Politics and Society

In the Politics & Society profile, you will learn about political and social developments within European societies from a historical and contemporary perspective. The first-year programme of the European Languages and Cultures degree course offers the core subject “Introduction to European Politics and Society”, which provides an introduction to this profile. In this subject, you will study questions such as: What political challenges do democratic European societies face? What role do the state, elected politicians, political parties, but also influencers, (social) media and protest movements play in modern European societies? How do European citizens feel about democracy, the rule of law and political leadership? How do voters decide who to vote for? Why and how do social and political values change in a society? How does the past influence contemporary political and social issues?

When you choose Politics & Society as your main profile, you will take five courses that will significantly broaden your understanding of the political and social developments that influence contemporary Europe. These courses are:

• Profile Course 1: Academic Skills and Perspectives (Year 1)
• Profile Course 2: Comparative European History and Politics (Year 2)
• Profile Course 3: European Union Politics (Year 2)
• Profile Course 4: Politics and Society Thesis Lab (Year 3)
• Profile Course 5: Politics and Society Impact Lab (Year 3)

In addition, in the second year of the programme, there is scope to choose a subject at your own discretion. The Profile Plus subject Politics and Society is intended to further deepen your knowledge of European politics and society. The Profile Plus course is:

• Profile Plus: Advanced European Studies (Year 2)
  

If you are following a different main profile, you can also take the following course in Politics and Society (as a second profile) in this space:

• Profile Course 2: Comparative European History and Politics (Year 2)

For all profile courses, the lectures are held in English, and you have a choice to attend seminar groups in English or Dutch.

Recent graduates from our profile have secured jobs in journalism; as policy advisors (at local, national, and European levels); with NGOs and lobby groups in Brussels and elsewhere; and with political parties, to name just a few examples. Many of our graduates went on to prestigious postgraduate programmes across Europe in International Relations, Human rights, Slavic studies, Euroculture and Political Science, among others. 

The members of staff involved in the Politics and Society profile can be found here.

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