We learn that despite our many differences we can actually live well together
Educating students who want to understand society and make it a better place, and who possess valuable knowledge and skills, yet never lose sight of society. That is what Tilburg University aspires to. This vision is embedded in the Online Culture Bachelor’s program in a variety of ways, as graduate Juliette Berndsen experienced first-hand. “We learned a great deal about each other’s vision and culture, and about each other’s norms and values. And precisely that adds value to Online Culture, because the program is about culture in all of its facets.”
By Merel Kersjes
In Online Culture all of Juliette’s interests converged: how people work and communicate, how cultures differ, and how the online and offline words are very different cultures. “Online Culture is a unique program. No other culture degree program in the Netherlands combines online and offline.” This unique focus makes Online Culture a degree program that strongly reflects the Tilburg Educational Profile. We spoke to Juliette about her experiences.
How does the program give shape to the three TEP pillars: Knowledge, Skills, Character?
“Knowledge is at the heart of every course. Knowledge is acquired in the form of theories and concepts, which are then applied, connecting this pillar to skills. There are also a number of courses on research skills, like holding interview, analyzing texts, and setting up surveys.
In Online Culture, character is possibly the most essential pillar, because the self-knowledge learning curve is incredibly steep. The program’s smallness of scale generates a lot of room for discussion in class. Everyone can share their own views but also learn how others look at a particular issue.
“As natural as it may be to think that other people share the same opinion, lively discussions show that there are many sides to a story.”
This goes to show that despite our many differences we can actually live well together.”
Online Culture is an international program. Does this help to build character?
“I immensely enjoyed the strong international dimension. Already on my first day I noticed everyone wanting to involve everyone else.
“International students make our frequent discussions in class more interesting: their perspectives add a dimension to the Dutch one. We learn a great deal about each other’s vision and culture, and about each other’s norms and values.”
And precisely that adds value to Online Culture, because the program is about culture in all of its facets. In this way, the classroom closely mirrors reality.”
Online Culture has its own journalistic platform, Diggit Magazine. What is that?
“Diggit is the Online Culture student platform where students share their research and papers. Publications are actually used and that’s really nice; rather than getting lost in some pile of documents or vanishing in some drawer, they are made available to others. Diggit is like a on online newspaper that runs articles about a wide range of societal topics. It bridges the gap between a regular newspaper and the academic world. A number of my own publications are on Diggit and I always share these with my family. They enjoy reading them and at the same time they learn about a societal topic from an Online Culture perspective.”
How does Diggit relate to the program?
“Diggit is the closing stage of creative work like papers and group projects. Once a paper or project has been finished, it is submitted through Diggit. That creates an opportunity for it to be published. I myself also used it for brainstorming and inspiration: when I was looking for course work topic ideas, I would check out Diggit to see what had already been published in the relevant area. That would offer me inspiration and knowledge.
And I now work for Diggit as a language editor. In the publication process I’m the final person to read and improve an article. I check the use of language – is the text linguistically accurate, is the content sufficiently clear? – as well as things like the title, a matching illustration, and keywords. I’m learning a lot, about how to compose a good and attention-grabbing text that is grammatically correct, as well as about the publication process itself. I also read a huge number of articles before they are published. I enjoy doing that because I learn a lot about a variety of topics.”
How has Online Culture helped you steer your career?
“First of all, the knowledge and skills I gained from all courses. What I also found a tremendous learning experience was the process of writing my Bachelor’s thesis. I did that last year and I was pretty nervous when I started, but in the end it was lots of fun. It made me discover what I like about studying: doing research. That’s why I moved on to do the Research Master’s in Linguistics and Communication Sciences. It was writing my thesis that brought me where I am now.”