CIEE Social Sciences Program in Amsterdam, Netherlands

  Netherlands

Amsterdam

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring 
Dates: Fall 16 weeks: late Aug-late Dec; Spring 16 weeks: late-Jan.-early June; Academic Year 38 weeks: late Aug-early June

Description: The Social Sciences Program at the CIEE Study Center in Amsterdam provides challenging and stimulating courses in the humanities and social sciences at the University of Amsterdam, and aims to increase students' understanding of social, political, and cultural realities in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Europe.

Academic Program
The Social Sciences Program at the University of Amsterdam was established in 1993. The CIEE program is based at the International School (ISHSS) which offers a number of humanities and social sciences courses in English, and aims to increase students' understanding of social, political, and cultural realities in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Europe. Students can also take regular UvA courses in English for which they meet the prerequisites.

Academic Culture
Most classes offered at the University of Amsterdam are small in size, consisting of 30 students or less. Most meet twice a week: once for a two-hour lecture and once for a two-hour seminar or discussion class. Classes comprised of so many different nationalities offer a wide range of perspectives. This diversity enables students to analyze and discuss issues from multiple viewpoints. Participation in the CIEE Study Center at the University of Amsterdam not only helps students develop a better comprehension of Europe in an international comparative perspective, but also enhances their ability to communicate with people from other countries, important in light of today's globalization and increasingly international work environments. Approximately 50% of the international students at UvA are from Europe, 25% from the United States, and 25% from Canada, Australia, and countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.

The University of Amsterdam operates on a semester calendar, with each semester consisting of two consecutive 8-week class periods, followed by a 4-week period during which students study for exams or write papers. The University's fall semester runs from the end of August to the end of January, and the spring semester runs from the beginning of February to the end of June. In order to accommodate students from the U.S. who must adhere to a different academic calendar, early assessment is arranged for CIEE participants in late December for the fall term and in early June for the spring term. CIEE participants are expected to complete all exams and papers by the end of the official CIEE program dates and before leaving Amsterdam.

The CIEE Study Center's office is located on the Prins Hendrikkade on the eastern waterfront, several blocks from UvA's International School where many classes are held and in close proximity to the UvA residences where CIEE participants are housed.

Highlights:

• CIEE course and field trips focusing on contemporary Dutch social policy provide an insider's perspective on Amsterdam and the Netherlands
  
• Wide range of courses in the humanities and social sciences
  
• Study Dutch language and integrate into the Dutch and international student community
  
• Live in an accessible, multicultural European capital city
  
• Explore other regions of the Netherlands through program excursions

Excursions include visiting the Delta Works that protect the Dutch landscape from the sea, staying on Schiermonnikoog Island, a nature reserve in the north where a local shares his biology expertise with the students during mudflat walking in the Waddenzee, participating in a multicultural cookout at a community school in de Pijp neighborhood, and witnessing the new urban plan, IJburg, where at least 10,000 new homes are being built in such a way that it blends into the landscape.

University Life
Students are encouraged to sign up for activities provided by the International Students Network (ISN) of the University of Amsterdam. The ISN develops activities which help students meet other international students and facilitate the adjustment to living in the Netherlands.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Please check the CIEE website for current program pricing

Experience Required: yes