Denmark

This course examines the traditional economic theory which assumes that economic agents are fully rational with unlimited cognitive abilities and willpower and considers how individuals frequently and systematically make decisions in contradiction with these standard presumptions. Against the background of this finding the course discusses the shortcomings of traditional theories in economics and finance; how new concepts and theories in behavioral finance and behavioral economics address these shortcomings; how these new theories relate to the traditional theories; what are their strengths and limitations; and how the new behavioral presumptions in behavioral finance and economics change the predictions of classical economic theories. 

This course analyzes the place of gender in world politics. It introduces theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of gender in international relations, and reviews different fields of research, focusing on security studies, with cutting-edge literature. The course examines how both the practice of international politics and the academic discipline are gendered. It takes its starting point by reflecting on international relations theory to understand why the mainstream of international relations has traditionally had difficulties in engaging with feminist critiques. It looks at the early feminist debates and turns to themes of international relations such as war, conflict, militarism, and security through a gender perspective. It analyzes the role of bodies in international relations and their complex intersecting identities to understand how gender is intertwined with categories such as race, class, and sexuality. The question of how these complex identities give subjects possibility for agency runs throughout the modules. The course emphasizes how gender, security, and politics are discursively constructed through both language and images. To shed light on these discursive constructions, the course conducts several case studies.

This course examines the meaning and role of critique in the social sciences. It focuses on various theoretical conceptions of critique and the application of critique in different fields of research across the social sciences. Through a combination of lectures and discussions, the course develops the skill of criticizing social problems or pathologies and uses this skill in research across disciplines in investigations of the social world. 

This course explores classic and contemporary issues in environmental psychology. Topics include belonging, place attachment, and place identity; restorative environments, health, and well-being; perceptions of natural and urban environments; socially marked spaces and stigmatized environments; territory, boundaries, contested spaces, and environmental conflicts; pro-environmental action and environmental protection. Seminars are discussion-based and structured around weekly set readings that incorporate theoretical and empirical work, including quantitative and qualitative studies.

This course provides an introduction to basic European Union (EU) law for non-law students, including the core elements of the EU legal system, EU institutions, decision-making procedures, and sources of law. It covers the concept of sovereignty, the relationship between EU law and national law, as well as the relationship between EU law and international law; necessary for working with the substantive areas of EU law, including the internal market, the free movement of goods, food and agricultural production, and environment and nature protection. Examples are drawn from areas such as environment and nature protection, agriculture, and food production, including ways the EU seeks to promote sustainable development. 

This course provides insight into how programs written in high-level language are implemented on a computer. It covers various elements of interpretation and translation of programming languages: lexical analysis, syntax analysis, type checking, interpretation, code generation, register allocation, and storage management. It reviews the basic methods for implementing these elements, including the use and operation of semi-automatic tools. In connection with lexical analysis and syntax analysis, the course demonstrates how descriptions that are convenient for people (respectively, regular expressions and context-free grammar) are transformed into automata that are convenient for machines. These transformations are the foundation for tools that can automatically produce lexical analyzers and syntax analyzers based on descriptions. In connection with the generation of intermediate and machine code, the course reviews how machine code can be generated on the basis of the syntactic structure of a program and presents different methods for optimizing code.

This course examines transnational global climate change developments through the lens of broader debates about transnationalism in world politics. It explores how and under what conditions sub-national and non-state actors such as cities, corporations, NGOs, and Indigenous peoples have become central to global efforts to address climate change. The course also considers the diverse forms of transnational governance led by these actors and the relationship of these initiatives to multilateral treaties and other state-based forms of climate change regulation. It reviews efforts to assess whether transnationalism contributes to a more effective global response to climate change and reflects on the normative issues raised as transnational actors and forms of governance become more deeply embedded in global climate politics.

This course begins by focusing on the theories of rhetoric to trace the rise and fall of rhetorical citizenship, the development of the concept, and its challenges in rhetoric-related discussions over the past twenty years. The study of the current intersections between rhetoric and citizenship includes discussions of the deliberative democracy and the relationship between democracy and dissent, debate, protest, anti-citizenship, social movements, civic engagement, and resistance. The course explores the relationship between science, politics, and the public, and includes topics such as climate change and pandemics. It involves lectures, debates, group work, and fieldwork, and includes oral presentations, the production of a podcast section, and a workshop on the exam assignment. The course creates a multi-language learning environment for the comfort of all participants with an active-learning approach to teaching and engagement expected during each class meeting.

This course consists of a series of interactive workshops that provide an opportunity to design, practice, and deliver academic presentations in the student’s field of study. It covers the preparation stage of effective and memorable presentations, how to structure thoughts, and how to hone presentation skills to persuade in lectures, oral exams, master theses defenses, conferences, and public speaking in general. Topics include designing, preparing, and structuring informative and persuasive presentations; creating supporting slides; using correct academic and domain specific language; speaking confidently with appropriate rate, projection, pitch, and tone; implementing nonverbal communication such as facial expression, eye contact, moving with the slides; using vocal variety and pauses to spellbind the audience; switching on the charisma button; applying “logos, ethos, and pathos”; expanding one’s comfort zone in front of an audience and delivering with confidence; analyzing and critiquing presentations in a detailed and diplomatic way; and dealing with fear when speaking in front of an audience. 

This course is an introduction to the works and philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard, the internationally renowned Danish philosopher, theologian, and writer. Considered as the father of existentialism, Kierkegaard's works revolve around basic human experiences such as aesthetic lust, despair, anxiety, morality, passion, knowledge, absurdity, and faith. In particular, Kierkegaard claimed to present a complete summary of the possible ways in which we can live our lives or exist. The course also analyzes and criticizes these ways thoroughly in order to judge to what extent they may give us a true point of orientation. This course examines his witty, humorous, and deeply earnest exploration of the philosophical psychology of self-identity. It remains especially attentive to how Kierkegaard considers human relationships to be essential to understanding oneself and one’s obligations to other human beings. Lectures focus on a discussion of excerpts from Kierkegaard's writings. The course includes a City Walk through old Copenhagen and a guest lecture that explores Kierkegaard's view of love. The course does not presuppose specialized knowledge and is eligible to students of all majors.