For content information:
Inger Quanjel
E-Mail: Minor.GlobalAwareness@han.nl
Information about the HAN community projects
E-Mail: CommunityProjects@han.nl
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- For minors starting in September, after the registration period in March, a draw takes place in April if there are at that time more subscribers than available places.
- For minors starting in February, after the registration period in October, a draw takes place in November if there are at that time more subscribers than available places.
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Are you interested in international sustainable development and would you love to go abroad during your study for 16 weeks (or more) and work in the community? Sign up for the Minor Global Awareness at HAN University of Applied Sciences.
After completing this minor you will have learned what it means to live, communicate, conduct research and work in a different language and culture and you will show insights, understanding and application of Intercultural communication. You will have developed a basic understanding of community engagement and you have started to understand how the use of the Sustainable Development Goals can improve your work. You have enriched your own profession with an international experience and broadened your intercultural horizon . You have worked together in a multidisciplinary project team and used participatory action research in co -creation with the community. And of course, you have gained a wonderful experience
Possible topics of the minor, depending on your project and your background:
- Intercultural communication
- Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations
- Country specific information
- Human rights
- Sustainability and ownership
- Participatory action research
- Health, education, engineering, ICT, sports or economics related topics
- Welfare / community building/ community engagement
- Development cooperation policies and vision toward the role of foreign experts
- Digital storytelling
- English classes or Papiamento classes depending on your choice of destination
- Using your professional competences in a development area
- Optional: take a course at the partner university (e.g. Christ University Bangalore)
Why should you choose the minor Global Awareness?
- A life changing experience
- Unique possibility to participate in a practice based minor abroad
- Being part of meaningful community work
- Personal Growth
- Learning about other cultures and cultural differences
- Multidisciplinary
- All participants in the minor prepare jointly for their stay abroad
- Guidance (from HAN and local)
Research Abroad
During 16 weeks you will do research abroad in the community for instance at an NGO, educational institute or a company depending on the professional direction of your study. You are only allowed to go to our Global Awareness destination if at least one other student of the minor is going there too (minimum of two). You will be responsible for all travel and living costs.
Destinations
The destinations you can go to within this minor during the academic year 2025-2026:
- Africa: Kenya/Ethiopia, Uganda and Ghana
- HAN community project Bangalore, India
- Other destinations in Asia: Vietnam, Bali Indonesia, Philippines
Just a few examples of what Minor Global Awareness students did before:
- International business students who helped women from slums in Bangalore to set up their own catering company
- Medical Health Care student who set up a handbook with emergency guidelines for the Let’s Care Foundation, a recovery home for girls who are victim of abuse in the Philippines.
- Industrial Product Design students who converted together with the community an old delivery room into a gym with sports equipment designed from old car parts in Ghana
- A business administration student who set up a plan together with the organisation to enable clients with disabilities to function in a restaurant in Bali
- Engineering students who build together with the community a dining hall for the kids of the Deaf School in Uganda
- Social work students who set up an anti bully project at school in South Africa
- Engineering students who worked together with logistic management students at Eco Village Sol at Curacao
- Student Education and Physical Education who joined the SPAT project in Kenia and learned to use sign language in communicating with deaf people
- Industrial Product Design students who developed a cargo bike from waste materials together with the community in the Philippines
Send an email to minor.globalawareness@han.nl for more information about the different project organisations and destinations.
Note: Please note that destination placement depends on the colour codes used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is demand-driven. We therefore ask you to submit a top 3 list of your favourite destinations.
Type of International course
- This course is offered twice a year during a full semester.
- This course enables you to professionalize in an international context and further develop your skills and knowledge within the professional profile of your current study program.
Structure of the minor
The minor consists of a mandatory part of 15 EC and an elective part of 15 EC. In the elective part you can choose from two options, depending on your interest and on the requirements of the examination committee of your own study:
Minor Global Awareness (30EC)
Mandatory part (15EC):
· Intercultural Communication (7,5)
· Community Development 1 (7,5)
Elective part Global Awareness (15EC):
· Community Development (CD2) (15)
· Research (15)
Community development 2: Students spend their time abroad fulltime doing community development. Together with the community/ organization students investigate how a community problem can be solved using the PAR research method. Preferably, students have to go through several PAR cycles and will make a significant contribution to the community.
Research: Within the elective Research students do not use the PAR method, but another (more traditional) research method. Next to some Community development work (CD1) students spend most of their time carrying out a small-scale applied research study within a local community, business, organization, school or university. Part of this research could be “study” in order to realize the research objectives. For instance, following an international course in research methods at the partner university.
Please note: optional parts of this minor are not available for all study directions and depending on availability at the project or in the country of destination.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes below will help you decide whether this minor matches your personal goals. The exact assessment criteria can be found in the OS/OER description of the minor.
Main goals:
- From your own professional expertise you can participate in an intercultural and interdisciplinary cooperation context.
- You are able to contribute in a sustainable way to specific needs of the (local) community you work in and where your research will take place.
- You will gain insight into the most current and relevant ‘Development and Cooperation’ themes, drawing on selected literature as well as the knowledge and experience of guest lecturers and professionals in the field. And you can reflect on this in order to develop your intercultural awareness and skills.
Mandatory part - Intercultural communication
- You are able to explain cultural differences between your own country and your host country, referring to at least two theoretical models.
- You are able to reflect on your interactions in specific situations abroad
Mandatory part - Community development 1 (CD1)
- You are able to find out what the needs are of the local community. You are able to orient towards their needs, problems and opportunities, and analyse them and work towards solutions in dialogue with the community.
- You are able to set up a small-scale research into actions to be taken within a local community/company/university/organisation/school. Ownership has been created within the community you worked with during the product/service development
- You are able to contribute actively to the organisation/project/institute where you are practising your discipline. You are aware of the UN sustainable development goals and you can relate them to your project.
Elective - Community development 2 (CD2)
- You expand the activities from CD1 in time and intensity.
- You implemented the Participatory Action Research cycle multiple times.
Elective – Research
- You are able to use an appropriate research method for a problem in your professional discipline and you can apply this research study within a local community, business, organization, school or university.
- Together with the organization and the supervisor you will draw up a research proposal. Based on this proposal your final report will be written.
An international course will be of most benefit to you if it complements your study and /or your professional profile. We would recommend that you speak with your academic counsellor about your minor study choice.
Important!
You need to register for the minor before the first registration closes.
For whom?
This minor is specifically intended for students studying at HAN University of Applied Science and students of International Partners. A maximum of 6 external students will be admitted if places are still available within the minor Global Awareness program.
Admission requirements
- You must have passed your propaedeutic exam and you need permission from your study coach. It is an advantage if you passed your sophomore. For some study programmes it is also an advantage to have finished your internship.
- Effective communication skills in written and spoken English (minimum B2). Note: for students who sign up and will be placed at Bonaire or Curacao, there will be no English test but a test in Papiamento (after following the Papiamento classes).
- Affinity with international issues and multi-professional settings and intercultural communication.
- Motivational letter and CV in English.
Good to know
For some destinations you will need to have a driver licence.
Costs
- You have to do an English language competence test of the HAN language. The costs of this test is 10 euro.
- You need to save money for travel and living expenses abroad.
- Most destinations work with a package fee for: pick up service at the airport, introduction programme and accommodation costs. Before departure, we can give you an estimate of the cost. These costs also depend very much on your own spending habits.
Preparation
Your stay abroad needs to be properly organized in advance of the course. For this reason, there will be 4 preparation evenings 4-5 months prior to the start of the course to organize your placement.
For students starting this course in the first semester the preparation evenings start in March/April. And you will have one intensive preparation week at the end of June/ in the beginning of July. Your departure date depends on the requirements of your placement.
For students starting this course in the second semester the preparation evenings start in October. And you will have an intensive preparation week in the beginning of February.
Basic understanding of the local language of the country you’re going to work and live in is important. If courses in local languages are offered by the organisation, you have to follow them. If not, we kindly recommend that you learn some basic phrases and words of the local language via self-study.
100% attendance of the preparation programme is mandatory. Before or at the start of the course we will provide you with all mandatory dates.
Important
After signing up for the minor a selection procedure will take place because we have limited placements. For this reason we also kindly request you to fill in three destinations of your choice.
Note: as part of an experiment we also accept up to 6 students from other universities
Application procedure
The application procedure for this minor consists of 2 parts:
- Applying for a top 3 project destination;
- Registering for the minor Global Awareness.
Step 1: Apply for project destination
You apply for a project destination by filling out the online application form* (choose the ‘HAN Community Projects’ form). If you have any questions about this form, please contact: CommunityProjects@han.nl
*if you choose Bonaire as your destination, please choose for the Netherlands in the application form.
The deadlines for step 1 are:
1 March (semester 1 participation)
1 September (semester 2 participation)
Please note: To increase your chances to be selected for the second semester, we strongly advise you to complete step 1 before July 1st.
Step 2: Register for the minor Global Awareness
Once you have been accepted for a project destination, you can register for the minor Global Awareness via the regular minor registration route in Osiris.
Please note: You need to register for the minor in Osiris before the first registration closes.
Registration for the minor opens from:
1 March – 31 March (semester 1 participation)
1 October – 31 October (semester 2 participation)
Assessment
During this minor your performance will be assessed in the following ways:
- Action Plan
- Presentation including a digital story
- Final report
- Your use of and given peer feedback
- Intercultural communication and reflection portfolio report which will be tested with an oral exam
- Public support activity A and B
This minor has the following schedule and learning activities:
Schedule
- 4-5 introduction evenings to prepare the work/research placement abroad and find a buddy
- Some of the destinations require country specific preparation meetings
- One week intensive preparation program and an introduction to online learning
- 16 weeks (full-time) work/research placement at the project abroad
- 2 follow up classes during time abroad
- 3 Global team meetings during time abroad
- All students will do their work/research placement abroad, in an NGO, educational institute, local government or a company depending on the professional direction and requirements of their studies, with the focus on sustainable development
- Two post-project weeks including reflection on the work/ research placement, finalization of the assignments, presentations and a promotional activity
Learning activities
In the Netherlands:
- Preparation evenings with guest lectures
- Intensive week including guest lectures about several themes around global awareness ,PAR lessons, games, intercultural communication, digital storytelling, use of peer feedback and English lessons
- Presentations
Abroad:
- Introduction or mentoring programme (sometimes including local language skills)
- Working with and in the community
- Online Learning community
- Making use of (Scientific) literature and podcasts
- Follow up classes
- Online feedback from your guidance teacher and digital story telling teacher
- Participatory Action Research
- In case of elective research: different research method
- Peer feedback
Attendance
Please be aware that the preparation evenings will take place in the semester prior to the semester you will actually be enrolled for the minor. We expect students to achieve a 100% attendance during all learning activities. If, for some reason, you really get into difficulties with the attendance, please contact your minor coordinator for an alternative assignment which can be done.
Prescribed literature: Nunez Raya Nunez-Mahdi, C, Popma, L (2017) Intercultural sensitivity, from denial to intercultural competence, Koninklijke van Gorcum B.V. ISBN 978 90 232 555 0
All other literature, assignments and lectures will be available in the online learning environment and in the course guide.
HAN students can enrol via Alluris.
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