Wartime in the Netherlands is a three-credit hour honors seminar, focused on World War II in the Netherlands and its continuing impact on Dutch culture. Conducted over four weeks in The Hague, Netherlands, this program offers participants the opportunity to engage in thoughtful discussion in a small group setting with IU faculty, explore historical sites and hear from expert researchers on weekly excursions, and analyze one of the most significant events of the 20th century in a country that experienced the war as combatant, battlefield, occupied territory, and victor.
Spend four weeks studying history and culture in The Hague
Learn more about Wartime in the Netherlands
July 1-27, 2018
December 1, 2017
| 1:00-2:00pm Hutton Honors College Great Room |
January 10, 2018
| 1:00-2:00pm Hutton Honors College Great Room |
Course Title: Wartime in the Netherlands
Academic Director & Instructor: Esther Ham
Syllabus Description: Five years of Nazi occupation had an enormous impact on the Netherlands. Even now, more than 70 years after WWII, every year books are published and feature films are released about that period. Why are the Dutch still so preoccupied with that period? In this survey course, we will try to answer that question. In the first part of this class, we will look at all the different events that took place before and during the war. From the basic events that were part of daily life to the only two strikes against the Nazi occupiers in Europe, to collaborators, and resistance fighters. Diaries written during the war will be discussed in depth, most prominently the diaries of Etty Hillesum and Anne Frank. The diary of Anne Frank, written in Amsterdam during World War II, has become a world classic and the best-read book after the Bible. However, there are many other diaries worthwhile reading. In this course, we will read and discuss Anne's diary and several other diaries written during that time. It is critical that literature on the persecution and the war as well as personal testimony of other Holocaust victims be examined in order to comprehend why war diaries are such a valuable resource in Holocaust research. For the largest part of this class, we will focus on films and literature written about the period after the war. The biggest name in post-war Dutch literature, Harry Mulisch, wrote the two most read and best written novels of that time. Themes explored in Dutch war films are more about the anti-hero, and profound explorations of the moral and human issues. All literature read will be discussed before we watch the movie made after it.
- Overnight trip to Amsterdam, including tours and discussion at the Anne Frank House Museum, National Holocaust Memorial of the Netherlands (Hollandsche Shouwburg), the Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands, and the Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
- Day trips to the former Nazi prison (Oranjehotel), the memorial center and former transit camp at Westerbork, and the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek, which is located on the terrain of Operation Market Garden.
- Afternoon visits to the International Court of Justice and the Dutch Parliament in The Hague.
Program participants will stay in the Student Hotel The Hague, which is centrally located near The Hague’s city center and the Den Haag HS train station. Accommodations include single room with private bathroom, shared kitchens, bicycle, bed linen and towels, onsite gym, 24/7 security, and high speed Wi-Fi.
Program Fee - $2500*
The program fee includes accommodations (both program housing in The Hague and weekend excursion accommodations in Amsterdam), some breakfasts and dinners, most lunches, transportation to and from all excursion sites, entry fees to all museums and historical sites, transportation to The Hague from the AMS airport, local transportation card with preloaded balance, student travel insurance, and administrative fees.
*Program fee is subject to change due to unforeseeable circumstances.
IUB Tuition - 3 credit hours
The tuition cost for this program is based on IU Bloomington tuition. The amount of tuition will vary based on student resident status. See the Student Central website for more information on current tuition rates.
Additional Variable Costs
Variable costs are paid before and after you arrive in the Netherlands as you pay for roundtrip international airfare, some meals, snacks, personal expenses, and independent travel outside the program. See the program fee sheet for more details.
Note: The program fee and tuition will appear on your bursar bill and are paid directly to IU. See the program fee sheet for more details.
Scholarships
All admitted program participants are awarded an automatic HIEP Hutton Honors Study Abroad Scholarship of $1250 to cover 50% of the program fee. No separate application is required.
Note: Program participants are not eligible to apply for the HIEP Grant.
Please see the IU Office of Overseas Study website for more information on other available scholarships and financial aid opportunities.
Banner image: Roman Boed, Binnenhof, The Hague, Early Evening, CC BY 2.0.
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