About this course
The Low Countries Studies is an ideal introduction to the various aspects of Flemish society (language, art and culture, history, the media, the Flemish landscape, town and country planning, etc ...) and everyday customs in Flanders. All aspects will be dealt with within the broader perspective of Belgium and the Low Countries.
The course is mainly intended for exchange students and other foreign students and researchers who are studying or working as a researcher at Ghent University and who want to learn more about Flanders, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The programme consists of twelve lectures on the above-mentioned aspects of life in Flanders, Belgium and the Netherlands. The lectures last about one hour. Afterwards, students can ask questions and debate with the lecturer and amongst themselves.
People interested in taking this course must choose whether they want to earn credits (and have an evaluation at the end) or not (without evaluation at the end of the course). See registration for details.
Students wishing to obtain credits are invited to participate in the discussions after the lectures and in the online discussion group. They also take an exam with multiple choice questions. See the course specifications.
Students wishing to obtain a certificate of attendance are invited to sign the attendance sheets on campus.
Learn more about the history and culture of the Low Countries
Introduction to the Dutch Language
The development of the city of Ghent and important art collections in the Low Countries
- History of the city of Ghent: STAM, Saint Bavo Cathedral and Ghent Altarpiece (with interesting virtual tour in Augmented Reality)
- Art: Groeningemuseum (in Bruges, with a focus on medieval art), KMSKA (in Antwerp, with a focus on 16th - 18th C.), MSK (in Ghent, with a focus on 19-20th C.), Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels (huge, 15th - 21th C., with interesting permanent Magritte exhibition), Rijksmuseum (in Amsterdam, with a focus on art in the Netherlands)
Where can you hear Polyphony and other Old Music
- Festivals: Laus Polyphoniae (Antwerp), Musica Antiqua (Bruges), Meerstemmig Gent (Ghent)
- Concert halls: AMUZ (Antwerp), Concertgebouw (Bruges), Bijloke (Ghent)
Economy of Belgium
- Belgium in figures: information on gross domestic product, employment rate, inflation, house prices... collected by the federal government
- Statistics Flanders: information on economic topics collected by the Flemish government
- Walstat: information on economic topics collected by the Walloon government (in French)
Media in Belgium
- Media in Flanders
- Media Worldwide (in French, with a page on Belgium)
The colonial past of Belgium:
- Africamuseum in Tervuren (near Brussels)
Migration in Belgium
- Permanent exhibition in MigratieMuseumMigration in Molenbeek (Brussels)
- Temporary exhibition The Gates - On the edge of the city in STAM (Ghent)