Maastricht University - Center for European Studies

This course begins with an introduction to Bacteriology and Virology. The general principles of replication, classification, metabolism and antibiotic resistance of bacteria as well as the presence of bacteria in several organ systems and the composition of the indigenous flora are discussed. This is followed by a discussion of the general principles of replication, classification, and pathogenesis of viruses. Several aspects of bacteriology and virology are further discussed in the expert and tutorial group meetings, which include topics as HIV, Tuberculosis, and extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL). The following lectures coverinfectious diseases, outbreaks and resistance, and microbiological diagnostics. In these topics, both the bacterial and viral aspects are discussed. The last part of this course deals with genetically modified microorganisms, in which students gain insight in the purposes of modification and the tools that are available. In the Problem-Based Learning tutorial group linked to this part of the course, students design their own experiment.

The course discusses the principles of genetics with application to the study of biological function at the level of molecules, cells, and multicellular organisms, including humans. The topics include the structure and function of genes; chromosomes and genomes; biological variation resulting from replication and recombination, mutation and selection; DNA repair and the genetic basis of disease inheritance. The following topics are covered as well: the chemical structure of DNA and the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication; the basic principles how information stored in genes is converted to a (cellular) phenotype in the form of RNA and protein; the concepts of genome structure, comparative genomics, and functional genomics; the molecular basis of single gene inheritance (Mendel's first law), sex-linked single gene inheritance and, human pedigrees; the concepts of Darwin's theory of Natural Selection, molecular evolution, and the origin of new genes and species. The prerequisite course is Cell Biology.

This course provides students with detailed knowledge about the molecular processes in cell signaling and control of gene expression. Topics include: intracellular signaling pathways; chromatin structure and remodeling; recruitment and assembly of transcription factors; eukaryote mRNA synthesis, processing, modification, stability and translation; stem cells and reprogramming; and the culmination of the above factors that drive common complex human disease. The tutorials are partially in Problem Based Learning (PBL) and multiple-choice format, with exercises designed to provide a perspective of how cutting edge molecular biological techniques are applied to tackle major research questions in modern biomedical research. Students are acquainted with the best-characterized cell signaling mechanisms in eukaryotic cells, gene structure/function, and different gene regulatory mechanisms (chromatin remodeling and (post)transcriptional regulation) in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The course covers how molecular biology, when used in combination with other biological disciplines (e.g. biochemistry, genetics, imaging), can provide tools to understand (diagnostics) and intervene (therapy) in the cellular complexity of human disease. Prerequisites for this course are Cell Biology and Genetics.

This course is situated on the interplay between social, clinical, and forensic psychology. Next to the major models on the existence and maintenance of aggression, and both nature and nurture-related causes, the course focuses on the main expression forms, cultural influences, and pathological disorders related to aggression. The course addresses how aggression can be measured adequately and what the treatment options are. The course examines topics including reactive and proactive aggression; anger and hostility; pathological disorders related to aggression; the main models on aggression such as GAM and I-cubed model; nature and nurture related origins of aggression; treatment models available for aggression including like cognitive therapy, stop-think-do approaches, schema therapy, and EMDR; and assessment methods used to measure aggression.

The course invites students on an exciting literary and historical journey through the grand shifts of Europe in the twentieth century: from Great Britain’s crumbling class systems at the turn of the centuries to the French trenches of World War I and from there to the reactionary roaring twenties, the rise of fascism and Hitler’s claim to power in 1933, resulting in the horrors of the Holocaust. The course culminates at the shallows of the Cold War period, with its absurdities and the shadows of the past still lingering. The chosen texts for this class provide a trident of literary historical accounts: autobiographical, fictional, and historiographical. The course begins with a cultural, political, and physical view of fast-changing early-century Europe. It then moves to World War I and how that changed landscapes for civilians, soldiers, and the insider-outsider American expatriate community, most famously of Paris. During discussions of WWII and the Shoa, the focus is on the histories that have remained and the histories that have been lost since the war. This is discussed through the lens of those who documented (in the form of diaries), those who retold the stories as second-generation survivors, and those who didn’t have access to the stories of the horrors of the war, and therefore had to fill in the blanks themselves. The last chapter of the class discussion is devoted to the aftermath of Nazi terrors and the contradictions of living under Cold War conditions. During the seminars, students are encouraged to engage with the texts from a critical point of view: for example, what does a feminist reading of WWI literature look like? How do we de-colonialize our understanding of the Roaring Twenties? What histories have still gone untold in our existing Holocaust-literature canon? The class comes with a day-long academic field trip (specifics to be announced) that gives students the chance to experience some of the topics discussed in class.