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Minor

Critical Dutch Studies

Critical Dutch Studies is a minor for international and Dutch students who wish to gain profound insight into Dutch culture and society in a global context. It features a multidisciplinary approach combining methods from (art) history, literary studies, and cultural analysis to disclose the past and present of the Netherlands from a comparative and critical perspective. Topics varying from Rembrandt’s paintings to Anne Frank’s diary, the decolonization of Indonesia, eco-poetry, and the rising sea level are examined and discussed using both established and cutting-edge theories in the humanities.

In times of globalisation, regional expertise is pivotal to cross-border communication in the cultural, political and economic sectors. You will develop this expertise, along with the transcultural sensitivity required for any international career, through excursions, group activities, and individual research projects.

Study programme

COURSES SEM 1 SEM 2 SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 EC
  • The Netherlands in the Seventeenth Century: History, Literature, and Art
    6
  • Dutch Culture and Society
    6
  • All-time bestsellers from Amsterdam
    6
  • Seventeenth-Century Amsterdam as a Creative City
    6
  • The Netherlands in the World
    6
UvA Course Catalogue: Minor Critical Dutch Studies
Learn about this minor from Marrigje Paijmans, coordinator of the minor Critical Dutch Studies.

Related Master's programmes

This minor may serve as a good preparation for academic Bachelor’s students who want to apply for admission to a Master's programme in Literary Studies, History, Art and Culture, Region Studies, Media Studies, European Studies, Politics and Sociology.  Always check the entry requirements on the Application and Admission page of the Master’s programme you are interested in.

Entry requirements

This minor is open for application to students who have obtained an academic first-year diploma or a positive Binding Study Advice from an academic Bachelor's programme. 

Please note that if one of the courses is part of your personal study track, you cannot register for this minor. Students in the Bachelor’s programme Nederlandse taal en cultuur should particularly check the course Seventeenth-Century Amsterdam as a Creative City.

The minor is also open for application to students from a Dutch University of Applied Sciences (HBO) who have completed their propaedeutic year. If you are an HBO student and if you are looking to do a Master's programme at the UvA, please check out our pre-Master's programmes, as completing a minor is not enough to grant you access to Master’s programmes. 

Application

The registration period for a minor in the academic year 2025-2026 will start in Spring 2025.

Step-by-step application guide Keep me informed A minor in Humanities
Facts & Figures
Credits
30 ECTS,
Language of instruction
Dutch, English
Starts in
September
Location
University Quarter