Masters Degrees in Dutch & Flemish Languages & Literature, United Kingdom

This flexible programme combines in-depth exploration of the Dutch language area, comprising the Netherlands, Flanders, Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean, with practical acquisition of linguistic and intercultural skills and a range of specialisations in translation, literature, history and culture in the Low Countries, all in a global perspective.

Degree information

The Dutch Studies MA, unique in the UK, consist of a core module offering a choice of themes and concepts - Post-Colonialism, Memory, Collective Identities and Trauma - and options in Dutch literature, culture, history and society. It offers the opportunity to acquire and improve Dutch language skills as part of its regular programme, along with the methods, concepts and theories essential for the intercultural labour market.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme offers two pathways: taught and research.

Taught: core course (30 credits), taught modules (90 credits), dissertation (60 credits). Research: core course (30 credits), taught modules (60 credits), dissertation (90 credits).

A Postgraduate Diploma, one core module (30 credits), three optional modules (90 credits) full-time nine months or part-time two years, is offered. A Postgraduate Certificate, one core module (30 credits), one optional module (30 credits) full-time three months, part-time six months, is offered.

Core module
-Language, Culture and History. This core module permits research into two areas of major contemporary interest; for example, topics explored during the current year include the following: Trauma; Memory; Visual Culture; Queer(y)ing Sexuality.

Optional modules - students take a choice of optional modules on topics such as the following:
-Contemporary History, Culture and Society of the Low Countries
-Making Modern Dutch Literature
-Advanced Translation from Dutch into English
-Dutch Language
-Project in Dutch
-Modern Literary Theory
-Comparative Literary Studies
-Translation Studies
-Gender Studies
-Theoretical Issues in History and Literature

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project in the broad area of Modern Dutch Studies, which culminates in a dissertation of 12,000 words, for the taught pathway and 18,000 words for the research pathway.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, presentations, class discussions and individual tutorials. Assessment is through a variety of methods including coursework, essays, oral presentation, unseen examination and project work. UCL Dutch is known for its advanced use of innovative digital teaching and learning resources.

Careers

As labour market intelligence by the University Council for Modern Languages (2011) points out, Dutch is one of the five most requested languages in the UK job adverts, ahead of Russian and even Chinese! This is due to the close economic and cultural ties between the Netherlands, Flanders and the UK. Moreover, the report points out that even if your trading partners speak English well, it still pays to speak their language, having developed intercultural skills as taught by UCL Dutch.

As graduates with Dutch are rare this makes for a very vibrant employment situation, even in times of economic crisis. There is demand for graduates who can help overcome the shortage of teachers of Dutch and translators from Dutch into English. The demand for teachers is from adult education institutes and increasingly from higher and secondary education; in the case of translators it comes from Dutch, Belgian and European institutions, from translation agencies and from business.

Employability
The programme, unique to the UK, will be of interest both to those who wish to enhance their knowledge of Dutch culture for professional purposes – in the field, for example, of education, media, commerce and tourism – as well as to students wishing to pursue their studies to a doctoral level.

Why study this degree at UCL?

UCL Dutch is the largest Centre for Low Countries Studies in the Anglophone world. It was here that Dutch first attained the status of a serious academic discipline and a chair in Dutch has been occupied almost continuously since 1919. In both teaching and research the department is an internationally recognised centre for excellence.

UCL Dutch has one of the largest Dutch libraries outside of the Low Countries and hosts an annual Writer-in-Residence as well as regular research seminars by visiting lecturers and professors from the Netherlands and Flanders, together with exchange students ensuring close contact between the department and the Dutch-speaking countries.

UCL's central location offers students easy access to London's extraordinary resources, including the major collection of Dutch and Flemish Art in the National Gallery, the Courtauld Institute of Art, and the Warburg Institute, among many others. The cultural offerings of the Dutch Centre Austin Friars, Flanders House, and the Dutch and Belgian embassies and associations, and a wealth of exhibitions, films and theatrical performances are all nearby.

Read less

The Dutch Golden Age MA is designed to give students a thorough understanding of the history and culture of the Netherlands in the early modern period, focusing on the Dutch Republic during its 17th-century efflorescence. Jointly offered by UCL, King's College London, and the Courtauld Institute, the programme draws on the full range of resources and expertise in London for study of this subject.

Key Information

- Application dates
All applicants:
Open: 5 October 2015
Close: 29 July 2016

English Language Requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.
The English language level for this programme is: Advanced
Further information can be found on http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/life/international/english-requirements .

International students

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/international .

Degree Information

This interdisciplinary programme combines three fields: history, art history, and Dutch language and literature. It aims to provide a knowledge and understanding of the political, economic, cultural and religious history of the Netherlands in the period c.1550–1700.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of three or four core modules (75 credits), one optional module (15 credits) and the research dissertation (90 credits).

- Core Modules
Research Skills Seminar
Literature of the Dutch Golden Age
or one module on the history of Dutch art

- Recent optional modules included:
Dutch Genre Painting
From Renaissance to Republic: The Netherlands c.1555-1609
Political Thought in Renaissance Europe
Signs, Mind and Society: Early Modern Theories of Language
The Body Between Art and Science
Golden Age Kingship: Theory and Practice
Transformation of Jewish Culture in Early Modern Europe

- Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project based on 16th and/or 17th-century (primary) resources, which culminates in a dissertation up to 15,000 words.

Teaching and Learning

The programme takes the form of lectures, small-group seminars and individual tutorials. Through the research skills seminar students will visit various libraries and collections, in particular the Institute for Historical Research, British Library, and Warburg Institute. Assessment is through written coursework essays and the dissertation.

Further information on modules and degree structure available on the department web site Dutch Golden Age MA http://www.ucl.ac.uk/history/postgraduatestudy/taughtmasters/ma_dutch_golden_age

Funding

For the most recent information on funding available for 2015/16 entry please see the UCL HIstory website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/history/postgraduatestudy/taughtmasters/ma_funding .

Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed (where available) below. For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships .

- Carol Chattaway Scholarship
Value: £2,500 (1 year)
Eligibility: UK, EU, Overseas students
Criteria: Based on academic merit

- Furlong Bursary for MA Study in the Ancient Near East
Value: £7,000 (1 year)
Eligibility: UK, EU, Overseas students
Criteria: Based on academic merit

- Jean Orr Scholarship
Value: £7,000 (1 year)
Eligibility: UK, EU, Overseas students
Criteria: Based on academic merit

More scholarships are listed on the Scholarships and Funding website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships

Careers

First destinations of recent graduates of the programme include: East Side Community Heritage; Volunteer, Warburg Institute; University of London: Research Degree in Art History; and University of Amsterdam: PhD Golden in the Age in Dutch Art.

- Employability
This programme not only provides an outstanding foundation for those hoping to undertake PhD research and pursue an academic career but is also popular with students wishing to go into journalism, the civil service, business, museum and heritage and the education sector. Debates, small group seminars and tutorials help students to acquire strong presentation and negotiation skills for their future career. Likewise the analytical and research skills gained by students on this programme are highly valued by employers from a range of industries. There are many additional activities available, both within the department and the wider UCL community, to help students focus on employability skills whilst they are here, for example departmental careers talks and networking opportunities with history alumni.

Why study this degree at UCL?

UCL History enjoys an outstanding international reputation for its research and teaching.

The department is strongly committed to the intellectual development of all our students; if you come to UCL, you will receive individual supervision from leading historians.

Students benefit from London's extraordinary resources, including major collections of Dutch and Flemish art. The British Library, within walking distance of UCL, houses the largest collection of Dutch books anywhere outside the Low Countries.

Student / staff ratios › 39 staff including 8 postdocs › 101 taught students › 46 research students

Application and next steps

- Applications
Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

- Who can apply?
The programme is suitable for students with a first degree in a relevant arts, humanities or social science discipline. Prior knowledge of the Dutch language is not required; depending on their linguistic skills, students will be placed in one of three language/literature courses and trained in the reading of Dutch texts.

What are we looking for?
When we assess your application we would like to learn:
- why you want to study Dutch Golden Age at graduate level
- why you want to study Dutch Golden Age at UCL
- what particularly attracts you to this programme
- how your academic background meets the demands of a challenging academic environment
- where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

For more information see the Applications page http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/apply .

Read less