Netherlands

This course offers interpretations of current (and past) development processes and patterns, specifically in relation to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Taking into account a range of overlapping dimensions (from social, economic, cultural, and political to institutional), the course explores the multifaceted and layered nature of development and its variegated impacts on the ground. Thus, the course adopts a geographical lens to unpack various economic and societal shifts taking place in developing and emerging countries. Questions addressed in the course include what are the main dimensions of development in the so-called global South? What are the primary drivers of change? What opportunities and barriers exist? What are the main strategies to induce development? What coping strategies are employed? Central to this course is the critical reflection on, and recognition of the multiple meanings of, development and its manifold local expressions within an interconnected world. Entry Requirements: Introduction to Human Geography.

What is the optimal consumption choice for a consumer given her preferences and income? When will a manager of a firm decide to expand production? What are the costs for the government when it supports the farmers with a per unit subsidy and is such a subsidy socially efficient?  Should monopolies be regulated and if so, how? When does it make sense for a firm to introduce a variable-wage payment scheme? Which attitudes to risk exist and how does this influence behavior? Such questions are treated in this course. The course is specially designed for non-economics students. Assumed previous knowledge: Students are expected to have a good command of secondary school calculus (including simple derivatives).

The course gives an in-depth view of brand concepts and covers several aspects of marketing communication. The starting point and primary topic are how brands can be managed. The course studies what a brand is, which elements constitute a brand, and what needs to be considered in brand management. Brand measurement as well as the basic branding strategies related to brand systems and brand extensions are discussed. For building brands, advertising, and communication are perhaps the most important instruments and deserve explicit attention. Advertising and communication seek to influence consumer behavior; therefore, understanding the basic aspects of that topic is important for studying brand management.

This course explores the intricate dynamics of ecosystems and the application of resource management strategies. Students engage in practical exercises and fieldwork, gaining hands-on experience with environmental measurement tools and real-world resource management scenarios. This course examines human dimensions behind managing forests, ranges, water, and fish/wildlife along with the ecological processes that enable these resources or cause difficulties in managing them. Participants are equipped with a comprehensive understanding of ecological systems, the skills required for responsible natural resource management, and a newfound understanding of the natural world.  Recommended pre-reqs include Introductory Biology, Geology, and Sustainable Development.

This course provides a map of contemporary approaches to the so-called separation of church and state, or political secularism, and enables them to use the relevant concepts and insights in analyses of societal issues concerning religious diversity. This course provides the theoretical and empirical knowledge to make sense of these academic debates and contemporary issues regarding the relation between states and religions. The course explores the concept of political secularism through multidisciplinary readings, especially anthropology, sociology, law, and political philosophy. Theory and concepts concerning political secularism are always be discussed by in depth readings of case studies, for example about native-Americans and religious freedom, Muslim sartorial practices and gender equality in France and Iran, or political secularism in postcolonial nations such as India and South Africa.

Discrimination, crime, marriage, fertility, education, or religion are all examples of key parts of our societies. The behavior of people and the design of institutions in these social contexts have major consequences for society (including policy and the economy as a whole). Economists claim that the economic approach is useful in explaining human behavior and social interactions in such settings and hence helps to better understand the functioning of societies. This in turn helps to design policies helping to achieve societal goals. This course analyzes different social phenomena through the lens of economists. It trains students to understand and analyze a wide range of social phenomena from an economic point of view and to investigate and interpret these issues empirically. In particular, students are given a thorough understanding of how social phenomena can be analyzed from an economic perspective and they get an introduction to econometric tools with which empirical claims about causality can be established. PREREQUISITES: Basic understanding of economic theory and quantitative methods, an advanced level of English.

This course focuses on Maxwell's Laws and provides a solid, modern introduction to classical electrodynamics. Emphasis is on understanding these foundations. There are applications, but they do not take center stage. Once students have understood the theory in its modern formulation, insights can be expanded both in the direction of fundamentals of quantum field theory and in the direction of practical applications to be derived from Maxwell’s laws in their conventional formulation. After completing this course students are able to: describe the principles of the theory of classical electromagnetism and understand its practical applications and start examining the fundamentals of quantum field theory. During the entire course, available class hours are devoted to teacher instruction, problem solving, and student presentations, in which students take turns to explain various aspects of the material. There are graded homework assignments (computational work) designed to reach an adequate level of quantitative ability. After midterms students choose a topic for an individual paper. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the ability to fully understand a fundamental issue in, or an application of, electrodynamics. Finally, there is a written exam, the purpose of which is to demonstrate basic knowledge and understanding of the essentials of the theory of electrodynamics. As a prerequisite students must have taken Calculus and Intro to Wave Phenomena in Nature.