway course for freshmen and sophomores (Dutch 39A: Cultural History of the Low Countries) and our introductory language course (Dutch 1), upon which a specific program is elaborated according to the interests of each student individually. The Dutch Studies faculty, in cooperation with faculty members in other departments and guest-professors from the Netherlands and Flanders provide students with the knowledge, experience, language fluency, and analytical skills necessary to become a scholar in Dutch Studies. To solidify their knowledge, students are stimulated to take advantage of the many scholarships for summer programs in the Low Countries as well as the EAP-program with our partner in the Netherlands: the Dutch Studies Program at Utrecht University.

Course Work

Language Program (Dutch 1, 2, 100, 107, 110 and 125)

The Dutch Studies Program offers four levels of language acquisition, from introductory Dutch all the way up to advanced Dutch. It also offers a Dutch Linguistic course. To cater to those students who only wish to acquire a passive knowledge of Dutch language in order to read (old) texts, a new course has recently been added to the program: Dutch for Reading Knowledge. Besides the regular teaching period, Dutch Studies also organizes an introductory Dutch language course during Summer Sessions.

Learning goals

Knowledge and skills:

In Dutch 1, we use the Home in on Holland immersion method. This method is ideal for English speakers as the book was written with English-Dutch similarities/differences in mind. The book comes with a CD, which the students can use at home and/or in language lab. The exercises are supplemented by the audio of children's books and songs. With this method, the students are expected to speak Dutch from the first day of class, and while it is quite challenging in the beginning, it does stimulate students to speak right away without being hampered by undue grammatical concerns.

In Dutch 2 we supplement Home in on Holland with the vocabulary-building texts of the Delft Method Tweede Ronde. Once Dutch 2 is completed and all of Dutch grammar has been covered, the students are able to engage in conversations and write short, simple texts. Their passive knowledge of the language (comprehension) is typically higher than their active use of the language (reading and writing).

Dutch 110 includes a grammar review with exercises (Nederlands in Hoofdlijnen). Conversation is taken to a higher plane, role playing becomes increasingly important, newspaper articles of the more difficult papers are read and radio programs and television programs are listened to and watched. These activities provide material for short essay assignments. Problems in the essays create occasions for grammar review. For this class we have also assembled a basic vocabulary list on which students are quizzed every week.

In Dutch 125 we proceed with the patterns of 110, although at this point we expect our students to be grammatically competent. Great emphasis is placed on weekly essays and intense conversation. In this class we hope to show more Dutch movies which can also provide a source for essays and discussions. Typically we give out a Reader at the beginning of the semester containing more complex texts from a wide variety of sources. With more advanced students/classes we expect the students to read one Dutch book (literature) which leads to various assignments such as a book report/discussion, essay and a letter to the author whose book they have read.

Dutch 100 - Dutch for Reading Knowledge - is designed for students and faculty who want to be able to read Dutch for research purposes. Focus is on a more passive knowledge of the language; syntax, grammar, vocabulary are taught as needed. Text selection are tailored to individual student needs. No previous knowledge of Dutch required.

Dutch 107 - The Structure of Modern Dutch - is a basic linguistic course on the structural properties of modern Dutch, including phonetics and phonology, morphology, and syntax. Comparison is made with English and German is made in order to consider Dutch in contrast to other Germanic languages. Students observe the application of linguistic rules in forming the Dutch language to hallmark texts. They also learn the ability to critically analyze language data based on Dutch linguistic approaches.

Assessment:

Class attendance and participation, quizzes, midterm 1 & 2, final exam.

Upper division courses leading to Dutch Major/Minor (Dutch 100-199)

As flexibility and inter-departmental cooperation are of essential importance to the Dutch Studies Program, there are no requirement courses to the Dutch Minor or Major besides the 2 introductory Dutch language courses (Dutch 1 and 2). This enables students to compose the Dutch Minor or Major according to their personal interests. It also makes it easier to add Dutch Studies as a minor or a double major.

Learning goals

Knowledge:

On the basis of lectures, text analysis, film interpretation and class discussions, students gain detailed insight in six historical periods that are considered of essential importance to the cultural identity of the Low Countries:

• The Dutch 'Golden Age'; the development of Dutch painting as an alternative to Italian aesthetics, the characteristics of the Dutch tolerance and the development of the Netherlands as the first modern economy in the world.
• The colonial expansion of the Netherlands and the Dutch involvement in the global slave trade industry.
• The German occupation during WW II; the importance of Anne Frank as an international symbol for the horrors of the Holocaust.
• Amsterdam as Europe's 'Magic Centre' in the 1960s; the Netherlands as a symbol of progressive politics.
• The essential role of the Low Countries in the development of the European Union and the central importance of Brussels as the EU capital.
• The Netherlands as a multicultural society and the debate on the consequences of migration in the definition of Dutch identity.

Skills:

Students learn to analyze texts, films and other cultural productions on the basis of close reading/interpretation and by paying attention to the cultural and political context in which they were produced. They study the historical nature of these cultural products and learn to understand their embeddedness in a multicultural context. Dutch classes generally do not exceed 30 students, which enables the instructors to pay considerable attention to interaction with students. Students learn how to formulate well-organized and supported arguments, in both an oral and a written form. They are also encouraged to do research and improve their IT-skills in the supervised Dutch undergraduate research project (URAP).

Assessment:

Class attendance and participation, papers and forums on bSpace, quizzes, midterms, final exam.

Path (formal requirements)

Dutch Minors are required to take the following courses:

• Prerequisite: Elementary Dutch 1 and Elementary Dutch 2 or equivalent.
• 5 upper-division courses from the following:
  • Advanced Dutch 110
  • The Structure of Modern Dutch 107
  • Conversation and Composition Dutch 125
  • Topics in Dutch Literature Dutch 140
  • Travel/Study Course Dutch 177
  • One course in the Dutch 160-series (may be repeated as topics change)
  • One course in the Dutch 170-series (may be repeated as topics change)
  • One directly related upper-division course outside the Department, with approval by the Queen Beatrix Chair.

Dutch Majors and Double Majors are required to take the following courses:

• Prerequisite: Elementary Dutch 1 and Elementary Dutch 2 or equivalent.
• A minimum of 30 upper division units. Of these, the following are required:
  • Advanced Dutch 110
  • Conversation and Composition Dutch 125
• Additional courses are to be selected from the following list to complete the major:
  • The Structure of Modern Dutch 107
  • Topics in Dutch Literature Dutch 140
  • Travel/Study Course Dutch 177
  • Senior Thesis Dutch 190
  • One course in the Dutch 160-series (may be repeated as topics change)
  • One course in the Dutch 170-series (may be repeated as topics change)
  • A maximum of two directly related upper-division courses outside the Department, with approval by the Queen Beatrix Chair

List of upper division courses:

• Language and Linguistics:
  • Dutch 107: The Structure of Modern Dutch
  • Dutch 110: Advanced Dutch
  • Dutch 125: Conversation and Composition
• Dutch Literature and Film:
  • Dutch 140: Topics in Dutch Literature
  • Dutch 166: Anne Frank and After
• Post-Colonial Studies:
  • Dutch C164: The Indonesian Connection
  • Dutch 173: Dutch Post-Colonial Studies
  • Dutch C178: Cultural Studies. The Dutch-speaking Caribbean
• Dutch Cultural Studies:
  • Dutch 170: Dutch Culture and Society. The Multicultural Netherlands.
  • Dutch C170: Amsterdam and Berkeley in the Sixties
  • Dutch 174: Brussels. Global Study of a European Capital City
  • Dutch 176: The Jews in the Low Countries
  • Dutch 177: Travel Study course: The Amsterdam-Brussels Connection
  • Dutch 179: Cultural Studies. The Dutch Golden Age

Other Courses:

• Freshman and Sophomore Seminar
  Dutch 39A: Cultural History of the Low Countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg)

• Senior Thesis:
  Dutch 190

• Honors Studies in Dutch:
  Dutch H196

• Directed Group Study:
  Dutch 198

• Special Studies in Dutch:
  Dutch 199