prof. dr. M.C. (Margriet) van der Waal

Eurocompetence I and II and III - The Eurocompetence modules were designed with the goal of preparing Euroculture students for a) their entry as experts of the European integration process and European culture into the job market, b) their development into committed (European) citizens willing to research, learn and work towards the improvement and innovation of multicultural societies. In Eurocompetence I the emphasis is on generic and academic skills, while Eurocompetence II focuses on intercultural skills and management and execution of (group) project. Eurocompetence III provides students with the opportunity to write a substantial professional or academic project proposal.

Bachelor Liberal Arts and Science (University College Groningen, 2013-2017)

IC2I (Imagination, Creation, Invention, and Innovation): In this project-based and problem-based skills course, students learn, in interdisciplinary groups, to identify complex, societal problems and go creatively in search for possible interventions and solutions to these problems. In the first semester of 2015, the Class of 2018 organized a "Sustainable Society" Festival on the UCG campus, with exciting events such as round-table discussions, a vegan lunch, and an interview with a Syrian refugee and Groningen municipality alderman for intergration affairs.

In 2014, the Class of 2017 worked on the following problems:"Know Home" investigated the conditions under which people with ASD, aged 19 - 30, feel at home in assisted living facilities; "Placeless Spaces" - multidisciplinary collaboration with Minerva, UCG and Prince Claus Conservatory - investigated how 'empty spaces' in Groningen's public space may be turned into meaningful places where people are able to interact with one another; "Gaming the Energy Transition" devised a digital, agent-based simulation of the process of energy transition, while "Project Big" investigated the complexities of big, local government projects (such as the Forum project in Groningen) and the decline in public support for it. Co-taught with other UCG tutors and external experts.

In 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, I supervised 10 students from Class of 2017 who participated in a UCG honours track, "Project Rome", which included a residence of a week in Rome. In groups, they looked at the current problems Rome is facing, such as waste management, water provision, migrant minorities as their topics.

We had much fun in Rome where they conducted their research, and the results of their projects were presented in various formats (publication Honours Review, poster presentations at annual Project Conference of the University College)

Foundational courses in the Humanities - An introductory course to the field of the Humanities: what kind of questions are asked by various disciplines in the Humanities? What is the role of culture in our society? What is the contribution of the Humanities to our understanding of the complexity of modern life? Co-taught with Barend van Heusden, Peter Timmerman and Monica Báar (2015). In 2015-2016 the focus of this course moved to art criticism and analysis, focusing on the question: how does a critical reading of particular art works help us to reflect on our treatment of different societal 'others'?

Seeing Society (5 ECTS): looking at a selected range of societal issues through the prism of works of art.

Made in Europe (5 ECTS): In this course, we explored the cultural building blocks of the “European project”. What do we mean by “European”? Does such a thing as a European identity exist? Taking the history of European culture as our starting point, we will investigate whether it is possible to identify and characterize a European identity, as reflected in a broad and varied discourse on Europe, including, but not limited to, works of art and literature, academic texts, policy documents, treaty agreements, newspaper reports and public opinion.

Bachelor (KCM, 2008-2013):

Geschiedenis en Theorie van Kunsten en Media (History and Theory of Arts and Media) - An introductory course on the functioning of the arts in Western culture from classical antiquity to the present. Co-taught with Barend van Heusden and various other colleagues.

Sociologie van de Kunsten - An introductory course on how art functions in society and how a sociological approach to arts can help us make sense of its societal functioning. Co-taught with Pascal Gielen and various other colleagues.

Denken over Kunst IIA - Theorie en methoden van de geesteswetenschappen (Thinking about the arts - Theory and methods in the humanities). A course on object(s) and methodology(ies) in the humanities. We discuss hermeneutical approaches; positivism; cultural studies; de growing impact of the social and natural sciences in the humanities; the alledged 'crisis' in the humanites.

Mentor for first year students (2010-2011)

Denken over Kunst 1 - An introduction to the various philosophical traditions that reflect on the question about what art is. Co-taught with Eddo Evink and various other colleagues.