Netherlands

International environmental law (IEL) is an innovative, dynamic, and rapidly developing field that seeks to address global environmental issues such as the impacts of, amongst others, climate change and illegal trade in endangered species. As the causes, effects, and potential solutions of such global phenomena transcend national boundaries, international cooperation is increasingly important as reflected in a growing number of international environmental agreements. This course offers an overview of the evolution of IEL, as well as an introduction to the major concepts, cases, and principles that shape effective global environmental governance. Throughout the course, attention is focused on international responses to environmental issues with a transboundary or global scope. Following the introductory lectures, which set the scene by introducing the rules and principles of IEL, students have an opportunity to explore the role of international law in regulating environmental problems such as, inter alia, climate change, biodiversity loss, wildlife trading, and marine pollution. Students also consider the role of IEL in strengthening the rights of nature movement, as well as the governance of the oceans, the Arctic, and Antarctica.

Systems biology is a new approach to biological and biomedical research based on a more holistic perspective and relies on the use of mathematical and computational models, with complementing experiments in the lab.  This course provides an overview of systems biology and its building blocks, experimental approaches, and a variety of mathematical models and tools. Students are introduced to the mathematical basis of dynamic systems, networks, and constraint-based modeling.  Examples used in the course include cancer metabolism (molecular modeling), neuroscience (tissue-level modeling), and diabetes (whole-body level modeling). Practical skills are trained by carrying out computer experiments. 

This course exposes students to developing innovative and entrepreneurial responses to complex problems. The course reviews recently established theories of entrepreneurship and innovation at individual, organizational, and institutional levels in emerging economy contexts.  Time is spent analyzing local, regional, and global issues facing entrepreneurs and organizations/institutions supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, with a special focus on issues related to food and agricultural sectors. Some prior field experience in emerging economies constitutes an advantage for the students in implementing the course activities.

The objective of this course is to assess the means available to the international community when addressing challenges such as armed conflict, terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, organized crime, and refugee crisis in a coordinated manner. The course is construed around different thematic security threats and critically assesses the way in which the international community attempts to address these issues. The role of the UN Security Council is crucial in this context but it is not the sole actor of relevance when addressing security related issues. Since the starting point of the assessment remains a legal one, this course is not only about what ideally should be done, but also what can lawfully be done under international law. The course encompass both a written policy brief as well as an oral component in the form of a simulated televised interview.

This course examines basic theories of justice and key ethical principles (like precautionary principle, equality) are discussed and related to relevant topics in current society. Climate change and poverty will be particulary addressed. 
 

Students learn elementary yet important mathematical concepts and techniques that have a wide range of applications in natural and social sciences. The focus is on calculus skills required for further study in life sciences, earth sciences, and economics, amongst others. Topics include basic and discrete mathematics, matrices, graphs and derivatives, functions of multiple variables, and optimization and basic integration, with applications to probability distributions.