For content information:
Inger Quanjel
E-Mail: Minor.GlobalAwareness@han.nl
Tel.: +31 (0)651363266
Information about the HAN Community projects
E-Mail: CommunityProjects@han.nl
Subscribe? Good to know!
- 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.
For the minors with places still available applies until the closing of the subscription period: Once a minor is full, it is closed!
In addition, if the number of subscribers after four weeks is below the norm; this minor may possibly be withdrawn. So if you are interested, sign up immediately!
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Note: For HAN students it means that, in case of cancellation of the first choice AFTER the period of decision (this takes a full month) they may re-subscribe for the still available minors.
Even then: Once a minor is full, it is closed!
A good overview of the HAN minors can be found in the minors app! The app is accessible via: http://www.minoren-han.nl/
Are you interested in international sustainable development and would you love to go abroad during your study for 9 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
- Requirements Approach
- Health, education, engineering, ICT, sports or economics related topics
- Welfare / community building/ community engagement
- Development cooperation policies
- 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 9 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 (possible)destinations you can go to within this minor:
- HAN community project Bangalore, India
- HAN community project Curaçao
- Vietnam, Bali, Philippines, Bonaire
- Pilot projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Ghana
Send an email to minor.globalawareness@han.nl for more information about the projects and destinations.
Please note that destination placement depends on the colour codes used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is demand-driven. It also depends on the needs of our partner organisations (some of our partners prefer work placements of 16 weeks (fulltime).
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.
The learning outcomes below will help you decide whether this exchange course 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 enrol for the minor before the first enrolment closes.
You need to send in both your motivation letter and résumé and also enrol for the minor in Osiris.
For whom?
This minor is only available for the students of the HAN University of Applied Sciences and students of International Partners.
Admission requirements
- You are expected to work in a job relevant to the course for at least 1 day a week. If you doubt about the relevance of your work, please contact Inger Quanjel
- 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 inform you about the indicative costs.
Preparation
Your stay abroad needs to be properly organized in advance of the course. For this reason, there will be 4 preparation evenings 4 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, e.g. South Africa starts already in the beginning of August.
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.
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
Applying for destinations of the Han Community Projects; Bangalore India and Curacao; a selection procedure within your own institute is necessary because we have limited placements.
Be aware that this is a selection procedure and that there is a possibility that you may not be able go to India or Curaçao for this minor. For this reason we also kindly request you to fill in three destinations of your choice. And make sure you have a plan B!
Applying for other destinations: Vietnam, Bali Indonesia, Philippines and Bonaire or one of our pilots also have limited placements. So make sure you have a plan B!
Application procedure
The application procedure for this minor consists of 2 parts:
- Applying for a 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.
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 (note for part-time students the PSA will involve more time than for students who participate in the fulltime minor)
This minor has the following schedule and learning activities:
Schedule
- 4 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) / 9 weeks (part-time) project abroad
- 2 follow up classes during time abroad
- 3 Global Team Meeting during your 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
- 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.
Studenten van de HAN kunnen zich eenvoudig aanmelden via OSIRIS.
Mocht het inloggen in OSIRIS niet lukken via bovenstaande link ga dan naar de site van OSIRIS.
Externe studenten kunnen zich eenvoudig aanmelden via Kies Op Maat.