Designated Emphasis in Dutch Studies
In October 2012, the Graduate Council of University of California, Berkeley established the Designated Emphasis in Dutch Studies. The D.E. in Dutch Studies provides curricular and research resources for students who want to concentrate on Dutch Studies within their respective disciplines and have their work formally recognized in their degree designation. Designed to bring together faculty and students from different departments, the D.E. is administered by the Graduate Group in Dutch Studies and provides a unique context for rigorous cross-disciplinary research. Sponsoring departments include German, History, History of Art, Southeast Asian Studies, African American Studies, Comparative Literature, French, and Sociology. However, the D.E. is open to interested students regardless of whether their home department is officially affiliated with the D.E. The program helps advance Berkeley’s position as America’s leading Dutch Studies program and facilitate research in and cooperation with other universities in the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Indonesia, and the Caribbean who also have strong Dutch Studies programs. Students applying to the D.E. must be prepared to integrate high-level research in Dutch Studies into their coursework, qualifying exam and dissertation.
The amount of students to be accepted in the program is limited to six in order to ensure that each student receives strong individual support.
Students are required to fill out a form requesting admission, listing their prior preparation in the field, and their projected pathway through the program. In addition, they have to submit a brief essay stating interests and reasons for applying, a CV, a writing sample, and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member in the student’s home department indicating why and how the student would benefit from the D.E.
Students must be admitted to the D.E. prior to taking their Qualifying Exams. Admission will be determined on the basis of how coherently and logically the student can articulate the value of the D.E. for her/his larger course of study and career goals, as well as on the quality of the written work.
Contact us (click to email):
Designated Emphasis and Chair of the Executive Committee, Prof. Jeroen Dewulf
Executive Committee member, Prof. Robert Braun
Executive Committee member, Prof. Sylvia Tiwon
Head Graduate Advisor, Prof. Thomas Shannon
Second Graduate Advisor, Prof. Irene Bloemraad
Graduate student adviser Andrea Rapport, Phone (510) 642-3786, Dwinelle 5307