First year
Year BA1 semester 2: Honours FGGA
In the first semester of Honours FGGA you will have to choose between three crouses all designed to improve your personal skills or scientific insights. Negotiations Lab will be repeated in BA2/1. The Honours coordinator will take care of the selection process and of enrollment on Brightspace and in USIS.
BA1/2 Negotiations LAB by dr. Wolf Steinel (30 places)
Changes in society, the global economy, and ways people work have made negotiating skills more important than ever. The challenges are legion: dealing with history’s most diverse work force, doing business with customers who tell you how to run your business, negotiating with foreign counterparts—and more. These are not just issues of corporate concern; they are also of increasing importance to your personal success.
By participating in this course you will come to recognise the pervasiveness and importance of negotiation. You will acquire a new repertoire of negotiating skills in a variety of different conflict settings. You will develop a systematic and positive approach to negotiating with colleagues, bosses, clients, other stakeholders, and external groups of all kinds—in ways that equip you to deal also with all kinds of conditions and circumstances.
This is an interactive course based on the idea that becoming skilled at negotiation is best achieved through practising it. Therefore this course contains simulation games and negotiation exercises where you can practice your negotiation and leadership skills in a safe environment on your fellow students. The exercises will be combined with reflection, discussion, readings, assignments and presentations to connect theory and practice and enhance the overall learning.
Course objectives
This course aims to help you develop the negotiating skills needed to meet the challenges facing today’s world. The course integrates the experiential and intellectual components of negotiation, and will help you
develop the sophistication to analyse bargaining and conflict relationships
to learn (through class discussion, peer feedback and self-assessment) about your own individual conflict management style;
gain advanced knowledge and insights about negotiation and related organisational behaviour and apply this theoretical knowledge to challenges in the real world;
prepare effectively for negotiation;
understand when to negotiate, and when not to negotiate, when to reach a deal and when to walk away;
negotiate effectively in teams or with multiple opponents;
apply multiple approaches to resolving unproductive negotiations;
understand how to create value and reach mutually beneficial agreements;
and to increase your confidence in your negotiation skills
Schedule BA1 semester 1:
Wednesdays week 10, 11, 14, 16, 18, 19 and 21 from 19.15-22.00; week 20 19.30 - 21.00 written exam.
Governing Science, Society and Expertise by professor Hsini Huang (30 places)
This course introduces students to the sometimes tense relationship between politics, society and experts. The class shows the different ways in which problems and issues in society, business and politics are identified, how they can be addressed, and how students may orient themselves on advising on such problems and issues in their future career. Throughout the course students are made aware of scientific ‘lenses’ on reality to get a sharp analytical view on problems and issues, and what it means when we speak about ‘innovation’ in science and research for addressing problems in the real world. The course will further include a simulation game to experience the interplay of government, research, non-governmental stakeholders and society.
Course objectives
The goal of the course is to get a sense of how politics, science and society are connected regarding today’s global challenges and what role expertise, money and power can play in these dynamics. The course introduces students to a variety of lenses and enhances critical and analytical thinking with tools from different disciplines. These skills will be put to use during the simulation game at the end of the course.
Schedule BA1 semester 2: Fridays 15.15-17.00 in week 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22.
BA1/2 Crucial Skills 2 by Jacob Koolstra/School of LIFE (25 places)
“Learning without reflection is a waste. Reflection without learning is dangerous.” - Confucius
In this highly interactive course we will study some of the most relevant skills for professionals in the 21st century. This course presumes that professionals with high emotional intelligence and self-awareness are the bound to become leaders of the next decades. Your Consciousness on social, societal, individual and environmental levels will be enlarged through this course.
Some profound differences between university and professional life that we will tap into:
You will have to work intensively together with people you don’t know well.
You will have to present yourself and your results all the time.
You will have to be ready to negotiate for yourself and your organisation.
Nobody is responsible for your own development and well-being but you.
You will never have a clear idea how to get a good grade, since nobody is grading you and there are no assessment guidelines.
You will always be uncertain about the relevance and impact of your projects and task
Learning in this course is done by a combination of practising and reflection called experiental learning.
The course will be taught by Wicher Schols, you and all your fellow students. Each theme will partly be covered by Wicher and partly by teaching groups existing of students that are guided by Wicher.
After the lecture the teaching groups will get adequate and constructive feedback from their audience.
Course objectives
Practice a growth mindset by identifying continuous potential for personal development
Examine core values and identify a personal mission statement
Recognize the way that communication and presentation are mutually inclusive
Apply personal and theoretical reflection in writing
Practice how to generate new perspectives on conventional wisdom to discover possibilities, creative thinking
Connect traditional to new notions of (entrepreneurial) value
Schedule BA1/semester 1:
Fridays from 13.15-16.00 in week 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21
Second year
Year BA2 semester 1: Honours FGGA
In this second year of TGC you will continue developing your skills and insights. You will have to gain 10 EC by TGC courses and 5 EC by taking a mandatory Honours Class.
In the first semester you can choose between three courses and in the second semester TGC between five TGC courses, two of them also possible as Honours Class (distributed by the Honours Academy). The Honours coordinator will ask you to select one of the courses and takes care of enrollment on BS and in USIS.
The Honours Classes are distributed by the Honours Academy and you will receive an information and application e-mail halfway August for semester 1 and halfway November for semester 2. The HA will take care of enrollment of your Honours Classes in BS and USIS.
BA2/1 Negotiations LAB Dr. Wolf Steinel (see description BA1) (30 places)
See description BA1/2.
Schedule BA2 semester 1: Wednesdays week 37, 38, 40, 44, 46, 48 and 50 from 19.15-22.00; week 49 from 19.30 - 21.00 written exam
BA2/1 Global Justice Challenges by dr. Tamara Takacs (30 places)
This course explores contemporary debates and controversies regarding global justice. The focus is on the following question: how to define, understand, and uphold justice in a global and globalizing world?
From a human rights-centric approach, the course will proceed with an analysis of the political theories of justice along with an examination of applied and distributive justice focusing on selected issues that have arisen in contemporary global dynamics: participatory rights and social/labour standards, gender/sexuality, genocide and armed conflicts, environmental concerns. The course will specifically examine the role of global governance and international organisations in the quest for a universal approach to (global) justice.
Course objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of different theories and positions within the political and philosophical discussion about global justice;
demonstrate an ability to, both orally and in written form, present arguments and positions relevant to issues of global justice;
understand and critically assess the interplay between various global governance structures and actors therein;
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of select contemporary human rights concerns and of the institutional structure and constraints of global governance structures that address these concerns.
Schedule BA2 semester 1:
Wednesdays 19.15-21.30 in week 40,41, 42 online; 44, 46, 49 and 50. Wednesdays 10-12.30 in week 45,48.
BA2/1 A better world is possible: the future of human security and global justice, by professor Joachim Koops (ISGA), 30 places
This course challenges and encourages outstanding honours students to study, analyse and evaluate the most pressing issues and problems of human security and global justice in both theory and practice. Taking the United Nations Development Report of 1994 (which mentioned the term ‘human security’ for the first time) and the Report of the Committee on Global Governance of 1995 (conceptualising the challenges of global governance) as starting points, students will examine and assess lessons from previous failed and (partially) successful attempts of predicting and addressing local and global security problems and will apply these lessons to persisting current and future challenges.
Themes to be covered range from threats to individual freedoms and human rights to war, peace, geopolitical transformations as well as traditional and non-traditional challenges (such as arms proliferation, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, poverty and development, climate change and ocean governance, cybersecurity and hybrid threats, global health and pandemic management) to global security and global governance.
Students will closely interact with major experts, diplomats, policy-makers and senior officials from international organisations and NGOs as well as with social entrepreneurs, in order to devise their own actionable, pragmatic but at the same time innovative solutions and scenarios for the future of human and global security governance. Whilst analysing core concepts, theories, risk analysis and scenario planning tools during lectures and blended learning sessions, students will also form and work in their own “think tank” groups of up to 4 students in order to create and advance their policy proposals.
Students with outstanding proposals will receive the opportunity of publishing their work at ISGA’s Security and Global Affairs blog and with cooperating international think tank partners. The organisation of a public student-led “Better World is Possible” Conference with dialogue partners and experts is part of the programme and rounds off the course.
Course objectives
By the end of this course, students will have acquired the following knowledge, insights and skills
The ability to explain, analyse and synthesize core concepts and issues related to the themes of ‘human security’, ‘global governance’ and global security from a multi-level perspective (i.e. individual, local, national, regional, global)
The ability to analyse the main international organisations, institutions and capacities created at different levels to address major issues of human and global security, to identify and explain their weaknesses and needs for improvement
The ability to explain and apply basic methods of risk analysis and scenario planning in order to predict future human security and global affairs threats
The capacity to analyse and apply insights from social entrepreneurs, diplomats and policy-makers
The ability to synthesize core insights from the literature, scenario analyses and exchanges with guest speakers and external events in order to apply them to devising actionable policy innovations
The ability to cooperate effectively in teams
The ability to organise a successful public conference
YEAR BA2 semester 2: Honours FGGA
BA2/1 Model EU Simulation: Policies, Negotiations and Transatlantic Experiential Learning by Dr. Silviu Piros and professor Joachim Koops (20 places)
This unique course offers highly motivated Honours Class student teams the opportunity to be trained for -and participate in- the international EuroSim Model European Union, taking place each year at a European or American partner university. The EuroSim event challenges students to take on the role of key policy-makers and member states in order to negotiate core policy proposals and outcomes during a four-day intensive simulation with over 200 participants from more than 20 universities. Each EuroSim has a specific theme related to the real-world policy agenda of the EU, helping students to deepen their knowledge of the EU and hone their public speaking, negotiating, leadership and diplomatic skills.
This course provides in-depth training for selected students and the exploration of core EU policy challenges and real-life negotiation skills in order to prepare the Honours Class student teams for their successful participation in the EuroSim simulation.
The course seeks to explore negotiation, diplomatic tactics and techniques and in-depth knowledge of EU policy-making in an active and experiential manner, and place students at the centre of the learning process, by continuously engaging them through practitioner sessions, negotiation workshops, and an immersive four-day Model EU simulation on the legislative process. Students will understand the nature and functioning of major EU institutions, their power and role in the policy making process from a historical and theoretical perspective and will have the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice, by taking on the role of a policy maker and negotiating a legislative proposal with 200 peers from the EU and the US. Students will also delve deeply into the policy challenges related to the EU and major European, transatlantic, and global policy challenges. As a result of this practical experience students will become better problem-solvers and will have the chance to hone not only their negotiation skills, but also their inter-personal and inter-cultural skills and establish stimulating networks among an international and transnational cohort of learners.
Course objectives:
Understand core historical, theoretical and practical aspects of the European integration process
Understand the role of the EU in tackling major policy issues from a European, transatlantic and global perspective
Understand the set-up and functioning of the EU’s major institutions and their role in the policy-making process
Have a good knowledge of the mechanisms and procedures that guide the legislative process
Identify and support the position of a given persona (alter ego) in the legislative process
Further transfer academic insights and research on relevant literature into real-life scenario and for real-life problem solving
Develop own negotiation strategies, by identifying and engaging with relevant stakeholders under time constrains
Develop collaborative, inter-personal and inter-cultural skills by working with large and diverse groups of students towards a common goal
Self-evaluate, reflect, and contribute to group debrief sessions after the Model EU simulation
BA2/2 Data Governance and policymaking by Matthew Young (25 places for 2nd and 3rd years)
This course is designed to teach students about the most important and controversial Big Data applications currently being used in the public sector. The course has a practical and utilitarian component, which is to introduce students to what these applications are. It also has an analytical component, which is to learn and apply critical thinking towards such applications using findings from scholarly literature and public discussion about real cases.
On the first component, it will address questions of how the technologies work and why governments use them. For example, students will be introduced to the basic working principles of predictive policing, fraud detection, and smart public installations such as lighting and traffic systems. These are each different in important ways and there are different technical and social consequences. Students will learn about key technology ‘affordances’ and frameworks that can help know what to highlight and be critical of.
A second component will involve learning about real world cases and the arguments and evidence available from academic research. This component will pose questions such as what ethical issues arise from use of the technologies, whether robots will decide all the important matters that affect our lives, and whether there is anything that governments and citizens can do to use technologies to make government better. For example, we may review and discuss cases of Google’s failed smart city project in Toronto, the Dutch fall-out from the ‘Toeslagenaffaire’, or Rio de Janeiro’s policing of favelas. The global spread of big data technologies will be used as an opportunity to learn about a wide variety of countries and cities.
Students will learn to navigate the complex technical and ethical issues and put forward their own arguments through discussion and debate. Together, these skills and knowledge will help students to critically assess these tools and to become more expert both as critical users of technologies and as systems architects.
Course objectives
Describe examples of different kinds of Big Data applications in public services
Debate the public values pros and cons of artificial intelligence in the public sector using real world examples and academic literature
Carry out a research project that critically evaluates an algorithmic decision-making system from the perspective of protecting and improving public values.
Schedule BA2 semester 2, block 3: Fridays from 14.15 – 16.00 in week 6,7,8,9,10,11 and 12.
BA2/2 International Relations: on diplomacy and negotiations by dr. Paul Meerts (20 students HCGGA and 45 students Honours Class)
The course is extensive, however the rational is simple. Negotiation is a skill which needs to be practiced. Therefore, students will actively engage with the theoretical material in several ways, through exercises, simulations, case studies and video reviews.
During the first weekend students get a thorough introduction to the topic specific to their year. Each year the simulation and subject of the Young Diplomat Conference changes, ensuring that the subjects discussed are socially relevant issues fitting the context of current developments. The opening weekend will welcome experts and practitioners from the field, while at the same time introducing the students to the simulation, their role and any other specific relevant information.
Each seminar will high light certain aspects of international negotiation and as students progress the exercises during the seminars will become more complex and challenging. As they learn about the theoretical aspects on international negotiation, they apply it directly and train their skills during the exercises.
During the final weekend students will partake in the Young Diplomat Conference. Here students will have to apply the skills and knowledge they have gained throughout the course in a two day simulation. Each body will have a professional from the Young Diplomat to make observations about the performance of the students which will serve as input to the reflection. During the course students will need to do research on the position of their actor (through desk research but also by contacting and meeting with the actual Embassy of their actor in the Hague). They will submit their position statement to the course lecturers who will provide it with feedback. The position statements will also be distributed among all other participants. Students will have to submit a final position statement with a negotiation strategy as part of their final assignment.
During the weeks of the course students will go on field trips within the Hague to the International Criminal Court, the Peace Palace, embassies, and during the Young Diplomat Conference attend a formal dinner.
Programme:
Week 6:
10th of February 13.00 – 17.00:
Students will be welcomed and be given an introduction on the topic of the Young Diplomat Conference followed by a related lecture.
11th of February 13.00 – 17.00:
The weekend continues with lectures on the theme and other events in relation to the simulation and topic of the Young Diplomat Conference.
Week 6:
17th of February 10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00:
In the first session students will be introduced to the topic of International Negotiation. This will give them a basic understanding of the important elements and process of International Political Negotiation. The students will engage and work together in an exercise highlighting important elements of negotiation such as trust and collaboration.
Week 7:
24th of February 10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00:
In the second session students will learn more about strategy and tactics within negotiation. This will immediately highlight the elements of chairing. Each negotiator and diplomat will need to prepare properly for their negotiations, after all failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Negotiations and international political conferences can be a hot bed for tensions. Therefore, they need smart and tailormade strategies and tactics. Besides this, students will explore the important elements of chairing. A chair can have significant influence over the process and outcomes of negotiations. While on the other hand can find her-/himself excluded from any affairs by a single mistake. In the second half of this session students will reflect on characteristics of a chair, the importance of procedure, tips and tricks, and different styles of chairing.
Week 8:
2nd of March 10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00:
In the third session students will get an introduction on the history and development of negotiation and diplomacy throughout the years. Students will engage in exercises on distributive (win/lose) and integrative (win/win) bargaining. In the second half they will engage with Trilateral and Minilateral Bargaining. The process of negotiation between more than two parties and the impact of internal and external processes will be studied and practiced. They will engage in a negotiation between five member states of the European Union concerning a crisis in the Mediterranean.
Week 9
9th of March 10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00:
The fourth session will start with a focus on Negotiation behaviour. Several models and exercises will serve to enhance the understanding and management of negotiation behaviour and its effectiveness. After all, bargaining and negotiation are not only about interest, but very much about personalities, their ego, etc. This is true for diplomats, but probably even more for politicians. The module starts with a discussion of chapter IV of ‘Diplomatic Negotiation’ and a discussion on the issue of the skilled negotiator. In the afternoon students will get started on a simulation for conference diplomacy. In order to get a better understanding of multilateral complexity, students will negotiate and draft a resolution on the creation of the United Nations Disaster Relief Organization (UNDRO) in the context of the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in Geneva. This session is the preparatory phase. After the break a plenary session with short statements followed by exploration of the draft resolution will be the official starting point of the conference, followed by a first round of formal and informal consultations.
Week 10:
16th of March 10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00:
In this final session the negotiations of the previous session will be finalized. An ECOSOC Resolution on the coordination in cases of natural disasters will be drafted and debriefed. In parallel sessions each member of the ten delegations (including the presidency) will be involved in a process of drafting a single text under consensus rule. After the break there will be debriefings with reflections on the performance of the students and as groups. The session will be concluded by a film of the drafting process as it happened in reality, followed by a reflection on the course so far by discussing the article of Lempereur and Colson.
Week 11:
19th 5th of March 10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00:
Session VI of the seminar: Chairing negotiations and conferences. Negotiations and international political conferences can be a hot bed for tensions. Chairing such events requires a particular approach, a chair can have significant influence over the process and outcomes. While on the other hand can find her-/himself excluded from any affairs by a single mistake. In this session students will reflect on characteristics of a chair, the importance of procedure, tips and tricks, and different styles of chairing. Through experience from previous sessions, videos and exercises students will engage and be prepped for a potential chairpersonship during future conferences and negotiations.
Week 12:.
23rd of March 09.30 – 17.30:
The first day of the Young Diplomat Conference. The international bodies in which the students will act are the UN Security Council, NATO or the EU Heads of Government. Some actors will be represented in all bodies, while others will not. In all situations students will have to coordinate their actions and approach across the bodies, and if they have no representation in one or two of the other bodies work with allies to ensure their interests are served. Students will start negotiations on the topic of the conference and will have to coordinate with their fellow delegates and allies across different bodies. The goal is to have a final resolution or statement by the end of the weekend. Each body will have a professional from the Young Diplomat to make observations about the performance of the students serve as input to the reflection.
19.00 – 22.00:
Dinner an event location in the Hague. The dinner serves several purposes 1) during dinner, as during real life negotiation and diplomatic conferences lobbying continues and deals are struck; 2) an introductory course on etiquette will be provided; 3) this is the final weekend of the course, a moment for students to bond and build connections among each other.
24th of March 09.30 – 15.00:
After a first day at the conference students are expected to come to a final outcome with either a statement or resolution. Again, each body will have a professional from the Young Diplomat to make observations about the performance of the students serve as input to the reflection.
15.30 – 17.30:
After the conference has concluded a break is taken. During the first part of the reflection each body will reflect, with the Young Diplomat professional, on their performance. After this reflection the group will come together, review the outcome of the conference and in general reflect on the performance across the different bodies.
During the weeks the students will engage in the following visits. The exact moments depend on the availability of the institutions.
A visit will be made to the International Criminal Court in the Hague where students will receive a guided tour and presentation on the workings of the court. The International Criminal Court is the only international tribunal which can rule on international crimes based on the Rome statute. This visit will high light the importance of the court in international relations and politics and what the consequences are in relation to which states are and are not signatory to the Rome statute.
A visit will be made to the Peace Palace where the students will receive a guided tour. The Peace Palace is an active court and plays an important role in international relations, law and negotiations.
Students will pay a visit to an embassy situated in the Hague which will offer them the opportunity to meet in a small setting with a diplomat to ask questions about her/his work and the field.
Course objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
Have a better understanding of the relationship and innerworkings of supranational and intergovernmental organisations as well as among government, science and society.
Having gained valuable skills on bilateral and multilateral negotiation skills, as well as on personal leadership and public speaking.
Applying skills and theoretical knowledge through different simulations varying in complexity, while also applying knowledge to case studies.
Have a better understanding of international political and diplomatic negotiation.
Learn how to manage complexity, their own emotions and representing interests, while dealing with those of others.
Have a better understanding of their own behavior and that of their fellow students/negotiators.
Have gained analysis and research skills in relation to international political and diplomatic negotiation.
Have gained a network of NGOs for potential internships and career opportunities.
Have gained insights into the reality of working in international politics and diplomacy.
Schedule BA2 semester 2:
Saturday and Sunday from 13-17 in week 6; Saturday and Sunday from 9.30 - 17.30 in week 12; Lectures on Saturdays from 10.00-12.00 and 13-15 in week 7 - 11.
Working visits in week 7, 8, 10 and 11.
BA2/2 Transnational organized crime and the future of global security by Dr. Shiraz (30 places)
The accelerated pace of globalisation since the 1980s not only increased global trade along with the flow of private capital and investment but also led to the creation of a global shadow economy without borders. Transnational organised crime arguably constitutes a greater threat than terrorism and has certainty resulted in more deaths through the flow of weapons, financing of violent conflict, and increasingly urban warfare. The global operations of arms traders, international criminals, and drug barons combined with the insidious corruption of state institutions and international frameworks have created unprecedented challenges for the modern state and its citizens, particularly in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The shifting security landscape of transnational organised crime has emerged as an issue of critical concern across global and regional organisations and national governments resulting in a wide array of policy prescriptions and treaties. However, the increasing complexity of transnational organised crime and borderless security threats have outpaced the ability of international organisations, national governments and their security forces to curb illicit trades.
In this course, outstanding honours students will theoretically and practically study, analyse and evaluate the impact of transnational organised crime on security in the Global South together with global and local policy responses. Using case study analysis, students will examine drug production and trafficking, proliferation of arms, and human smuggling and how these illicit trades interact with globalisation, regional security dynamics and the changing nature of security in the Global South.
Students are encouraged to engage with policy and academic literature from the observed countries to gain an understanding of competing interests and fault lines in the global efforts to counter transnational organised crime. During the interactive seminars, students will work in teams to deploy this knowledge and generate pragmatic and innovative solutions to the global challenge of transnational organised crime.
Course objectives
By the end of the course, students are able to:
Explain and analyse core concepts and issues related to themes of ‘globalisation’ and ‘security’ in a multi-level perspective, i.e.: global, regional and national, with a particular emphasis on the Global South.
Explain and critically analyse the principle policy responses to transnational organisation on a global level through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and identify areas of improvement through evidenced argumentation;
Deploy basic case study methods to explain how and why transnational organised crime has impacted the observed countries.
Combine existing knowledge from the wider programme with theoretical and practical insights in this course.
Reflect on global challenges in an interdiscplinary manner using approaches, i.e.: International Security, Political Science, Area Studies and Criminology.
Work in teams to produce policy guidance that is grounded in scientific and policy research and literature.
Schedule BA2 semester 2:
Tuesdays 17.15 to 20:00 in weeks 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18
BA2/2 The Battle for Europe by Hans van den Berg and Dr. Rob de Wijk (20 places Honours FGGA and 25 places Honours elective)
Europe once ruled the world, but now the continent is under attack from all sides, including from within. Chinese President Xi Jinping sees the continent as a win-win region. He has been buying influence in the Western Balkans for years and trying to tear the European Union apart. Russia feels threatened and President Putin conducts covert and now also military operations to disrupt NATO. President Trump, meanwhile, made it easy for the Russians and Chinese by turning away from his closest allies and opening the attack on Europe himself. President Biden seems again more involved in Europe, but still pursues an America first strategy and is aware that the future is all about the Asian region. Prime Minister Johnson thought he would be better off outside the European Union and the Hungarian and Polish leaders are undermining the democratic rule of law. They all believe that a strong European Union stands in the way of their ambitions. Political leaders struggle with an answer. The corona crisis, the war in Ukraine and many other issues have further increased the challenge. Can we win this battle for Europe? Can Biden Repair the Damage Trump has brought? What will the relationship between Germany and France bring? Will the EU remain a player in the world, or will the continent become the playground of world powers?
This course will explore current challenges and opportunities to and within the EU. This is done through different perspectives but is always focused on current affairs. With guest lectures from experts in different fields and practical exercises, students will explore the current challenges and opportunities. In a group assignment The Future of Europe, a Message to Europeans students are challenged to debate and write a common perspective on what values, projects and ideals should hold together countries within the EU facing current and future developments. In an individual assignment students tackle a challenge of their own choice and advice the EU on how to approach it. Finally, a short exam of 4 open questions will test the development of the knowledge of students throughout the course. The 4 open questions will relate to the current affairs topics that were discussed in the lectures.
The current affairs topics are not picked yet as these will focus on what is relevant at that point in time.
Programme
Session 1: The history and workings of the EU. Two short lectures provide students with insights into the basics of how the EU works, how decisions are made, policies are developed and what the important departments and organisations are. In the second part, students create a timeline and mood board of the most important historical events, in their perspective, of the European Union and present this to their fellow classmates.
Session 2: Current affairs topic 1. Rob de Wijk provides students with a thought-provoking lecture on a current challenge or opportunity of the European Union in relation to defense, security and foreign relations. In the second part, students work in small groups on providing policy advice on how to deal with this current topic.
Session 3: EU Simulation on decision making within the EU.
Session 4: Current affairs topic 2. Mendeltje van Keulen provides students with a thought-provoking lecture on a current challenge or opportunity of the European Union in relation to its internal functioning and development of relations between local, regional and national governments and influence groups. In the second part, students will map the different levels of government, organizations and interest groups that try to influence EU decision making and provide advice on the best ways for these different groups to do so.
Session 5: Current affairs topic 3. Carolien de Gruyter provides students with a thought-provoking lecture on a current challenge or opportunity of the European Union compared to the Habsburg Empire. Through a debate with challenging statements, students will argue whether the EU awaits the same fate as the Habsburg empire and what the catalysts of this downfall will be.
Session 6: Current affairs topic 4. Hans van den Berg provides students with a thought-provoking lecture on a current challenge or opportunity of the European Union in relation to Russia, Eastern Europe and EU expansion policy. In the second part, students analyse a topic, in relation to the EU, which is currently being reported in the media. In doing so they will have to check the facts and get different perspectives on the topic. After having done so they will have to create a short podcast on the topic to explain it in such a way that anybody can understand it, record it and share it with their fellow students.
Session 7: EU simulation on the accession of candidate states for the European Union.
Session 8: Presentations of the Future of Europe, a Message to Europeans.
Course objectives
Formulate a perspective on threats and opportunities for the European Union.
Develop a policy advice on a current issue in relation to the developments within or outside the European Union.
Analyse the functioning of the European Union.
Analyse current affairs and issues within the European Union and external which have an impact on it.
Explain the major milestones and developments within the European Union.
Create a personal perspective on current and ongoing issues within and about the future of the EU.
Thursdays from 19.15-22.00 in week 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21. Tuesday from 19.15-22 in week 19 and Thursday 19.00-21.00 short exam in week 22.
Third year
Year BA3 semester 2: Honours FGGA
In the winter of your final BA year the Honours coordinator will contact you about your study plan in semester 2. You can choose between three TGC courses. The courses offer you the possibility to play a consultancy role for an organization or to become part of a think tank. The courses start in February and the Honours coordinator will give you the possibility to select one of them as well as of enrollment on Brightspace and in uSis.
BA3/2 The impact of global transformations on violence-related challenges by dr. Valentina Carraro (20 places)
Recent world-scale developments have intensified existing forms of violence, or created new ones. For instance, lockdown measures adopted by governments to manage the Covid-19 pandemic have frequently resulted in increased levels of domestic violence, and have caused violent street protests in some countries. In addition, climate change has given rise to a new category of migrants – the so-called climate migrants – who must flee their homes as their lands become inhospitable or even uninhabitable; these migrants, in turn, are particularly susceptible to violence. However, not only negatively charged global transformations give rise to violence: think for example of the increased use of digital technologies, which has brought many advantages in our daily lives, but has also created new phenomena such as cyberviolence or cyberstalking – which, albeit originating in a virtual environment, often have very serious real-life consequences.
By adopting a seminar format, this course explores which violence-related challenges arise from global transformations, and invites students to reflect on the adequacy of the current governance system in addressing these challenges. It starts with an overview of key concepts such as violence, global transformations, and governance, to then delve into specific case studies. It includes one guest lecture by a practitioner involved in anti-violence governance and a training session in preparation of the final assignments.
Goals
To gain knowledge on global transformations and the governance of the ensuing violence-related challenges
To conduct independent research and engage in critical reflection on relevant case studies
To develop students’ skills in academic discussion, policy brief writing, and presentation skills in professional settings
Schedule BA3 semester 2:
Mondays from 14.15-16.00 in week 6-12.
BA3/2 Enhancing a rule of law in practical ways by dr. Tamara Takacs (30 places)
Providing access to justice is key tool of empowerment for all in society and constitutes a fundamental tenet to the rule of law.
The UN SDG 16 is set to Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. This goal is particularly challenging and pressing with respect to vulnerable groups such as women, children, LGBT community, refugees and migrants. The specific rights and needs of these groups require innovative ideas to ensure that access the justice is not only an end in and of itself but also a functional reality with guarantees for equality. In parallel with efforts and achievements regarding the SDG 16, ongoing technological transformations affect but also offer opportunities for avenues of seeking justice, asserting rights and strengthening equality.
This admittedly ambitious course looks at a fundamental societal need (legal empowerment) through the prism of genuine practical relevance so as to foster innovative ideas and solutions. The practical component of the course will engage the students in crafting innovative solutions to (access to) justice based on comprehensive data collected by the Hague Institute for Innovation for Law (HiiL).
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
From of law in the context of access to justice.
Students will obtain advanced knowledge and understanding of essential concepts related to SDG 16, and illustrative examples of challenges, achievements, best practices, pitfalls.
Students will be able to identify challenges that are hindering legal and thus societal empowerment of (vulnerable) groups and think of transformative ways to address these.
Students will obtain advanced knowledge and understanding of rule of law culture and its relevance to society as a whole.
Students will be able to carry out innovative design processes to address important societal challenges to empowerment and bring about change.
Student will identify the impact of technological transformations on access to justice.
Schedule BA3/semester 2:
Wednesdays 18.15-20.30 in week 6,7,10,11,13, 15-16.
Wednesdays 10-12.30 in week 12, 14, 17
BA3/2 A taste of leadership by Michel Don Michaloliákos (30 places)
This course is designed to teach students important lessons about leadership. Leadership is an extremely multifaceted phenomenon, that has interested the entirety of humanity throughout history. Complete coverage of leadership is impossible, so a taste of leadership will have to do the job.
Leadership is shaping the (social) world we live in and the well-being of humankind. Understanding the mechanisms of leadership isn't only enjoyable and interesting, but an absolute necessity for greater self-actualization as well as to contribute to an increase of well-being for all of us.
The taste of leadership in this course has been built up by practical, (scientific) theoretical and self-reflective ingredients. Through phases of introspection, influence and incorporation the taste of leadership will be served. Phases refer to a state of internal development rather than time, i.e., all phases happen simultaneously.
Introspection
Social reality is mind-made, according to the constructivists. As far as it is helpful for the students; this course uses constructivist insights into the mechanism of leadership. One important lesson is that the world is getting meaning through you.
Introspection helps to reveal how the process of giving meaning to the world works, for you and for others. The way you give meaning to the world is shaping one's convictions, choices and behavior. By looking at your self-esteem through a poetic lens, zooming in on your fears of rejection, self-assessment and applying empirical and theoretical concepts you will end up having a multi-sourced sketch of how you give meaning to this world.
Influence
This sketch helps students to provide a deeper understanding of how influence works. Being in a permanent state of interaction equals an endless cycle of influencing and being influenced. This implies power and vulnerability. Students will be encouraged to learn how the cycle of influence can be analyzed and used, employing prominent insights, tools and theories offered by the disciplines of group dynamics and leadership literature.
Incorporation
The students ought to incorporate the lessons of introspection and influence by putting them to the test in practice. The opportunity of incorporation is being offered by doing a challenge.
Challenge
The challenge is done in groups of 4 to 5 students. The challenge is focused on mapping out or resolving social problems or challenges, preferably at a local level. Doing a challenge on a local level helps students to enrich the phase of incorporation by having direct contact with the people for whom they are doing the challenge. Students initiate and develop – with guidance of teacher – a clearly defined challenge, for example helping existing stakeholders with loneliness, poverty or the energy transition.
The final result must be presented in a thoughtful, suitable and serious manner, but freedom is being given to the students to choose the form, such as a paper, documentary or art work.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have developed and demonstrated personal leadership capacities by:
Having a clear understanding of how to practically conduct introspection on themselves;
Have gained both theoretical and practical insights into the mechanism of influence, i.e., how people are being influenced and how they can influence others;
Having a better understanding of how to incorporate the lessons of introspection and influence in different roles of leadership;
Applying and incorporating the lessons of the course in the challenge.
Schedule BA3/semester 2:
Week 14 Saturday 6/4 Intro 13.00-17.30; Wednesdays from 19.00-21.30 in week 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21. Closing Friday week 22 on 31 May: 13.00-17.30 h.
BA2/2 Data Governance and policymaking by Matthew Young (10 places)
This course is designed to teach students about the most important and controversial Big Data applications currently being used in the public sector. The course has a practical and utilitarian component, which is to introduce students to what these applications are. It also has an analytical component, which is to learn and apply critical thinking towards such applications using findings from scholarly literature and public discussion about real cases.
On the first component, it will address questions of how the technologies work and why governments use them. For example, students will be introduced to the basic working principles of predictive policing, fraud detection, and smart public installations such as lighting and traffic systems. These are each different in important ways and there are different technical and social consequences. Students will learn about key technology ‘affordances’ and frameworks that can help know what to highlight and be critical of.
A second component will involve learning about real world cases and the arguments and evidence available from academic research. This component will pose questions such as what ethical issues arise from use of the technologies, whether robots will decide all the important matters that affect our lives, and whether there is anything that governments and citizens can do to use technologies to make government better. For example, we may review and discuss cases of Google’s failed smart city project in Toronto, the Dutch fall-out from the ‘Toeslagenaffaire’, or Rio de Janeiro’s policing of favelas. The global spread of big data technologies will be used as an opportunity to learn about a wide variety of countries and cities.
Students will learn to navigate the complex technical and ethical issues and put forward their own arguments through discussion and debate. Together, these skills and knowledge will help students to critically assess these tools and to become more expert both as critical users of technologies and as systems architects.
Course objectives
Describe examples of different kinds of Big Data applications in public services
Debate the public values pros and cons of artificial intelligence in the public sector using real world examples and academic literature
Carry out a research project that critically evaluates an algorithmic decision-making system from the perspective of protecting and improving public values.
Schedule BA2 semester 2, block 3:
ONLINE: Thursday evenings from 7-8.45 pm in week 6-12.
