Dutch: Language and culture

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1021034BER for all students in the 2nd semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester

2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Educational team

Rik Vosters (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

13 contact hours Lecture
13 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
52 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course offers students an introduction to the language, culture and history of the Low Countries, with special emphasis on the Southern Netherlands. The course consists of two parts:

Part 1: The Dutch language past and present

Part 2: Current topics in the study of the Low Countries

The first part of the course will offer a broad overview of Dutch linguistic and cultural history, with special emphasis on the external language history in a broad cultural and historical context. We will start out with the earliest precursors of Dutch, and via an overview of Old and Middle Dutch, we will deal with various aspects of the history of (Northern and Southern) Dutch in the Modern era. In addition, we will also elaborate on the 19th and 20th-century language history, as well as delving into selected aspects of contemporary Dutch. Theoretical and historical lectures will be supplemented, time permitting, with short reading, writing and discussion assignments in class.

The second part of the course will be devoted to the traditional Landeskunde of the Dutch language area. We will, among other things, pay attention to the organization of government, geography and population, politics, arts and culture, media, economy, and education, both in Flanders and in the Netherlands. Based on an independent study of secondary literature, students will prepare a presentation about a specific topic and case, followed by a debate on a related topic, exploring and – where necessary – problematizing the often multiplex and complex relationship between language and culture.

Presence and active participation in class are required.

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : Hand-outs, eigen lesnotities, slides en eventueel extra opgegeven literatuur
Handbook (Recommended) : Het Nederlands Vroeger en Nu, Janssens, G., & A. Marynissen, 2008 or more recent edition, Leuven / Den Haag: Acco, 9789033470707, 2008

Additional info

Handouts, slides, personal notes from class, and where applicable assigned readings

Learning Outcomes

Objectives

1. Students can describe, compare, and situate in their historical context the main events and developments from Dutch linguistic and cultural history, both with regard to language internal and language external developments. [Dublin-descriptor NVAO: kennis en inzicht]
2. Students can illustrate and relate the main developments and themes from Dutch linguistic and cultural history to the specific case studies, figures or texts dealt with in the course or in the literature. [Dublin-descriptor NVAO: toepassen kennis en inzicht]
3. By means of independent reading of relevant literature, students are able to deepen and broaden their understanding of current topic in Dutch and Flemish Landeskunde. [Dublin-descriptor NVAO: leervaardigheden]
4.Students are capable of conducting a small-scale literature study on a predetermined topic in te field of Dutch or Flemisch Landeskunde. [Dublin-descriptor NVAO: leervaardigheden + toepassen kennis en inzicht]
5. Students are capable of reportine in a clear and appropriate fashion on their discussion. They can express themselves fluently in Standard Dutch, making correct use of the relevant terminology in the field. [Dublin-descriptor NVAO: communicatie]

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
PRAC Presentation determines 50% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Oral exam with a relative weight of 50 which comprises 50% of the final mark.

Note: Physical or digital oral exam

Within the PRAC Presentation category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Presentation with a relative weight of 50 which comprises 50% of the final mark.

Note: Physical or digital presentation. Active participation during courses and sessesions and completing assigned readings can be taking into account (±20% of the paritial grade).

Additional info regarding evaluation

If a student does not participate in or does not hand in the required assignment for one of the evaluation modules for the course, he or she will receive a partial grade of 0/20 for that evaluation module.
Partial grades can be transferred to a later exam session within the same academic year, at the written request of the student (before the start of the exam period).

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context