On Thursday, 1 July, the Humanities Education Award was handed out. The course Rhetoric and Writing taught by Imogen Cohen in the Bachelor's in English Language and Culture, was announced as winner by the jury. The Audience Award, for which people could vote during the past weeks, goes to Ken je Plaats: Wereldbeeld, Identiteit, en Conflict, 1550 tot 1650, taught by Djoeke van Netten and Jonas van Tol (Bachelor's Geschiedenis). An Innovation Award was handed out to the course deemed the most innovative by the jury: Erik de Jong's Biophilia (Bachelor's Cultuurwetenschappen). All three winners received a cheque worth €1000.
The Faculty of Humanities Education Award is handed out annually to a course that stands out because of its innovative qualities or in which inspiring teaching methods are used. In total, four Bachelor's and two Master's courses were nominated this year, selected by the jury from the courses that were entered into the competition.
The jury's choice
'The jury feels that all lecturers deserve an award after this unusual year, but even so, we think it is important to hand out the jury award, Audience Award and Innovation Award', says Sabine van Wesemael, chairperson of this year's jury. Van Wesemael: 'The jury was very impressed by the courses that were entered into this year's competition, but picking the three winners was not difficult: a consensus was swiftly reached.'
The 2021 jury consisted of:
Sabine van Wesemael - Director Graduate School of Humanities (chairperson)
Judith Noorman - winner Education Award 2020 (jury and Audience Award)
Gerwin van der Pol - Teaching & Learning Centre (TLC) FGw
Liesje Verhave - student member of the Faculty Student Council (FSR) FGw 20/21
Rhetoric and Writing - Imogen Cohen (Winner Education Award)
In this course, students do not only get to learn about the powers of persuasion and the history of rhetoric and its relevance today, but also put themselves on the line: they write speeches they deliver themselves, and they expose themselves by exposing pieces of their creative writing. Throughout the course, students learn that the so-called imposter syndrome, in which people feel they are not as competent as others perceive them to be, is actually widespread; a lot of people feel this way. Understanding that they are not the only ones who feel that way makes first-year students much more resilient to feedback.
To watch this video you'll need to accept all cookies. Cookie settings.
Ken je Plaats: Wereldbeeld, Identiteit, en Conflict, 1550 tot 1650 - Djoeke van Netten and Jonas van Tol (Winner Audience Award)
Ken je Plaats ('Know your Place: Worldview, Identity and Conflict, 1550-1650') concerns the influence of changing worldviews on the lives of people in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The tensions brought by these changes were tangible on many different levels, that all come to the fore in this course; from local, urban and national, to transnational and global. It even concludes with the place of the world within the universe. Because these themes are researched in a systematic manner, the lessons learned in this course are also highly relevant for understanding our own time.
This course won the Audience Award with almost a third of all audience votes.
To watch this video you'll need to accept all cookies. Cookie settings.
Biophilia - Erik de Jong (Winner Innovation Award)
The theme of this course is the study and research of the human relationship with nature from within our complex culture. Do we only view nature as an instrument we can use, or should we also appreciate nature intrinsically? Biophilia asks all sorts of questions and attempts to find solutions that are important when it comes to matters such as the loss of biodiversity and the effects of climate change. The course has led to a surge of creativity among its students and has resulted in essays containing letters, plans for a children's book, and a series of paintings.
To watch this video you'll need to accept all cookies. Cookie settings.
All nominated courses
- Rhetoric and Writing - (Bachelor's English Language and Culture) - Imogen Cohen
- Contemporary World Literature - (Bachelor's English Language and Culture) - Emelia Quinn
- Critical theories - (Master's Filosofie) - Daniel Loick
- Ken je Plaats: Wereldbeeld, Identiteit, en Conflict, 1550 tot 1650 - (Bachelor's Geschiedenis) - Djoeke van Netten and Jonas van Tol
- Biophilia - (Bachelor's Cultuurwetenschappen) - Erik de Jong
- De militaire revolutie. Oorlog en samenleving in de vroegmoderne tijd - (Master's Militaire Geschiedenis) - Djoeke van Netten and Jonas van Tol
