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History and International Studies

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The Bachelor's degree programme History: History and International Studies at VU Amsterdam is a unique programme combining approaches from history and the social sciences to understand how societies have been connected throughout history.

The programme offers a combination of history courses, modern language units and research skills from the fields of global history and international relations. A highly motivated staff, strongly committed to teaching excellence and the learning experience of their students, teaches it.

Great variety of themes

Courses discuss the history of Europe and the world from antiquity to the present. Students can also choose electives that cover a great variety of themes, such as Global Political Economy, Transatlantic Connections and Environmental History. In addition, students can take courses in modern languages, learn about different approaches from the fields of international relations and global history, and are trained in academic skills. In Year 3, students can study a semester abroad, take an internship or choose a minor.

Small scale in Amsterdam

The small scale of the programme offers close interaction between students and staff, several of whom have won University Teaching Awards for outstanding performance and dedication to undergraduate education at the VU.

The staff of History and International Studies cooperates with different public and private organisations as well as with the Rijksmuseum, Tropenmuseum, the Anne Frank Huis and many other international, research and heritage institutions. The University is located in Amsterdam, a city with international and historical allure.

The start date of this programme is September 1^st.

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1st year
2nd year
3rd year

First year

In the first year, you acquire a solid foundation of knowledge on Western and non-Western history, from antiquity to recent times. You analyse primary sources, conduct research and write papers, developing your skills along the way. You also take a number of general courses, including Academic Skills for Historians, and more specialised courses, such as Current Debates in Global History, which reflects on global inequality and the advance of China from a historical and current perspective.

We are currently working on an optimized curriculum; the Studyguide is not up to date yet. Please use this overview year 1 History and International Studies instead.

Subjects

Term 1:

Academic Skills for Historians
Ancient History 1
Modern Europe 1800-1900

Terms 2 & 3:

Academic English
Ancient History 2
Modern Europe 1900-present

Term 4:

Debates in Global History
Medieval Europe
World History 500-1800

Terms 5 & 6:

History of Philosophy
Early modern Europe
World History 1800-present

Second year

In the second year, you specialise by choosing courses on themes that interest you. The relationship between Europe and the United States? The history of climate change? The rise and fall of world empires? You also take several compulsory courses that focus on skills development, as well as two courses in a modern language of your own choosing. Options include Spanish, Portuguese and Moroccan Arabic.

Subjects

Theory of History
Cultural Contact: East and West
Decolonizing Europe: History and Memory
Global Political Economy
Sub-Saharan Africa and the World, 1800-present
History and Ethnography
History by Numbers
Oral History & Biography
The Maghreb in Global History
Commodity Chains
History of Knowledge
Politics and International Relations in Antiquity
History of Water and Environment
International Relations from Below
Latin America in Modern History

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the Study guide. There you can also download an overview of your programme (see ‘download your schedule’).

Third year

The third year is dedicated to deepening your knowledge and writing your thesis. In the first semester, you can do an internship, study abroad or follow a minor at VU Amsterdam. In the second semester, you take a research course on International Organizations and write your thesis on a topic of your own choosing. This is your chance to demonstrate what you have learnt and share your views. Once you successfully complete your Bachelor’s programme, you are ready to move on to the Master’s.

Subjects

Bachelor Thesis Colloquium History and International Studies
Bachelor Thesis History and International Studies
Internship Bachelor History and International Studies
Research Seminar Global Economic and Social History 1500-present
Research Seminar Global and Political History 1500-present
Research Seminar HIS: International Organizations

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the Study guide. There you can also download an overview of your programme (see ‘download your schedule’).

1st year
First year

In the first year, you acquire a solid foundation of knowledge on Western and non-Western history, from antiquity to recent times. You analyse primary sources, conduct research and write papers, developing your skills along the way. You also take a number of general courses, including Academic Skills for Historians, and more specialised courses, such as Current Debates in Global History, which reflects on global inequality and the advance of China from a historical and current perspective.
We are currently working on an optimized curriculum; the Studyguide is not up to date yet. Please use this overview year 1 History and International Studies instead.

Subjects
Term 1:

Academic Skills for Historians

Ancient History 1

Modern Europe 1800-1900

Terms 2 & 3:

Academic English

Ancient History 2

Modern Europe 1900-present

Term 4:

Debates in Global History

Medieval Europe

World History 500-1800

Terms 5 & 6:

History of Philosophy

Early modern Europe

World History 1800-present
2nd year
Second year

In the second year, you specialise by choosing courses on themes that interest you. The relationship between Europe and the United States? The history of climate change? The rise and fall of world empires? You also take several compulsory courses that focus on skills development, as well as two courses in a modern language of your own choosing. Options include Spanish, Portuguese and Moroccan Arabic.

Subjects
Theory of History

Cultural Contact: East and West

Decolonizing Europe: History and Memory

Global Political Economy

Sub-Saharan Africa and the World, 1800-present

History and Ethnography

History by Numbers

Oral History & Biography

The Maghreb in Global History

Commodity Chains

History of Knowledge

Politics and International Relations in Antiquity

History of Water and Environment

International Relations from Below

Latin America in Modern History

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the Study guide. There you can also download an overview of your programme (see ‘download your schedule’).
3rd year
Third year

The third year is dedicated to deepening your knowledge and writing your thesis. In the first semester, you can do an internship, study abroad or follow a minor at VU Amsterdam. In the second semester, you take a research course on International Organizations and write your thesis on a topic of your own choosing. This is your chance to demonstrate what you have learnt and share your views. Once you successfully complete your Bachelor’s programme, you are ready to move on to the Master’s.

Subjects
Bachelor Thesis Colloquium History and International Studies

Bachelor Thesis History and International Studies

Internship Bachelor History and International Studies

Research Seminar Global Economic and Social History 1500-present

Research Seminar Global and Political History 1500-present

Research Seminar HIS: International Organizations

You can find the complete course overview for this year in the Study guide. There you can also download an overview of your programme (see ‘download your schedule’).

After the Bachelor’s, you can specialise further by following a Master’s programme. As a graduate of History, you could work at a research institute, university, heritage institution, media companies or in government, for example as a researcher, teacher, journalist or policy advisor.

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History and International Studies

1st year

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2nd year

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3rd year

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