05:24 Aug 4, 2010 

1) branch of knowledge ("Teachers should be well trained in their subject")
2) course of study: a branch of learning that forms a course of study
3) a department of knowledge or learning
4) A course or area of study: Math is her best subject
5) an area of knowledge that you study at a school or university
My favourite subject is math.

I believe that "subject" is in place when you refer to a specific branch, area, department of knowledge/ learning / study

when this area of knowledge is understood as a unit of a curriculum it tends to be called a course

So when we think of a specific area of knowledge we use "subject" and when we think of a unit of a curriculum we may use course

what are we thinking of when we read this sentence:

een masterspecialisatie die aansluit op de voorsorteervakken 'Brein' en 'Cognitie'

I think, no kidding, you can both think of an area of knowledge and a unit of a curriculum

so both pre-specialization subject and pre-specialization course can be correct ...

03:37 Aug 4, 2010 

This is a loaded subject!

Although course can refer to several levels of study, "subject" is an even broader term. Subject can be defined as "2. (Social Science / Education) any branch of learning considered as a course of study"

(from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/subject )

Is er eigenlijk wel enig verschil met Nederlands, waar een "vak" _ook_ kan slaan op een reeks lessen, maar over het algemeen is een reeks lessen toch een "cursus".

Ik denk toch dat in "officiele" terminologie, zoals waar Rik nu voor ons neerlegt, "course" een beter optie is dan "subject".

02:14 Aug 4, 2010 

Frank, about your course.
I was not aware of your definition b, so "subject" in "pre-specialization subject" could also be "course" after all, or perhaps you would say "must be".

However, if you realize that these "voorsorteervakken" are just part of the curriculum of the course these students follow, then using "course" could be cause for confusion as we no longer know to which course is referred?

Anyway, this was another reason why I opted for "subject" rather than "course"

Another question is, you wouldn't have problems with translating "vak", which in this case refers to just one subject taught during just one semester, as "course"?

01:20 Aug 4, 2010 

The confusion set in with Rik's (the Asker) suggestion that "this term refers to an optional course".

"Course" by the way, can refer to a curriculum, but (in N.A. at least) generally refers to a series of lectures and workshops on one particular subject:

a. A complete body of prescribed studies constituting a curriculum: a four-year course in engineering.

b. A unit of such a curriculum: took an introductory course in chemistry; passed her calculus course.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/course

22:05 Aug 3, 2010 

you are not taking a "pre-specialization subject" just for fun
no, the only reason why you're taking it, is because it is a necessary preparation for the relevant specialization

this is implied in and why it is called a pre-specialization subject

apart from that, who claimed it was an optional subject?
well, I didn't

21:23 Aug 3, 2010 

Ik vind het maar een ongelukkige term die de VU gekozen heeft.
http://www.vu.nl/nl/Images/Exact Sciences - Master Guide 200...
En het gaat m.n. om verplichte vakken, niet keuzemogelijkheden. So they are explicitly not optional classes but required courses.

16:27 Aug 3, 2010 

Could we have some context please - what comes before and after this?