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 passport Alba Reina First name*As shown in your passport Miriam
RUG student number S 4101650
Please enclose a 2-page report on your experiences abroad, using the following headings:
1. Your study programme 2. Language
3. Finance and other conditions
4. Preparation and contacts with the faculty before, during and after your stay 5. Housing
6. Culture 7. Free time 8. Travelling
9. Your host and home institution’s response to Covid-19, and the extent to which the virus (countermeasures) affected your mobility
10. Other
I hereby give permission to the International Office to publish my report on the Faculty of Arts Repository to inform future students
Yes No Future students may contact me for additional
information Yes No
Signature Participant
………
1 1. Your study programme.
My host university Ruhr University Bochum (Germany) offered a programme based on ‘Humanitarian Policy and Practice’:
- Core Courses: Humanitarian Law in Practice (IHL Clinic); Methodology and Research Standards in Humanitarian Action; Human Rights, Refugee Rights and Humanitarian Advocacy; Advanced Management in Humanitarian Action; Project Design and Programming; Towards a Paradigm Shift: Innovation in Humanitarian Action.
- Guest Lecture on Humanitarian Negotiation in collaboration with the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) and the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV). Lecturer: Claude Bruderlein (LL.M., Harvard; Licence en Droit, Geneva; B.A., McGill).
2. Language.
The teaching language was English and both professors and fellow students proved to have a good level of it.
3. Finance and other conditions
The general situation was acceptable. Bochum is not an expensive city and it allows students to find accommodation and do groceries for an acceptable price. Conversely, finding a student job might be challenging as german is required.
4. Preparation and contacts with the faculty before, during and after your stay
Our programme was associated with the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV). As NOHA students, we had two coordinators: Malte Neuser and Robin Ramsahye; Both of them were very supportive and carefully listened to our requests. During COVID-19 they remained active online and created documents of every sort so that we could cross the border without further inconveniences. The contact with the faculty before, during and after mobility was, therefore, fairly fluent.
5. Housing
Neither the sending nor the receiving institution provided us preliminary support with accommodation, however, RUB University was ready to step in in case of housing inconveniences. The city is considerably small and prices were affordable. In my case, I subleased a room from a German student –precisely from Bochum–that was, during that period, on Erasmus in Norway. My flatmates were German nationals but they spoke English to
2 me. They were open-minded and made me feel home since the very first day. My rent was were 300€ charges included.
6. Culture
Bochum is well-known for the industrial developments that took place in the region since the 19th century. People living in Bochum are, therefore, pretty approachable as long as you spoke their language. In my particular case, I did not integrate with locals beyond my flatmates, but they proved to be welcoming to international students as they always made an effort to communicate and bypass the language barrier.
7. Free time
Our free time in Bochum was sufficient and the academic pace allowed students to enjoy the beauty of the city. Bochum is the sixth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia and a popular destination for those who like nightlife. Due to COVID-19 and personal preferences, I did not take advantage of this asset but it is worth mentioning for future Erasmus students.
In my case, I enjoyed the gym and sports facilities available for students at the IFHV building. I used to go there every day after class and I recharged my batteries for the next day. If Erasmus Students like sports, UniFit is an option worth considering.
8. Travelling
The RUB University offers a Transport Card for Students that covers the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In practice, students are allowed to travel within the district for free, which motivates us to explore the area. Personally, I have visited Cologne, Dortmund and Münster.
9. Your host and home institution’s response to Covid-19, and the extent to which the virus (countermeasures) affected your mobility
Both my host and home university reacted appropriately to COVID-19. The Groningen University organized online meetings to keep track of every students' situation. The Ruhr-Universität Bochum and, more specifically, Robin Ramsahye, kept a more personalized approach. He created personalized letters to support our personal documents and cross the border. Both, RUG and RUB remained responsive on the email and solved the setbacks that eventually arose.
10. Other
