Utrecht University – University College Utrecht

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.

The course provides a thorough introduction to key texts in gothic fiction (1770-present) and in gothic criticism. In this course, study the Gothic mostly in literature, with several excursions to other media, for the gothic is also found in painting, architecture, film, popular music and fashion. Gothic provides the imaginative space to explore the blurring boundaries between the real and the imagined, the visible and the invisible, reason and emotion, the political and the personal, the living and the (un)dead. Gothic has been regarded as a mode to express and channel cultural fears about repressed colonial histories, vicious aspects of family life, prohibited sexuality, and silenced gender. Alternatively, it has been read as confirming protestant, middle-class and heterosexual norms and values. In this course we will try to account for these ambiguities and related questions in our close readings of Gothic novels, stories, poems and films. There are two seminar-style classes per week, and students are expected to do all assigned reading in advance of each session. Because the course is dynamic and discussion-based, there is a focus on partner/small-group work and short writing exercises. Students are responsible for starting off the group discussions on the literature for an assigned session as well as bringing to class any specific questions related to the material.

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.

This course provides an anthropological perspective on the cultural variation among human societies by examining the history, foundations, and some key cases of the discipline. The course consists of two parts. Part I introduces the history and development of some of the basic concepts, approaches, and research methods of social and cultural anthropology. It does this using a critical reading of Evans-Pritchard's classic Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande which is used as an instrument to understand the discipline’s historical development and its relevance today. Selected readings from Nanda and Warms’ textbook, Cultural Anthropology, establish the principal areas of anthropological inquiry. Students gain insight into ethnographic methodology through a field visit involving preparation, and observation description. Part II develops the conceptual and ethnographic insights acquired in Part I through the study of globalization and Brazilian urban culture. Donna Goldstein’s ethnography of a Rio de Janeiro shantytown demonstrates the continuing relevance of cultural anthropology for the study of contemporary post-industrial society. Goldstein portrays the lives of the poor in a Brazilian favela, conveying the most intimate and hidden details of their lives: from crime and sexuality to responsibilities of kinship and friendship, to childhood dreams of riches and the search for dignity. This focus on problems of the inner city shows the consequences of polarized race, class, and gender relations, the relationship between culture and the economy, and between individual responsibilities, and agency structural constraints. Relevant chapters of Nanda and Warms’ textbook and several articles provide a conceptual framework for Goldstein's ethnography. Students gain further insight into ethnographic methodology and questions of representation through a field visit to an ethnographic museum.

This course explores the principles, problems, and methods of sustainability. After a critical historical introduction, the course studies what the natural sciences tell us about processes and cycles on our planet from a systems point of view. Ecology, the end of fossil fuels, alternative energy sources, environmental pollution, loss of biodiversity, and climate change are reviewed. Besides relevant facts, the sciences also provide interpretive theories with important, but often uncertain, implications for the future. The course then moves into environmental ethics and a critical analysis of the relationship of humans to nature. Having heard the facts and discussed values, the course turns to the social, economic, and political aspects of sustainability, and considers the clash between competing interests and different cultures. Possible solutions to such problems are explored, including environmental economics. The relevant agents, government, NGOs, or grass-roots groups are discussed. Finally, the course integrates the different approaches and points of view in an attempt to arrive at policy recommendations. Preferred prerequisites include a course on Earth Studies or Physics.

Note: Was previously code UCINTSUS21 Sustainability. You cannot take both courses; they are the same.