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. 
 
You will study topics like Dutch colonialism, the aftermath of World War II, drug policy, and water management, using concrete case-studies. You will be invited to tackle interdisciplinary issues from your disciplinary expertise, and introduced to established and cutting-edge theories of the humanities. Alongside seminars, you will join field trips, meet authors, and take part in discussions with fellow students, making use of the diverse perspectives of the international group. In a globalised world, regional expertise is vital. Through a joint study of Dutch culture and society, The Netherlands in Global Context helps you build the cultural sensitivity and transcultural flexibility that are essential for any international career.

Study programme

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

You can register for a minor in the Academic year 2026-2027 from 1 April to 6 May 2026.

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.

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.