Requirements for Designation
Students admitted to the Designated Emphasis Program must complete the following requirements:
1. Students will be required to acquire a basic knowledge of Dutch, which enables them to read Dutch texts. The language component of the D.E. can be fulfilled by successfully completing either Dutch for Reading Knowledge (Dutch 100) or Elementary Dutch (Dutch 1). Students who already possess a basic knowledge of Dutch can apply for dispensation of this requirement. In order to do so, their knowledge of Dutch has to be examined and officially acknowledged in a letter written by a member of the Dutch Studies Program at the Dept. of German;
2. Students will be required to complete the course Dutch 299 Individual Studies in the field of Dutch Studies for Graduate Students, which will serve as the integrative course for the program regarding methodology and research skills. This course can be offered by any faculty member of the Graduate Group in the D.E. in Dutch Studies. Although they can limit themselves to only one faculty member, students are encouraged to select an additional faculty member as co-supervisor for this course in accordance with the interdisciplinary orientation of the Designated Emphasis. The course topics may vary in accordance with the specific expertise of the selected faculty member(s). The number of units for this course has to be at least 3 and the course needs to be taken for a letter grade. The goal of this individual studies course is to provide the necessary intellectual background for top quality scholarship in the field of Dutch Studies as well as to provide cohort cohesion and intellectual exchange across disciplines. The course has a strong practical component, including engagement with bibliographical resources and scholarly practices essential to doing work in the field of Dutch Studies. The student needs to write a 7000-word article to complete the course, using a bibliography that includes Dutch Studies materials. The content of the article is to be determined on an individual basis with attention to the students’ research interests. The ultimate goal is to elaborate an article in close cooperation with the supervising faculty member(s) that can be published in an academic journal in the field of Dutch Studies (such as Dutch Crossing, Journal of Dutch Literature, The Low Countries, etc.) or any other academic journal. This course is offered every semester. The faculty members offering Dutch 299 are the core members of the Graduate Group for the Designated Emphasis in Dutch Studies.
Readings will vary according to the selected topic of research. Reading materials will be provided by the coordinating faculty member(s);
3. Two additional course electives related to Dutch Studies and approved by the Graduate Group’s Curriculum Committee. These courses support the interdisciplinary nature of the program with attention to the individual students’ research interests. At least one of these courses has to be a graduate seminar. One of the two course electives can be fulfilled by repeating Dutch 299 under the condition that the topic of this course changes.
Other course offerings to satisfy the D.E. requirements include History 112B, 165E, 170; History of Art 104, 108, 166, 172, 173, 260, 262; African American Studies 118, 131; South and Southeast Asian Studies 128, 130, 136, 137 and 210-B; German C133 and 280; Dutch 100, 107, 110, 125, 140, C164, 166, 170, C170, 171AC, 173, 174, 176, C178, 179, 299. Student may petition for a course not on this established list if approved by the Advising Committee. D.E. students are able to enroll in courses of the participating faculty on the same footing as the students in the major department.
Examination: A member of the Graduate Group in Dutch Studies must be a formal member of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination committee of the D.E. student. Under most circumstances, the Graduate Group member in the student’s home department will serve in this function. A member of the Graduate Group may also serve as the outside member of the Qualifying Exam committee if not a faculty member of the student’s major. At least one Dutch Studies topic must be included as a subject on the Qualifying Examination. Satisfactory performance on the Qualifying Examination for the Ph.D. will be judged according to the established rules in the student’s major program.
Dissertation: A member of the Graduate Group in Dutch Studies must be a formal member of the dissertation committee of the D.E. student. The dissertation must (partially) relate to Dutch Studies (Dutch culture, history, politics, art, literature, linguistics, sociology, etc.).
Degree conferral: Upon completion of all requirements of the student’s major program and the D.E. in Dutch Studies, students will receive a designation on their transcript and diploma stating that they have completed a “Ph.D. in (…) with a Designated Emphasis in Dutch Studies.”
For more information, please contact the director of the Designated Emphasis and Chair of the Executive Committee, Prof. Jeroen Dewulf (jdewulf@berkeley.edu), or the other members of the Executive Committee: Robert Braun (robert.braun@berkeley.edu) and Prof. Sylvia Tiwon (tiwon@berkeley.edu).
For practical information on enrollment en requirements, please contact our Graduate Student Service Advisor, Ms.Andrea Rapport (germanga@berkeley.edu), Tel. 510-642-3786, Office nr. Dwinelle 5307, or the members of the Advising Committee: Head Graduate Advisor, Prof. Thomas Shannon (tshannon@berkeley.edu), and the Second Graduate Advisor, Prof. Irene Bloemraad (bloemr@berkeley.edu).