Knowledge for Society: Cultural Entrepreneurship, Community-Based and Commissioned Research in the Humanities

Course goals

Students develop knowledge about the societal impact of humanities research, including its ethical, political and practical dimensions
Students develop skills for conducting societally relevant research:  working outside the boundaries of your own discipline; dealing with intellectual complexity, uncertainty and discomfort; reflective awareness of your own values and your position in the world.
Students learn to interact in a sensitive and ethical manner with partners in collaboration who think differently from them
Students work with societal partners, teachers and fellow students to translate insights from the humanities to meet the needs of partners, and to reflect on their own role in that process
Students create a project plan in which expertise from their own humanities discipline is evident. There is choice of three models: 

1. A business plan for a business or non-profit cultural enterprise
2. A research project done in collaboration with societal partners
3. A research project commissioned by an external partner

Content

Students of the humanities can make good use of their academic knowledge and skills in society by collaborating successfully with partners beyond the walls of the university and actively contributing to societal needs. In this course, you identify the societal partners with whom you can and want to share your knowledge, and how to do that effectively. You learn about different ways of making use of your expertise in the humanities:

• Cultural entrepreneurship. What humanities knowledge can you offer as a product or service? How do you find clients for your expertise and narrative? How do you become a cultural entrepreneur?
• Community-based research. Which social causes or civic initiatives can you support by collaborating in research? What insights, knowledge and expertise from your humanities discipline are meaningful for such partners? How do you do research with such partners, rather than about or for them? 
• Commissioned research. How does humanities research financed by external partners like businesses, foundations or private individuals work? How do you find clients for commissioned research, and how do you make the value of your knowledge and expertise clear to them?

The final assignment of the course is a feasible project plan that fits in one of these categories.  The point of departure for this is to make use of your disciplinary knowledge, academic skills and insights in engaging with external partners. You will gain deeper awareness of the societal relevance of research on language, media, art, culture, history and religion. You will learn to consider the practical and ethical dimensions of collaborating with societal partners.

This course is part of the minor Geesteswetenschappen in de beroepspraktijk (stageminor), but you may also follow this course if you are not enrolled in that minor.

After the course ends, you can carry out your project as an internship, or for UCU students, as a bachelor thesis project. Students from other bachelor programmes need permission from their examination board to integrate the project in their bachelor thesis project. When you carry out the project, you receive guidance from an academic supervisor with appropriate expertise. You may also choose to not carry out the project as an internship. 
 

Additional information

The course is in English, but all assignments may be completed in Dutch.