Fall 2024-Dutch Courses

Dutch 1: Elementary Dutch

5 Units
Instructor: Van Der Hoeven

In this beginner’s course, students will familiarize themselves with the basics of Dutch: its sounds and spelling, its grammatical structure, and its vocabulary. The class focuses on oral communication with an emphasis on vocabulary: learning words and learning how to use these words. By reading texts and dialogues (and listening to the audio version), students will build their vocabulary. In class they will get the opportunity to practice their newly learned words and phrases. By the end of the semester, students will be able to express themselves in speaking and in writing about a variety of topics, including introducing yourself, time, living, studying, traveling, and talking about present and past situations.

Dutch 100: Advanced Dutch

3 Units
Instructor: Van Der Hoven

This is a course designed for students, primarily graduate students, who want to be able to read Dutch for research purposes. The course is taught in English and targeted at students who have no knowledge of Dutch, however, students who wish to solidify their knowledge of Dutch grammar and their Dutch reading skills are welcome to participate. By focusing on reading strategies and analyzing texts on sentence and word level, students will develop their reading and translation skills in Dutch. A lot of attention is paid to grammar, syntax and basic Dutch vocabulary. This course works with authentic texts (book reviews, newspaper articles, scholarly pieces). Students are welcome to bring in texts or topics for texts in their own field of study.

Dutch 110: Advanced Dutch

4 Units
Instructor: Van der Hoeven

In this advanced Dutch language course, students will continue to build their vocabulary based on texts dealing with a variety of topics: the history, culture and society of Belgium and the Netherlands, current affairs and discussions, and literature and art. Class revolves around the reading and discussions of texts, and (newly) featured grammar will be discussed along the way. A lot of attention is paid to speaking skills and presentation skills. By the end of the semester, students will have developed their fluency in Dutch to the level of an advanced speaker. The course is open for students who successfully completed Dutch 1 and 2 (or have an equivalent level).

Dutch 161AC: Multiracial Americans: The History and Future of Racially-Mixed Communities in the United States

4 Units
Instructor: Dewulf

We discuss the history of racial mixture in the United States by taking three examples of communities with a Dutch-American connection as our starting point. We also look at the future and discuss the consequences of the fact that increasing numbers of Americans identify with multiple races/ethnicities.

Taught in English.