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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 cultural history, literary studies, and cultural analysis to disclose the past and present of the Netherlands from a comparative and critical perspective.

Topics varying from the Blaeu Atlas Maior, Anne Frank’s diary, the Indonesian National Revolution, eco-poetry, and Dutch water management are critically examined using established and cutting-edge theories of the humanities. The diverse perspectives of the international student group make class discussions eye-opening and rewarding.

Study programme

COURSES SEM 1 SEM 2 SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 EC
  • Dutch Culture and Society
    6
  • Mapping World Views
    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

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 Nederlandse taal en cultuur should check the course ‘Seventeenth-Century Amsterdam as a Creative City’. Students Global Arts, Culture and Politics should check the course ‘Mapping World Views’.

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. 

Registration and placement

The registration period for a minor in the academic year 2025-2026 is 1 April - 13 May 2025.

This minor has a limited number of places available. If there are more applications than available places, a lottery will be held. The timing of your application within the specified period will not affect your chances of being placed.

Apply for this minor between 1 April and 13 May 2025

Are you not a UvA student? Please check here for which Bachelor's programme you need to register at the UvA as an elective course student.

Facts & Figures
Credits
30 ECTS,
Language of instruction
English
Starts in
September
Location
University Quarter