International Studies

The course first addresses the concept of the “atrocity triangle” and it looks into the relationship between the three actors (the perpetrator, the victim, and the bystander) involved in the triangle. An integrated criminological model is introduced which sets out the relevant etiological elements that are addressed in greater detail in the second part of the course. The second part of the course, which focuses on the perpetrators, starts with the forms, functions, and effects of (political) violence and the concept of torture in particular. The analysis continues on the macro level and addresses the role of policy and ideology. Subsequent analysis focuses on the meso level and the role of military organizations and other institutions. In this context, attention is paid to the influence of military training and students discuss how, with the help of a bureaucratic system, genocide can be planned, organized, and carried out. The course furthermore discusses several experiments (Milgram, Ash, Stanford, etc.) on obedience, institutional roles, and conformity, but also addresses other social-psychological mechanisms that help understand how and why people can participate in the perpetration of gross human rights violations. Lastly, the important role that language and discourse play in conflict and international crime is highlighted. The third part of the course focuses on the role of the bystander by looking into the phenomenon of the “bystander effect” to address the question of why bystanders fail to act. Secondly, the role of bystanders in international politics at the macro-level of both states and international organizations in the field of human rights is discussed. Special attention was given to the role of the UN Security Council when it was confronted with gross human rights violations. The course then looks more closely into the phenomenon of rescuing to find out what turns actors into rescuers. The fourth and last part of the course takes a more victimological perspective, which focuses on the position of the victim. Specific attention is paid to gender-selective violence. More particularly, the phenomena of rape as a “weapon of war” and gendercide (gender-selective mass killings) are discussed. Also, the complex case of child soldiers is addressed as they are victims and perpetrators at the same time. These lectures in this course are used to illustrate the discussed materials and to provide the participants with a deeper understanding of the subject matter by presenting the linkage between theory and (research) practice. During the lectures, various guest speakers address the subject matter from the practitioner's perspective. In addition, several documentaries are screened and then analyzed during the post-discussion. Case studies play an important role throughout the course wide variety of cases are covered including The Holocaust and other cases of genocide (Armenia, Australia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Srebrenica, Darfur, etc.). Prerequisites for this course include two intermediate-level courses in the Social Sciences or Humanities.

This course investigates the evolution of relations between the United States and European states with a focus on the strategic and security-related dimensions of this relationship. It seeks to analyze the driving factors behind recent transatlantic crises and divergences and the implications for the future of international security. The first part of the course introduces several theoretical approaches to transatlantic relations based on the main International Relations schools of thought. The second part of the course applies these approaches to current challenges facing the transatlantic partnership, ranging from defense burden sharing to responding to Russia's assertiveness, from China's rise to crises in the Middle East and Africa.

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.

How can we design, build, and sustain "democracies" in places that have been engaged in sustained conflict? The course explores societies torn apart by political violence and ethnic conflict. The main purpose is to diagnose the central problems, and examine what political responses are most appropriate using multiple case studies. The first part of the course mostly looks at the problems. The course begins with an examination of Iraq as an example of armed intervention and regime change. The second part of the course shifts the focus of attention to "solutions" and policy responses to divided societies and failing states. The course looks at which are the most appropriate electoral systems for divided places (and which should be avoided). The course ends by analyzing the "Arab Springs" and the resilience of authoritarianism in the Middle East.

Perhaps the most powerful organization in world politics, the UN Security Council, is tasked with maintaining international peace and security. Because the founders of the organization did not specify what exactly constitutes "a threat to international peace and security," this course examines the breadth and depth of the Security Council mandate. The course reads theoretical and empirical literature on Security Council action and investigates the various ways in which the Council tries to prevent and solve international conflict. Course material covers institutionalist theories of (dis)cooperation, empirical case studies of Council intervention, and quantitative analyses of Council performance. The course answers the questions: Why do some conflicts never make it to the Council? Whose interest matter when resolving a crisis? And what explains the duration of eventual peace?