• Description

  If you are looking for a program focusing on urban studies and geography, the Urban Planning and Society study abroad program in Groningen, Netherlands is perfect for you. This program looks at the Netherlands as a textbook case for economic, environmental and population planning. Extensive field visits bring you in touch with contemporary Dutch realities.

  Academic Program
  This program provides an opportunity for students studying environmental science, geography, or urban planning to learn and develop their critical thinking and knowledge in the field alongside Dutch and other international students through classroom discussions, intensive group project work, and applied learning opportunities involving case studies with local organizations. In addition to the CIEE core course Spatial Problems and Spatial Policies, CIEE students participate in a spatial planning group research project and take electives through the Faculty of Spatial Sciences and the Department of Dutch Studies. Having a deeper understanding of Dutch culture helps students develop their knowledge in the core course and in their group project. Students are recommended to enroll in a Dutch language course or to continue their study of Dutch at any level through the Dutch Language Institute.

  Academic Culture
  The learning pedagogy at the University of Groningen includes lectures, discussions, case studies, interactive sessions, workshops, papers, group projects, excursions, and assignments. The academic and intellectual environment is demanding and requires students to be fully engaged in their courses and group project work that is an embedded component of the program.

  The University of Groningen operates on the semester system but each semester is broken into two blocks, "semester a" and "semester b." For the second block, in both fall and spring, alternate assessment is provided to allow students to depart earlier than the semester officially ends (in the fall, the semester ends at the beginning of February and in the spring, at the beginning of July). Accommodations are made so that CIEE students can leave just before the Christmas holiday for the fall semester and in early June for the spring semester. University of Groningen courses range in size from 30-50 students. Most courses are taught in a seminar style and are discussion-based.

• Highlights

  * Interpret complex case studies within the fields of human geography, planning, and environmental sustainability.
  * Understand how the Dutch deal with economic, environmental, and settlement challenges within the context of increasing levels of globalization.
  * Analyze the complexities of contemporary life in The Netherlands.
  * Begin to study or improve your Dutch language skills.

Culture:

Cultural Activities and Field Trips
The program provides a unique perspective on Dutch culture and the city itself. Several major excursions are offered as part of the core course, and excursions are linked to various lectures.

The core course excursions include local thematic excursions in the first half of the course to larger day-long excursions the second half of the course. The two full-day excursions include a trip to see Dutch water management at work, where the group visits and discusses old, new, and necessary future flood protection and water management works. A two-day excursion focuses on the densely populated and developed Western part of the Netherlands. This area is also known as "Randstad Holland," and contains the large cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, as well as many other smaller cities, towns, and villages connecting the four main cities.

Subject Areas

• Environmental Studies
• European Studies (includes Politics)
• Foreign Language
• Geography
• Human Res. Management
• Urban & Regional Planning

Cost in US$:

Please check the CIEE website for current program

Program Fees Include:

The CIEE fee includes an optional on-site airport meet and greet, full-time leadership and support, tuition, housing, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, host university identity card, foreign police registration fee, a museum card, and a CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits.

Experience Required

no

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Dormitory

Typically Participants Work

Independently

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Other
• Transcript
• Written Application

CIEE's Mission Statement

Since 1947, the Council on International Educational Exchange, known as CIEE, has been in pursuit of its mission, "to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world. Our services to young people studying, working, teaching, and traveling abroad are more important than ever.

Year Founded

1947

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