For 24 million people worldwide, Dutch is their first language: in the Netherlands, Flanders and Surinam. It is also one of the official languages in Curaçao, St. Maarten and Aruba. Afrikaans differs from Dutch and is a separate language, but speakers of Dutch can generally understand Afrikaans, and vice versa.
The Dutch language provides access to a rich and complex culture and its history. Without Dutch, one can examine the architectural and artistic treasures that have survived from the past – or created just yesterday – and one can easily find people who speak English among the world’s Dutch speakers. But to understand how this small region developed as it did, has had the effect it has, or even what is unique about the cultures of the world’s varied Dutch-speakers, one needs to be able to read and speak Dutch. To appreciate the uniqueness of the political culture, today and yesterday, of these regions, one needs Dutch. In fact, to understand what the Dutch brought to the Americas and what is still deeply rooted in our own culture, one needs Dutch.
Our library collections concerning the Dutch-speaking world are arguably the best in the country. Faculty includes scholars in several disciplines who concentrate on the history and culture of the Dutch-speaking world. The university is surrounded by museums and galleries, which contain some of the best collections of art from Belgium and the Netherlands. New York's concert halls, dance studios, and fashion emporia regularly feature artists whose language is Dutch
Columbia University has a long history of scholarship and teaching about the Dutch-speaking world, in large part thanks to our location in what was once named New Amsterdam. The program of studies in the Dutch language and the Dutch-speaking world at Columbia dates from the post-war period when the the Stichting Koningin Wilhelmina Professoraat (Queen Wilhelmina Professor Foundation) joined with Columbia to create a chair in the history, culture and language of the Dutch-speaking world. Today, instead of a full-time resident chair, Columbia annually hosts a visiting Queen Wilhelmina professor, sponsored by the Nederlandse Taalunie (Dutch Language Union), who teaches one semester a year. The visitor, along with a committee of resident faculty, also organizes a series of lectures and workshops focusing on the history and culture of the Dutch-speaking world. This program of scholarship and teaching is supplemented by a rich offering of language courses taught in the Germanic languages department.
Approximately a half dozen faculty members at Columbia are actively associated with the program; graduate students in several disciplines have completed or are completing dissertations on the culture or history of The Netherlands, Belgium, or other Dutch-speaking regions; undergraduates and graduates from Columbia and many neighboring institutions are enrolled in language and literature courses that prepare them to use the language in their own research, acquire oral competency in the language, and thus gain direct access to the varied cultures of Dutch-speaking society today.
For a look at one of the many interesting things going on The Netherlands today, see this fascinating article and video.
Here are listed institutions where students can study abroad:
The Language Institute Regina Coeli
Each May/June, a tuition-free intensive 3-week / 4-week summer course is offered for PhD
students. The course consists of two weeks (40 hours in total) Dutch for Reading
Knowledge (taught on zoom), and one week Reading 17th century Dutch Texts and
Paleography (20 hours in total, taught in person). The 4th week (Archives week, offered
every other year) takes place in the Netherlands, and familiarizes students with source
materials and archives.
Language level requirement: 2 semesters of Dutch at the college level, or equivalent; or 3
semesters of German at the college level, or equivalent. Enrollment is open to doctoral
students from any university.
For more information and to obtain a Call for Applications, please contact Wijnie de Groot
at [email protected]
This course is fully sponsored by the Taalunie/Union for the Dutch Language in the Hague,
the Netherlands.
Call for Applications:
Dutch language-course in May-June 2026 for Graduate Students (tuition-free)
Applications are invited for a three-week intensive Dutch course ("the summer course"). The course is free of-charge; funding has been provided through the Taalunie (Union for the Dutch Language).
The course has two distinct sections, and students may apply to the first section (Modern Dutch for Reading Knowledge, via Zoom), and/or the second section (Early Modern Dutch/Paleography, in person at Columbia University, New York). Applicants are requested to clearly state which sections they are applying to, by stating it in boldface on the letter of purpose.
ALL APPLICATIONS ARE DUE APRIL 1, 2026
Schedule:
two weeks of Modern Dutch for Reading Knowledge (through zoom)
week I: Tuesday May 26 through Friday May 29
week II: Monday June 1 through Thursday June 4
class times: 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 and 1:45 - 3:45 p.m. (New York time)
one week of 17th-century Dutch/paleography (in person at Columbia University, New York) week III: Monday June 8 through Thursday June 11
class times: 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 and 1:30 - 4:00 p.m. (New York time)
Descriptions of the courses and requirements for admission to each section
Week I & II: Modern Dutch for Reading Knowledge
This section will cover reading strategies, grammar and vocabulary of modern Dutch. Participants will continue building their vocabulary skills throughout the course. There is a strong emphasis on grammar skills; they will be the basis of reading strategies.
Open to all students with 2 semesters of Dutch (or 3 semesters of German) at the college level or equivalent. Applicants must submit evidence of sufficient competence in the language, and submit a letter of purpose explaining their reason for application. Preference will be given to students enrolled in a PhD program, but M.A. students/Faculty members may apply as well. Applicants who are unsure if their level of Dutch or German is satisfactory should contact Wijnie de Groot ([email protected]).
Week III: 17th-century Dutch texts/paleography workshop
The workshop will cover reading strategies of 17th-century printed and handwritten texts. The paleography part of the week will be taught by Dr. Frans Blom of the University of Amsterdam. Although both sections can be taken separately, applicants are encouraged to participate as well in the first section, as week III will build on reading strategies learned in the first two weeks.
Open to all students with 3 semesters or more of Dutch or German at the college level or equivalent. Applicants must submit evidence of competence in the language. In addition, applicants must submit a letter of purpose explaining their reason for application.
Preference will be given to students enrolled in a PhD program, but M.A. students/Faculty members may apply as well.
Contact Wijnie de Groot ([email protected]) for additional information and questions.
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All applications, along with supporting documents,
should be emailed to Wijnie de Groot at [email protected].
Inquiries should also be directed to Wijnie de Groot.