UWCM teacher writes a book

March 14, 2024

A new book for the Global Politics course has recently been published, so students start learning with the latest perspectives. At UWC Maastricht, they are extra lucky, as they get classes from one of the authors himself!

Every few years, a course is updated and a new syllabus is made, as the world is always changing. This is also the case for the course of Global Politics. The subject has been developed in UWC and in 10 years’ time, it has grown from 100 students to 7000 students. This year, a new book has been released, cowritten by one of our very own teachers, Chiel Mooij!

The course

When talking with Chiel, he explains “Global Politics is about peace, conflicts, human rights, globalisation, development and many more big and broad topics. Within the classroom, it is not in lecture form, but it is more a conversation and discussion of what a topic means for different students. Everyone has a different perspective, and every perspective is valid.” That’s why he finds it important that the classroom is a space where students can feel safe and heard when sharing their own stories.

Chiel also gives an example of what they do in class, “there is a project where the students have to actively participate in politics, using the knowledge they learned on paper. This can range from taking part in demonstrations, interviewing a politician and many more. That’s what makes this course more than just essays and exams.” In the end, Global Politics helps students understand how power works in today’s world, how different groups interact politically and how to look at current issues from different perspectives. It also encourages students to become active global citizens.

The book

Together with his co-writers Emma Dhesi and Alia Nusseibeh, Chiel wants that everyone who reads the book feels acknowledged and recognized. As the students make the course, the examples in the book are taken from classrooms all around the world, with even a little reference to Maastricht!