Utrecht University – University College Utrecht

This course looks at different ways of analyzing economic situations at a micro-level by building on microeconomic concepts learned from an introductory level Economics course. Familiar concepts are discussed in more depth and in a more mathematical way, while new concepts, such as the Slutsky equation, compensating, and equivalent variation are introduced. Game theory, the study of multi-person decision problems, and behavioral economics are also introduced. Behavioral economics adds insights from the field of psychology to the traditional economic rational-choice and equilibrium models. The course emphasis is on behavioral economics, for which students are required to carry out independent research.

This course demonstrates how social psychology can illuminate our understanding of social relationships and processes. It introduces the history, theories, and methods of social psychology and encourages a critical view of social psychological research. The course reviews classic and recent social psychology studies on social influence, interpersonal attraction, social cognition, aggression, and prejudice. Prerequisites for this course include Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Research.

The course deals with multiple ontological models of the human person, developed in different traditions (Western, Indian, Chinese, and Japanese) and at different times. This course offers a survey of philosophical reflection on what it is to be human, based on primary philosophical texts from different philosophical traditions brought in dialogue with each other. It is philosophical anthropology, or theoretical philosophy, focusing on the human condition. Students become familiar with different ways of interpreting and answering the philosophical question "what is a human being?"

This course focuses on the relationship between science and magic in the period between 1500 and 1700. Although the two seem mutually exclusive in our age, in the early modern period that was by no means obvious. It is, in fact, impossible for historians of this period to maintain rigid distinctions between tradition and innovation, the natural and supernatural, between the rational and irrational, fact and fantasy, the ridiculous and the sensible, popular and scholarly discourse. Students learn how magic and science were intricately, and often indistinguishably, intertwined in the minds of people in Western Europe.

Our contemporary world is deeply permeated with media and new technologies that inherently influence the way we communicate, transfer knowledge, exchange information, offer representations, and experience reality and its possible imaginaries. This course traces the development of such media technologies (print media, telephony, radio, television, film, internet, mobiles, games) and accounts for their historical transformations while focusing on their intermedial character and their relation to other arts (literature, photography, performing arts, painting, architecture, music). The course takes into account archeological and philosophical notions of media and how new forms of communication exert social, cultural, and political influences in a global context. In particular, the course addresses fandom and popular culture, gender and race in networked spaces, convergence culture, intellectual property, the role and function of social networks in the redefinition of the public sphere, notions of citizenship and democracy, and the future of digital humanities.

This course provides an overview of long-term developments in the world economy and reviews how the theoretical insights of social scientists help us to understand world history better. The main emphasis is on understanding the two main problems of social and economic history: what are the origins and drivers of economic growth, and why does that process result in wide disparities in wealth?  Students independently carry out a research project and acquire skills relating to social and economic historians, for example, source criticism, and working with data and theory.

In the course, Latin is taught from scratch. The course covers the largest part of Latin grammar and syntax, except for the tense system and some advanced topics, such as the subjunctive and the gerund(ive). Hearing, speaking and writing Latin, all on an elementary level, are an integral part of the course. Attention is also paid to cultural aspects of Roman civilization, such as the Roman family, slavery, the geography of the Roman empire, mythology, and Roman education.

This course provides students with an introduction to law. It starts with the basic concepts of law, the actors in the field of law, and the different sources of law. The difference between common law and civil law is also discussed to provide a better understanding of the different traditions in Western jurisdictions. After this introduction, different fields of law are briefly discussed, illustrated with examples taken from cases. The second part of the course focuses on the rule of law, legal philosophy, and legal reasoning.  Then the relation between national law, regional law (i.e., European Law), and international law are discussed. In the last two lectures, students take the role of decision-maker to experience the application of law in practice and what kind of predicaments one might encounter.

Country of tulips, windmills, bicycles, and canals, with friendly and open-minded people. There must be more to the Netherlands than is being suggested by such stereotypical images. This course explores peculiarities, intricacies, and dynamics of Dutch culture and society in a global context.
The course provides various perspectives on contemporary Dutch society and culture, discusses themes such as national identity, toleration, ethnic diversity, and the echo's of two world wars in the previous century. Each theme is presented within a historical dimension and includes case studies from Dutch literature, architecture, film, or painting. With reference to the concept of "cultural memory", narratives about the past featuring in today’s realities are explored. The course is designed for international exchange students, to familiarize them with Dutch society and culture as they find it during their stay in the Netherlands.