Netherlands

Cognitive neuroscience is the study of the functional architecture of the brain. While cognitive science has traditionally restricted itself to describing human and animal behavior at the functional level, neuroscience has focused on the understanding of biological processes and neuroanatomical substrates. As the brain is such a complex organ, cognitive neuroscience is inherently multi-disciplinary. Therefore, the course works towards an integrated understanding of information theory, cognition, neurobiology, and anatomy. This course provides in-depth coverage of two main research areas in cognitive neuroscience: perception and higher cognition. The course examines the neurobiological aspects of human behavior by focusing on neurological patients, non-invasive brain imaging techniques, and animal models where the underlying neurobiology is better understood than in humans.

This course focuses on the psychology behind athletic performance, as well as on physical (in)activity levels in the general population. Sport and exercise are often considered a largely physical endeavor (strength, speed, stamina, flexibility etc.). However, it is widely acknowledged that sport performances and physical activity behavior are also influenced by psychological factors. Therefore, the course attends to the biology of sport performances and physical exercise, primarily on their behavioral determinants, motivations, pressure and stress, and ultimately looks at possible venues for behavior change.

This course examines the triangle of politics, public policy, and implementation. It looks at the issues of making policy work in practice; the academic perspective on everyday government practice; the promises and pitfalls of policy implementation; professional relationships; autonomous agencies; public management; and policy implementation theory.

This course focuses on the Spanish language but also on the history, geography, artistic works, traditions, and current events of the Spanish-speaking countries and their communities. Language learning constitutes 85% of course assignments, whereas culture assignments constitute 15% of the final grade. Tasks in various forms related to language and cultural are performed individually and in groups. Linguistic performance is assessed by through written and oral communication. cultural knowledge is assessed a cultural project in which students research and present a country of the Spanish-speaking world and/or delve into a related specific topic that is relevant for both our understanding of the Hispanic world and the individual interest of the learner.