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Digital Native, Urban Native:

Interdisciplinary Research in Amsterdam

Amsterdam: Summer 2008

July 27 - August 24

Summer 2008 | Honors Civilization | 12 credits

(3 credit preparatory Spring seminar '08) = 15 credits

Application Deadline Extended to February 25
*Apply online through Catalyst*

Note for students from other universities: Please contact Julie Villegas (villegas@u.washington.edu) to apply. In addition, the Spring Seminar portion of this program will be conducted through on-line coursework.

Program Overview

The Honors Program invites students to apply for this innovative summer study abroad program based in one of Europe's most progressive and oldest cities. Thematically, we will focus on the interplay of urban space and digital space. This four-week study abroad opportunity, based on a preparatory spring seminar, is open to all undergraduate and graduate students in the humanities and social sciences; a variety of disciplinary perspectives are encouraged. The 2008 Honors in Amsterdam program is organized around student research, taking as its primary task a productive balance between structured research and international engagement on the part of its participants.

Learning partners will include the University of Washington Undergraduate Honors Program, The Virtual Knowledge Studio (VKS), Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) International School for Humanities and Social Sciences. Students will receive 15 credits of Honors Civilization credits: 3 credits in spring (pre departure seminar) and 12 credits in summer quarter 2008. Participating graduate students will coordinate the allocation of credits with their advisors. The culmination of this study will be student presentations at the annual academic conference co-hosted by the Society for Social Studies of Science (4s) and the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST) in the city of Rotterdam, NL.

Our program incorporates social science and humanities research with the exploration of digital data-gathering devices and e-Research techniques. To this end, the VKS will play a key role in co-developing methodologies and collaborative analytical techniques that will inform the execution of student research projects. The research projects, as well as the coursework at the University of Amsterdam, will retain a contextual grounding within the unique setting of Amsterdam. Experts from UvA will provide instruction on contemporary social issues within these broad topic areas while the UW instructors will facilitate student research projects and provide instruction on broader notions of knowledge production in research.

Spring Quarter - 3 credit seminar

The first stage of this study abroad program involves a mandatory 3-credit Honors seminar in Spring Quarter 2008. The purpose of seminar is to introduce Dutch culture and developed student research projects that will serve as a vehicle to explore and experience Amsterdam’s vibrant urban culture. The seminar is organized around two intellectual streams. We will explore what it means to be at home in, or foreign to, an environment and we will engage in both established and emergent research practices that deliberately push the boundaries between modes of inquiry in the humanities and social sciences. Students will work in 2-3 person research groups on topics of their own devising; they are encouraged to pursue issues that emerge from the seminar reading and discussion. Each research group will develop e-Research designs in preparation for engaging the people, places, and institutions of Amsterdam.

Summer Component - 12 credits

During the month long summer program, students will employ the research designs developed in spring to engage in self-directed research as a means to learn about Amsterdam's history, art, architecture, public policy, and of course its urban culture. To augment the fieldwork component there will be course instruction, guest lectures, VKS interaction, city walks, museums, and weekend excursions that inform their research. Dutch academics and local experts will lead lectures and excursions. At the conclusion of the program, we will travel together to the city of Rotterdam, were students will present their research projects at the Joint Conference of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4s) / European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST)

UW Program Directors:

Prof. Jessica Burstein – UW co-director. Burstein is an associate professor in the English Department, and an adjunct in the Department of Women Studies at the University of Washington. Her areas of expertise include modernism and modernity, literature at the turn of the twentieth century, contemporary fiction, and the role of avant-garde art in terms of the cultural mainstream. Her book Cold Modernism (2008) explores the art and literature of the body from 1900 to 1939, and its uneasy relationship to theories of the mind. She teaches courses on fashion and modernism, hard women poets, and boredom, and is the recipient of fellowships from the University of Chicago Franke Center for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, the Walter Simpson Center for the Humanities, and a Distinguished Teaching Award in the UW's Department of English.

Clifford Tatum – UW co-director. Clifford earned an MBA at Seattle University, and is currently a Ph. D. student in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington, as well as an instructor in the University Honors program. His dissertation research focuses on the use of information and communication technologies in collaborative knowledge production. Clifford’s other research interests include online collective action, the Internet as a diasporic medium, and the intersection between urban culture and Internet culture.

Amsterdam Program Directors:

Dr. Paul Wouters - Programme Leader of The Virtual Knowledge Studio for the Humanities and Social Sciences (VKS); Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Amsterdam, NL; Professor of Knowledge Dynamics in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Erasmus University, Rotterdam.

Mirjam Schieveld - Summer Institute International School for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Universiteit van Amsterdam.

Program Credits:

Students will receive 15 credits total (3 credits at UW during spring quarter and 12 in Amsterdam). Credits will fulfill Honors civilization requirements. Other credits may be applicable depending on individual research project.

Housing in Amsterdam:

Students will be housed in shared student dorms near the University of Amsterdam-ISHSS, located in the city's center on the Prins Hendrikkade. Classes will be held on the University of Amsterdam campus and, more often, the city itself. Students will conduct urban research and have guided instruction M-F, with weekends open for study, exploration, and relaxation. There will be opportunities for excursions on the weekends.

Program Cost:

$4,000 per student--Program cost is approximate (includes tuition, lodging, classroom and lab fees, some group meals, admission to all museums and exhibits, excursions, ground transportation, and conference fees). Course fee does not include IP&E fee ($200), airfare ($800-$1,200 roundtrip, depending on when and where you buy your ticket), food (about $20-45 per day), and personal spending money.

The Financial Aid office can provide student loans for not only the cost of the course, but also travel, food, and other related costs, such as travel after the class is over, provided you are a fulltime student. IP&E will automatically charge student accounts for all program payments. Once their UW student account has been charged, program participants will make their payments to the Student Fiscal Office, located at 129 Schmitz Hall. A limited number of scholarships will be available through IP&E as well as the Honors Office.

Refund Policy

A $350 deposit is required at the time of acceptance. This $350 deposit is non-refundable. Any student withdrawing from the program within 4 months of the program start date will be responsible for a minimum of 25% of the total program fee. In addition, there may be other unrecoverable fixed program costs. Any student withdrawing from the program within 2 months of the program start date will be responsible for 50% of the total program fee. Any student withdrawing from the program within 1 month of the program start date will be responsible for 75% of the total program fee. Withdrawal after a program begins involves the loss of the entire program fee.

Once accepted to the program in order to formally withdraw, you must do the following, in writing:

Contact the program directors.
Submit a signed withdrawal form to the UW Office of International Programs and Exchanges (see http://ipe.washington.edu/forms/WithdrawDefer.pdf).
Provide notice in writing to the program director that you will no longer be participating in the program for which you have signed a contract and accepted a slot.

Your withdrawal date is considered the date (business day) your withdrawal paperwork is received by the UW Office of International Programs and Exchanges.

Travel

To Amsterdam: Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to Amsterdam. You may wish to explore budget fares offered on websites such as Travelocity and Expedia, as well as STA and Council Travel on the Ave.

Within Amsterdam: Students and instructors will take at least one overnight trip during the course. In addition, we will be making several day-excursions. Students will also have opportunities to travel on their own for two or three day-jaunts.

All participants must have a passport valid for the duration of the program. It may take as long as six weeks to obtain or renew a passport.

Program Schedule (under development)

Application Process

Acceptance into the program will be decided based on application materials, interviews, and the student’s demonstration of motivation to challenge themselves intellectually across academic disciplines and cultures and to work both individually and in groups. Too, as representatives of the University of Washington while abroad, students must conduct themselves in appropriate fashion.

Apply online through Catalyst

Please print out three copies of your Catalyst application, plus three copies of current transcripts (unofficial is ok). Applications are due to the Honors Program, MGH 211, no later than February 25, 2008 (postmarked). Late applications will be considered on a space available basis.