Honours College Tackling Global Challenges
Introduction
Current challenges require new thinkers and potential leading experts and public leaders to solve crises at global and local level. The Honours Track has the goal of educating students on how current problems play out among government, science and society and give them the skills to tackle some of these issues theoretically, based on academic literature, and practically, by doing an Honours Internship and an assignment for a real-life organization. The learning experience is thereby based on interactive activities, such as excursions, visits to the EU institutions in Brussels, (public) organizations in The Hague as well as simulation games.
Students are asked to go beyond the boundaries of their own field of study, look at themes, issues and trends in society that require a combination of scientific disciplines and analytical lenses. The program links analysis or existing patterns to a future outlook. While using their own ‘home’ discipline to understand old and new issues, students are also expected to understand and integrate the contributions from other disciplines. Students are further involved in shaping the program, in suggesting and preparing topics of analysis and discussion.
Learning objectives
- Students who have successfully completed this programme are able to:
- Understand the relationships among government, science and society and how they affect public problem-solving capabilities.
- Apply theoretical knowledge to challenges in the real world.
- Demonstrate personal leadership capacities based on theoretical and practical insights.
- Combine knowledge from their own field of study with theories from the courses.
- Reflect on global challenges from various academic perspectives and arrive at possible solutions
- Use bilateral and multilateral negotiation skills.
- Understand and analyse the complexity of (wicked) problems from different scientific fields, including philosophy, psychology, archaeology and political science.
- Understand and use techniques and methods such as visualisation, stakeholder.
analysis, integrative negotiation, framing and/or reframing and their relation to problems. - Give policy advice to real-world policy makers on some of the problems they struggle with based on research and literature.
Content of Honours College Track
This honours programme offers a three-year 30 EC package for students entering the programme in the first BA year, and a two-year 30 EC package for those entering in the second BA year. A combination of didactic principles is used to reach the aims of the programme: lectures, workshops, case study sessions, simulations, field trips, guest speakers and assignments, personal and leadership development conversations, Honours internships and individual projects. All activities serve to connect theory and practice in order to tackle personal, local and global challenges. The Living Lab is used intensively for the interactive sessions ‘in house’.
For whom
The Honours Track is open to all students who meet the Honours College requirements. In addition to excellent performance in the BA we expect a strong motivation to deal with personal and global challenges. Moreover, we want you to finish what you start. You must be willing to develop your personality and personal leadership skills, as well as integrate yourself with our international student body. You must also be comfortable completing this track in English.
This track is especially interesting to those students who would like to explore the relationship between theory and practice, to acquire the tools to connect these and who like to work in a innovative and multidisciplinary setting that prides itself on accountability.
Admission
For admission criteria and deadlines see: Application & admission