The role of history in the curriculum of students of Dutch language and culture abroad

Abstract

Having lived in several countries and being a historian by training I supported the courses Dutch language and culture at several European universities by offering a series of lectures about the history of the Netherlands and Belgium. Based on my experience in Dublin, Tbilisi, Ljubljana and Rīga I reflect on the question which role these lectures in history could play in the curriculum. What knowledge and understanding should the students have at the end of the course and how can one best achieve these aims? As the history course is given in Dutch it goes without saying that the students knowledge of the Dutch language at the beginning of the course is an important factor. Is Dutch part of the study Germanic Languages, European Studies or Intercultural Communication and do they study Dutch as a major or as a minor on bachelor or on master level. So the level and the interests of the students, depending on the embedding in the the university study program vary greatly. Taking this into account these aspects how does one best proceed?