Netherlands

This course covers the main trends in environmental management in industry. Students explore the central concepts in environmental management, such as pollution prevention, environmental management systems, life-cycle management, environmental management strategies, industrial ecology, and circular economy. They learn selected theories and models concerning environmental management, in particular the four-stage model of environmental strategy, models of Corporate Social Responsibility, the organization theory of Mintzberg, and ecological modernization theory. In addition to explaining these concepts and theories, the course provides practice-oriented training based on case studies. Although the course primarily deals with industrial organizations, most of its contents also apply to other types of organizations.

This course discusses the intercultural relationship between philosophy and communication. It has the form of a two-sided program that reflects the observation that, in the intercultural context, communication and philosophy are in fact two sides of the same coin. The first side approaches the phenomenon of communication between cultures from a philosophical point of view. Not only the possibility and appearance of communication between civilizations are debated but also the typical philosophical mindsets and attitudes of the different cultures are addressed. The second side relates this all to the question of how to understand, describe, and evaluate the meeting between world philosophies as a phenomenon of intercultural communication. The general framework of the discussion is delivered by some classical models that were developed within the Theory of Communication. They function as tools that enable one to understand why and how culturally dissimilar philosophies can influence the process of intercultural communication and why and how the form and appearance of this kind of communication can or should be regarded as a kind of intercultural philosophy itself.

This course engages real-world cases of resource competition such as conflicts around land, water, green grabbing, mining, or infrastructure development. It analyses the dynamics of contention in these cases, identifying patterns of power and exclusion, and designing pathways for constructive engagement. Cases are developed together with governmental and non-governmental organizations, who are also involved in assessing the proposed pathways. It is strongly recommended (but not obligatory) that students take the course “Resource competition worldwide: Issues and perspectives” (SDC52806) given in Period 1.

This course covers the biology, agronomy, physiology, and ecology of seaweeds to analyze cultivation, ecophysiology, and ecology in marine systems vs. terrestrial systems. Aspects covered include the limits and possibilities of seaweed production concerning the physical environment (light, temperature, carbon); the importance of salinity for productivity and metabolism; ecological risks and environmental hazards; and biodiversity, reproduction, and breeding.

This course introduces the theory, agronomic practices, and ecological mechanisms of Organic Production Systems. First, the different approaches and production methods of soils, plants, trees, and animals in organic farming are presented with lectures, farm excursions, and farmer interviews. Different farming systems such as organic farming, biodynamic farming, nature-inclusive agriculture, regenerative agriculture, conservation agriculture, agroforestry, and permaculture are presented and discussed. Secondly, the course focuses specifically on the integration and cooperation of the different agricultural elements and concentrates on the interactions between annual and perennial arable crops, livestock species, trees, soils, and landscapes in the Dutch/European environment. Examples from all over the world are used to demonstrate integration and cooperation. The course uses certified organic systems as the baseline and starting point. This course does not discuss conventional farming practices.

The objective of the course is to obtain insight into the endocrine system of the human body by studying illnesses that disturb this homeostatic control mechanism. Physiology deals with the explanation of the biological, physical, and chemical factors that are responsible for the origin, development, and progression of life. Students study the disturbances in physiological function (homeostasis) resulting in disease, to deepen their knowledge on human endocrinology. These disturbances are studied through the presentation of patient cases exemplified by hypertension, renal failure, infertility, steroid abuse, diabetes, and starvation. This course also studies the treatment of these diseases. The course prerequisite is Human Physiology.

This course explores ethics by examining different ethical theories and their influences on economics, governance, and business. The course follows the multidisciplinary approach that we take at the Utrecht University School of Economics and in its bachelor program to broaden your perspective on economics and society. It continues the approach taken in Multidisciplinary Economics, assuming that you have developed sufficient knowledge of the basics of economic thinking. This course trains participants to reflect upon this knowledge and discuss some alternative approaches. This course revolves around and integrates the central topic of Technology and Society, and the social impacts of business in addressing various themes, such as fairness, equality, social responsibility, and sustainability. Prerequisites Knowledge at the level of the course 'Introduction to Economics and Business Economics' is assumed.

This course is an introduction to the chemistry of foods, more specifically the chemistry of groups of compounds present in food: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, phenolic compounds, and enzymes. Chemical changes that take place during the storage and processing of crops and food are learned. In addition, during the laboratory classes, students design experiments, analyze the composition of food products, and write a scientific lab report. Food technologists should be able to estimate the relevance of various chemical and enzymatic processes by making calculations. To practice this part of food chemistry, the quantification of specific reactions is practiced in calculation cases.

This course reviews different types of environmental behaviors, the drivers of such behaviors, and how communication strategies can stimulate pro-environmental behavior. Analyzing and evaluating existing campaigns in the field of sustainability and designing their campaigns to change environmental behavior on campus for a real-world client is applied.

This course stimulates critical thinking and personal development rather than providing clear-cut management recipes. The course covers management myths and realities, paradox thinking, organizational design, teams, learning, leadership, and corporate social responsibility.