CES Newsletter
Spring 2014
Table of contents
CES News page 2
SES: Summer Programme in European Studies page 4
CES Internship page 6
CES Events
‘Get Involved’ info market page 8
Amsterdam weekend trip page 12
Berlin study trip page 20
Positive Psychology Symposium page 26
Students’ impressions – favourite photos page 30
A very special reason to come to Maastricht… page 38
Teacher’s column page 42
Course highlight page 46
Maastricht at this time of year page 48
CES alumni – where are they now? page 56
CES Info page 58
1
CES News
PROGRAMMES AND COURSES:
SUMMER 2014:
We have added an extra class to our Summer Programme in European Studies:
Comparative Analysis of Global News Coverage. See page 5 for more info and apply now
to follow this course and/or any of the many other classes on offer!
FALL 2014:
Apply now for one of our 5 Open Enrolment Programmes for the Fall semester:
1. Business & Economics in Europe
2. European History, Culture & Arts
3. European Politics, Law & International Relations
4. Psychology & Neuroscience in Europe
5. Public Health & Medicine in Europe
APPLICATION DEADLINE SUMMER & FALL 2014:
UPCOMING TRIP(S):
Jorg de Vette, Director of CES, will be attending two major
events in San Diego this Spring: The Forum’s Annual
Conference from April 2-7, 2014 and NAFSA from May 25-30,
2014. He looks forward to meeting with many current and
prospective partner universities and colleges. Please feel free to
email him at [email protected] to schedule an
appointment.
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APRIL 15, 2014
ANNOUNCEMENT:
The price of Dutch residence
permits has slightly increased
to €304 per January 2014.
VISITORS:
We were delighted to welcome several esteemed and enthusiastic guests in Maastricht over
the past few months. It was wonderful to (re-)meet them all on Maastricht soil and get the
chance to talk in person about programmes, developments and share our visions. Here they
are, in chronological order:
- Kathleen Horn, Program Coordinator at the Office of International Education at the
University of Denver (Denver, CO)
- Dr Antonio Papuzza, Instructor Management & Entrepreneurship at the Leeds School
of Business, University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)
- Dr Eva Lawrence, Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology at Guilford College
(Greensboro, NC)
- Tammy Orahood, Director of International Programs and Global Initiatives at the Olin
Business School at Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY:
Maastricht University was recently rated ‘best young university in Europe’ in
the QS ‘Top 50 Under 50’ ranking. Ben Sowter, Head of Division of the QS Intelligence Unit:
"Maastricht University is the top performing European university in this ranking. One of the
most international continental European institutions, Maastricht has established itself as an
attractive university and a prestigious center of academic excellence for both domestic and
international students and faculty”.
Maastricht University also appeared in the Times Higher Education’s list of 25 most
international universities worldwide , where it obtained the 15th place.
HAPPY NEWS AT CES:
Our 2011 Summer intern Caitlin Murphy from Lebanon Valley
College (Annville, PA) paid us a surprise visit on her way to Norway
where she is now spending a semester abroad. It was lovely to have her
here at CES again after all these years!
CES Education Officer Nathalie Ummels and her husband Atticus
are expecting a wonderfully cute addition to their family in August. Big
sister Indigo and big brother Sirius are very excited and we are all over
the moon to share in their good news! The photo on the right is Indigo’s
depiction of her mum, made with a jumping rope.
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SPEND
YOUR
SUMMER
2014
IN
MAASTRICHT!
APPLICATION
DEADLINE:
APRIL 15,
2014!
Block period 2 21 July – 8 August 2014
Block period 1 2-17 July 2014
Entrepreneurship: it’s all about creating value
NEW! European Public Health in a Globalising World
NEW! EU-US Relations: Trade, Investment and Competition Policies
NEW! Going Dutch: Literary Reflections of the Low Countries in the 19th and 20th
Century
Intercultural Communication
NEW! Medical Ethics
NEW! The EU: Peace, Conflicts and Human Rights
Study Tour Central and Eastern Europe
Study Tour Western Europe
NEW! Comparative Analysis of Global News Coverage
Doing Business in the Emerging Markets of East and Central Europe
Dutch Art History
Economics of European Integration
NEW! Europe since the Renaissance: The Making of a
Continent and its Identity
Leadership and Management in a Global World
Law & Politics: Current topics in the EU (formerly known as
Politics of European Integration)
NEW! Positive Psychology
Courses available in the following majors:
Art History International Law
Business International Relations
Communication Literature
Economics Media Studies
Entrepreneurship Medicine / Pre-Med
European Studies Philosophy & Ethics
Finance Political Science
History Psychology
Human Rights Public Health
Click HERE to
view the full course
description, course
code and number of
credits for each
class.
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CES Summer internship – last chance to apply!
The Center for European Studies at Maastricht University organises study programmes for
non-EU students studying for a semester or a year. If you want to gain international work
experience in a dynamic environment, where you will have a high level of independence and
responsibility and lots of contact with international students, CES is the place for you!
Our workplace is informal, with supportive and friendly colleagues who will offer you a
diverse workload which is challenging and fun. You’ll be in touch with students and
professors and are bound to benefit immensely from working in this innovative and
international setting.
When Between 11 May – 6 September 2014. The internship can take place any time during this
period for a maximum of 90 days. Exact dates, working days and working hours to be
determined in conjunction with CES.
Responsibilities Front office activities. You will be responsible for providing assistance and information
to students from the various programmes offered by CES
Organisation and supervision/guidance of study trips and day trips for CES students
Administrative programme tasks
Various activities supporting the CES staff, secretariat and professors
Requirements You are a CES alumnus/alumna
You are a native speaker or have an excellent command of the English language
You are open-minded towards other cultures and nationalities
You are outgoing and able to work independently, as well as in a team
You are accurate, you are used to working to deadlines and are a good organiser
You have a high-level of customer service
You have some experience in guiding groups (desirable but not a must)
Please note The internship can be within the framework of your programme of study, but this is not
necessary. If requested, CES can grade your internship. The grade can transfer to your
home university.
Remuneration The internship is unpaid; you will be housed by CES at Maastricht University’s
Guesthouse (C single, P double or C double according to your preference) for free.
How to apply Please send your motivation letter and résumé to [email protected] to
the attention of the Director of CES, Jorg de Vette before 1 March 2014. Don’t forget to
include information about your availability (dates). Please don’t hesitate if you have any
questions.
We look forward to hearing from you!
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CES IS LOOKING FOR TWO SUMMER INTERNS!
CES Events – ‘Get Involved’ information market
For the first time this year CES organised a ‘Get Involved’
information market for international students. Vera Adriaans,
student assistant at CES who played a large role in putting
together this event, tells us a little about this exciting new
project.
TEXT: Vera Adriaans
PHOTOGRAPHY: Aude Frost
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Vera Adriaans studied Health Sciences and Psychology at
Maastricht University and graduated two years ago. She grew
up in Landgraaf, just half an hour from Maastricht, but has lived
in Maastricht for 5 years now. During her studies she worked at
the Student Services Centre and now we’re delighted she works
at CES as well.
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As a student in Maastricht you
have many opportunities
to do something extra
next to your studies.
These possibilities vary
from learning a
language, organising
events, or volunteering
opportunities . From the
United Nations Student
Association to the Green Office,
there is something for everybody!
We noticed that many international
students were interested in getting
more involved in student life and
the local community but they didn’t
know where to start. We wanted to make
sure that they wouldn’t miss out on
anything and could make the most of
their time abroad.
Initially we started organising the
information market with our own
students in mind, but then thought why
not open it up to all incoming
international students of Maastricht
University. There were 15 participating
organisations and the Tuna Universitaria
Maastricht (a Spanish music group run
by students) came to perform. We
provided traditional Dutch cookies
and sweets called ‘stroopwafels’,
‘speculaas’ and ‘drop’ to keep
everybody going.
As it was the first time, we were
curious to see how many students
would turn up and hoped everyone
would benefit from it, and indeed
everything turned out great!
The reactions were very positive,
the information market was a
great sucCESs and we hope to
organise it again next semester!
CES Events – Amsterdam weekend trip
All students attending our January term programmes spent one
of their weekend trips discovering Amsterdam and the area.
Eileen Martin, a student from Guilford College (NC) who took
part in the Positive Psychology programme, was kind enough to
share her thoughts and photos of this fun and particularly
photogenic weekend.
TEXT: Eileen Martin
PHOTOGRAPHY: Eileen Martin
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My name is Eileen Martin and I currently live in the
southeast portion of the United States. I am a proud mother of
three grown children, and when I finished raising my children, I
went back to school to re-ignite my passion for psychology and
helping others. I am currently working on my goal of becoming
a counsellor and advocate by obtaining a Master in Social Work
degree.
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After our first fabulous weekend trip to
Brussels and Bruges, I had my doubts
that visiting Zaanse Schans and
Amsterdam would be able to compete.
Upon arrival at Zaanse Schans
my initial reaction was it was a
typical tourist destination
filled with all the trappings of such:
trinkets, silly photo opportunities,
replicated history. While this was all
true, it was much more. The tour
guide explained that the houses were
in fact original and moved to this site
to preserve their integrity. We learned details of what specific architectural ornaments
signified and the materials used during that time period. Looking past the trinkets, I was
able to learn how Dutch shoes are made and how cheese is processed. I sampled several
cheeses and left with a new favourite (sheep’s cheese). On a final note, I would have
missed not having the opportunity to see the stereotypical Dutch windmills and shoes
had we not visited Zaanse Schans. I guess that makes me a typical tourist!
Well, how do you explain Amsterdam? I had, of course, heard stories and wild tales
but was certainly not prepared for such a city. I am thankful for the historic tour we were
treated to because I was better able to grasp what makes this city pulse. I was amused
to learn about the Catholic church/Red light district connection and found the city not to
be such a scary place, but more of a place where people do not worry about what other
people are doing.
Although it was a bustling city, the canals were strangely quiet and peaceful with their
houseboats lined up, and the shear amount of canals was breathtaking and beautiful.
However, my favourite part of Amsterdam was visiting the Anne Frank Museum. This was
an experience that moved me and gave me an opportunity to reconsider notions I had
about the Holocaust and remind me how fear of difference can produce evil and mass
destruction. This is something we all should be reminded of frequently. I do wish we had
more time to explore in Amsterdam, but having the opportunity to be there even for a
short time was quite rewarding.
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CES Events – Berlin study trip
TEXT: Tom Ruben
PHOTOGRAPHY: Tom Ruben
My name is Tom Ruben and I’m a 22-year old BA Arts & Culture
student at Maastricht University. I live in Maastricht and I was born in the
little town of Reuver, about an hour north of Maastricht. I am a student
assistant at CES and among other duties I guide groups of CES students to
a variety of locations such as Berlin, Brussels, Antwerp and The Hague. In
my spare time I like to write, watch films, listen to music, practice sports,
have great conversations with friends at cafés, and take photos. Besides
working for CES, I work for Studium Generale, a department of Maastricht
University that organises extracurricular activities such as lectures, movie
nights and debates. Also, I own a little photography company and I write
for my faculty magazine Mosaïek.
On Wednesday the 22nd of January, Dario and I guided a group of 16 CES students on a
trip to Brussels and Berlin. After a visit to the European Commission and a city tour in
Brussels we headed to the airport. A short flight later we arrived in Berlin. A rather
unexpected freezing cold welcomed us, whilst we were trying to figure out how to use the
U-bahn and the S-bahn. Luckily, the PLUS hotel we stayed in was situated right next to a
U-bahn station so we did not have to fight the cold for too long.
We took part in many interesting activities in the few days we spent in Berlin. For
starters, Berlin-resident New Zealander Mike took us on a fun and inspiring tour through
the city, showing us all the important sites. Furthermore, we visited the Stasi prison
where we had a guided tour by a former inmate. We went to Sachsenhausen
concentration camp, a camp where approximately 200.000 people were sent to during
the 2nd World War. The cold emphasised its bitterness and made us experience and
realise just a minor fraction of what the ‘prisoners’ must have been through.
Although we already visited the most well-known Holocaust memorial of Berlin during the
tour, we visited it once more and this time we not only saw the memorial at ground level,
but also entered the museum underneath.
During one of the evenings we visited the beautiful Bundestag, the German parliament.
With great views over the city and a most informative guide this was more than worth a
visit. Although, as it was night, no members of parliament were present, the grandeur of
the buildings made us realise what an important place we were at and we could easily
imagine Angela Merkel walking around the hallways.
Article cover: The whole Spring 2014 group in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
Left: Holocaust Memorial under the snow. Right: Neue Wache Memorial.
Talking cuisine, Berlin serves you well. For very reasonable prices one can have dinners
that could easily be shared by two. On Saturday night, we had a group dinner at the
typically German Bräuhof, where local food, beverages and entertainment are in
abundance. A huge hall with long Hogwarts-like tables, live music, waiters and waitresses
dressed in Lederhosen made us truly experience German gastronomy and hospitality.
One of the absolute highlights of the trip!
Despite the cold, we had a great time in Berlin; we visited lots of sights and experienced
many interesting activities. Now, back to the gym to work on those added pounds after
the epic meal at the Bräuhof.
Top left: Students on the walking tour of Berlin.
Top right: Inside the Bundestag, the German Parliament building.
Bottom left: Inside the Holocaust Memorial.
Bottom right: Sculpture of Georg Elser who tried to assassinate Hitler in 1939.
Right: Inside the Bundestag.
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CES Events – Positive Psychology symposium
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The 3rd Positive Psychology Students Research Symposium
Maastricht was held on Friday January 24, 2014 at the Faculty
of Psychology & Neuroscience at Maastricht University.
Caitlin Smith, from the University of Canberra in Australia, tells
us all about it.
TEXT: Caitlin Smith
PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick O’Neill & Caitlin Smith
27
Caitlin Smith: I study at the University of Canberra in
Australia where I’m doing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology,
majoring in Counselling. I’m in my final year of uni and when I
finally graduate I’m hoping to study overseas (Maastricht being
my first preference!) in the field of cognitive or social
psychology.
On the 24th of January, all of us who participated in the Positive Psychology programme
presented a poster or an oral presentation based on our topic of interest, which of course
had to be related to the positive psychology content we had learnt in the previous three
weeks at Maastricht University.
The posters were based on our research proposal, which was due 3 weeks after the
symposium, where we were required to hypothetically design a study of our chosen topic.
There was quite a diverse amount of topics that emerged in the posters and
presentations, which made it very clear and interesting to see where everyone’s passions
and interests stood.
Although everyone’s work deserved to win, a few students displayed exceptional ideas
and were very creative in their display of posters. These were Eileen Martin, Kate Willis
and Jenna Riley who were very deserving of their awards. They researched topics such as
“The Pursuit of Happiness: An Examination of Achievement Avenues”, “Indigenous
Australian Youths: The Impact of Mindfulness and Strength Building on Recidivism” and
“The Effects of Self-Compassion on the Development of Postnatal Depression”. Ashley
Hodgkin gave a wonderful presentation on “The Lowlights of Lawyering: Workplace
Stress and Career Choice Satisfaction” and received a price as well. Congratulations to
them and to everyone else who presented their research and thank you to Maastricht
University for allowing us all to have such an amazing and inspiring experience to study
overseas!
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Students’ impressions – favourite photos
For this edition of our newsletter we asked some of our Spring
2014 students to send us their favourite photo from their stay
in Maastricht so far.
Here are their beautiful pictures and stories.
TEXT: Spring 2014 CES students
PHOTOGRAPHY: Spring 2014 CES students
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“Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities in Europe and I was so excited we could visit it
during our first couple of weeks here! The city is beautiful and so full of culture. Also, I
am making so many great new friends in Maastricht and I'm happy to
be sharing my travel experiences with them.”
Maha Elsarrag
Indiana University, IU in Maastricht Spring 2014
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"This picture epitomises why CES is so great. Within the first week of arriving, CES had
pre-arranged a trip for one day to Brussels and three days and four nights to Berlin. They
had a multitude of educational and edifying activities for us to
do. While we only spent one day in Brussels, there was still so much to see and this
picture not only illustrates the wonders of Belgium, but also what CES has to offer. The
picture is very telling because it was only the first week of my four and a half month
experience and I was already fulfilling my aspirations of exploring the world."
Eric Lieberman
The Pennsylvania State University, European Politics, Law & International
Relations Spring 2014
33
“Here is a photo that I really like from my time here so far. It is from the last night of
the Berlin study trip and was one of the most fun nights I've had while abroad. The
reason I like this photo so much is because prior to the Berlin study trip, all of us did not
know each other very well, however by this night we had all spent time together and
grown much closer. Additionally, everyone in this photo genuinely looks happy and to be
enjoying each other’s company. It was great to be a part of a group
that began the trip as strangers and left as friends .”
Ethan Harel
Washington & Lee University, Business & Economics in Europe Spring 2014
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“This past weekend, I went on an adventure to Interlaken, Switzerland. My group and I
were entranced by the magnitude of the mountains and their
indescribable beauty . We went paragliding, night sledding, and enjoyed our fair
share of Swiss chocolate and great Thai food - a perfect weekend by any measure. I am
already planning my return trip and look forward to more adventures in the Swiss Alps!”
Catherine Langford
Baylor University, Baylor in Maastricht Spring 2014
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“This photo is of the Cliffs of Moher in Galway, Ireland. This picture not only represents
the freedom that comes with studying abroad , but the opportunities
that are available for me while I am here. This was one of the most unbelievable natural
beauties I have seen while in Europe and makes me more excited for additional sights I
will see in the next few months!”
Bradley Boll
Indiana University, IU in Maastricht Spring 2014
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“Amsterdam is thus far my favourite place that I’ve visited in Europe. I experienced the same
thing in Amsterdam that I experienced with San Francisco all those many years ago when I fell
in love with that city: Taking that first step on soil and immediately feeling the pulse of
the city beating through your veins. It’s electrifying . That’s the only word
to explain it. The first full day I was there, I spent hours upon hours wandering around Jordaan,
which is famously one of the most beautiful places in Amsterdam, but I had never heard of it
before I began researching what there was to entertain myself with in the city. This is, of
course, because “Amsterdam” is synonymous with “The Red Light District” for many foreigners.
The thing that I loved the most about Amsterdam was how quickly it rejected infamous
stereotypes with its unparalleled beauty. Amsterdam is a city of winding canals, centuries of
Dutch art, and excellent food. It was the first place that I utterly fell in love with in Europe, and
I can wait to see what other cities throughout Europe catch me off guard with the same kind of
zeal.”
Maya Avery-Warner
University of San Francisco, European History, Culture and Arts Spring 2014
37
A very special reason to come to Maastricht….
We always enjoy reading students’ motivation letters; they
express their desire to get out of their comfort zone, to learn in
a new environment, to discover another corner of the world…
One letter during the Spring 2014 application process caught
our attention in a very particular way; the student in question,
Michael Murock, had a very special reason to come study in
Maastricht... Read his story on the next page!
38
Michael Murock is taking part in our European Politics,
Law & International Relations programme. Back home, he
studies at the Pennsylvania State University where he has
concurrent majors in both Political Science and Economics. He
expects to graduate this December.
“My grandfather, William Kennedy, served in the U.S. Army from 1943 until 1945. He
was part of the American forces that liberated Maastricht in
September 1944.
During the celebrations, he met Dutch soldiers, who introduced him to their sister,
Johanna Humblet. From there, they began a relationship that William wanted to result in
marriage. However, Johanna's mother believed that it was too soon and that if William
was serious, he would return to Maastricht after his discharge from the Army.
That is what he did. He left the Army and sailed back to Maastricht where he took a job
at a chair factory for a year. After Johanna had the approval of her mother, she sailed
back across the Atlantic with other Dutch war brides. She settled in Plum, Pennsylvania
where she gave birth to five children and adopted three more. She lived in Plum until her
death in 2003.
Since my grandmother had four brothers in Maastricht, I'm left with many distant cousins
still in the Maastricht area. I came here before the start of my programme so that I could
meet many of them.
This is one of the main reasons that I chose to study here for a
semester.”
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CES
TEACHER’S
COLUMN
Get to know more about one of our wonderful and dedicated teachers in each of our
newsletters!
We start this new section with Gwen Noteborn .
43
Gwen Noteborn holds a degree in
International Business with a
specialisation in marketing (MSc) and a
master in Conflict Management (MA).
She has been teaching at CES since
2009 and has been in charge of the
following courses for our students:
BUS2003 International Management
BUS2004 Brand Management
SEM3009 Transportation for the Future
Gwen says: “I love teaching at CES as I
meet new students each time and have
the possibility to add a little something
to their experience abroad. Studying
abroad will be something
they remember for the rest
of their lives and I regularly see
my "old" students on Facebook sending
messages such as I miss Maastricht (and
occasionally I miss my teacher )…
Facebook also allows me to follow what
they become after their time in
Maastricht. I really like that.
I try to be creative in class: I use
Facebook as a learning platform instead
of blackboard... I feel that using
Facebook stimulates discussion. I also
bring material to class, showing YouTube
clips that relate to the topic for example,
and I try to always include visits to
businesses in the Maastricht area such
as IKEA and the Bisschopsmolen (a local
enterprise in the city centre which has its
own bakery and oldest working watermill
in the Netherlands, dating back to the 7th
century). We also use blogs in our class
where students write about a company
of their choice, related to the course. By
adding these different elements, I try to
make it more appealing, fun and
engaging. I also try to implement a
competitive part in each course where
students challenge each other to see
who has the most inspiring and
innovative project.”
Left: Gwen’s
Summer 2012
International
Management
class during
their IKEA visit.
Next page: Ed
Lab, the mascot
of one of Gwen’s
award winning
project. He even
has his own
Facebook page!
Aside from her work at CES, Gwen works at the Department of Educational Research and
Development of the Maastricht University School of Business & Economics. She is also
the director of the Edlab: the educational laboratory of Maastricht University. The Edlab is
an inspirational environment to experiment with new digital tools and education
methods. It looks into ways to help teachers improve their education to be more in line
with PBL 2.0. For this reason, Gwen finds it especially relevant to have a connection with
the work field and to keep on teaching as it gives her creative ideas that
can be implemented in education to stimulate other teachers.
Gwen was recently awarded the Wynand Wijnen Education Prize 2013 together with two
colleagues from the School of Business and Economics for the remarkable contribution
they made to UM education with their Finance Video Project. According to the jury, the
Finance video classes that they created “have had a significant impact on student’s
learning effectiveness and professors’ development of educational skills.” Not only did the
finance video classes improve the passing rates and student evaluations significantly,
they also stimulated the professors involved in the project to rethink the way they
organise and teach their courses to be more in line with the changing needs of students.
We are delighted to count Gwen as one of our CES teachers and students always enjoy
her classes tremendously. If you are looking into coming to study at CES in the near
future, make sure you have one of her classes on your list - you won’t regret it!
45
UM course highlight
Maya Avery-Warner: I’m from Seattle, WA in the United
States and I am earning my bachelor’s degree at the University
of San Francisco, majoring in Comparative Literature & Culture
with minors in Philosophy and Gender & Sexuality Studies. I’m
currently on my semester abroad at CES, taking classes at
Maastricht University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
“Myth & Disenchantment is a course that explores human conceptions of good and evil
through religion and mythology. The first part of the course introduces students to the
theory and philosophy of mythology and religion, while the latter half of the course
focuses on applying theories to creation myths, religious texts, and works of art and
literature. Through these means, the course aims to reveal how myth functions in
culture and creates cultural world views, particularly as Western culture seems to be
secularising.
I am enjoying this class thus far and am continually intrigued by how every assignment
fits together. One great strength in the course, which differs from how my home
university works, is the interdisciplinary nature of the course. While many of the majors,
including my own, at my home university are interdisciplinary, classes tend to focus on a
single discipline. This course has elements of philosophy, religion, art, literature,
psychology, and the social sciences, which allows the tutorial groups to tackle very
complex issues.
This course is very unique to Maastricht University and works seamlessly with Problem
Based Learning. Through this course, I have begun to challenge my conceptions of
religion and mythology and question where my world views originated. It’s a
powerful and enriching course not only for its academic
content, but also for the way it encourages critical thought
about one’s personal beliefs .”
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Course title:
Myth and Disenchantment
Course code:
ACU2004
UM department:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
We’ve had a surprisingly mild Winter and early Spring this year, which has been perfect
for our January and Spring term students to go and explore the city!
PHOTOGRAPHY: Eileen Martin
Maastricht at this time of year
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CES alumni – where are they now?
My name is Yannick
Schindler and I would like to tell you
a little bit about my experience as an
alumnus of the Center for European
Studies but before I do so I will have to
bore you with a little background. When
I turned 10 years old, I moved to the
United States where I would
subsequently pursue my undergraduate
studies at the Colorado College in
Colorado Springs, CO. During my junior
year at the Colorado College I attended
Maastricht University through CES as an
exchange student and while I enrolled
mostly in courses at the Maastricht
School of Business and Economics, I was
also able to take other courses in law as
well as humanitarian studies. A year
after my abroad semester in Maastricht,
I graduated from the Colorado College
and returned to Europe for a traineeship
programme at the European Central
Bank.
I have been working at the
European Central Bank (ECB)
for well over a year now and I can
happily say that is has been a fantastic
experience. To be honest, I would be
very hard-pressed to think of a better fit
36 38 56
as I get to work with many very talented
and diverse colleagues on tasks that I
am quite passionate about. I work in the
Monetary and Financial Statistics Division
and we are responsible with providing
the ECB as well as the public with
statistics on financial markets as well as
monetary and financial institutions. The
work environment is naturally quite
diverse as the ECB recruits its employees
from all over the European Union and I
learn new things about my European
neighbours every day (be it a new word
in Dutch or tasting a new dessert from
Poland). My time in Maastricht allowed
me to come prepared for such a
culturally diverse workplace not only
through providing me with an academic
environment with students from all over
the world but also through its central
location in Europe which made it very
easy for me to travel during my
semester abroad. In fact, my Romanian
colleagues are quite surprised that this
so-called “American” has spent a
weekend in Bucharest!
Of course these are nice personal
anecdotes but I can also more
fundamentally say that my time
studying in Maastricht with
CES allowed me to gain the
kind of exposure to the
different cultures of Europe
from which I am now
directly benefiting . It would have
been quite different had I crossed the
Atlantic from the United States and been
dropped into this very exciting and
vibrant community of employees at the
ECB without any prior exposure to
Europe and the many cultures she
encompasses. My time in Maastricht also
gave me something much more valuable
than a preparation to work at a
European institution. My abroad
experience allowed me to become
acquainted with the many great
treasures this continent has to offer be
they the boundless splendours of its
landscapes or the diversity of its cultures
and histories. Through my CES
experience I was also able to garner a
more intimate sense for the current
milieu that has encompassed Europe as
it forgets the trenches of the past and its
inhabitants partake in the most
significant political and economic
undertaking of the 21st century. That is
an experience that no textbook,
professor, nor classroom back in the
United States could have provided.
In addition, everyone at CES is
incredibly helpful and deeply aware that
an away semester is meant to be a
comprehensive experience not only
inside of the classroom but outside of it
as well. The study trips, the support, and
the warmth that the CES staff provide
ensure that each student is overcome
with a sense of “home away from home”
while studying at Maastricht. In short, I
can only say positive things about the
time I was able to spend in Maastricht
and about the programme that CES
offers... I only wish I had stayed longer.
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SPRING AND SUMMER 2014 AT CES
January 17 – June 7: Open Enrolment Programmes
Business & Economics in Europe
European History, Culture & Arts
European Politics, Law & International Relations
Psychology & Neuroscience in Europe
Public Health & Medicine in Europe
January 17 – June 7: IU-UNC programme
January 30 – April 24: Baylor in Maastricht (Spring)
March 9 – 15: European Management Residency in Entrepreneurship
and Business for Benedictine College Executive MBA
April 19 – May 16: Washington & Lee University
May 9 – June 6: Grand Valley State University
May 11 – June 7: Xavier University & Lebanon Valley College
May 19 – August 14: Baylor in Maastricht (Summer)
June 10 – 28: University of Colorado Boulder
June 27 – August 8: Summer Programme in European Studies (SES)
August 3 - 25: Meiji Gakuin in Maastricht
CES Info
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Mailing address
Maastricht University
Student Services Centre | SSC
Center for European Studies | CES
PO Box 616
6200 MD Maastricht The Netherlands
Visiting address
Maastricht University
Student Services Centre | SSC
Center for European Studies | CES
Bonnefantenstraat 2
6211 KL Maastricht
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 (0) 43 388 5282 Email: [email protected]
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