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Introduction

The Dutch-speaking Low Countries (the Netherlands and part of Belgium) are a unique cultural community of about 20 million speakers in North-Western Europe. The names of famous Dutch artists readily come to mind: Rembrandt, Rubens, Breughel, Van Eyck, Mondriaan, as do some of the cities where they lived: Amsterdam, Brussels, Leyden, Maastricht. But artists do not flourish in a vacuum. Each of these artists assumes a cultural, political economic, and historical context that is worthy of study in its own right. The resources in Dutch studies at Penn offer students and faculty the ability to learn more about:

  • The Dutch Economy
    A Major Investor in the US and An Important Player in the EU
    The Golden Age in History, Art, Religion, Literature
  • The Dutch Language
    Comparatively Easy to Learn for Speakers of English & German
  • The Netherlands and Belgium During the Nazi Occupation
  • The Literature and Culture of the Dutch Colonial Period
    South Africa, New Netherland, Indonesia, Surinam, the Antilles
  • Dutch Film
    3 Oscars for Best Foreign Film in the Last 15 Years

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Dutch Courses

DTCH 101-401 Elementary Dutch I TR 6:30 - 8:00 pm
A first-semester Dutch language course covering the core Dutch grammar and vocabulary with the goal of providing the corner stone for developing overall linguistic proficiency in Dutch.


DTCH 102-401 Elemenary Dutch II MW 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Continuation of 101-401

DTCH 103-401 Intermediate Dutch I
A third-semester Dutch language course emphasizing vocabulary expansion via the use of audio and video-taped materials and readings. Grammar is expanded beyond the basics and focuses on compound sentences, features of text coherence and idiomatic language usage.


DTCH 230-402 Northern Renaissance Art TR 10:30-12 noon

DTCH 507- 601 Dutch for Reading Knowledge
This course is designed for undergraduates, graduate students and faculty who want to be able to read Dutch. Of particular interest to historians and art historians, people interested in international business and law, religious studies, social policy, and literature. Emphasis on reading skills; structures of grammar and pronunciation are taught as needed. Text selection will be tailored to individual student needs. No knowledge of Dutch required.

DTCH 399/999 Independent Study

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University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Resources:

The Breughel Professorship:
Every year an eminent professor from a Belgian university spends a semester teaching and performing research at Penn.

The Penn/K.U. Leuven Exchange Program
: Every year numerous Penn undergraduates spend a semester living and studying in Leuven.

De Nederlandse Taalunie: Annually the Dutch Studies Program receives financial support for its activities from De Nederlandse Taalunie, which also organizes Dutch language exams at Penn.

Van Pelt/Dietrich Library: The library maintains an extensive collection of historical and contemporary books on the Low Countries, both in English and in Dutch, making additions to the collection on a monthly basis.

The Netherlands-America Association of the Delaware Valley: This association, representing over 300 families in and around Philadelphia, is a frequent co-sponsor of lectures and other cultural events.

The Netherlands Society of Philadelphia: This society, with an interest in the history of the Netherlands in the U.S. as well as in contemporary Holland, is also a frequent sponsor of lectures and other cultural events.

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Related Websites:

Dutch families in and around Philadelphia

www.simplyamsterdam.nl

Get connected with people learning Dutch: www.learndutch.org

Learn Dutch online: web.hengeveld.com/dutch

Dutch search engine: www.ilse.nl

Dutch broadcasting, with latest news and archives (in Dutch): www.omroep.nl

Dutch Village in Michigan as well as other links: www.dutchvillage.com

Historic buildings within Amsterdam : www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/index_e.html

New Netherlands Project (in Albany, NY) as well as other links: www.nnp.org

Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs: www.minbuza.nl/English

 

For more information please contact:

Rob Naborn, Lecturer
Dutch Studies Program
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
745 Williams Hall
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

(215) 898-7107
naborn@sas.upenn.edu

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updated 12/03/04