Netherlands

This course explores the ultimate influences on the human mind and behavior by taking an evolutionary psychological perspective to study (modern) cognition, emotion, motivation, and behavior. The course revisits cognitive, clinical, and social psychology – and topics, however, the type of questions asked to uncover psychological mechanisms and processes is different. Evolutionary psychologists focus on the ‘why’ question, and the adaptive functions of modern-day cognition, emotion, and behavior. Topics range from psychopathology to human mating and sexual conflict, and from parenting and kin selection to aggression. During the discussion of these topics, prominent assumptions – and misunderstandings – about evolutionary psychology are critically assessed.

This course is targeted at students particularly interested in exploring the history and development of European integration. The European Union provides an interesting topic of study for anyone interested in gaining more understanding of the ways in which European states interact politically, economically, and culturally. Within that context, this course introduces students to the history and politics of the integration process, the main EU institutions and institutional processes, the nature and effect of the law of the European Union, and some of the most prominent policies of the European Union today. More specifically, the course addresses a number of different topics starting with the history of European integration, followed by an examination of the composition, role, and powers of the institutions in the European Union. Secondly, the course takes a closer look at the law of the European Union, addressing issues such as the main areas of competence of the European Union, the decision-making process, and the unique status of EU law within the legal systems of the Member States. In addition, some of the main policy areas of the European Union are also examined. Finally, the course addresses the attitudes of the different Member States to the European integration process, the enlargement process, and the possible future of the EU integration process. The course includes a field trip.

In this course, students investigate how the brain is organized to produce actions that serve particular purposes, focusing primarily on voluntary actions. Such actions involve a motivational component, but also cognitive considerations, attention choices, and motor options. For each of these components, decisions must be made. Students explore the different parts of the brain involved in these decisions, in close collaboration with subcortical structures such as basal ganglia. The corresponding practical for this course is Neuronal Basis of Decision Making where students gain hands-on experience with and reflect critically on (a) the selection and administration of tasks that are used to measure these cognitive processes and (b) the analyses of data sets obtained by using neuroimaging techniques (like EEG). During the practical, students are provided with tests and EEG data sets and work in small groups to analyze the EEG data. Questions raised during the practical are: Which steps are needed while analyzing neuroimaging data? Do different brain states induce different decision-making behaviors? How are differences in neuroimaging data or test performance examined? Students also perform statistical analyzes on EEG data sets and write a brief report.

The course is about leadership, strategy, and change in a global context. It confronts students with strategic issues of today with the aim to improve leadership skills to deal with these issues in a more effective and creative way. Organizations and companies are confronted with strategic issues such as increasing speed of innovation, cultural diversity, need for differentiation, increasing competition, rising energy costs, and stricter regulations on CO2 emissions. These issues are not isolated. They are connected to a world of rapidly changing technological, political, economic, and environmental developments. The course introduces examples of leadership that changed the rules of the game, such as Ellen MacArthur’s ambition to change the world towards a circular economy, by building a framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design. And Jamie Oliver, the British Chef who tried to change the food culture in the USA through his TV show the Food Revolution. This type of leadership is not about charisma or personal characteristics, but about personal dedication to a goal or vision far beyond personal interests. This type of leadership is embedded ‘in context’. This implies that leadership is not a personal characteristic but a part of a relationship among people in a community, where qualities like trust, playfulness, and creativity are involved. The case studies form an input to reflect on personal leadership issues. Students are invited to share and discuss their personal sources of inspiration. A field trip is part of the course.

This course consists of fourteen meetings of two hours each over block 1 and block 2. The main focus of this course is communication, students learn the basic words and grammar needed to interact with Dutch people. Course participants learn to use common greetings and useful expressions; how to introduce themselves; simple grammatical constructions and words; tell the time in Dutch; understand train announcements, and train timetables, and how to navigate the public transportation system; order meals and drinks in restaurants and cafés; make payments and request the bill; and become more familiar with the Dutch culture.  The class uses the book “Start.nl” as the main material, however, homework relies on the digital learning environment in Canvas. During class meetings, students have the opportunity to ask questions of the teacher and to practice communication with fellow students. After class, students are expected to dedicate about 1 hour per session for homework. The class includes a field trip to experience Dutch specialties and practice language skills. Assessment includes a mid-term and final exam, two assessments in order to assess your communicative skills. The final score consists of 3 notes: in-class participation, the mid-term assessment, and the final exam.

This course covers the scale and speed at which innovative business models are transforming industry landscapes, which is unprecedented. Students are enabled to understand and methodically address the challenge of business model innovation. Ultimately, business model innovation is about creating value, for companies, customers, and society. It is about replacing outdated models. The course discusses ways in which powerful new business models can be systematically invented, designed, and implemented. The course is guided by Alexander Osterwalder’s book Business Model Generation. It is an interactive course in which there isn’t one right answer. However, this course gives students tools for how to rewrite business models by breaking down patterns and routines. To do so the course also takes a look at some trends, especially the rise of Corporate Social Responsibility or Social Entrepreneurship. What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and what are the implications for companies that want to implement it? In particular: Does CSR affect business results? How can CSR help businesses to create, deliver and capture value?

Tropical forests are amongst the most species-rich biomes in the world. Yet, our understanding of their evolution, functioning, and development is far from complete. There are three main tropical rainforest areas, the Neotropics (Central and South America), Africa, and Asia, but this course mainly focuses on the Neotropics. The course examines what defines the tropical region, the differences, and similarities between the three large blocks of rainforest, and investigates the structure and biodiversity of tropical rainforests. The development of tropical forests, how biodiversity changes over time (ecologically and evolutionarily), and how trophic levels work within these forests are also reviewed. Furthermore, the role of tropical forests in relation to climate change and global carbon cycling is investigated, and a link between tropical savannas and dry tropical forests is made. Finally, the IUCN red list is investigated as well as the different dimensions (e.g., biological, cultural, and political) of nature conservation in tropical areas.

The course discusses the key economic policy areas of the European Union and offers an analysis of the different approaches to regional economic integration throughout the history of the European Union. The course analyzes the economic bases for the rise of the European Union from its origins in the post-World War II recovery to its historic enlargements in 2004 and 2007. The accession of the new Central and Eastern European Member-States (most recently Croatia in 2013) poses new challenges for the EU. Since Europe accounts for one-quarter of the global economy, half of the global trade, and a substantial part of world's capital markets, this course also looks at the impact of the European Union on other trading blocs like NAFTA. Competitiveness is the key word for globalization and the course focuses on different forms of market integration used inside the EU and discusses consequences for both competition policy and industrial policy. The theory of the economic integration process is applied to a business setting, with a series of business cases illustrating how a variety of firms are responding strategically to the establishment of the Economic and Monetary Union, Brexit, and the accession of new Member-States. Students are given advice and guidance on using case studies and how to evaluate the strategies and choices made by firms. Special attention is given to the present problems of the Euro crisis and corresponding consequences for national tax policies within the EU. The course may include a field trip.

This course offers a comprehensive overview of key issues in the study of international migration and immigrant integration. A dynamic approach that follows migrants’ journey from their origin countries to their receiving societies and examines the interethnic relations that develop therein is taken. The course is structured around three main themes: theories of immigration and immigration governance; categorization of migrants; integration outcomes and policies. A combined multidimensional perspective (comparing the integration of immigrants and their descendants in various domains of life, including the education system, the labor and housing markets, the neighborhood, politics, etc.) with a cross-national lens (comparing classical immigration countries and more recent immigrant-receiving countries) and a multilevel and multi-actor analytical framework (considering immigrants in relation to both their home/sending and host/receiving countries, and the networks of actors with which they interact, such as families, ethnic communities, government agencies, local administrators, NGOs, etc.) is used. The course has a strong empirical focus: it critically analyzes and discusses empirical studies that test theoretically derived hypotheses in various contexts. The perspective adopted is primarily sociological but insights from other disciplines such as human geography, political science, social psychology, economics, and anthropology are used.