Are you interested in international sustainable development and would you love to go abroad during your study for 16 weeks? 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:

• HAN community project Bangalore, India
• HAN community project Curaçao
• Vietnam, Bali Indonesia, Philippines, Bonaire
• Pilot projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Ghana

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
• 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

Send an email to minor.globalawareness@han.nl for more information about the projects 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 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.