Study Abroad

We encourage students in Dutch Studies to explore the possibilities for a Study Abroad experience through the UC Education Abroad Program. In the Netherlands, semester and year programs with course work in English are offered in Utrecht, Maastricht, Leiden, and Wageningen. In Belgium, a field research & internship semester in Brussels is offered. Course work is in French. However, students benefit from intensified Dutch instruction during the preparatory period, and can request to be placed in Dutch-language professional environments in the Brussels region if they wish. Placements may also be in work environments where Dutch is practiced alongside French and/or English for students who are not ready to function fully in Dutch. UCEAP coursework and credits may count towards the Dutch Studies minor and major requirements.

Summer Abroad

Semester Abroad

Internship Program

Dutch 177 (6 semester units)

The Amsterdam-Brussels Connection: History, Art and Identity in the Heart of Europe

Organized by the UC Berkeley Dutch Studies Program in cooperation with UC Berkeley Summer Sessions

Introduce yourself to the cultural and political identity of the Low Countries: the Netherlands and Belgium. The course begins in Amsterdam, the world’s most liberal city, from where we explore the Netherlands. After spending two weeks in the Netherlands, we will continue our journey in Belgium, where we will be based in the city of Ghent, one of Europe’s best preserved medieval cities. On our way, we trace important cultural, historical and political developments in European history, art, politics and culture from medieval Flanders, the Dutch Golden Age, Anne Frank and the Holocaust up to the contemporary multicultural identity of Belgium, the Netherlands and the European Union. Daily field trips take us to The Hague, Utrecht, Delft, Rotterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges and many other places, where we will visit a range of world famous art museums, churches, and historical sites. Guided visits to the Dutch House of Representatives and the European Parliament in Brussels are also included.

The Travel/Study Course Dutch 177 is open to students from all departments on the Berkeley campus as well as students from other universities, also outside the United States. It satisfies the UC Berkeley International Studies or Arts & Literature or Historical Studies L&S Breadth Requirement, and it is part of the Dutch Studies Minor or Major. Students from other departments are encouraged to consult with their advisor to see which other major/minor this program may fulfill. Visiting students are encouraged to talk to their advisor about transfer of credit to their home institutions. This course has no requirements. No language teaching is involved and no knowledge of any language other than English is required.

Dutch 177 has two program directors: Esmée van der Hoeven, a native from the Netherlands and lecturer at UC Berkeley’s Dutch Studies Program will be directing the Dutch section of the course (based in Amsterdam), while Jeroen Dewulf, a native from Belgium and director of UC Berkeley’s Dutch Studies Program, is in charge of the Belgian section of the course (based in Ghent). For more information, please contact the program directors or visit the travel study website (click on the button Summer Abroad above).