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Humanities Lab

Are you interested in the Humanities and do you want to expand your worldview with an Honours College track? In the Humanities Lab, you will cross academic borders, boost your skills and improve your understanding of contemporary topics.

Humanities Lab is one of seven Honours College tracks at Leiden University. Learn more about the Honours College and the tracks available through the page below.

About the Honours College

Humanities make the difference!

Humanities are the wide range of disciplines that study human cultures, from languages to history, from religions to mythology, from poetry to paintings. In Humanities Lab, you will cross these disciplines and discover their value when working on essential contemporary topics such as (post)colonialism, identity, big data and cultural memory.

Issues like these are simply too complex to be handled by one discipline alone. In the Humanities Lab you learn how to switch conceptual and methodological tools, while focusing on different aspects of the problems at hand. You work together in small groups to improve your understanding, pushing toward possible solutions.

Learn about the Humanities Lab in 3 minutes

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Humanities Lab in a nutshell

  • Learn to engage with contemporary topics beyond the borders of academic disciplines
  • Expand your worldview and become an expert in topics that matter
  • Learn how to switch between methodological and conceptual tools
  • Work in a highly interactive environment and small teams
  • Push toward solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow

Is Humanities Lab for me?

  • Are you curious-minded and looking forward to meeting new, motivated students outside your own bachelor?
  • Are you looking for an accessible way to explore new avenues during your studies?
  • Are you ready to explore the many possibilities the humanities have to offer, while developing yourself personally and academically?

Humanities Lab welcomes you! Students from other faculties than humanities are welcome but have to consider their schedule before they apply (view 'important message' below). 

Combining Humanities Lab with your studies

Humanities Lab is a flexible 30 EC programme spread over 2-2.5 years, so the workload is manageable. Classes are scheduled on Friday afternoons. Students of the Humanities Faculty have no regular classes on Friday afternoons, so that they can participate in Humanities Lab. Do you come from a different faculty? Please take a look at the message below. 

Important message for students from other faculties than Humanities

Please note that all modules in the Humanities Lab track take place on Friday afternoons (13:30 – 17:00h) and that attendance is mandatory. Unfortunately, various BA programmes at other faculties than the Humanities Faculty cannot guarantee your availability on Friday afternoons.

Before applying, please ascertain yourself that your BA schedule for year 2 and 3 allows you to attend the Humanities Lab courses on Friday afternoons. You should always prioritize your main BA programme, plan your schedule well and avoid scheduling conflicts we will be unable to solve.

To obtain the Honours certificate, you must complete all six components of the Humanities Lab programme as described on the webite and you must comply with the conditions for certification as described by the Honours Academy. 

Practicalities

  • Location: Both Leiden and The Hague
  • Schedule: Classes on Friday afternoon
  • Starts: During the second semester of your first academic year or the first semester of the second academic year.
  • Language: The programme is taught in English
  • Credits: 30 EC split up in six components of 5 EC each

Community

Humanities Lab gives you the opportunity to meet new people – and oftentimes, even make new friends. Because you work together closely and go on the occasional excursion together, students tend to get to know each other pretty well, pretty soon.

FAQ

Our FAQ contains all the questions we have encountered over the years. Please read through the FAQ, our website and prospectus to find the information you need. If you can’t find what you are looking for, please let us know, so that we can include it in the FAQ. Due to privacy legislation, you are requested to use your university e-mailaddress (umail); we may not reply to e-mail from personal e-mailaddresses. 

Application and admission

At what point in their regular studies can students join Humanities Lab? Can anyone tell me more from the student's perspective what it is really like and how much time it takes, participating in this programme? Will I be bound to stick to my study plan during the programme? When will I know whether I am accepted into the programme? My application was conditionally accepted. When will I know whether my acceptance will become unconditional?

Programme

What does the programme structure look like exactly and is it flexible? What are the compulsory parts of the programme, which parts are elective and what can I choose in this part? Are there possibilities to combine a semester abroad or an internship with the Humanities Lab programme? What kind of modules are on offer this year? What kinds of assessment can I expect? How and when can I enroll for Humanities Lab modules? I need to make a change to my study plan, what do I need to do? I would like to be involved in the programme, as student representative, member of the teaching committee or member of the Programme Board. Some of the grades of courses in my Humanities Lab programme do not show in uSis yet, is there a problem? I need a grade transcript, who can make this for me? When and where are Humanities Lab classes scheduled? When will I know for which module I have been admitted? Do I need to enroll for the module in MyStudymap or Brightspace myself? Can I be sure I get into the classes of my preference? How and when can I enroll for the Bachelor Honours Classes? I do not feel well, I might want to stop honours and don’t know what to do.

Graduation

I will not be able to finish my regular BA programme and/or Honours track within the required three years, what to do? I have completed my bachelor's and Honours track, when will I know whether I comply with the conditions for a certificate? How do I receive my Honours certificate? Is there a certificate ceremony? What happens to my Honours courses if I don’t comply with the criteria for a certificate after all?

Contact

Lipsius
Cleveringaplaats 1
2311 BD Leiden
Room 1.36
E-mail the coordinator
Celeste Blom Student Ambassador
E-mail the ambassador

See also

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