Utrecht University – University College Utrecht

Advanced Latin grammar including the tense system, the subjunctive, and the gerund(ive) are studied through simplified versions of original Latin authors, such as Ovid and Livy. The course includes an introduction to original Latin literature, offering accessible readings from classical Latin authors, such as Phaedrus, Horace, Pliny the Younger, Seneca and Cicero, all of whom are of constitutive importance to the Latin literary heritage.

 

The rules of syntax determine which logical possibilities are sentences, while semantics relates to their interpretation. This course begins with an introduction to the philosophical and scientific background for the study of syntax and meaning. Next, fundamental syntactic categories and concepts, and their relationship to semantic notions are explored. Topics including the elements of lexical meaning, phrase structure, syntactic movement, and the computation of sentence meaning are explored within a theoretical context. This course serves as a basis for further specialization in fields including linguistics, philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, and computer science.

Throughout human history, all societies have been confronted with questions about the world, themselves, and others. These questions arise at various stages in the development of civilizations, but once asked, persist throughout time. In this respect, philosophy should never be seen as a uniquely Western discipline, despite the Western tendency to view it as such. This course attempts to redress this imbalance. Once made aware of the issue of Eurocentrism in intellectual history early in their philosophical education, students then explore the richness of non-Western philosophical inquiry more fully. Each meeting consists of an explanatory lecture that introduces the various themes and topics covered in the course. Students then have the opportunity to raise their questions and learn from each other. Due to the multicultural nature of the course content, students also receive instruction on various methods for comparing and contrasting the philosophical themes under discussion. Assignments include the careful reading and study of the course material, the preparation of papers, and active participation in discussions.

In this course, different motivational systems and their interactions are looked at. The basic approaches to the study of motivation are surveyed: the physiological, behavioral, and cognitive (or psycho-social) approaches. The topic of motivation is also intertwined with that of emotion. Emotions can have motivational properties, but what is an emotion? And what do we know about the neural systems involved in emotional processing? These questions are covered in the last part of the course. The course discusses topics including theories, findings, and major questions regarding motivation; the methods and techniques used to study motivation; and applying this knowledge to the study of a specific human behavior, theorizing about the reasons for the behavior, predicting future behavior, and designing research to test predictions

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. gain a general impression of Chinese culture and society, history, family and gender relationships, propaganda and new media, and the interaction between China and the world, by attending lectures, reading articles and watching films. 
2. acquire a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and society by giving presentations, participating in debates and completing a mid-term exam.
3. improve their cultural analysis and communication skills through watching films, reading film reviews, conducting interviews and making their own videos.
4. summarize and further express their own critical opinions of Chinese culture and society through the writing of a final essay.

Content

In this course, we will look at China from the inside out. During the first half of the course we will start by looking into current developments in China through three topics: 1) historical events that still influence modern-day China; 2) family relationships, such as marriage and divorce, children and parents, family planning policy, and gender issues; 3) old and new propaganda methods, new media and cutting-edge technologies. During the second half of the course we will tackle the issues which show the interaction between China and the world. Based on knowledge of Chinese philosophical ideas, we will try to understand the identity construction of Chinese people abroad, business culture and foreign policies. Besides reading related academic materials, we will mainly try to gain a deeper understanding of China through Observing, Doing and Communicating. Therefore, our course includes various of these ‘ODC’ activities, such as observing objects that contain Chinese cultural elements; celebrating the Chinese New Year; watching documentaries about China; making short videos and presenting your encounters with China in the Netherlands, such as visiting China Town, discovering the changes in Chinese companies and different generations of Chinese immigrants. Besides, this course will maintain its interdisciplinary feature by inviting guest lecturers from various fields.

This course offers an introduction to the study of urban geography. The course discusses the identification of socio-spatial developments in urban areas, in particular those that are related to ongoing economic restructuring, as well as the concept of “urban landscape” which reflects the historical evolution and current developments of a wide range of social-cultural phenomena. The course examines topics including socio-spatial developments in urban areas; the interpretation of these developments by placing them in a relevant economic, political, and socio-cultural context; potential explanations for varying spatial developments; spatial behavior of individuals and households; and the identification and analysis of characteristics of areas and the effects of these characteristics on the behavior of the residents and other users. The course consists of lectures, student presentations, and discussions. Students participate in two field trips, group research, and the creation of a walking tour in Utrecht. The course requires the completion of the equivalent of an Introduction to Human Geography course as a prerequisite.