faculty of arts
University of Groningen, NL Groning01 Erasmus+ KA1 Mobility
2019-2020
ERASMUS+
Study Report
This form needs to be completed by every student who has completed an
Erasmus+ mobility.
Last name
*As shown in your passportWeits
First name
*As shown in your passportAnne
RUG student number
S 3364585
Please enclose a 2-page report on your experiences abroad, using the
following headings:
1. Your study programme or your internship programme
Courses taken and their quality: (mainly political science)
Dutch: Introduction to Law (3 ECTS). This course was centered on Belgian law. Which is not that interesting if you are never planning to live in Belgium. I did came to learn law-related concepts that are applicable internationally though, which was interesting altogether. The course was purely lecture-based and ended with a mc-exam, which was hard to study for given it required complete repetition. I would not recommend this course for non-Belgians.
Dutch: World view; religion, atheism and culture (3 ECTS). This course was lecture-based and required interest in religions. It had mainly guest speakers and was therefore sometimes chaotic. Regardless, the course touched upon some interesting topics in religions that I otherwise would not have known.
Dutch: Public administration (bestuurskunde) (6 ECTS). This course was taught in a smaller lecture group where there was plenty room for questions. The theacher discussed basic themes in public administration and provided with ample examples, mainly centered around Flanders and Antwerp. It was mostly interesting to me to learn more about the culture and the political system in Antwerp. I would recommend this course for Dutch students (provided it is taught in Dutch). The workload was low to normal.
Dutch: Policy Studies (beleidswetenschap) (6 ECTS). This course was lecture-based and included a small assignment. This assignment was, especially for a 3rd year Bachelor
student, rather easy to accomplish. The course mainly discussed theories in political science and even discussed prisoner’s dilemma on a very basic level. The workload was low to normal and it did not specifically provide me with new insights.
English: political rhetoric (6 ECTS). This lecture-based course provided me with a lot of new information that I found particularly interesting and new. The things discussed cannot easily be found on the internet and was thus a valuable contribution to my studies. Normal workload.
English MA: Politicians (3 ECTS). This seminar-based course was very open to discussion in class. It also provided with quality articles and academic knowledge on politicians that is often overlooked. The course had a guest-speaker every week who was a functioning politician in Belgium. This made for a close-up look into their lives and ability to ask questions directly. I would highly recommend.
1 English MA: Policy professionals (3 ECTS). This seminar-based course was a public
administration course that focused on one book specifically and discussions via chosen topics in public administration. I found it rather superficial and it primarily developed my discussion and presentation skills. Normal workload.
2. Language
Provided I am a fluent Dutch speaker, I was able to follow a considerable amount of courses taught in Dutch. This meant I could follow more courses under Bachelor programmes, as most English taught courses were situated under Master level.
Regardless, I followed three English-spoken courses, all with sufficient level of English. The Dutch courses were sometimes more difficult to follow as Flemish turned out to be rather different from the Dutch I know. This caused some minor uncertainties that could easily be solved by asking other students or the professors directly.
3. Finance and other conditions
I did not come across any unforeseen costs. The living costs of Belgium, Antwerp, were as expected. They were much like Dutch prices and the costs for a student-room/ studio, were comparable to Groningen.
4. Preparation and contacts with the faculty before, during and after
your stay
The contact with the receiving university was flawless. The persons aiding us through the process made themselves public during the welcoming days. They also contacted us frequently via e-mail and were quick and appropriate in their responding to questions.
5. Housing
I did not stumble across any difficulties finding housing in the city of Antwerp. Through kotweb and studentrooms was I able to find multiple rooms in Antwerp of which some did also not reach in contact with me at all. Nevertheless, did I find a suitable room. I also came to see that a lot of rooms are for rent that are advertising in Antwerp itself (on the windows on the rooms for rent). This could be a good last-minute solution. The university also provides for student housing on their premises, which to my knowledge was a good functioning system as well. This last option is the most safe in my opinion.
6. Culture
Naturally did I expect no major cultural shock, given the Dutch culture should not differ much from the Belgian one. What I did discover, is that the Belgian culture should be more specified into the Flemish culture, or even Antwerp culture. The Flemish are unsurprisingly very proud of their nation and culture, which does have some specificities. The Flemish are rather shy when it comes to group behavior. They tend to
follow the group and do not specifically wish to stand out, with a few exceptions of course. They are however, rather welcoming in the university area. Belgian students were always able to help me and do this kind-heartedly. The Belgian system however, with their seven functioning governments and immense amount of politicians, does need some considerable time to understand. The political system is thereby complex and to my standards, very inefficient. Given I have taken many courses in political sciences, it did appear to me Flemish are not afraid to discuss their political system and all of its flaws.
7. Free time
I had enough free time during my studies abroad. The workload was average, although significantly higher during exam weeks as I discovered Belgian examination is more focused on repetition rather than understanding. Grading is strict, where I did not think professors treated me more lightly than any other student.
8. Travelling
The university is located next to the city center, so perfectly suitable to enter walking or by bike. Antwerp itself is connected to many highways and central stations. I frequently took the Rotterdam NS intercity, which was comfortable and cheap.
2
I hereby give permission to the International Office to publish my report on the Faculty of Arts
Repository to inform future students
X Yes No Future students may contact me for additional
information X No Yes
