Netherlands

Science never stands still, and for some time now, there appears to be a growing shift in intellectual enquiry and discovery toward more cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary thinking. This course takes this observation as a starting point. In doing so, emphasizes the value of scientific inquiry across different academic domains and of its fundamental relevance to societal developments. Such awareness can only be developed by first getting a basic understanding of how scientific inquiry works. To achieve this, the course has three aims that are more specific. The first is to introduce students to scientific thought, language, and behavior and their relation to human progress. In this context, it becomes clear that academic, scientific, and intellectual work interacts with political, social, and moral change, which in turn often starts with scientific inquiry. The second aim is to develop and apply scientific inquiry skills. The third aim is teaching Liberal Arts & Science students to recognize how they can become part of this change in scientific and human progress that scientific inquiry brings about and possibly even lead it. In order to do so, throughout the course, emphasis lies on recognition of past, present, and (possible) future scientific works (theory and applications) grounded in enlightenment.

This course covers cognitive processes (such as observation and processing information, and using and storing it), emotions, and their interrelationship. The focus is on the role of these phenomena in the design and use of Information and Communication Technology. The course is relevant for students interested in human-computer interaction and (serious) games and training applications.  

This course focuses on brain-behavior relationships from a developmental perspective. It increases understanding of how healthy children and adolescents (or brains) function and how brain disease, brain injury, or developmental disorders, such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and learning disabilities, express themselves and interfere with the demands of daily life. Relevant topics in this context are behavior, higher cognitive functions (e.g., executive functions, memory, attention), and the level of interactions a child has with his environment since these elements determine how well individuals cope and participate in daily life situations. Normal and abnormal brain and cognitive development are discussed in preschoolers, school-aged children, and adolescents. During the course, students gain insights into (1) developmental changes in brain structure, brain functioning, and cognitive functions; (2) the clinical phenomenology of the most important developmental disorders; (3) the underlying brain-behavior relationships in these disorders; and (4) diagnosis and treatment. Students also gain experience in the selection, administration, and interpretation of commonly used neuropsychological tests, measuring the above-mentioned domains of higher cognitive functions and behavior.

This course offers a study of "sustainable development," based on the notion that human development can only be sustainable when environmental boundaries are respected. The course introduces the main concepts, ideas, and theories related to the term sustainable development. The course explores humanity’s immense impact on the earth’s systems and the underlying drivers of these unsustainable trends. Furthermore, sustainable development requires an understanding that inaction has consequences. Students review some of the contemporary ideas about how to achieve a more sustainable society.

Full course description

Why would anyone choose to study philosophers who lived and wrote (more than) two millennia ago? One obvious answer is: to learn about one’s roots; to better understand Western culture and heritage. Up to this day, the ancient Greeks and Romans constitute a major influence on our ideas about critical thinking, about the fundamental character of Reality, about Science, Ethics, and Art, and last not least: about what it is to be human and about what it means for humans to flourish, to live truly good lives. Ancient philosophy provides an inexhaustible source of inspiration for contemporary philosophy. “The European philosophical tradition”, the philosopher Whitehead once remarked, “consists in a series of footnotes to Plato”. Slightly overstated, but not untrue.

In this course we will return to the sources and study the texts that helped us become who we are today. We will study a range of canonical philosophical texts from Antiquity, ranging from the Ionian Philosophers of Nature to Aristotle. Although we will attempt to position these treatises in their historical and geographic contexts, our main concern will be: what have these ancient thinkers still to say to us today?

One warning: even if you have some prior knowledge of ancient Greek philosophy, that doesn’t make this an easy course. Only choose this course if you are genuinely interested in reading ancient philosophical texts that do not always yield their secrets easily.

Course objectives

• To provide students with a basic introduction to ancient Greek philosophy;
• To teach students how to explore the meaning of philosophical texts by situating them in their historical contexts;
• To explore how our culture, and we as part of it, has been shaped by these ancient thinkers.

Prerequisites

None

Recommended

HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy.

Complex Systems consist of many interacting constituents and their collective behavior, such as the brain, cities, climate, ecosystems, economy, and traffic. While these systems seem vastly different on first sight they share many features. To familiarize students with all properties of complex systems , this course consists of three pillars: network theory, evolution in spatially extended ecosystems, and collaboration. The course uses computer models to study conflict of interest. This course uses computer programs coded in Python, although working knowledge in Python is not a prerequisite. Each of the three parts concludes with an exam and hand-in exercises. The course concludes with a report written over a small project carried out in a group.