University College

Maastricht
Course Catalogue
2020-2021

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. VI
CHECKLISTS FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCES........................................................... VII

COURSE OVERVIEW PER PERIOD .....................................................................................................................1

CORE COURSES (COR) ......................................................................................................................................5

COR1002 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE .................................................................................................................6

COR1003 CONTEMPORARY WORLD HISTORY ..................................................................................................7
COR1004 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY ...................................................................................................................8
COR1005 THEORY CONSTRUCTION AND MODELLING TECHNIQUES .................................................................9

HUMANITIES (HUM) ...................................................................................................................................... 10

HUM1003 CULTURAL STUDIES I: DOING CULTURAL STUDIES ........................................................................... 11

HUM1007 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY ................................................................................................... 12
HUM1010 COMMON FOUNDATIONS OF LAW IN EUROPE ............................................................................... 13
HUM1011 INTRODUCTION TO ART; REPRESENTATIONS, PERFORMANCES AND INTERACTIONS ....................... 14
HUM1012 POP SONGS AND POETRY: THEORY AND ANALYSIS ......................................................................... 15
HUM1013 THE IDEA OF EUROPE: THE INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF EUROPE ..................................................... 16
HUM1014 GREAT NOVELS 1850 - PRESENT ..................................................................................................... 17
HUM2003 THE MAKING OF CRUCIAL DIFFERENCES: ‘RACE’, SEXUALITY, GENDER, AND CLASS IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE............... 18
HUM2005 ENLIGHTENMENT AND ROMANTICISM ........................................................................................... 19
HUM2007 STATES AND NATIONS IN EUROPE, FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE FIRST WORLD WAR ............... 20
HUM2008 INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY ..................................................................................... 21
HUM2013 THE PRESENCE OF ART: REINTERPRETING MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART ............................. 22
HUM2014 PHILOSOPHERS OF THE 20TH CENTURY .......................................................................................... 23
HUM2016 HERITAGE STUDIES: PRESERVING OUR NATURAL AND CULTURAL PASTS (AND FUTURES) ............... 24
HUM2018 CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN A GLOBALIZING WORLD ........................................................................... 25
HUM2021 MEDIEVAL CIVILIZATION ................................................................................................................ 26
HUM2022 DIGITAL MEDIA: DIGITALIZATION, DIGITAL CULTURES AND USER PRACTICES .................................. 27
HUM2030 MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY; PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ............................................................ 28
HUM2031 CULTURAL STUDIES II: VISUAL CULTURES ....................................................................................... 29
HUM2044 PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE .......................................................................................................... 30
HUM2046 LIVING IN A TECHNOLOGICAL CULTURE: INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES . 31
HUM2047 THE FUTURE OF LITERATURE? ........................................................................................................ 32
HUM2051 PHILOSOPHICAL ETHICS ................................................................................................................. 33
HUM2054 READING PHILOSOPHERS ............................................................................................................... 34
HUM2056 CULTURAL MEMORY AND LITERATURE ........................................................................................... 35
HUM2057 RELIGION AND SECULARIZATION .................................................................................................... 37
HUM2058 HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY SPIRITUALITY ................................................................................... 38
HUM2059 COMPUTATIONAL THINKING FOR THE ARTS AND CULTURE ............................................................ 39
HUM2060 POETRY, POETRY THEORY AND POETRY PRACTICES ........................................................................ 40
HUM3019 TOTALITARIAN TEMPTATION.......................................................................................................... 41
HUM3029 LITERATURE AND PSYCHOLOGY...................................................................................................... 42
HUM3034 WORLD HISTORY ............................................................................................................................ 43
HUM3036 NARRATIVE MEDIA......................................................................................................................... 44
HUM3040 CRUCIAL DIFFERENCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY ................................................................................ 45
HUM3042 BIOPOETICS: AN EVOLUTIONARY APPROACH TO ART, LITERATURE, MUSIC AND RELIGION ............. 46
HUM3043 ACTS OF LITERATURE: THE ROLE OF PROSE, POETRY AND PLAYS IN A CHANGING WORLD .............. 47
HUM3045 DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE IN CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY ............................................... 48
HUM3049 SCIENCE, POWER AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF FACTS ................................................................... 49
HUM3050 A CULTURAL CRITIQUE OF OUR AGING SOCIETY ............................................................................. 50
HUM3051 MEDICAL HUMANITIES: BODIES & MINDS, HISTORIES OF THE NORMAL AND THE PATHOLOGICAL .. 51
HUM3052 LIFTING THE IRON CURTAIN. MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY EASTERN EUROPE ........................... 52
HUM3053 THE IDEA OF AFRICA ...................................................................................................................... 53

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SCIENCES (SCI) ............................................................................................................................................... 54

SCI1004 INTRODUCTION TO CHEMISTRY ..................................................................................................... 55

SCI1005 THE DIGITAL ENTERPRISE ............................................................................................................... 56
SCI1009 INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY ......................................................................................................... 57
SCI1016 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: AN INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 59
SCI2002 DISCRETE MATHEMATICS ............................................................................................................... 60
SCI2009 HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY .................................................................................................................... 61
SCI2010 INTRODUCTION TO GAME THEORY ................................................................................................ 62
SCI2011 INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING .............................................................................................. 63
SCI2017 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY .................................................................................................................... 64
SCI2018 CALCULUS ...................................................................................................................................... 65
SCI2019 LINEAR ALGEBRA ........................................................................................................................... 66
SCI2022 GENETICS AND EVOLUTION ............................................................................................................ 67
SCI2031 IMMUNOLOGY............................................................................................................................... 68
SCI2033 DATAMINING ................................................................................................................................. 69
SCI2034 BRAIN AND ACTION ....................................................................................................................... 70
SCI2035 BIOCHEMISTRY .............................................................................................................................. 71
SCI2036 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE............................................................................................................... 72
SCI2037 CELL BIOLOGY ................................................................................................................................ 73
SCI2039 COMPUTER SCIENCE ...................................................................................................................... 74
SCI2040 MICROBIOLOGY ............................................................................................................................. 75
SCI2041 CLIMATE CHANGE .......................................................................................................................... 77
SCI3003 OPTIMIZATION............................................................................................................................... 78
SCI3005 METABOLISM, NUTRITION AND EXERCISE ...................................................................................... 80
SCI3006 MATHEMATICAL MODELLING ........................................................................................................ 81
SCI3007 ENDOCRINOLOGY .......................................................................................................................... 82
SCI3046 COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE............................................................................................................ 83
SCI3049 PATHOBIOLOGY AND DISEASE ........................................................................................................ 84
SCI3050 ADVANCES IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES ............................................................................................ 85
SCI3051 DATA ANALYTICS ........................................................................................................................... 86

SOCIAL SCIENCES (SSC) .................................................................................................................................. 87

SSC1005 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY................................................................................................... 88

SSC1007 INTRODUCTION TO LAW AND LEGAL REASONING .......................................................................... 89
SSC1009 INTRODUCTION TO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ................................................................................ 90
SSC1025 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE .......................................................................................... 91
SSC1027 PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS ........................................................................................................... 92
SSC1029 SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ........................................................................................................ 93
SSC1030 INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ............................................................................ 94
SSC2002 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEMES AND THEORIES .................................................................... 95
SSC2004 CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 96
SSC2006 DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 97
SSC2007 INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS .............................................................................................. 98
SSC2009 CORPORATE FINANCE: BEHAVIOURAL FOUNDATIONS A TOUCH OF RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENTS AND
BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS ............................................................................................................................ 100
SSC2018 ADVERTISING: MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS OF BRANDS ........................................................ 101
SSC2019 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY ................................................................................................................... 103
SSC2020 THE ECONOMICS OF INFORMATION ............................................................................................. 104
SSC2022 ACCOUNTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY ........................................................................................... 105
SSC2024 INTERNATIONAL LAW .................................................................................................................. 106
SSC2025 MEMORY ..................................................................................................................................... 107
SSC2027 LAW AND SOCIETY ....................................................................................................................... 108
SSC2028 CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGY ................................................................................................................. 109
SSC2037 PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDIES .................................................................................................... 110
SSC2039 HISTORY OF WESTERN POLITICAL THOUGHT ................................................................................ 111
SSC2042 RIGHTS OF THE CHILD .................................................................................................................. 112
SSC2043 DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS ........................................................................................................ 113
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SSC2046 GLOBALIZATION AND INEQUALITY: PERSPECTIVES ON DEVELOPMENT ......................................... 114
SSC2048 INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS ............................................................................................. 115
SSC2050 PSYCHOLOGY AND LAW ............................................................................................................... 116
SSC2053 PUBLIC HEALTH POLICYMAKING ................................................................................................... 117
SSC2055 ENTREPRENEURSHIP .................................................................................................................... 118
SSC2059 SOCIAL MOVEMENTS ................................................................................................................... 119
SSC2060 COMPARATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW......................................................................................... 120
SSC2061 STATISTICS I ................................................................................................................................. 121
SSC2062 FOUNDATIONS OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY ................................................................................ 122
SSC2063 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES: PERSONALITY AND INTELLIGENCE ..................... 123
SSC2064 MIGRATION STUDIES: FLOWS AND CONCEPTS ............................................................................. 124
SSC2065 THEORIES OF SOCIAL ORDER ........................................................................................................ 125
SSC2070 SOCIAL STUDIES OF FINANCE: THE MAKING (AND TAKING) OF VALUE IN THE FINANCIALIZATION OF
OUR LIVES .................................................................................................................................................... 126
SSC3002 EUROPEAN FOREIGN POLICY ........................................................................................................ 127
SSC3006 THE SOCIAL STUDY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: BETWEEN NATURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS ............................ 128
SSC3008 MIDDLE EASTERN POLITICS .......................................................................................................... 129
SSC3009 PUBLIC ECONOMICS..................................................................................................................... 130
SSC3011 PUBLIC POLICY EVALUATION ........................................................................................................ 131
SSC3012 WAR IN WORLD POLITICS ............................................................................................................. 133
SSC3017 SOCIAL AND SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP .......................................................................... 134
SSC3018 STATISTICS II ................................................................................................................................ 135
SSC3019 HUMAN REASONING AND COMPLEX COGNITION ......................................................................... 136
SSC3023 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND ................................................................................................................. 137
SSC3030 THE LAW OF THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS ................................................................................. 138
SSC3032 ATROCITY TRIANGLE: A COURSE ON THE CRIMINOLOGY OF GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS . 139
SSC3033 ECONOMIC PSYCHOLOGY............................................................................................................. 141
SSC3036 AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY ........................................................................................................ 142
SSC3038 CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY .................................................................................... 143
SSC3040 IDENTITIES ................................................................................................................................... 144
SSC3041 ECONOMICS AND SOCIETY IN CONTEMPORARY ASIA ................................................................... 145
SSC3047 URBANISATION, DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY............................................................................ 146
SSC3049 HUMAN RIGHTS: PRINCIPLES AND POLEMICS ............................................................................... 147
SSC3051 CONTEMPORARY CRITICAL SECURITY STUDIES ............................................................................. 148
SSC3052 THE AFTERMATH OF ATROCITY: A COURSE ON TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE AND POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION ............ 149
SSC3054 INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW: GLOBALIZATION, TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT ................................ 151
SSC3056 INNOVATION SYSTEMS, POLICY AND SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITIONS ............................................. 153
SSC3057 ECONOMICS AND SOCIETY: HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT .................................................... 154

SKILLS TRAININGS (SKI)................................................................................................................................ 155

SKI1004 RESEARCH METHODS I ................................................................................................................. 156

SKI1005 RESEARCH METHODS II ................................................................................................................ 157
SKI1008 INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC SKILLS I ........................................................................................ 158
SKI1009 INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC SKILLS II ....................................................................................... 159
SKI2005 BACK TO THE SOURCES ................................................................................................................ 160
SKI2007 PRESENTATION SKILLS .................................................................................................................. 161
SKI2048 INTRODUCTION TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS .................................................................................... 162
SKI2049 ARGUMENTATION I ..................................................................................................................... 163
SKI2077 LAB SKILLS: CELL BIOLOGY ............................................................................................................ 164
SKI2079 LAB SKILLS: HUMAN ANATOMY & HISTOLOGY .............................................................................. 165
SKI2083 INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATION.................................................................................................... 166
SKI2084 WRITING IN AN ACADEMIC CONTEXT: IMPROVING ARGUMENTATION AND STYLE ........................ 167
SKI2085 ETHNOGRAPHY AND QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWING I ..................................................................... 168
SKI2086 LAB SKILLS: BIOCHEMISTRY .......................................................................................................... 169
SKI2088 LAB SKILLS: GENETICS .................................................................................................................. 170
SKI3002 ARGUMENTATION II..................................................................................................................... 171
SKI3003 RESEARCH STUDIO, INTRODUCTION TO APPLYING AN ART PRACTICE AS RESEARCH METHOD ...... 172
SKI3050 PREPARING CONFERENCE ............................................................................................................ 173
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SKI3052 ETHNOGRAPHY AND QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWING II .................................................................... 175
LAN2000 LANGUAGE TRAININGS ................................................................................................................ 176

PROJECTS (PRO) .......................................................................................................................................... 177

PRO1010 INTRODUCING ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION: A WRITING PROJECT ............................................. 178

PRO1012 RESEARCH PROJECT ..................................................................................................................... 179
PRO2003 WRITING PROJECT: “THE JOURNAL” ............................................................................................. 180
PRO2004 PROJECT ACADEMIC DEBATE ........................................................................................................ 181
PRO2011 PROJECT DEEP READING .............................................................................................................. 182
PRO3006 CONFERENCE ............................................................................................................................... 183
PRO3008 THINK TANK ................................................................................................................................. 184
PRO3009 ETHNOGRAPHY AND QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWING III ................................................................... 186
PRO3012 SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT: NEUROPSYCHOLOGY ...................................................................... 187
PRO3013 SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT: DATA SCIENCE ............................................................................... 188
PRO3014 SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT: BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING ........................................................... 189
PRO3016 SOCIAL SCIENCES/HUMANITIES RESEARCH PROJECT .................................................................... 191
CAP3000 CAPSTONE ................................................................................................................................... 192

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH (UGR) ........................................................................................................... 193

UGR3001 MARBLE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ........................................................................................ 194

UGR3002 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH / THE DOCUMENTARY ................................................................... 196
UGR3003 APPLIED RESEARCH & INTERNSHIP (ARI) PROJECT ........................................................................ 198
APPENDIX MAASTRICHT SCIENCE PROGRAMME & UNIVERSITY COLLEGE VENLO........................................... 200

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Introduction
The UCM Course Catalogue 2020-2021 provides you with essential information about the courses offered at
University College Maastricht during the 2020-2021 Academic Year.

Courses are listed with a course title and a course code. The course code refers to the part of the College
program to which a course belongs and to the level of the course. Every course counts for 5 ECTS (European
Credit Transfer System), except Skills, that are 2.5 ECTS each and the UCM Capstone which represents 10
ECTS. A full study load consists of 30 ECTS per semester and 60 ECTS per academic year.

Course code abbreviations

The course code consists of three letters and a four digit number.

These are the three letter abbreviations:

COR Academic Core

HUM Humanities
SCI Sciences
SSC Social Sciences
SKI Skills
PRO Project
CAP Capstone
UGR Undergraduate Research

The first digits of the four digit number in the course code indicate the level of a course:

1 = 1000-level introductory courses (open to all students)

2 = 2000-level intermediate courses (may have prerequisites)
3 = 3000-level advanced courses (do have prerequisites)

The four digit number of the course code refers to the course number.

Undergraduate Research / MaRBle (UGR), Undergraduate Research / The Documentary and Applied Research &
Internship Project

Please note that UGR3001 Undergraduate Research / MaRBle, UGR3002 Undergraduate Research / The
Documentary and UGR3003 Applied Research & Internship Project are only open to students that have been
accepted into these courses.

Prerequisites and recommendations

A number of course descriptions include prerequisites or recommendations. Note that prerequisites are
required courses: you must have passed these courses in order to be allowed to join a course. Courses that are
recommended are not mandatory. They are suggested by the coordinator and may add to your performance in
the course.

For several 2000-level courses within the Sciences, it is possible to request a waiver for the prerequisite 1000-
level course if you have already taken relevant courses during your previous education. On the next page you
will find an indicative checklist for the topics that you should have covered in order to receive such a waiver.

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Checklists for secondary school mathematics and sciences
The checklists below summarize the topics expected to be covered at secondary school for those requesting waivers
for several 2000-level science courses:
A) Mathematics (SCI-M)
B) Physics (SCI-P)
C) Chemistry (SCI-C)
D) Biology (SCI-B)
A) SCI- M. Checklist for Mathematics
Attitude towards mathematics: ability and willingness to think and reason at an abstract level
Elementary knowledge of calculus:
 reading equations
 solving simple equations
 analyzing functions
 functions and inequalities
 integers and polynomials
 rational numbers
Elementary knowledge of algebra:
 slopes and lines
 algebraic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
 solving algebraic equations
 exponents and powers
 linear systems
 factoring
Elementary knowledge of geometry:
 points and lines
 angles
 polygons and symmetry
 triangles
 perimeters and areas
 circles
 trigonometry, sinus, co sinus
B) SCI- P. Checklist for Physics
Elementary knowledge of electricity and magnetism:
 potential, current, resistance, capacitor, simple electrical circuits
 direct and alternating current, period, frequency
 electrical energy, heat production, kWh
 semiconductors, diodes
 AD-converter
 positive and negative charges, electrical field
 magnetic field and flux, Lorentz force
 electron tubes in oscilloscope, TV, and X-ray
 linear accelerators
 electromagnetic induction, electrical motor, dynamo, transformer
Elementary principles of mechanics:
 position, distance, speed, acceleration, speed as a tangent
 gravity, trajectories, falling time and final velocity of objects
 representation of forces as vectors, addition of vectors
 Newton’s laws: inertia, momentum, force F = m. a
 lever and pulley
 work, potential and kinetic energy
 rotation, centripetal acceleration, Newton’s law of gravitation

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Elementary principles of thermodynamics:
 pressure, volume and temperature, Boyle’s law
 phase diagrams, (heat of) melting, evaporation, sublimation
 relation between atomic and macroscopic properties in gases
 equivalence of work and heat, specific heat
 first law of thermodynamics: conservation of energy
Elementary principles of waves and radiation:
 longitudinal and transversal waves, amplitude, wavelength, frequency
 harmonic oscillation
 radiation energy, dB
 sound waves, standing waves on a string and in a pipe, overtones
 resonance, Doppler effect
 optical waves, refraction, reflection, Snell’s law, polarization
 light as electromagnetic radiation, velocity, color and frequency
 lenses and image formation, the eye, glasses, microscope
 double slit experiment, phase differences, interference, optical grids
 emission and adsorption spectrum
 radioactivity, isotopes, alpha-, beta and gamma-radiation
C) SCI-C. Checklist for Chemistry
Elementary knowledge of atomic and molecular structure:
 charge and mass of atomic nucleus, protons, neutrons, valence electrons
 classification of elements in the periodic table
 metals and non-metals, noble gases
 bonding: covalent, ionic, polar, van der Waals
 hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances, detergents
 understanding and naming of structural formulae
Elementary knowledge of organic chemistry:
 polymerization, structure and properties of synthetic polymers
 formation of natural fuels: coal, oil and gas
 total and partial oxidation: carbon dioxide and mono-oxide
 saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons
 aromatics, ethers, alcohols, ketones, carbon acids, esters, amino acids
 stereo-isomers, optical activity, asymmetric carbon atom
 starch, cellulose, proteins, nucleic acids
Elementary knowledge of chemical reactions and analysis:
 reaction types: substitution, addition, esterification, hydrolysis
 weak and strong acid and bases, salts, buffers, pH
 redox reactions, batteries
 activation energy, reaction velocity
 law of mass action, chemical equilibrium, dissociation constant
 influence of temperature, pressure and the presence of catalysts
 concentration units, moles, molar volume of gases
 extraction, adsorption, distillation, filtration, centrifugation, sedimentation
 chromatography, spectrophotometry
D) SCI- B. Checklist for Biology
Elementary knowledge of the structure and function of:
 ecosystems, population, species, evolution, biodiversity
 competition, predation, symbiosis, biotic and a-biotic factors
 differences in animals, plants, fungi and bacteria
 organs, senses and tissues in animals and plants
 structure-function relations in movement, digestion, transport, procreation
 cells: nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi-system
 cell membranes and receptors

viii
Elementary knowledge of genetics and embryonic development:
 chromosomes, genes, genetic code, dominant and recessive alleles
 meiosis and mitosis
 DNA, nucleotides adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine
 mRNA, tRNA, protein synthesis, replication, transcription, translation
 single- and double-stranded DNA, RNA viruses
 genotype, fenotype; influence of environment
 mutations, recombinant DNA technique, plasmids, cell fusion
 breeding, selection, genetic modification
 hereditary disorders, X-linked genes, prenatal diagnostics
 formation and transport of egg and sperm cells
 effects of hormones on menstrual cycle
 anti-conception, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilisation
 role of oviduct, uterus, placenta, umbilical cord
Elementary knowledge of energy cycle and metabolism:
 role of the sun as source of energy, biomass
 photosynthesis and plant metabolism
 breakdown of carbohydrates and fat to water and carbon dioxide
 aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, role of ATP
 role of proteins, enzymes, transporters, receptors
 proteins and formation of nitrogen containing substances
 role of digestive tract and nutrient transport by blood and lymph
 function of the heart, lung, kidney and liver in metabolism
 role of micro-organisms in the carbon and nitrogen cycles
 waste management, pollution, global warming, acid rain
Elementary knowledge of homeostasis:
 homeostatic control: detection, comparison, effectors
 role of the nervous system, action potential, neurotransmitters
 role of the endocrine system, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, hormones
 role of skin in regulation of body temperature
 role of immunological system in body defense, blood groups, vaccines

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Academic Calendar University College Maastricht 2020 - 2021
Summer
week 28 week 29 week 30 week 31 week 32 week 33 week 34 week 35
6/7 - 10/7 13/7 - 17/7 20/7 - 24/7 27/7 - 31/7 3/8 - 7/8 10/8 - 14/8 17/8 - 21/8 24/8 - 28/8
R1 P1 INTRO

Fall Semester 1
Period 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Reflection Week
week 36 week 37 week 38 week 39 week 40 week 41 week 42 week 43
31/8 - 4/9 7/9 - 11/9 14/9 - 18/9 21/9 - 25/9 28/9 - 2/10 5/10 - 9/10 12/10 - 16/10 19/10 - 23/10
R2 P2

Period 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Reflection Week Christmas Holiday
week 44 week 45 week 46 week 47 week 48 week 49 week 50 week 51 week 52 week 53
26/10 - 30/10 2/11 - 6/11 9/11 - 13/11 16/11 - 20/11 23/11 - 27/11 30/11 - 4/12 7/12 - 11/12 14/12 - 18/12 21/12 - 25/12 28/12 - 1/1 2021
R3 D R4 P3

Period 3
1 2 3 4
week 1 week 2 week 3 week 4
4/1 - 8/1 11/1 - 15/1 18/1 - 22/1 25/1 - 29/1
P4 INTRO G
R R R R R

Spring Semester 2
Period 4
1 2 Carnival 3 4 5 6 7 Reflection Week
week 5 week 6 week 7 week 8 week 9 week 10 week 11 week 12 week 13
1/2 - 5/2 8/2 - 12/2 15/2 - 19/2 22/2 - 26/2 1/3 - 5/3 8/3 - 12/3 15/3 - 19/3 22/3 - 26/3 29/3 - 2/4
R5 P5

Period 5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reflection Week
week 14 week 15 week 16 week 17 week 18 week 19 week 20 week 21 week 22
5/4 - 9/4 12/4 - 16/4 19/4 - 23/4 26/4 - 30/4 3/5 - 7/5 10/5 - 14/5 17/5 - 21/5 24/5 - 28/5 31/5 - 4/6
R6 P6 D

Period 6 Summer
1 2 3 4
week 23 week 24 week 25 week 26 week 27 week 28 week 29
7/6 - 11/6 14/6 - 18/6 21/6 - 25/6 28/6 - 2/7 5/7 - 9/7 12/7 - 16/7 19/7 - 23/7
G
R R R R R

LEGEND:

P1 to P6: Publication of schedules D: Deadline Course Registration G: Graduation INTRO: Introduction freshmen UCM R: Resits : No scheduled educational activities
R1 to R6: Deadline Registration External Education Building extra open

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Academic Year 2020 - 2021
Overview Fall and Spring Semester

Fall Semester 2020-2021 From Till

Period 1 7 Weeks August 31, 2020 October 16, 2020
Period 2 7 Weeks October 26, 2020 December 11, 2020
Period 3 4 Weeks January 4, 2021 January 29, 2021
Resits Fall 1 Week January 25, 2021 January 29, 2021

Spring Semester 2020-2021 From Till

Period 4 7 Weeks February 1, 2021 March 26, 2021
Period 5 8 Weeks April 5, 2021 May 28, 2021
Period 6 4 Weeks June 7, 2021 July 2, 2021
Resits Spring 1 Week June 28, 2021 July 2, 2021

Overview important dates Academic Year 2020 - 2021

Fall Semester
August 17 - 21, 2020 Inkom
August 24- 26, 2020 Introduction September Enrolment
November 13, 2020 Deadline Course Registration Spring Semester
December 21 - January 1, 2021 Christmas Break
January 29, 2021 Graduation Fall

Spring Semester
February 15 - 19, 2021 Carnival
April 2, 2021 Good Friday
April 5, 2021 Easter Monday
April 26, 2020 Bridging Day
April 27, 2021 King's Day
May 5, 2021 Liberation Day
May 13, 2021 Ascension Day
May 14, 2021 Bridging Day
May 21, 2021 Deadline Course Registration Fall Semester
May 24, 2021 Whit Monday
July 9, 2021 Graduation Spring

Preliminary dates 2021 - 2022

August 23 - 25, 2021 Introduction September Enrolment

August 30, 2021 Start academic year 2021-2022
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Course overview per period
PERIOD 1: AUGUST 31, 2020 - OCTOBER 16, 2020

COR1003 CONTEMPORARY WORLD HISTORY

COR1005 THEORY CONSTRUCTION AND MODELLING TECHNIQUES
HUM1011 INTRODUCTION TO ART; REPRESENTATIONS, PERFORMANCES AND INTERACTIONS
HUM1012 POP SONGS AND POETRY: THEORY AND ANALYSIS
HUM2003 THE MAKING OF CRUCIAL DIFFERENCES: ‘RACE’, SEXUALITY, GENDER, AND CLASS IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
HUM2005 ENLIGHTENMENT AND ROMANTICISM
HUM2046 LIVING IN A TECHNOLOGICAL CULTURE: INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES
HUM2058 HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY SPIRITUALITY
HUM2059 COMPUTATIONAL THINKING FOR THE ARTS AND CULTURE
HUM3036 NARRATIVE MEDIA
HUM3043 ACTS OF LITERATURE: THE ROLE OF PROSE, POETRY AND PLAYS IN A CHANGING WORLD
HUM3052 LIFTING THE IRON CURTAIN. MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY EASTERN EUROPE
SCI1009 INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY
SCI1010 BASIC MATHEMATICAL TOOLS
SCI2002 DISCRETE MATHEMATICS
SCI2011 INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING
SCI2022 GENETICS AND EVOLUTION
SCI3003 OPTIMIZATION
SCI3007 ENDOCRINOLOGY
SSC1005 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
SSC1007 INTRODUCTION TO LAW AND LEGAL REASONING
SSC1009 INTRODUCTION TO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
SSC1029 SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
SSC2002 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEMES AND THEORIES
SSC2020 THE ECONOMICS OF INFORMATION
SSC2046 GLOBALIZATION AND INEQUALITY: PERSPECTIVES ON DEVELOPMENT
SSC2063 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES: PERSONALITY AND INTELLIGENCE
SSC3006 THE SOCIAL STUDY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: BETWEEN NATURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS
SSC3019 HUMAN REASONING AND COMPLEX COGNITION
SSC3030 THE LAW OF THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS
SSC3036 AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
SSC3054 INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW: GLOBALIZATION, TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
SSC3057 ECONOMICS AND SOCIETY: HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT
LAN2000 LANGUAGE TRAININGS
SKI1004 RESEARCH METHODS I
SKI1008 INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC SKILLS I
SKI2007 PRESENTATION SKILLS
SKI2049 ARGUMENTATION I
SKI2085 ETHNOGRAPHY AND QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWING I
SKI2088 LAB SKILLS: GENETICS

PERIOD 2: OCTOBER 26, 2020 - DECEMBER 11, 2020

COR1002 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

COR1004 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
HUM1007 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
HUM1010 COMMON FOUNDATIONS OF LAW IN EUROPE
HUM1013 THE IDEA OF EUROPE: THE INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF EUROPE
HUM2013 THE PRESENCE OF ART: REINTERPRETING MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
HUM2014 PHILOSOPHERS OF THE 20TH CENTURY
HUM2022 DIGITAL MEDIA: DIGITALIZATION, DIGITAL CULTURES AND USER PRACTICES
HUM2057 RELIGION AND SECULARIZATION
HUM2060 POETRY, POETRY THEORY AND POETRY PRACTICES
HUM3040 CRUCIAL DIFFERENCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY
HUM3049 SCIENCE, POWER AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF FACTS
HUM3050 A CULTURAL CRITIQUE OF OUR AGING SOCIETY
SCI1004 INTRODUCTION TO CHEMISTRY
SCI1005 THE DIGITAL ENTERPRISE
SCI1016 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: AN INTRODUCTION
SCI2018 CALCULUS
SCI2034 BRAIN AND ACTION
SCI2035 BIOCHEMISTRY
SCI2036 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
SCI3005 METABOLISM, NUTRITION AND EXERCISE
SCI3050 ADVANCES IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
SSC1025 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE
SSC1027 PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS
SSC1030 INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
SSC2019 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
SSC2024 INTERNATIONAL LAW
SSC2025 MEMORY
SSC2028 CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGY
SSC2048 INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS
SSC2055 ENTREPRENEURSHIP
SSC2061 STATISTICS I
SSC3008 MIDDLE EASTERN POLITICS
SSC3032 ATROCITY TRIANGLE: A COURSE ON THE CRIMINOLOGY OF GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
SSC3033 ECONOMIC PSYCHOLOGY
SSC3041 ECONOMICS AND SOCIETY IN CONTEMPORARY ASIA
SSC3047 URBANISATION, DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY
SSC3049 HUMAN RIGHTS: PRINCIPLES AND POLEMICS
SKI1005 RESEARCH METHODS II
SKI1009 INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC SKILLS II
SKI2084 WRITING IN AN ACADEMIC CONTEXT: IMPROVING ARGUMENTATION AND STYLE
SKI2086 LAB SKILLS: BIOCHEMISTRY
SKI3002 ARGUMENTATION II
SKI3003 RESEARCH STUDIO, INTRODUCTION TO APPLYING AN ART PRACTICE AS RESEARCH METHOD
SKI3050 PREPARING CONFERENCE
SKI3052 ETHNOGRAPHY AND QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWING II

PERIOD 3: JANUARY 04, 2021 – JANUARY 29, 2021

PRO1010 INTRODUCING ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION: A WRITING PROJECT

PRO1012 RESEARCH PROJECT
PRO2003 WRITING PROJECT: “THE JOURNAL”
PRO2004 PROJECT ACADEMIC DEBATE
PRO2011 PROJECT DEEP READING
PRO3006 CONFERENCE
PRO3008 THINK TANK
PRO3009 ETHNOGRAPHY AND QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWING III
PRO3012 SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT: NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
PRO3014 SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT: BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
PRO3015 RESEARCH STUDIO WHERE ART AND ACADEMIA MEET

PERIOD 4: FEBRUARY 01, 2021 - MARCH 26, 2021

COR1003 CONTEMPORARY WORLD HISTORY

COR1005 THEORY CONSTRUCTION AND MODELLING TECHNIQUES
HUM1003 CULTURAL STUDIES I: DOING CULTURAL STUDIES
HUM1014 GREAT NOVELS 1850 - PRESENT
HUM2016 HERITAGE STUDIES: PRESERVING OUR NATURAL AND CULTURAL PASTS (AND FUTURES)
HUM2018 CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN A GLOBALIZING WORLD
HUM2021 MEDIEVAL CIVILIZATION
HUM2044 PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
HUM2047 THE FUTURE OF LITERATURE?
HUM2051 PHILOSOPHICAL ETHICS

2
HUM2054 READING PHILOSOPHERS
HUM3019 TOTALITARIAN TEMPTATION
HUM3029 LITERATURE AND PSYCHOLOGY
HUM3051 MEDICAL HUMANITIES: BODIES & MINDS, HISTORIES OF THE NORMAL AND THE PATHOLOGICAL
HUM3053 THE IDEA OF AFRICA
SCI2010 INTRODUCTION TO GAME THEORY
SCI2017 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
SCI2033 DATAMINING
SCI2037 CELL BIOLOGY
SCI2040 MICROBIOLOGY
SCI2041 CLIMATE CHANGE
SCI3006 MATHEMATICAL MODELLING
SSC1005 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
SSC1007 INTRODUCTION TO LAW AND LEGAL REASONING
SSC2006 DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
SSC2007 INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS
SSC2018 ADVERTISING: MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS OF BRANDS
SSC2037 PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDIES
SSC2039 HISTORY OF WESTERN POLITICAL THOUGHT
SSC2059 SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
SSC2060 COMPARATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
SSC2062 FOUNDATIONS OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
SSC2064 MIGRATION STUDIES: FLOWS AND CONCEPTS
SSC3009 PUBLIC ECONOMICS
SSC3011 PUBLIC POLICY EVALUATION
SSC3012 WAR IN WORLD POLITICS
SSC3017 SOCIAL AND SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
SSC3023 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND
SSC3038 CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
LAN2000 LANGUAGE TRAININGS
SKI1004 RESEARCH METHODS I
SKI1008 INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC SKILLS I
SKI2005 BACK TO THE SOURCES
SKI2007 PRESENTATION SKILLS
SKI2049 ARGUMENTATION I
SKI2077 LAB SKILLS: CELL BIOLOGY

PERIOD 5: APRIL 05, 2021 - MAY 28, 2021

COR1002 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

COR1004 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
HUM2007 STATES AND NATIONS IN EUROPE, FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE FIRST WORLD WAR
HUM2008 INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
HUM2030 MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY; PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES
HUM2031 CULTURAL STUDIES II: VISUAL CULTURES
HUM2056 CULTURAL MEMORY AND LITERATURE
HUM3034 WORLD HISTORY
HUM3042 BIOPOETICS: AN EVOLUTIONARY APPROACH TO ART, LITERATURE, MUSIC AND RELIGION
HUM3045 DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE IN CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
SCI2009 HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
SCI2019 LINEAR ALGEBRA
SCI2031 IMMUNOLOGY
SCI2039 COMPUTER SCIENCE
SCI3046 COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
SCI3049 PATHOBIOLOGY AND DISEASE
SCI3051 DATA ANALYTICS
SSC1027 PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS
SSC2002 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEMES AND THEORIES
SSC2004 CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
SSC2008 ORGANIZATION THEORY
3
SSC2009 CORPORATE FINANCE: BEHAVIOURAL FOUNDATIONS
SSC2022 ACCOUNTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
SSC2027 LAW AND SOCIETY
SSC2042 RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
SSC2043 DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
SSC2050 PSYCHOLOGY AND LAW
SSC2053 PUBLIC HEALTH POLICYMAKING
SSC2061 STATISTICS I
SSC2065 THEORIES OF SOCIAL ORDER
SSC2070 SOCIAL STUDIES OF FINANCE: THE MAKING (AND TAKING) OF VALUE IN THE FINANCIALIZATION OF OUR LIVES
SSC3002 EUROPEAN FOREING POLICY
SSC3018 STATISTICS II
SSC3040 IDENTITIES
SSC3051 CONTEMPORARY CRITICAL SECURITY STUDIES
SSC3052 THE AFTERMATH OF ATROCITY: A COURSE ON TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE AND POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION
SSC3056 INNOVATION SYSTEMS, POLICY AND SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITIONS
SKI1005 RESEARCH METHODS II
SKI1009 INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC SKILLS II
SKI2048 INTRODUCTION TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
SKI2079 LAB SKILLS: HUMAN ANATOMY & HISTOLOGY
SKI2083 STRATEGY AND NEGOTIATION
SKI2084 WRITING IN AN ACADEMIC CONTEXT: IMPROVING ARGUMENTATION AND STYLE

PERIOD 6: JUNE 07, 2021 - JULY 02, 2021

PRO1010 INTRODUCING ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION: A WRITING PROJECT

PRO1012 RESEARCH PROJECT
PRO2003 WRITING PROJECT: “THE JOURNAL”
PRO2004 PROJECT ACADEMIC DEBATE
PRO3008 THINK TANK
PRO3013 SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT: DATA SCIENCE
PRO3016 SOCIAL SCIENCES/HUMANITIES RESEARCH PROJECT

SEMESTER 1: AUGUST 31, 2020 - JANUARY 29, 2021

CAP3000 CAPSTONE
UGR3001 MARBLE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
UGR3003 APPLIED RESEARCH & INTERNSHIP PROJECT

SEMESTER 2: FEBRUARY 01, 2021 - JULY 02, 2021

CAP3000 CAPSTONE
UGR3001 MARBLE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
UGR3002 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH / THE DOCUMENTARY
UGR3003 APPLIED RESEARCH & INTERNSHIP PROJECT

4
Core Courses (COR)

5
COR1002 Philosophy of Science
Course coordinator
Dr. P. Vermeer, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 2/5 5 Core No
Prerequisite
None.
Recommended
It is strongly recommended not to take this course in your first or second semester.
Objective
 To familiarize students with the philosophical foundations of the scientific method.
Description of the course
Typical issues in this course are: What is the role of observation in science? What is a scientific explanation?
What roles do theories and experiments play in science? What is the nature of scientific progress? Can we
rationally decide between scientific viewpoints? In what ways are the social sciences similar to or different
from the natural sciences?
The course presents an introduction to major issues in the philosophy of science. It can be divided into
four parts. In the first we will deal with traditional positions on the objectivity and methodology of science, like
those of logical empiricism. The second focuses on objections to this received view as formulated by critical
rationalism and by Thomas Kuhn’s paradigm theory. Kuhn’s theory revolutionized thinking about scientific
knowledge and led to the so-called sociological and historical turn in the philosophy of science. The course then
addresses two fundamental problems in the field: ‘Do our theories describe reality?’ (The problem of realism)
and ‘Do we now have better knowledge than in the past’ (The problem of cognitive progress). In the final part
of the course problems in the philosophy of the social sciences will take center stage: How do the social
sciences explain and predict events? Does the method of understanding present an alternative methodology
for social science? And finally: What is the role of social science in society.
Literature
 Chalmers, D. (1999). What is This Thing Called Science?
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
An essay and a test with open questions.

6
COR1003 Contemporary World History
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Stout, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 1/4 5 Core Yes
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To provide students with an understanding of the main trends in politics, demography, society and
culture over the last 70 years and to put these trends in a global context.
 To develop a critical attitude towards the use of historical theory, and the interpretation of historical
data and processes.
Description of the course
The course intends to trace back current situations to their historical backgrounds. The first three tasks, under
the caption “Toolkit”, will therefore consist of a brief exploration of the philosophy of history and some issues
regarding historical perspective, a discussion of the concepts of “state” versus ‘nation’ (in anticipation of issues
regarding decolonization, specific regional conflicts, and possible sources of conflict in general that will be
discussed in later tasks), and a discussion of the Cold War as an influential factor in recent history.
Each of the following tasks, under the captions of “Area surveys” and “Assessment of the current
global situation” respectively, will be built around a case that represents the underlying problem, and both
combined will lead students to specific source material. Examples of such cases are decolonization, the
economic development of Asia, conflict in Africa, and the implications of the current position of the USA as
“solitary superpower”.
Literature
 Antony Best, Jussi M. Hanhimäki, Joseph A. Maiolo and Kirsten E. Schulze, International history of the
twentieth century and beyond, Third edition, Routledge. 2015.
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A final written exam, a paper and participation.

7
COR1004 Political Philosophy
Course coordinator
D. Meacham, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Philosophy,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 2/5 5 Core No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 The course will provide an introduction to western political philosophy. Students will learn to analyse,
discuss, and apply basic concepts in contemporary political philosophy such as justice, equality, liberty
and community.
 Students will apply these core concepts to various local, national, and global political issues such as
migration and global justice.
 Students will be trained in normative political argumentation. They will exercise their ability to debate
contentious ethical issues of public life.
Description of the course
Politics is a complex and puzzling subject. If only taken at their word, it is difficult to understand why people act
the way they do and believe the things they purport to believe in. As political philosophers we try to understand
underlying conceptions and values that shape politics and which are used to justify concrete policies. We are
not concerned with what people claim to believe, but rather with the underpinning structures, values and ideas
that shape how it is that we live together. We are concerned with how the language and concepts that people
use comes to define who they are. In other words, we don’t have ideas, ideas have us. Our task in this course is
to understand those ideas.
This course will provide an introduction to contemporary philosophical debates about core political
concepts such as justice, liberty, equality, community, and democracy in modern liberal-democratic societies.
Students will become familiar with the thought of some of the leading modern political philosophers, like
Thomas Hobbes, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Rawls, Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, and Martha Nussbaum. Since
conceptual analysis is the core business of philosophy, students will learn to analyse concepts, to clarify fuzzy
moral ideas, and to make explicit the tensions and contradictions inherent to our political lives. Students will
learn how to apply these concepts to current political debate and practice.
Literature
 Various primary texts in political philosophy (these vary somewhat from period to period and year to
year)
 Adam Swift (2014, third edition), Political Philosophy; A Beginners’ Guide for Students and Politicians,
Cambridge, Polity Press.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, debates and lectures.
Examination
A midterm take-home paper; endterm take-home paper; two short written group assignments; class
participation.

8
COR1005 Theory Construction and Modelling Techniques
Course coordinator
Dr. L. Bevers, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 1/4 5 Core No
Prerequisite
None.
Recommended
This course provides an introduction to theorizing and modelling. It is relevant for a wide range of other courses
that are offered at UCM. The written assignment in this course is closely aligned with SKI1008 Introduction to
Academic Skills 1. Freshmen are recommended to take this course alongside SKI1008.
Objectives
 To offer a broad overview of scientific models and modelling techniques in different disciplines.
 To teach students how to work with models in different academic fields.
 To teach students how to model a specific case study by using general models and modelling
techniques.
Description of the course
The aim of the course is to familiarize students with model systems within the different disciplines of Sciences,
Social Sciences, and Humanities. Models allow us to approach complex questions in systematic ways, for
instance, by predicting weather conditions, the patterns of bird flight formations or the results of presidential
elections. Such questions are present everywhere and it is through modelling that we can try to find some
answers.
Modelling helps us to break down what we are studying into variables, understand relations or
correlations between them and even predict the future. The course starts with a short introduction to models,
followed by several case studies that illustrate their usefulness in various contexts. Exposing students to models
used in both academia and every-day thinking, the course fosters a thorough understanding of natural and
social phenomena. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to link models to specific situations and
examples from their daily-life. The final report allows students to use the knowledge gained in the course to
analyze a case study of their own interest. This can be done by conducting thought experiments, applying and
redefining existing models.
The interactive lectures help students to gain a broad understanding of different kinds of modelling
techniques. A special workshop is offered in order to trigger interests, thoughts and ideas and find ways of
translating them into an individual and structured academic report.
Literature
 Jaccard J. and Jacoby J., Theory Construction and Model-building Skills - A Practical Guide for Social
Scientists, 2nd Ed., The Guilford Press, New York, (2020).
 Additional readings are available on Student Portal.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Assessment is based on an exam in the final week, and a written assignment, consisting of a report and two
peer reviews. The exam consists of open questions.

9
Humanities (HUM)

10
HUM1003 Cultural Studies I: Doing Cultural Studies
Course coordinator
Dr. L. van den Hengel, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Centre for Gender and Diversity,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities Yes
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To introduce students to the foundational texts and formative debates that have shaped Cultural
Studies as an academic field of inquiry.
 To familiarize students with key concepts, themes, and topical debates within contemporary Cultural
Studies.
 To introduce students to some of the central theoretical approaches within Cultural Studies, including
critical theory, semiotics, material culture studies, gender theory, and critical posthumanism.
 To provide students with the analytical skills to develop their own examination of cultural objects and
processes.
Description of the course
Cultural Studies is a wide-ranging interdisciplinary inquiry into the ways in which contemporary culture,
especially popular culture, operates and functions. It explores how cultural processes and artefacts are
produced, distributed, and consumed, and traces the diverse ways in which people shape and transform culture
particularly in relation to issues of identity, difference, and power. In contrast to more traditional approaches to
culture, Cultural Studies focuses not merely on ‘elevated’ cultural objects such as ‘great’ works of art and
literature, but also - and primarily - deals with more mundane cultural phenomena. Addressing topics that
range from fashion advertisements to Instagram, and from science fiction to Lady Gaga, Cultural Studies zooms
in on seemingly familiar, yet highly complex, practices of everyday life.

This course introduces you to the key thinkers, topics, and critical frameworks in Cultural Studies. It starts with
some of the foundational texts and formative debates within the field, most notably the work of Theodor
Adorno and Max Horkheimer, Walter Benjamin, and Stuart Hall, associated with the Frankfurt School and
Birmingham School respectively. Subsequently, we will take a closer look at several topical debates and
conceptual approaches within contemporary Cultural Studies. We will address themes such as consumer
culture, advertising, and social networks; the power and politics of representation; material culture and
identity; cultural performances of gender; and the transnational cultural flows of globalization. By reading the
work of major theorists such as Zygmunt Bauman, Henry Giroux, and Joanna Zylinska, you will familiarize
yourself with a variety of critical approaches to cultural theory. Lastly, by looking at the interrelated topics of
posthumanism, art, and technoscience, the final tasks of the course will explore some of the most stirring
debates within Cultural Studies today, setting out new directions for the future development of the field.
Literature
 E-reader. (Articles that are not included in the E-Reader will be made available for photocopying during
the course).
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A take home exam and two short papers.

11
HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy
Course coordinator
Dr. J. Spruyt, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Philosophy,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Objective
 To teach students how to “think philosophically”.
Description of the course
One of the greatest and most influential Ancient philosophers, Aristotle of Stageira (384-322 BC) once
remarked, “Wonder is the beginning of philosophy”. What he was referring to is our habit of asking
fundamental questions about our every-day life, such as, “Suppose I am certain that I am right about
something, what is that certainty based upon?”; “Suppose I am engaged in a discussion with someone (for
example about some controversial matter), what can objectively guarantee the stringency of my argument?”
Thinking about and discussing such questions will force us to reconsider the things we have always taken for
granted. And ultimately they will lead us to more fundamental questions about the proper nature of Truth and
Knowledge as such.

Assignments during the course include the following: the nature of philosophical enquiry, problems of
knowledge and truth (including the understanding and evaluation of arguments), ethics.
Literature
 Blackburn, S. (1999). Think. A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
 Blackburn, S. (2001). Being Good. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
 Horner, C., & Westacott, E. (2000). Thinking through Philosophy. An Introduction. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Papers and debate.

12
HUM1010 Common Foundations of Law in Europe
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. C.H. van Rhee, Faculty of Law, Foundations and Methods of Law
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To provide students with a better notion of law as a harmonising phenomenon in European culture.
 To provide students with a basic notion of similarities and differences in the approach to law in the
various member states of the European Union (and the USA).
 To give students a better understanding of basic legal notions such as property, contract and delict.
 To provide students with a greater ability to evaluate the significance of the transfer of law making
powers from the national to the European institutions.
Description of the course
What do Europeans have in common? Part of the answer to this question is: their law. Currently, approximately
50% of all new legislation in the member states of the European Union has a non-national, European origin. This
international outlook of law in Europe is not a new phenomenon. Even when concentrating on the so-called
‘national laws’ of the various European nations, it must be admitted that these laws find a strong foundation in
a non-national, truly European tradition. This tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. Since it is the conviction
of the course coordinator that a true understanding of the growing importance of the European institutions
and policies can only be achieved by understanding the common legal history of Europe, the present course
concentrates on this shared (legal) past. In doing so, it takes as its focal point the ius commune, i.e. the
common, scholarly European approach to the law that originated in the Middle Ages and that was strongly
based on Roman Law. This medieval tradition forms the common ground on which the present national legal
systems in Europe have developed. It has strongly contributed to the creation of the idea of a common
European culture.
In a manner that is highly relevant for an audience of non-lawyers and lawyers alike, the course starts
with discussing Roman Law. The so-called Corpus Iuris Civilis will be used as the point of departure since most of
what we know about Roman Law derives from this compilation of legal materials that was made in the 6th
century AD on the orders of the Byzantine emperor Justinian. The texts that this emperor included in his
collection were the product of a thousand years of unbroken legal development. During this millennium,
roughly from 500 BC to 550 AD, Rome expanded from a small city-state to a world empire. While Roman law
was adapted to cope with the changing society, the idea was maintained that it was essentially the same law
that had been part of the early Roman way of life.
The course will also concentrate on the different approach to the law that existed and still exists in
Anglo-American jurisdictions. It will try to explain the legal differences today between continental Europe and
the British Isles. Additionally, some elements of American legal history will be studied. In doing so, the many
similarities that lie beneath the seemingly radically different outward appearance of law in Anglo-American
jurisdictions will come to light. This exercise will demonstrate that Anglo-American law is not so different from
continental European law as some writers would like us to believe.
The course will conclude with a study of a selection of similarities and differences that exist in today’s
European legal landscape.
Literature
 O.F. Robinson, T.D. Fergus, W.M. Gordon, European Legal History, London etc., 2000 or later edition.
 Additional materials, to be announced during the course.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings.
Examination
A written paper and class presentations.

13
HUM1011 Introduction to Art; Representations, Performances and Interactions
Course coordinator
I. Römgens (MA), Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To provide students with an advanced introduction to the visual and performing arts.
 To broaden the students’ theoretical understanding of art.
Description of the course
The traditional term for the many ways in which artworks represent reality is mimesis. The mimetic talent for
imitation and representation has been the subject of admiration, study and debate throughout the history of
Western art. The notion of mimesis is employed to describe painting, literature, music, theater, dance, and more;
it is still used to characterize the domain of the arts in general.
In engaging with the concept of mimesis, this course focuses on three central themes and approaches.
The first part of the course is concerned with representations of reality in nineteenth and early twentieth century
literature, painting, and music. The second part deals with modern and contemporary performance art. The
academic field of Performance Studies is introduced in an attempt at dealing with the blurring of genres, cultures
and conventions that are typical for contemporary art shaped by mass media and processes of globalization. The
third and last part of the course discusses sociological perspectives on art as a social practice and a collective
activity.
This course, through its emphasis on representations, performances and interactions, constitutes a
basis for courses on the arts in all their diversity, as well as courses on culture and cultural studies in general.
The course includes a practical, creative exercise on the role of style in representation.
Literature
 Auerbach, E. (2003). Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature. Fiftieth-anniversary
edition with a new introduction by Edward Said. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
 Gombrich, E. (2000). Art and Illusion. A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation. Princeton
University Press, Princeton
 Schechner, R. (2013). Performance Studies: An Introduction. 3rd ed. Routledge, London
 Becker, H. S. (1984). Art Worlds. University of California Press, Berkeley.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures, practice-based exercise.
Examination
A practice-based exercise on the role of style in representation during the first half of the course and a final take
home exam.

14
HUM1012 Pop Songs and Poetry: Theory and Analysis
Course coordinator
Dr. J. Weusten, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Centre for Gender and Diversity,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
By the end of this course
 You have a basic understanding of the literary theory of poetry analysis.
 You are able to apply this theory to both poems as song texts.
 You are able to analyze songs and poems in a sophisticated way, and to discuss lyrical texts and songs
systematically.
 You are able to integrate gender and other axes of difference into the study of poems and popular songs.
 You are able to express your analysis of poems and songs in academic writing.
 You are familiar with a number of classic Anglo-American poems.
 You know at least one poem or song by heart, and know how to recite/sing it.
 You have written a poem or song, thereby experiencing the creative process that is involved firsthand.

Description of the course

In the course Poetry and Pop Songs, we will be reading English and American poetry from the 20th and 21th century. We will
also unravel the work from a variety of older and newer music artists, ranging for example from U2 and Coldplay to Rihanna
and P!nk. Moreover, you are encouraged to look for additional examples of poems and songs to discuss and analyze in class.

In this course, you will learn how to interpret poetry and popular music in a systematic and sophisticated way, and to write
an in-depth analysis of a song or poem. The focus rests with the analysis of the lyrics or ‘text’ of the poems and songs. First,
you will learn how to make use of insights and tools from literary theory in order to find out how (specific) poems work,
which effects they evoke, and what they mean. You will also learn how to apply these tools to the analysis of song texts.

In this course, we use a broad definition of pop songs, focusing on contemporary popular music, which means including
other genres than just conventional pop music, such as rap, hip-hop, and rock. We will also pay some (albeit limited)
attention to musical aspects - such as rhythm - of the songs at hand, to see how they interact with the lyrics. Once you have
become familiar with the analysis of the lyrics, we will expand our focus to include an analysis of performance (including
music videos) in the last week of the course.

In this course, you will also experience the creative process that underlies all poetry and song, in a variety of ways:
- you will learn to recite or sing a poem or song;
- you will hear from experienced artists how they approach writing a poem or song;
- you will write a poem or a song of your own.
Throughout the course, we will pay close attention to issues of gender and diversity. We will address the question of how
gender, ethnicity and sexuality can be integrated into an analysis of the lyric.

Literature
 Primary sources (poems and songs)
 Vendler, H. (2009). Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology. (3nd ed.). Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s.
 E-Reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.

Examination
Writing a poem or pop song (pass or fail), performing a poem or song (pass or fail), presentation of plans for the final paper
(pass or fail), and a final paper (70%).

15
HUM1013 The Idea of Europe: The Intellectual History of Europe
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Stout, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities Yes
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To provide students with an overview of the concept of Europe and the development of European
identity.
 To highlight the specific characteristics of European political/social/cultural history, notably in
comparison with that of other (non-European) societies, that contributed to a sense of European
community and the European identity.
 To demonstrate how a sense of community could evolve from the many shared historical cultural
factors.
 To provide students with an introduction to a range of theories which are fundamental to a range of
courses at UCM.
Description of the course
This course deals with some of the most fundamental questions concerning the development of the European
Identity. What have been the decisive common experiences that have fostered a sense of European community
and identity, and how have they evolved over time? Tracing those events and experiences in the past that have
helped to shape some sense of European community and identity means establishing the factors that have
contributed to the difference between Europe and the non-European world. The concept of identity logically
consists of two components: the notion of historical continuity and a marked sense of difference between the
“in-group” and one or more significant others. If we accept that there is some sort of European identity, albeit
complex and multifaceted, we should ask which factors have generated it. To put it more specifically: Which
factors contributed to Europe’s Sonderweg in world history? Or, to use the words of one author, the historian
E.L. Jones: how did “the European miracle” come about?
From the angle of world history, the European experience constitutes a major deviation from an
almost universal pattern of social and political organization. Europe is the first region in the world that has
changed into a large-scale industrial and urban society. This so called process of modernization has turned
European civilization into something of a historical anomaly - the kind of anomaly, however, that forced itself
on other continents, thus becoming a new kind of standard in the end after all. To ask for the factors that have
contributed to the modern sense of European community and identity is, at least for a large part, to ask for the
factors that have produced this phenomenon of modernization, including the blatant economic disparities
between European civilization (including North-America) and the rest of the world.
Literature
 Rietbergen, P.J. (1998). Europe: a Cultural History. London/New York: Routledge.
 Delanty, G.D. (1995). Inventing Europe; Idea, Identity and Reality. Macmillan Press, Basingstoke.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
An exam with essay questions and a written paper.

16
HUM1014 Great Novels 1850 - Present
Course coordinator
Dr. J. Weusten, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Centre for Gender and Diversity,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
By the end of this course:
 You are acquainted with a number of key novels from the western tradition.
 You have a basic understanding of periodization in literary history.
 You know the basic concepts in literary theory.
 You are able to apply theoretical concepts in analysing a novel.
 You can formulate a research question as a starting point for a literary analysis
 You have mastered the basics of writing effectively and academically about literature.
Description of the course
In this course, you will read five key novels by British, Dutch, French, and American authors. The reading and
discussion of the primary works is the main objective for this course. Besides that, the course will introduce you
into the scholarly analysis of literary works. It will acquaint you with major developments in the history of
Western literature since 1850, and provide you with a vocabulary/toolkit to discuss and analyze novels. You will
gain experience in reading, analyzing and writing about novels.
However, what exactly is a novel - Virginia Woolf described it as ‘the most pliable of forms’? As its
name testifies, the novel was a ‘new’ genre. For centuries, the body of work referred to as ‘literature’ would
first entail drama and poetry, but in the course of the nineteenth century, the novel took flight. Why did it
become such a dominant genre? Some have argued that the novel was so successful because it became the
medium of the middle class, and the vehicle of its emancipation. To be sure, the novel helped shaping ideas
about modern society, about what an individual is or can be, about self and other, about love, sex, marriage and
property. Nevertheless, even if all those functions can be attributed to the 19th century novel, can the same be
said about the 20th century novel? How did the novel as a genre change over time? This course will address
these and other questions, primarily by reading novels from the Western tradition from 1850 onwards.
Literature
 5 novels:
o Flaubert, G. (1857). Madame Bovary.
o Couperus, L. (1900). The hidden force.
o Woolf, V. (1925). Mrs Dalloway.
o Fitzgerald, F.S. (1925). The great Gatsby.
o Cunningham, M. (1998). The Hours.
 Bennett, A. & Royle,N. (2009). An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory. Routledge, 3rd , 4th
or 5th ed.
 E-reader
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and (guest) lectures.
Examination
Group presentation (30%) and a final paper (70%).

17
HUM2003 The Making of Crucial Differences: ‘Race’, Sexuality, Gender, and Class in
Historical Perspective
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. U. Brunotte, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Centre for Gender and Diversity,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
Interest in historical research, gender studies and critical theoretical reflection.
Objectives
 To acquaint students with a critical perspective on modern, mostly European history and the ‘dialectic of
Enlightenment’, that means to show how the achievements of Enlightened ideals etc. were intertwined with
colonialism, the ‘Jewish question’, gender and class inequalities.
 To familiarize students with a historical perspective and historical knowledge on the production and impact of
configurations of ‘race’, class, gender and sexuality from the Enlightenment until the Shoa/Holocaust.
 To introduce students to canonical philosophical, theoretical texts on ‘race’ and ‘gender’, ‘anti-Semitism’ and
‘orientalism’, and to major texts in the field of historical gender and diversity studies like Foucault’s “History of
Sexuality”.
 To acquaint students with the way in which these configurations like gender, race and religion have structured
cultural scripts and practices, stereotypes, individual identities, and European and North American
developments, like slavery.
 To introduce students into the (critical) role literature can play within the dynamics of social change and cultural
discourse.
 To provide students with the analytical skills to examine the dynamics of the production and reproduction of
identity and difference, inclusion and exclusion, equality and inequality.

Description of the course

Starting from recent debates and problems like new nationalism, misogyny, political homophobia, Islamophobia and
antisemitism the course offers a historical inquiry into the construction and development of cultural ‘differences’ marked
through categories like gender, sexuality, class, ‘race’, and religion from the eighteenth century until the Holocaust. Through
historical case studies, philosophy and literature it looks at the way in which Western identity-discourse and its colonial
subcode have formed dichotomies like self and other, black and white, the Orient and the West, male and female, worker
and bourgeois, hetero- and homosexual, and how these differences became social inequalities. The course introduces
gender as a category of historical analysis. Through a critical inquiry it will reconstruct the paradoxes of a ‘dialectic of
Enlightenment’ (Adorno), that means the dark side behind its claim for reason, equality, brotherhood and freedom.
It aims to trace and illustrate the ways in which the Enlightenment has provided a rationale to mark gendered, classed and
racialized boundaries in science which, more often than not, resulted in inequalities. These inequalities became embedded
in European society in such a way that the active, dominant subject came to be seen as ‘white, male, and middle class.’
This discourse of dominance helped to carry out European colonialism and the imperial project. With the help of a literary
analysis (Joseph Conrad “Heart of Darkness”), the course introduces into the (critical) role literature can play within the
dynamics of social change and cultural discourse.
Furthermore, the course will introduce into critical theories, like discourse analysis and the history of knowledge,
postcolonial and gender/sexualitiy studies and studies on Orientalism (Said). Thus, it will examine the dynamic processes of
the “history of sexualities”, their formation and contradictions, which emerged out of these processes. It will reconstruct
how ‘masculinity’ and the ‘image of man’ (Mosse) became a central trope of nationalism and colonialism. Last but not least,
it will ask how colonial and anti-Semitic discourse, stereotypes of the ‘external Other’ (in the colonies) and stereotypes of an
‘internal European Other’ (the Jews etc.) were intertwined and how we can better understand the Holocaust from a
historical, multidirectional perspective.

Disciplinary perspectives
Gender and Postcolonial Studies, History, Philosophy, Literary Studies, Cultural Studies, Sociology.
Literature
 E-reader and the novel “Heart of Darkness” (Joseph Conrad).
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.

Examination
Oral presentations and final research essay.

18
HUM2005 Enlightenment and Romanticism
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. M. Doorman, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Philosophy,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To provide students with a historical and philosophical introduction to Enlightenment and
Romanticism.
 To understand these periods as opposed worldviews in social, philosophical, scientific and political
perspective.
 To learn how much our life and culture is structured by enlightened and romantic views and values;
our obsession with authenticity, nationalism, our attitude to science and technology, belief in
democracy, our emotional life, personal relationships like love and friendship, the importance of
Nature, universal human (and animal) rights, etc.
Description of the course
The debate between Enlightenment and Romanticism has an enduring impact on discussions of today in art,
politics, science, human identity and social values. We can hardly understand the Western world without
knowledge of these two decisive periods. This course is a systematical introduction to these two, formative,
opposed intellectual traditions.
First, a historical context will be presented to the political and ideological ambitions of the
Enlightenment (enlightened despotism, Voltaire at the court of Frederick the Great, censorship and the
diffusion of the Enlightenment).
Secondly the opposed approach to ‘Nature’ will be introduced; the influence of Newton, the rise of
modern science, the Encyclopédie vs. Romantic science (e.g. Goethe’s criticism on Newton’s Theory of Colour)
and the role of the arts in the new approach to Nature (such as landscape painting and romantic poetry).
Then, the changes in the visual arts will illustrate continuity and discontinuity in cultural history (Romanticism
and Neo-Classicism).
In the fourth place human subjectivity in the Enlightenment (based on Lockean psychology and Self-
love) will be confronted to new approaches to the romantic soul (the unconsciousness, irrationality,
Weltschmerz). This will also be discussed with an analysis of the classic movie Dangerous Liaisons (Stephen
Frears, 1988).
Finally, discussions about morals and politics will be presented (Rousseau, the Social Contract, the
slogans of the French Revolution vs. Romantic values concerning the State and personal relationships like love
and friendship, nationalism).
Literature
 Dorinda Outram, The Enlightenment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge/New York 2011.
 Norman Hampson, The Enlightenment. An evaluation of its assumptions, attitudes and values. Penguin
Books, Harmondsworth 1990.
 Maurice Cranston, The Romantic Movement. Blackwell, Oxford/Cambridge (Mass.) 1995.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and 2 lectures, 1 film (Stephen Frears, Dangerous Liaisons).
Examination
A short midterm essay about the film and a test with open questions at the end of the course.

19
HUM2007 States and Nations in Europe, from the Middle Ages to the First World War
Course coordinator
Dr. P. del Hierro, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, History,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Humanities & Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
HUM1013 The Idea of Europe: The Intellectual History of Europe or any other 1000-level Humanities course.
Objectives
 To examine nation-building and nationalism in early-modern and modern Europe.
 To discuss the development of “the state” as well as the diversity in state- and nation-building since
the Middle Ages.
 To introduce the students to the history of international relations since the fifteenth century until
1919.
Description of the course
The states and nations as we know them today have not always been around. In fact, they are both products
of history, which emerged as a result of specific circumstances. This course analyses the emergence and
development of state, nation and nationalism in Europe since the Middle Ages.
In addition, it introduces the students to the development of international relations and diplomacy
from the High Middle Ages until the year 1919. As the course proceeds chronologically from the Middle Ages
to the twentieth century, it provides the students with an overview of European political history.
Literature
 Craig, G., & George, A.L. (2007). Force and Statecraft. Diplomatic Problems of our Time. (3rd ed.). New
York: Oxford UP.
 Opello, W.C., & Rosow, S.J. (2004).The Nation-State and Global Order. A Historical Introduction to
Contemporary Politics (2nd edition). London: Lynne Rienner.
 Palmer, R.R., and Joel Colton. (1995, 2002, 2006). A History of the Modern World. 8th, 9th, or 10th ed.
New York: McGraw-Hill.
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
One essay, individual presentations and a test with open questions.

20
HUM2008 Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Kardaun, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Humanities Yes
Prerequisite
None.
Recommended
HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy.
Objectives
 To provide you with a basic introduction to ancient Greek philosophy;
 To help you explore the meaning of philosophical texts by situating them in their historical contexts;
 To help you find out how our culture, and we as part of it, have been shaped by these ancient thinkers.
Description of the course
Why would anyone choose to study philosophers who lived and wrote more than two millennia ago? One
obvious answer is: to learn about one’s roots; to better understand Western culture and heritage. Up to this
day, the ancient Greeks constitute a major influence on our ideas about critical thinking, about the fundamental
character of reality, about science, ethics, and art, and last not least: about what it is to be human and about
what it means for humans to flourish, to live truly good lives. Ancient philosophy provides an inexhaustible
source of inspiration for contemporary philosophy. “The European philosophical tradition”, the philosopher
Whitehead once remarked, “consists in a series of footnotes to Plato”. Slightly overstated, but not untrue.
In this course we will return to the sources and study the texts that helped us become who we are today. We
will analyze a range of canonical philosophical texts from Antiquity, ranging from the Ionian Philosophers of
Nature to Aristotle. Although we will attempt to position these treatises in their historical and geographic
contexts, our main concern will be: what have these ancient thinkers still to say to us today?
Please note: even if you have some prior knowledge of ancient Greek philosophy, that doesn’t make this an
easy course. Only choose this course if you are genuinely interested in reading ancient philosophical texts that
do not always yield their secrets easily.
Literature
Required
 Copleston, F. C. (2017). A History of Philosophy (10th ed.). Vol. I: Greece and Rome: From the Pre-
Socratics to Plotinus (rev. ed.). London / New York City, NY: Continuum.
 Guthrie, W.K.C. (62013 [1950]). The Greek Philosophers from Thales to Aristotle. Abingdon and New
York, NY: Routledge Classics. (ISBN: 978-0-415-52228-1)

Recommended:
 Naerebout, Frederick G. & Singor, Henk W. (2014). Antiquity: Greeks and Romans in Context.
Chichester, West Sussex / Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
 Reeve, C.D.C. and P. Lee Miller (eds.) (2006). Introductory readings in Ancient Greek and Roman
Philosophy. Indianapolis / Cambridge: Hackett.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings as well as lectures.
Examination
A mid-term paper in the fifth week and a plenary exam at the end of the course.

21
HUM2013 The Presence of Art: Reinterpreting Modern and Contemporary Art
Course coordinator
F. Lysen and I. Römgens, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected] / inge.rö[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
Interest in art theory and critical theoretical reflection.
At least one Humanities course should have been completed.
Recommended
HUM1011 Introduction to Art; Representations, Performances and Interactions or HUM1003 Cultural Studies I:
Doing Cultural Studies.
Objectives
 To study historical and theoretical approaches to modern and contemporary art.
 To enable critical reflection and debate on the meaning and relevance of artistic practices.
 To learn how to write an art review.
Description of the course
Since the late 19th century and certainly up until the mid-20th century artists have issued avant-garde manifestoes
of change, claiming their art to be ahead of the times. Critical of conventions and traditions, they regarded art as
a revolutionary means to social, political, cultural, and intellectual emancipation and progress. Through what has
been called the “shock of the new,” by making tabula rasa with the existing, art was to create a better world.
Were it not for the fact that art effectively served the ideologies of both the socialist and fascist totalitarianisms
of the last century, such radical ambitions might even sound a bit naïve, nowadays. Indeed, as yesterday’s future
has become today’s past, the utopias of a bygone era seem to have been disappointed, at last - or have they not?
Do we need to rescue avant-garde virtues and ideals for the sake of the relevance of contemporary art? What
precisely is the legacy of the modern avant-garde besides its success on the global art market? In the early 21 st
century and under the spell of a “new spirit of capitalism”, is there any hope left for effective artistic critique? Or
do current “economies of enrichment” simply reduce the value of art to financial speculation?
This course considers histories and theories of modern and contemporary art. It provides an overview
of the heterogeneous and experimental development of modern and contemporary art. Artistic responses to
society, politics, science, and technology are discussed. The module emphasizes the practices governing
institutions of the contemporary art world, such as art markets and museums. Furthermore, the course features
excursions to local art institutions in Maastricht, including the Bonnefantenmuseum.
Literature
 Foster, H. Krauss, R. Bois, Y-A, Buchloh, B.H.D, Joselit,D. (2016). Art Since 1900: Modernism,
Antimodernism, Postmodernism. 3rd edition. London: Thames and Hudson.
 Thornton, S. (2008), Seven Days in the Art World. London: Granta.
 Adam, G. (2014). Big Bucks: The Explosion of the Art Market in the 21st Century. Farnham: Lund
Humphries
 Adam, G. (2017). Dark Side of the Boom: the excesses of the art market in the 21 st century. Farnham:
Lund Humphries
 Williams, G. (2014). How to Write about Contemporary Art. London: Thames and Hudson.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, guest lectures and field excursions.
Examination
An art review and a final take home exam.

22
HUM2014 Philosophers of the 20th Century
Course coordinator
R. Gabriëls, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Philosophy,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy
Objective
 To introduce students to influential philosophers of twentieth century philosophy.
Description of the course
The course reconstructs the main ideas of some of the most influential philosophers of the 20 th century: Ludwig
Wittgenstein (1889-1951), Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), Hannah Arendt (1906-1975), Michel Foucault (1926-
1984), Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) and Jürgen Habermas (1929). Their ideas are partially the result of the
practical turn within philosophy initiated in the 19th century by Karl Marx (1818-1883), Søren Kierkegaard (1813-
1855), Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) and Charles Sanders Pierce (1839-1914). So, elaborating on their work
during the past century many philosophers took practical issues as the starting point of their philosophy. This
course tries to figure out what these practical issues are and how they are related to their theoretical ideas.
Moreover, the course addresses the link between the work of these philosophers and the societal context and
discusses its heuristic value.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
An outline and a paper that addresses a controversy within the philosophy of the 20 th century.

23
HUM2016 Heritage Studies: Preserving Our Natural and Cultural Pasts (and Futures)
Course coordinator
Dr. C. Rausch, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities & Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
Not applicable.
Recommended
One of the following courses: HUM1011 Introduction to Art: Representations, Performances and Interactions;
SSC1029 Sociological Perspectives, HUM2046 Living in a Technological Culture: Introduction to Science and
Technology Studies.
Objective
 To introduce histories and theories of heritage preservation
 To critically analyze heritage practices
 To relate heritage studies to current issues
Description of the course
Heritage is often thought of as a material reality to be preserved – pristine landscapes or monumental
architecture, for instance. However, in this course we do not exclusively approach heritage as material culture
cast in monumental form, or as isolated ecosystems to be protected in reserves. Instead, we approach heritage
as human practices of values, such as authenticity, integrity, or sustainability. A premise of the course is that
heritage, whether tangible or intangible, always denotes the creation and recreation of a range of political,
technological and ethical relations and meanings regarding the past, present and future. In other words, heritage
is something that is done. In this course, we ask who does what, how and why? We will inquire into the histories,
theories and practices of natural and cultural heritage preservation, learn about relevant national legislations and
international conventions, and consider the emergence of new economies around heritage valorizations. We will
encounter authoritative governmental and non-governmental heritage institutions and meet experts and
managers of heritage in their fields.
Critically analyzing the ways heritage values are constructed and legitimized, the course situates
contemporary heritage practices in global heritage assemblages: groupings of administrative apparatuses,
technical infrastructures and value regimes that revolve around contested notions of heritage and that may
transcend the nation state. The Past is a Foreign Country, as the title of one of the founding texts of the field of
critical heritage studies from the 1980’s goes. But, where on earth shall we look for “the past” in our
anthropocentric 21st century, if anywhere at all? Is there a place for nostalgia in current times of global
humanitarian and ecological crises, marked by simultaneous yet conflicting appeals to development and
conservation? How can we do justice to the diversity of our pasts, while preserving possible heritage futures,
today?
Literature
 Meskell, L. (2015). Global Heritage: A reader. Wiley, London
 Academic articles and book chapters
 Policy documents
Instructional format
Lectures, tutorial group meetings and site visits
Examination
A mid-term group presentation of an assigned case study and a final paper about a topic of choice.

24
HUM2018 Cultural Diversity in a Globalizing World
Course coordinator
Dr. L. Sirri, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Literature and Art,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
At least one Humanities course.
Recommended
HUM1003 Cultural Studies I, HUM2031 Cultural Studies II or SSC2046 Globalization and Inequality.
Objective
 To teach students to reflect upon issues of globalization and cultural diversity from several disciplinary
perspectives and connect these issues with their major field of academic study.
Description of the course
What is cultural diversity; when and where does cultural diversity become salient? This course focuses on
cultural difference and identity in an era in which the nation seems to lose its unifying significance in matters of
personal identity and group identity formation. It seeks to analyze how globalization influences identity and
culture and the ways in which these interact with social differences such as gender, ethnicity, religion and
nationality. Its orientation is both practical and theoretical. Students will become acquainted with different
theories of globalization and culture such as Hybridization (Nederveen Pieterse), McDonaldization (Ritzer), and
the Clash of Civilizations (Huntington), concepts such as Orientalism (Said), Occidentalism (Margalit and
Buruma), and Multiculturalism. Throughout the course theoretical discussions are linked to actual and pressing
debates, such as feminist dilemmas on veiling, national/religious/ethnic identity formationand migration.
Themes: Cultural Diversity; Gender and Ethnicity; National Identity; Multiculturalism; Orientalism;
Occidentalism; Fundamentalism.
Disciplinary perspectives: Cultural Studies, Migration Studies, Gender and Diversity Studies, Sociology.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, projects and 4 lectures.
Examination
Projects (individual presentation) and a final exam (take home exam).

25
HUM2021 Medieval Civilization
Course coordinator
Dr. J. Spruyt, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Philosophy,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
HUM2008 Ancient Philosophy.
Objectives
The course aims to provide insight into European intellectual history in the Middle Ages, against the background
of a changing world after the Fall of the Roman Empire. The focus will be on the Latin West. The course aims to
provide a critical approach to a selection of medieval topics, including
 The development of education in the Middle Ages.
 The position and influence of Christianity in the Middle Ages.
 Philosophy in the Middle Ages.
 Literary works of the Middle Ages.
 Science in the Middle Ages.
 Magic and witchcraft in the Middle Ages.
Description of the course
For many of us, even medievalists, the Middle Ages are still somewhat of a mystery. On the one hand we tend
to identify the Middle Ages with a dark period in history, which does not have a lot to offer us culturally or
intellectually. Yet we are also fascinated by this period, and quite enjoy many of the artefacts that have been
handed down to us.
In this course we will try to unravel some of the mysteries of the Middle Ages. We will try to
understand how and why this period has become such a source of bewilderment: we shall pay attention to
‘typically medieval’ phenomena, but also look at the reception of the Middle Ages in retrospect. We will
critically evaluate the presuppositions about the Middle Ages and show the continuity of intellectual
developments in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the present.
Literature
 Martha L. Colish, Medieval Foundations of the Western Intellectual Tradition 400-1400 (New Haven and
London: Yale University Press, 2002)
 Edward Grant, The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages: Their religious, institutional and
intellectual contexts ( Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996).
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Participation and academic paper.

26
HUM2022 Digital Media: Digitalization, Digital Cultures and User Practices
Course coordinator
Dr. K. Wenz, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Objective
The aims of this course are to familiarize students with topics relevant for digital culture and society such as:
 Different uses of digital media in the fields of netactivism, gaming, digital literature and digital art.
 The relation between technological development, technomoral change and user practices as e.g.
blockchain, hacking, sharing practices.
 Relevant topics related to digitalization as e.g. information politics, surveillance and privacy will be
discussed.
Description of the course
Students in this course will be introduced into the broad field of digital cultures and discuss in detail
computer based practices (both from the humanities and qualitative social sciences). The topics discussed
range from transformations in our digital cultures based on technological developments from societal debates
to artistic practices in digital literature and art. While popular debates usually focus on general discussions on
the impact of digital technologies, this course will deal with the complexity, history and diversity of our
contemporary culture.
Over the course of the past decades digital devices have become omnipresent in Western society.
Every day we type on computers, make calls with our mobile phones, log in to numerous websites and social
networks. Perhaps more importantly, we are able to keep extensive, precise records of our everyday lives. From
internet cookies to video camera surveillance feeds, along with the information users, companies and
governments store in clouds, more and more data is generated and archived. In the digital age, information
circulates faster and faster, sometimes without the knowledge of the parties from which the data originate. The
consequences have been differently valuated. The optimistic account stresses the new media’s inherent
possibilities for active cultural and social participation beyond the reach of existing political or commercial
institutions. Liberation is a term discussed when we follow discussions about the use of social media to support
processes of democratisation.
When we investigate the use and abuse of user data and surveillance strategies both from
governments and marketing institutions exploitation of users is central in the debate. We willingly help to
spread information on social media, often without an awareness of the information politics involved. The
cultural transformations of and through new media technologies, the impact they have on their users and the
politics of information that form the basis of both exploitation and liberation will be investigated in this course.
The course will be structured as follows:
1. Transformations: the digital and the social, the culture of surveillance, digitalization and
sustainability.
2. Disruptions: new social credit systems, blockchain, AI and robots.
3. practices: digital literature and art, gaming, hacking.
Literature
 E-reader.
 Online sources.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures, viewing of 2 movies.
Examination
Short presentation in class (20%), and a final essay of 3000 (+/- 10%) words at the end of the course (80%).
Both the presentation and the essay have to be passed to pass the course.

27
HUM2030 Media and Technology; Philosophical Perspectives
Course coordinator
Dr. D. Cressman, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
At least one 2000-level Humanities course.
Objectives
 To introduce students to a number of central themes in the philosophy of media and technology.
 To investigate what is at stake in different philosophical methodologies and approaches to media and
technology.
Description of the course
Discussions about the changes media and technology bring to culture, and whether these are to be judged good
or bad, are as old as philosophy itself. Examining the ideas of Plato, Kierkegaard, and Marx we will see how
these debates have evolved over the centuries. With the development and spread of media and technology in
the 20th and 21st century, debates about the relationship between the social and the technical have intensified
and so it has become necessary to consider a variety of approaches to this relationship.
In this course, we will concentrate on a number of philosophical approaches that help us understand
the relationship between media and technology and our lived exeperience. We will discuss media theory
(McLuhan, Innis, Kittler) and discuss whether specific technologies and media, like writing and print, provoke
structural changes in patterns of thought, action and experience. We will also deal with the critical philosophies
of technology in the Marxist tradition (Marcuse; Feenberg), the hermeneutic tradition (Heidegger; Ihde) and the
feminist tradition (Cockburn) as well as contemporary debates about speed, ethics, labour, and non-Western
ideas about technology. These topics encourage us to think about how, to paraphrase the historian Melvin
Kranzberg, media and technology are neither good nor bad nor are they neutral. Across these philosophical
approaches we will also consider a variety of different media and technical artifacts, including AI,health care
technologies, files, the alphabet, and education.
Literature
 Readers in Reading Room.
 Books in Reading Room
 Online sources
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Take-home tasks during the course and a final research paper.

28
HUM2031 Cultural Studies II: Visual Cultures
Course coordinator
V. Spronck, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Philosophy,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
At least one Humanities course.
Objectives
 To understand the way in which visual culture is conceptualized in relation to its disciplinary, historical,
and theoretical context.
 To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different theories of visual culture.
 To select the appropriate theory(ies) and methodological tool(s) for analysis that best suits the
material and argument.
 To communicate the way in which different approaches to visual culture mobilize disciplinary points of
view using specialized terms.
 To demonstrate awareness of the larger social, political, and sexual issues involved in the academic
study of visual culture as it relates to the body/subjectivity.
 To recognize the interdisciplinary nature of visual culture in its historical and contemporary overlap
with scientific, artistic, and economic imaginaries.
Description of the course
This course will explore the variety of visual cultures and the theoretical insights garnered by the study of this
interdisciplinary field. Straddling cultural studies, art history, museum studies, media studies, performance
studies, literary studies, and science and technology studies, the field of visual culture at its most expansive
combines theories and methods from across the academy. We will investigate visual cultures from these
exciting and challenging (inter)disciplinary perspectives.
The course presents visual culture as a ubiquitous facet of modern life that perhaps more than any
other component shapes and informs our understanding of self, society, and the world. Hence, it demands our
careful attention and critical parsing of its workings at all levels of daily life. Our foray into the field will include
examining the benefits of this inclusive mode of analysis, for instance in the range of objects available for study,
as well as the drawbacks, particularly in terms of methodological rigor and the overinvestment in ocularcentric
forms of knowledge. The student will be invited to scrutinize their disciplinary assumptions, to develop their
toolbox of concepts, and to analyse visual objects that are rarely considered inside the university.
Starting with an introduction to visual culture, we’ll investigate the terms vision, visuality, and image in
conjunction with varying conceptualizations of culture. Each subsequent unit will deal with a “site” of visual
culture that offers an object of study, a theoretical problem, and an interdisciplinary opportunity. We will study
visual cultures from high to low, and examine how these forms are quickly transforming and breaking barriers
of category and genre. The principle sites of inquiry traverse fashion, gaming, museum exhibitions, medical
imaging, comics, and cinema.
Literature
 Various articles and chapters from the field of Visual and Cultural Studies, for instance out of the
following books:
 Jones, A. (Ed.). (2003). The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader. London: Routledge.
 Sturken, M. & Cartwright, L. (2009). Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
 Rose, G. (2013). Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials. London:
Sage Publishers.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A group presentation and an analytical essay.

29
HUM2044 Philosophy of Language
Course coordinator
Dr. J. Spruyt, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Philosophy,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities No
Prerequisites
HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy and SKI3002 Argumentation II.
Objective
 To introduce students to the history of philosophical thought concerning language, including the
implications of several important theories about language for how we think about knowledge and the
possibility of making judgements.
Description of the course
The philosophy of language is concerned with the role that language plays in thinking, or more specifically:
knowing. As such it is closely related to epistemology and philosophic theories on truth. But ultimately, the role
of language also turns out to be essential when we make the transition from judgements about the world to
moral judgements, i.e. judgements that express how we should act within that world. In this course we will
show you how the study of language has been at the focus of interest of philosophers throughout the history of
philosophy, and that the way in which the function of language is interpreted, is intimately connected with a
philosopher’s world view in general. We shall specifically pay attention to the philosophers Frege, Russell and
Wittgenstein, but shall also touch upon the works of a variety of other philosophers, such as William of
Ockham, David Hume and Immanuel Kant. We shall explore the fundamental properties of language that allow
it to be a medium of thought and knowledge. Among these properties are truth, meaning and reference,
notions that are closely linked together in what is often called the ‘triangle of language’.
Developing the skills of thinking philosophically about language will have an impact beyond the immediately
related philosophical topics. You will become a more powerful thinker, better prepared to make important
decisions and less susceptible to being tricked and manipulated by others.
Literature
 William G. Lycan, G. Philosophy of Language: A Contemporary Introduction (New York: Routledge,
2008 [2nd ed.])
 A.P. Martinich,The Philosophy of Language (Oxford: OUP, 2000 [4th ed.])
 A selection of articles/chapters from primary sources.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Papers.

30
HUM2046 Living in a Technological Culture: Introduction to Science and Technology
Studies
Course coordinator
Dr. A. Jacobs, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Technology and Society Studies,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Humanities & Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To provide an introduction into the social studies of science, society and technology.
 To provide a basis for a critical reflection on our high-tech society.
Description of the course
While modern culture relies heavily on sophisticated instruments, techniques, and systems, most
people think that the actual making of science and technology is the exclusive domain of scientists, inventors,
engineers, and technicians: people who are fascinated by “how things work” and “making things work”. Those
not directly involved in the design or development of science and technology (“users” or “consumers”) are
thought to have little interest in the facts, materials, principles, or procedures found in the world of scientists
and technicians. The only thing they seem to care about is the use of the scientific output and technology.
However, people who do not spend much thought on the making of science and technology, commonly do not
merit its use serious reflection either. Once things have been made or discovered, our interaction with them is
understood to be a straightforward matter. We pick up our mobile phone, make some funny pictures with it,
listen to music, twitter some details about what we do and where we are and chat with our friends. We board
an airplane, fly from point A to point B, and then we get off the airplane. Although we are surrounded by the
results of scientific endeavor and technologies of various kinds, they have become almost invisible and we take
them for granted.
However, we live in a technological culture (emphasis on ‘culture’). Technology and science shape
society, from the shaping of mobility patterns and gender and sexual identities, to the standardization of
practices in health care. Mobile phones have changed what it means ‘to be alone’; organ transplantation has
redefined our understanding of life; ‘scientific planning’ has reshaped our policy-making practices. Technologies
do not merely assist us in our everyday lives; they are also powerful forces acting to reshape our activities and
their meanings. There is, vice versa, a cultural influence on science and technology too. Thus we can only hope
to understand science and technology when we acknowledge their socio-cultural base. Historical and
comparative studies have shown how different socio-cultural circumstances yield very different forms and
contents of science and technology. Science and technology are, finally, also cultures themselves.
In this course we will analyze techno-science as a socio-cultural phenomenon. This course offers an
introduction to Science and Technology Studies (STS). It will introduce you to the multiple ways in which science
and technology, individuals and institutions mutually shape one another to the benefit and sometimes
detriment of society. In this course, we take a “critical” approach to science and engineering. By this, we don’t
mean being negative about science nor technology. But like a good movie critic, you will think critically but
constructive about aspects of science and technology by focusing on different empirical domains such as human
enhancement (e.g. Google glasses, Ritalin, Blade runner], disasters [e.g. Fukushima, Hurricane Katerina], the
gene revolution (Monsanto) and the politics of artifacts (e.g. park benches, the UCM building and nuclear
plants) while using a set of principles and approaches from the field of Science and Technology Studies.
Literature
 E-reader and material from the UM Library.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures and a video analysis.
Examination
Midterm: a group presentation of the analysis of an episode from Black Mirror SF-series.
Final paper: an individual academic paper.
Participation is part of the grade.

31
HUM2047 The Future of Literature?
Course coordinator
Dr. K. Wenz, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Recommended
Either as good preparation or follow up the following courses are related to the content we discuss:

HUM2022 Digital Media, HUM2030 Media and Technology – Philosophical Perspectives , HUM2059 Computational Thinking
for the Arts and Culture, HUM2060 Poetry, Poetry Theory and Poetry Practices, HUM3036 Narrative Media and HUM 3043
Acts of Literature – the Role of Prose, Poetry and Play in a Changing World.

Objectives
The course aims at familiarizing you with digitalization and literature and the specific actors the network consists of. We will:
 Introduce you to the field of electronic literature (history and genres, readers/users) from the perspective of the
humanities.
 Introduce you to transformations we experience in respect to literature and technologies (e.g. role of authors,
readers/users. publishing and archives, reading devices and types of reading).
 Introduce you to the distribution of literature, reading devices and electronic trash from the perspective of
humanities and qualitative social sciences.

Description of the course

The relationship between digitalization and literature will be in the focus of this course. The advent of digital
technologies raised concerns and questions, such as: Can digital texts be considered literature at all? What are the roles of
author, reader and text? Beyond normative questionings, however, this debate reveals two relevant aspects: (1) that
literature always inhabits a medium, and (2) that the nature of that medium matters. We will start to investigate
electronic/digital literature, a type of literary production written on and for the computer screen whose discursive and
conceptual complexity is constantly being negotiated in light of the affordances of the technologies that it inhabits. Works of
electronic literature help to reimagine the act of writing, allowing for new and inventive ways of composing and telling
stories, and equally new and inventive ways of reading them. Another aspect that matters are algorithms used in the
production of electronic literature and data-driven characters/the use of Artificial Intelligence to create characters. One task
will therefore also deal with algorithms and uses an introduction to algorithms based on storytelling. In a culture in which
remix and appropriation of cultural content stands at the basis of cultural production but also the creation of works by a
computer raise questions about authorship and creativity. The development that creativity is not necessarily understood as
typically human but can also be seen in products executed by technology leads to a discussion of posthuman authorship or
co-authorship. Creativity can be understood as processual and the work of art/literature as being the product of a variety of
actors – human and non-human – involved. This also affects the market and questions of copyright.
Not only distribution matters but also archiving plays an important role in our digital age. New ways to archive
literature are possible now that do not only make literature accessible and affordable to many readers but also raise
concerns about what is being digitized and what is excluded, who decides about access to an archive and also how he
structure of an archive is organized.
The course will also discuss reading devices and ecological questions/sustainability with a focus on electronic trash.
We will use sources such as academic publications, short stories and different genres of electronic literature but
also videos to discuss the future of literature from these different angles to understand who the actors in the network that
constitutes literature are.

Literature
 reference list (MU library), e-reader.
 Online sources.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.

Examination
Presentation, peer feedback on the presentations of other students (30%), academic paper (70%).

32
HUM2051 Philosophical Ethics
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. M.J. Verkerk, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Philosophy,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To help us to live in a better and freer world.
 To reflect upon our own moral behavior in society.
 To explore the most important ethical approaches that are necessary to understand the main societal
problems of today and to act adequately.
 To study primary texts of ethics written by the most eminent philosophers of the past millennia.
 To support ethical decision making by analyzing professional practices.
Description of the course
We live in a fast-changing world. We have to make decisions about our study, our social relations, and our
future. All these decisions are influenced by the norms and values we have developed in the course of our life.
The importance of moral considerations is strongly growing. Nowadays, talk about ethics is everywhere, in the
bar, in the boardroom, on the shop floor, on television, and in the journals and daily papers. In this course we
will explore the field of philosophical ethics: a scientific reflection about morality.

In the first part of this course, we will study the grand narratives in ethics, examining Aristotelian, Stoic,
Christian, Kantian, utilitarian, and postmodern approaches to ethics. We will discuss different questions: What
is the nature, role, and foundation of ethics? Is ethics about ‘the right thing to do’, ‘the good life’, ‘the good
man’, or all three together? Is there a universal moral framework, or can we only speak about a plurality of
approaches? What is the relation between ethics and religion?

In the second part of this course, we will study some key disciplinary approaches in ethics. We will discuss
environmental ethics and business ethics. Especially, we will pay attention to the application of the grand
narratives in ethics to major problems in our society. We will analyze professional practices to identify different
ethical aspects.
Literature
 Mark Timmons, Moral theory. An Introduction, 2013, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, New York.
 Glenn Rogers, 21st Century Ethics. An Introduction to Moral Philosophy, 2012, Simpson & Brook,
Estherville.
 E-reader.

Instructional format
Lectures, tutorial group meetings, individual coaching, and a special assignment.
Examination
Participation, presentation of background research, and an essay.

33
HUM2054 Reading Philosophers
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. M. Doorman, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Philosophy,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Recommended
HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy and/or COR1004 Political Philosophy.
Objectives
 To acquaint students with pivotal philosophical texts.
 To help students read primary texts of important philosophers and get intellectual pleasure from it.
 To introduce some classical philosophical problems.
 To become aware of different styles and sorts of philosophy.
Description of the course
How can an absurd novel like Voltaire’s Candide (1759) be understood as ‘philosophy’? Why did Plato
use a dialogue with Socrates and a myth (the allegory of the cave) instead of just presenting his theories in an
orderly presented written argument? And why can philosophical texts be written quite systematically (Spinoza)
as well as in the form of seemingly associative notes and comments (as in Wittgenstein’s famous Philosophical
Investigations)?
In this course well known philosophical texts will be read and analyzed in detail. Reading philosophers,
that is, the reading of some of their primary texts, is not only a pleasure in itself: most of the more interesting
philosophers are also famous stylists. Therefore it is important to read the original texts instead of always
relying on handbooks or (internet) encyclopedia texts to acquaint oneself with the central ideas of these
philosophers.
Moreover, there is a lot to learn from reading philosophers themselves, to see how they are positioned
in the tradition of philosophy and in the contemporary intellectual debate, to determine what interesting
problems are, and how one could go about searching for some answers, solutions or new questions for our
time.
Reading philosophers themselves also has merit for another reason: it turns out that philosophers use
a variety of writing styles and publication media like a scientific treatise, a monograph, an essay, a collection of
aphorisms or even a novel. And last but not least: they provide the best introduction into some of the classical
philosophical problems like: What can we know? How should we valuate? What is justice? Is there something
like moral sense? Are we free? How does language work?
In the course we single out a group of 6 philosophers: Plato, Spinoza, Voltaire, Schopenhauer,
Wittgenstein and Margalit or another philosopher of today. They are responsible for some of the best work that
has been produced in the philosophical tradition
Literature
 Plato, The Republic, Book VII 514a-520a (The allegory of the cave) and Book VIII.
 Benedict de Spinoza, A Theologico-Political Treatise (and A Political Treatise).
 Voltaire, Candide,: or, Optimism. Orig. Candide ou l’Optimisme.
 Arthur Schopenhauer, On the Freedom of the Will (except the fourth chapter). Orig. Preisschrift über
die Freiheit des Willens.
 Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations. §§ 1-108.
 Avishai Margalit (possibly) The Decent Society, Part III. Decency as a social concept. Harvard University
Press, Cambridge (Mass.) 1996, pp. 115-186.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, including lectures.
Examination
Participation and two papers: a midterm essay and a final paper at the end.

34
HUM2056 Cultural Memory and Literature
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. U.Brunotte, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Humanities No
Prerequisites
HUM1003 Cultural Studies I or HUM2003 The Making of Crucial Differences, and some knowledge/interest in
close reading of literary texts.
Objectives
 To familiarize students with some of the key theoretical and methodological approaches within cultural
memory studies: Halbwachs, Warburg, Nora, Assmann, Erll, Rigney.
 To introduce students to conceptual analysis and provide them with the necessary analytical skills.
 To provide students with an introduction into trauma (theory) and memory.
 To teach students close reading of literary texts and analyze literary strategies, styles and narrations of
remembrance and trauma.
 To teach students to analyze literature and the arts as ars memoriae, reconstruct the interaction of
memory imagination and poetic imagination: ‘memory in literature and memory of literature’.
 To introduce students to Aby Warburg’s theory of the “memory of images” and pathos formulas
 To enable students to identify and analyze the role of gender in constructions of cultural remembrance
of the Holocaust.
 To introduce students to the (political) debate and the post-colonial dimension around the paradigms
of archive and repertoire as concepts of cultural memory.
 To analyze debates connected to contested memorial monuments, competing victim memories and
“multidirectional memory” (Rothberg).
Description of the course
Taking its cue from the current focus of the humanities on practices of collective cultural remembrance, the
course focuses on literature as narrative and performative medium of memory. Literature fulfils a crucial role in
recreating aspects of the past in the present. But is there a difference between ‘memory in literature’ and
‘memory of literature’? Without remembrance and representation, cultural and individual life would be
impossible; the same counts for cultural oblivion: total recall would mean madness. Not only individuals, but
also social groups and nations as a whole construct their identities by re-appropriating and ‘inventing’ the past.
Here memory and identity politics merge. The course will introduce central theories of memory and
remembrance. Around 1900, the sociologist Maurice Halbwachs and the art historian Aby Warburg
independently developed theories of “collective memory”. Yet, it was not until the 1980s that Pierre Nora’s
lieux de mémoire and Jan and Aleida Assmann’s concept of Cultural memory made memory studies resurface.
Moreover, cultural remembrance depends entirely on processes of (re-)mediation. That is where literature,
rituals, and the arts enter the field. Beginning with modern authors like Marcel Proust and Edgar Allan Poe, the
theoretical texts will be accompanied by close readings of literary texts that shed light on the poetical creation
of remembrance. With regards to literary analysis it is important to define the way in which remembrance and
poetic imagination interact.
Memory studies started within Holocaust studies at the very moment when the generation of survivors passed
away. Therefore, research in trauma and remembrance has taken centre stage. The course follows a
genealogical approach to the “trauma paradigm” in memory studies. It refers back to Sigmund Freud’s theory of
“traumatic neurosis” and connects it with new approaches in trauma theory. It will focus on the question of
how traumatic experiences have been expressed and represented in modern literature. Our central example is
Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse 5 (1969). The course connects questions of cultural remembrance and
trauma experience via literary narration, style, and intertextuality. Its focus on the role of gender in memory
draws attention to the relevance of body images and gender myths for the construction of narrations and
images of the past.
A post-colonial dimension will be added when we take a close look at the debate around the contested
concepts of archive and repertoire in memory studies. If we link the performative repertoire to cultural
memory, we will have to go beyond the long established Western model of memory as a fixed, mostly written
“storehouse” of the past. If we take repertoire into account, we will have to consider and acknowledge
embodied, sensual remembrance, narrated oral memory and gestural ritual repertoires as equal to texts,
monuments and objects.
35
Required Literary Texts and Films
 Erll, Astrid. Memory in Culture. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
 Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children’s Crusade (1969). New York: Random House,
1991.
 Gadjo Dilo. Movie by T. Gitlif, 1997 (on youtube available with English subtitles).
Instructional format
Lectures, tutorial group meetings and film viewings.
Examination
In-class presentations and a final research essay (3500 words), doing a conceptual analysis or applying the
concepts discussed to Kurt Vonnegut’s novel or to the film. Every student has three options (electives).

36
HUM2057 Religion and Secularization
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Kardaun, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities Yes
Prerequisite
HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy or HUM2008 Ancient Philosophy or HUM2021 Medieval Civilization or
COR1002 Philosophy of Science or HUM2058 History of Contemporary Spirituality.
Objectives
 To familiarize students with the academic study of religion as a cultural phenomenon against the
background of a secularizing world.
 To provide an insight into key ideas, themes and arguments on the nature, function, and politics of
religion.
Description of the course
The course provides a broad approach to religion as a cultural phenomenon. It focuses on the following groups
of questions and topics:
1. Defining religion
What is religion about? How does religion differ from mythology, the sciences, and the arts? What do
secularization processes involve? In this part of the course we will look into some significant philosophical
perspectives on the nature of religion and secularism.
2. On the contents of religion
We will briefly consider the most important characteristics of the major world religions. Against this
background we will discuss a number of key narratives and themes from the Judaeo-Christian heritage, taken
from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament (such as the creation story, book of Job, death and resurrection
of Christ, epistles by Paul).
3. On the politics of religion
The last part of the course will look at the role of religion and religious institutions within political
power structures, ranging from the Vatican to the Middle-East.
Literature
 Immanuel Kant, Religion within the Bounds of bare Reason (1793)
 Friedrich Nietzsche, The Antichrist (1895).
 Sigmund Freud, The Future of an Illusion (1927).
 C.G. Jung, Answer to Job (1952).
 Karen Armstrong, A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (1993).
 Ole Wæver, Fear and Faith: Religion as an International Security Issue (2006).
 Maria Kardaun, Fighting the Angel (2011).
 Frans de Waal, The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism among the Primates (2013)
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A midterm (analytical) paper devoted to philosophical perspectives on religion; a final research paper devoted
to a topic to be chosen by the student; a presentation about the research paper.

37
HUM2058 History of Contemporary Spirituality
Course coordinator
Dr. D. Vliegenthart, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Recommended
Highly recommended is HUM2057 Religion and Secularization. Also useful are HUM1007 Introduction to
Philosophy, HUM2005 Enlightenment and Romanticism, HUM2018 Cultural Diversity in a Globalizing World.
Objectives
 To inform students of the general social and historical background underlying contemporary
spirituality.
 To demonstrate how this background concretely influences contemporary spiritual beliefs and
practices.
 To teach students to reflect critically on popular and academic sources about those beliefs and
practices.
Description of the course
This course delves into the socio-historical contexts of non-institutionalized ideologies at the intercultural and
interdisciplinary crossroads of “eastern” and “western” religious, philosophical, psychological and scientific
discourses in modern western cultures. It focuses on alternative beliefs and practices of eastern and western
charismatic leaders and new religious movements—popularly referred to as “spiritual teachers” or “gurus” and
“cults”—particularly in Europe and North America, after 1800. This includes American Transcendentalism,
Theosophy, New Thought, Neo-Hinduism, Neo-Buddhism, various New Age movements and their offshoots.
Students will critically reflect on alternative quests for meaning outside conventional sciences and
religions. In doing so, they will learn more about post-Enlightenment responses to the “age of reason,” post-
colonial encounters between “eastern” and “western” traditions, and post-modern blends of methods and
theories from different social and academic domains, which have culminated in a growing “cultic milieu” of
“seekers” across modern western cultures. “Seekers” are people who identify as “spiritual, but not religious.”
During this course, students confront questions such as: Why have so many seekers in modern western
cultures turned away from conventional western religions and sciences? Why are they turning to eastern and
western esoteric traditions instead? How are they combining eastern and western methods and theories into
new sources of meaning? What combinations have we seen in the recent past and which ones do we see
around today?
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A book review. A research paper on a relevant topic of your own choice that is significantly related to the
content of this course.

38
HUM2059 Computational Thinking for the Arts and Culture
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. S. Schreibman, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature
[email protected]
Dr. C. Papadopoulos Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the theory and practice of using digital tools
and methods to digitise, analyse, and present data;
 To understand and critically discuss theoretical debates and challenges in the field and situate their
practices in the wider context of theoretical traditions;
 To introduce students to the field of Digital Humanities.
Description of the course
This course is designed for students interested in the relationship between how digital objects (with a
focus on the historical and cultural) are created and consumed, as well as how novel tools and methods provide
opportunities for new types of analysis, research, and dissemination. By introducing you to the basics of
digitisation, data analysis, and representation, this course will also explore the theoretical underpinnings,
biases, and lacunae of working with data, while teaching you to be more critically reflective of digital tools,
processes and products. Ultimately, this course is an introduction to the field of Digital Humanities which
explores the impact, opportunities, and affordances of the digitisation of our cultural heritage, providing
innovative means to approach traditional fields of expertise.
The course will explore digitalisation from three perspectives: Digitisation, Analysis, and
Representation. The first half of the course will focus on digitisation, with particular reference to 3D, placing
emphasis on the field of computational imaging; a field in computer science that studies the computational
extraction of information from digital photographs. You will develop 3D recording skills by completing a mini
group project, and reflect on the process in terms of what is gained and lost by representing physical objects
within virtual computer interfaces. The second half of the course will focus on text analysis. A mini big data
project will provide you with hands-on experience and understanding of the affordances and limitations of text
analysis methods. We will explore how the representation of text in more visual formats which are typically
removed from its semantic contexts, offers opportunities for both new insights as well as misrepresentation. An
overarching goal of the course is to is to help you become more savvy users of digital information: the
implications and challenges that methods and technologies pose to conventional research, analysis and
publication in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, including issues such as copyright, transparency,
authenticity, and bias.
Literature
 Graham, S., Milligan, I and Weingart, S. (2015). Exploring big data: the Historian’s macroscope.
Imperial College Press.
 Schreibman, S., Siemens, R., and Unsworth, J. (eds) (2016). A New Companion to Digital Humanities.
Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
Instructional format
Lectures and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
1) A group presentation on the affordances and limitations of 3D and ways of (re)presenting digital models
(50%);
2) A project on big data analysis and visualisation accompanied by an essay (50%).

39
HUM2060 Poetry, Poetry Theory and Poetry Practices
Course coordinator
Dr. J. de Roder, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
None.
Objective
The main aims of this course are:
 To acquaint the students with the theory and practice of modern western poetry.
 To introduce students to a view on poetry in terms of Wittgenstein’s family resemblance, in the sense
that poetry is made up by formal features that practices share in different combinations.
 To provide students with analytical tools for studying different poetry practices, not only in literary,
but also in ritualistic, religious, or other relevant contexts.
 To teach the students to present their own case studies of poetry practices.
Description of the course
Poetry usually falls under the general heading of literature. Literature however is a relatively recent
concept as well as a recent cultural institution and it seems that one of the main goals of poetry theory of the
last centuries has been to give poetry a firm literary profile. Looking at western modern poetry and its reception
this goal has certainly been reached, even to an extent that what poetry could and should be is realized in this
western modern tradition that turned poetry into words-on-the-page, while writing was never indispensable for
poetry before. However, this western modern tradition is just another practice of poetry in the sense that it is a
result of a particular merge of two totally independent structures: human language and rhythm. Whereas
rhythm in itself seems to defy any literary consideration, in modern western poetry it is usually treated as an
icon of the alleged meaning of a poem, thereby safeguarding modern western poetry as a literary genre. But if
we take poetry in terms of Wittgenstein’s family resemblance we are able to see different practices world-wide
that share more than one feature with modern western poetry, or just one, like rhythm, and we see unexpected
lineages of features, like non-human animal lineages of, again, rhythm (birdsong is the obvious example). But
it’s not just a question of lineage, in other words the diachronic aspect of the family of poetry. Synchronically
speaking many practices should be considered as part of the family of poetry too. Practices that do not need to
be able to function the literary set of principles and conventions that fixed a western understanding of poetry.
In this course we will first identify and study the different features of poetry, like rhythm, metre, rhyme,
texture, syntax, grammar, imagery, etc. Then we will explore and study practices, western and non-western,
synchronic and diachronic, as members of the family of poetry.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings.
Examination
An essay and a presentation of the essay proposal.

40
HUM3019 Totalitarian Temptation
Course coordinator
Dr. P. del Hierro, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, History,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities No
Prerequisites
At least two of the following courses: HUM1013 The Idea of Europe: The Intellectual History of Europe,
COR1003 Contemporary World History, HUM2007 States and Nations in Europe, from the Middle Ages to the
First World War.
Objective
 To introduce students to the general theories on totalitarianism and familiarize students with various
20th century totalitarian regimes and movements.
Description of the course
This course is a history course that will study 20th century totalitarianism over a broad front. Attention is paid
to both theories on totalitarianism as on totalitarian movements and regimes during the previous century. All
the different variants of totalitarianism will be studied: national socialism in Germany, fascism in Italy, as well as
communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Postwar phenomena such as right-wing extremism,
populism, and Apartheid in South Africa will be given attention as well. In each case we will see whether and in
how far the different forms of totalitarianism can be understood from the perspective of the different theories
about it. Special attention is given to the 'politics of memory' - collective remembrance and historical writing -
and problems related to political transformation processes in various countries (Germany, Eastern Europe,
South Africa).
Literature
 Todorov, T. (2003). Hope and Memory. Lessons from the Twentieth Century.
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Mid-term paper and take home exam at the end of the course.

41
HUM3029 Literature and Psychology
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Kardaun, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities Yes
Prerequisites
SKI2084 Writing in an Academic Context: Improving Argumentation and Style.
Recommended
HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy.
Objectives
 To introduce depth psychological literary criticism.
 To help students develop their sensitivity for depth psychological dimensions that works of art and
literature may have.
 To provide the means to distinguish adequate literary interpretations from less adequate ones: on
what reasonable grounds, if at all, can we decide that one (depth psychological) interpretation of a
work of literature does more justice to the text than a competing one?
Description of the course
In the first part of the course students will become familiar with the basic elements of psychoanalysis (Freud)
and analytical psychology (Jung). Special attention will be paid to depth psychological theories on art and
literature.
In the second part we shall read a number of widely diverging depth psychological interpretations of
literary texts, such as Sophocles’s Oedipus rex, Saint-Exupéry’s Le petit prince, Goncharov’s Oblomov,
Hoffmann’s The Sandman, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde, several fairy tales, myths, poems, and short stories.
The last part of the course is devoted to some epistemological aspects of depth psychological literary
criticism. We will go into three main questions: What types of rules are to be observed when interpreting
literary texts? To what extent does depth psychological literary criticism qualify as an academic discipline? And,
finally, to what extent do depth psychological theories like psychoanalysis and analytical psychology qualify as
academic disciplines?
Literature
 Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment (2nd, 1991).
 Umberto Eco, The Limits of Interpretation (2nd, 1991).
 Marie-Louise von Franz, Puer aeternus (3rd, 2000).
 Sigmund Freud, Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming (1908).
 C.G. Jung, Psychology and Literature (1930).
 Karl Popper, Conjectures and Refutations, the Growth of Scientific Knowledge. London: Routledge.
(1963).
 Adolf Grünbaum, The Foundations of Psychoanalysis. A Philosophical Critique (1984).
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A presentation and a final paper.

42
HUM3034 World History
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Stout, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Humanities Yes
Prerequisites
Any course in history or sociology and COR1003 Contemporary World History, SSC2065 Theories of Social
Order.
Objective
 To understand some of the major issues and episodes that have shaped the history of mankind. The
focus will be on themes and topics that have had or are still having long term influences on historical
development.
Description of the course
Flowing from this objective, the course deals with the over all history of mankind, and a number of the decisive
transformations involved in that history.
What sort of creatures are we? How have we evolved from and lived before we became homo sapiens? What
sort of animals are our ancestors?
Important topics nearer in time are the agricultural and industrial revolutions. The agricultural or
neolithic revolution has changed us and the world permanently. In a relatively brief period we went from
hunting and gathering to tilling the soil and domesticating plants and animals. Why and how did we do this?
Since the agricultural revolution our numbers have multiplied beyond comprehension. Societies became
increasingly complex and stratified.
The industrial revolution lifted everything to a new unprecedented plane. A type of society arose, driven by
industrial innovation and run on fossil fuels. We are still living in that kind of society today, so it is interesting to
know how it came about.
The course will also deal with topics like the role of war, disease, religion, worldviews and finance in
shaping history. Take disease. Their ways of life brought men in contact with all sorts of diseases. Especially
after the agricultural revolution we had to adapt to diseases we caught from our domesticated animals. We still
have to do this. Look at present day threats like bird flu. Living in some form of armed peace with diseases has
always been a major characteristic of societies. How did we do this?
Finally the course also touches upon the ‘Rise of the West’. The contentious rise of Western Europe
and North America as a dominant factor in worldhistory over the last 5 centuries will be the closing topic of the
course.
Literature
 Material will be handed out at the beginning of the course.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Paper and final exam with open questions.

43
HUM3036 Narrative Media
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. A. Swinnen, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Humanities No
Prerequisites
At least two 2000-level courses in the Humanities or Social Sciences.
Objectives
 To familiarize students with the methods of narratology (the study of storytelling) and important
theories revolving around narratology.
 To analyze different media such as literature, paintings, photographs, comics, film, film music, digital
literature, and computer games.
Description of the course
The first part of the course introduces main concepts from narratology, such as story, discourse, authorship,
and narration. In addition, students will learn the differences between a structuralist and a postclassical
approach to narratology.
During the second part of the course, narrativity in different media will be subject of investigation. We
ask how different media construct stories and to what extent these stories are medium-specific. The media
under study are the short story, the fixed image and series of images, comics, film, hyperfiction and digital
games. For students with particular interest in literature, the Handbook of Narrative Analysis (2005) will be
most instructive, while Narrative across Media will be most useful to students who are more oriented towards
other media. We will read chapters from both books in this course as well as other literature that addresses the
narrativity of media.
The final essay has to show that students are able to apply the methods introduced during the course
to a case study that they are free to choose. Examples are the novel House of Leaves, the short story collection
Olive Kitteridge, the comic Deadpool and its film adaptation, the graphic novel Persepolis, the film 5x2, and the
game L.A. Noire. As this is a course in the humanities, an approach to storytelling from the social sciences or
psychology is only possible in comparison to methods from the humanities.
Literature
The following handbooks are the most crucial:
 Herman, L. and Vervaeck, B. (2005). Handbook of Narrative Analysis. Lincoln: University of Nebraska
Press.
 Ryan, M.-L. (2004). Narrative across Media. Lincoln, London: University of Nebraska Press.
We wil also make use of excerpts from other sources, such as:
 Hutcheon, L. with S. O’Flynn (2013). A Theory of Adaptation (second edition). New York: Routledge.
 McCloud, S. (1993). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperCollins.
 Ryan, M.-L. (eds.). Intermediality and Storytelling. Berlin: de Gruyter.
 Verstraten, P. (2009). Film Narratology. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures and film screenings.
Examination
A short presentation (20%), participation and tutor performance (20%), and a final essay of max. 4,500 words
(60%).

44
HUM3040 Crucial Differences in the 21st Century
Course coordinator
Dr. L. van den Hengel, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Centre for Gender and Diversity,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities No

Prerequisites
HUM2003 The Making of Crucial Differences (strongly recommended!) or another relevant 2000-level course in the
Humanities or Social Sciences.

Objectives
Upon completion of this course students are able:
 To examine how contemporary configurations of gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, and other ‘crucial differences’
structure contemporary cultural discourses and practices, as well as social and individual identities and
institutions.
 To identify and take part in topical academic and societal debates within contemporary gender and diversity
studies.
 To explain how multiple identities and experiences of difference and inequality interact by adopting
intersectionality as a critical theory and method.
 To apply the analytical and critical skills needed to examine the dynamics through which identity and difference,
inclusion and exclusion, equality and inequality are continuously produced and reproduced.
 To construct an effective research design for an undergraduate research paper within the field of gender and
diversity studies.
Description of the course
This course considers a variety of contemporary configurations of gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, class, age, religion, and
other categories of difference. You will learn to examine the way in which these ‘crucial differences’ are constituted in the
late twentieth and early twenty-first century, as well as to analyze the ways in which they function on social, cultural,
political, and symbolic levels. The emergence of the various social movements during the 1960s and 1970s, such as the
women’s movement, the civil rights movement, and gay and lesbian liberation, and their lasting impact on society today,
serves as a starting point of the course. We will examine how these diverse movements have shaped and reshaped the form
and content of the identity of racial/ethnic minorities, feminists, LGBTQ+ people and other minoritized groups on individual
and collective levels. Special attention will be directed to the notion of intersectionality, which refers to the interaction
between multiple categories of difference in cultural, social and individual practices, and the effects of these interactions in
terms of power and inequality.
Subsequently, we will take a closer look at the complexity of such multiple differences and inequalities by tracing
the entangled workings of gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, class, age, and religion through a variety of topical cases. We
will look at the way in which such categories realign in various contexts of crisis and conflict, ranging from the late twentieth
century wars in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia to the complex force-fields of (neo-)nationalism, populism, and
xenophobia today. We will use a queer theoretical approach to analyze the complex relations between norms of gender and
sexuality in the structuring of contemporary performances of identity in a variety of social, cultural, and institutional
environments. We will critically examine contemporary constructions of whiteness and the role of race in the construction
of national identity. We will direct special attention to the emergence of sexual nationalisms across and beyond Europe
today, focussing on the prominent place that women’s sexual liberation and gay rights occupy in contemporary debates
about Islam and multicultural citizenship.
As these cases indicate, the course draws on a variety of geographical and cultural locations and contexts.
Diversity is also exemplified in the interdisciplinarity that characterizes gender and diversity studies as a scholarly field. The
texts used in this course draw on theories and methods from disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and
cultural studies, as well as from the fields of feminist theory, postcolonial theory, and queer studies. Through critical inquiry
into concrete cases as well as major texts - including modern classics in the field such as Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble and
Joan Scott’s The Politics of the Veil - this course dynamically re-conceptualizes the intersections between the various ‘crucial
differences’ by examining the multiple ways in which processes of identity and difference, inclusion and exclusion, equality
and inequality are produced and reproduced in ongoing flows of negotiation and transformation.

Literature
 E-reader.

Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.

Examination
Midterm take home exam and final research paper.

45
HUM3042 Biopoetics: An Evolutionary Approach to Art, Literature, Music and Religion
Course coordinator
Dr. J. de Roder, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Humanities No
Prerequisites
At least two 2000-level courses in the Humanities or at least two 2000-level courses in the Sciences.
Objective
 To be able to evaluate and apply Darwinist approaches to practices in art, literature, music and
religion.
Description of the course
Students will familiarize themselves with the basic concepts of evolutionary theory in order to be able to
evaluate the controversies and debates within the framework of a Darwinist perspective on practices in art,
literature, music, and religion. Several themes will be discussed, such as: the mating mind; artistic universals;
human nature: blank or pre-wired; the sound and rhythm of poetry; the science of art; the origins of music;
grooming, gossip, and the novel; art as adaptation vs. art as ‘cheesecake’ for the mind; rituals in religion, etc.
Literature
 Charlesworh, B., & Charlesworh, D. (2003). Evolution: A very short introduction. Oxford University
Press, Oxford.
 Carroll, J. (2004). Literary Darwinism: Evolution, Human Nature, and Literature. London: Routledge.
 Gotschall, J., & Wilson, D.S. (2005). The Literary Animal: Evolution and the Nature of Narrative.
Northwestern University Press.
 Turner, M. (2006). The Artful Mind: Cognitive Science and the Riddle of Human Creativity. Oxford
University Press.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures and video viewings (documentaries).
Examination
An essay and a presentation of the essay.

46
HUM3043 Acts of Literature: The Role of prose, Poetry and Plays in a Changing World
Course coordinator
Dr. J. de Roder, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Literature,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Humanities & Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
At least one relevant 2000-level course in the Humanities or at least one relevant 2000-level course in the Social
Sciences.
Objective
The main aims of this course are
 To acquaint the students with the history of ideas on possible functions of literature.
 To familiarize the students with the notion of the work of literature as an event and as an experience
 To introduce students to periods of societal change in western and non-western societies and the role
of literature played in it.
 To provide the students with analytical tools for contextualizing (historicizing, situating, comparing) the
case studies in the course.
 To teach the students to present their own case studies as possible contributions to the course of the
next year’s edition.
Description of the course
As stated in Eleonora Belfiore’s and Oliver Bennett’s The social impact of the arts: An intellectual history (2008)
the question of what the function of literature could be – or should be – produced from Aristotle on many
answers that could roughly be grouped under the following overarching concepts: catharsis (emotional,
didactical, or intellectual), personal well-being (literature as therapy, play, or experience), education and self-
development (basically the humanist’s view of literature as, in Stephen Spender’s words, ‘central medium for
the realization of man’s search for significance in life’), moral improvement and civilization (French
Enlightenment, Kant, Martha Nussbaum), political instrument (Brecht, social realism, nazi and fascist literature,
feminist, postcolonial, and minority literature, often also in the sense of the unmasking of literature as vehicles
for accepting hierarchies in society: Orwell, Foucault, Said, Judith Butler, the Frankfurt School), social
stratification (Weber, Simmel, Bourdieu), and the rejection of any of these functions (Kant again, l’art pour
l’art). However, the starting point of the course is the notion that literature exists only in the readings given to
it: literature has no existence outside these readings. The work of literature is an event or, from the reader’s
position, an experience, both set in a particular culture that is made up by habits, norms, values,
representations, beliefs, expectations, and prejudices. With the recent merging of literature’s functions of
education and moral improvement in mind (e.g. for the benefit of democracy, see Martha Nussbaum’s work),
the main challenge of the course is trying to find out in what way the ethical and political demand made by a
literary work is to be found in what makes it literature, as an event and as an experience, rather than in
properties it shares with other discourses, such as historical writing, biographies, and journalistic work. In other
words: what is it that makes acts of literature in society literary acts?
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings.
Examination
An essay and a presentation of the essay proposal.

47
HUM3045 Distributive Justice in Contemporary Political Philosophy
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. T. Dekker, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Humanities & Social Sciences No
Change in academic year 2020-2021 from period 1 to 5
Prerequisite
COR1004 Political Philosophy.
Recommended
HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy and/or HUM2051 Philosophical Ethics.
Objectives
 To examine some recent developments in political philosophy in the field of distributive justice.
 To engage with the work of today’s leading political philosophers in this field and critically evaluate
their arguments.
 To discover one’s preferred conception of justice.
Description of the course
Distributive Justice concerns the morally correct way of distributing the burdens and benefits of social
cooperation among citizens. In the wake of the publication of John Rawls’s monumental A Theory of Justice,
there has been an explosion of political philosophizing about this issue, one that continues to this day. This
course will examine the work of some of today’s most prominent political philosophers working in the field of
justice. In doing so we will study several topics that are related to some of the issues discussed in COR1004
(Political Philosophy). As such the course is designed to be a sequel to that course, and familiarity with the
concepts and authors discussed in that course is presumed.
Having said that, this course is distinctive in several respects. First of all, the course will strictly focus on
debates within academia, rather than hot political debates within the wider community. Secondly, the course
will exclusively use original primary texts, i.e. original scientific articles and book chapters. Thirdly, the course
will be particularly concerned with the construction and evaluation of the minutia of argument. We will be
looking at the strengths and weakness of the arguments presented for certain ethical claims and positions, with
the aim of figuring out whether we agree with them, and to determine what our own conception of justice is.
Literature
 E-Reader containing contemporary papers and chapters.
Instructional Format
Tutorial group meetings.
Examination
A final paper presenting the student’s considered views on the question of distributive justice,
and a critical review of one of the articles discussed.

48
HUM3049 Science, Power and the Construction of Facts
Course coordinator
Dr. A. Jacobs, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Technology and Society Studies,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities & Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
HUM2046 Living in a Technological Culture: Introduction to Science and Technology Studies.
Objectives
By the end of this course students should be able:
 To describe the contemporary challenges and dynamics of knowledge production in the sciences.
 To identify the complexities of how scientific knowledge is distributed and communicated in society
 To critically analyze ‘common sense’ views of the making and use of scientific claims.
Description of the course
Science is the system of knowledge production through which truths are constructed in much of Western
societies, and as a consequence is an incredibly powerful institution that requires critical examination. At the
same time, significant contemporary movements of “alternative facts” (Conway 2017) and “post-truth politics”
are underway (Roberts, 2010). What is the relationship between these two phenomena, and how is power
enacted through the establishment of “facts”? In order to understand the power Science enacts in its
production of “facts” this course looks to the social, cultural, historical, political, and economic contexts through
which science is practiced and scientific knowledge is circulated through society. In doing so we will take a
closer look at the production and dissimination of technoscience outputs, and will study science in action in its
immediate environment as well as in its role and position in society. To do so we consider science and its
scientists as ‘a tribe’. To take this idea seriously we need to critically analyze notions of objectivity, expertise,
commercialisation, integrity, and credibility that are central to scientific knowledge production. This perspective
will help us to understand how science operates in today’s complex world. To gain insight in science we zoom in
on the organization of knowledge production and its collaborative character. We also study processes in which
credible facts are established and published. Furthermore, this course also pays attention to the integrity of
science and in particular its grey areas. Beside the immediate context in which scientific facts are established
(i.e. the lab), the course also takes into account the wider socio-economic context in which science operates.
This involves not only the commercialization of science, but also the way its promises and expectations are
related to our hopes and fears. Finally, you will gain insights into the way the cultural-historical contexts affects
the interpretation of facts. It is along these lines that we enter the world of the scientists. Based on discussions
and analyses of these topics the course aims to make you reflect critically on ‘common sense’ views of the
making and use of scientific claims. Besides tutorial meetings, the course also involves lectures, discussion
meetings, video analysis, and a visit to a scientific lab for an interview.
Literature
 E-Reader containing diverse academic journal articles.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures, and a visit to a scientific lab/ or interview with a scientist.
Examination
Participation in and preparation of tutorial meetings, an individual paper and individual
presentation.

49
HUM3050 A Cultural Critique of Our Aging Society
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. A. Swinnen, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Humanities & Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
A 1000- or 2000-level course in humanities or social sciences, for instance HUM1003 Cultural Studies I: Doing
Cultural Studies, HUM2003 The Making of Crucial Differences, SSC1029 Sociological Perspectives or SSC2065
Theories of Social Order.
Objectives
 To understand age as an identity category that intersects with other categories like gender, sexuality,
disability, and ethnicity.
 To distinguish between multiple, disciplinarily-influenced ways of defining ‘age’ including
chronologically, functionally, subjectively, and culturally.
 To recognize ageist discourses (cf. the reduction of aging to physical and mental decline) and practices
and to reflect on attitudes towards age.
 To distinguish between realistic concerns and the alarmist hype surrounding global population aging.
 To understand different methods that are implemented in aging research, ranging from visual analysis
to ethnographic approaches.
Description of the course
If you have enjoyed courses in crucial differences, cultural studies, and identities, this course will be another eye-opener. It
focuses on age as identity marker and is set up in true interdisciplinary fashion encompassing perspectives from economy,
history, the arts, globalisation and gender studies, amongst others. If you believe aging is a far removed from your personal
sphere – think twice and continue reading!
Headlines everywhere tell us that ours is a graying world and that population aging will be a defining influence on our
twenty-first century, radically affecting public health and national economies. These demographic predictions—the result of
the trends of declining mortality and increasing longevity—are typically accompanied by dire warnings of the challenges
ahead: unsustainable pension systems which will encumber younger generations, the critical need for more caregivers and
more resources to care for the increasing numbers of those who are frail and dependent, concerns about maintaining
technological progress and competitive workforces with an aging labor force, etc. Rarely are such numbers presented in
terms of the possible benefits that population aging might bring, such as in experienced leadership, informal caregiving, and
a more flexible labor force less hampered by child care. Also often excluded from these projections is any sense of what life
is actually like for the diverse millions of people who grow into old age. How do we know what these numbers will mean for
our economies, our social structures, our loved ones, and ourselves? To begin to address that question, we need to
understand better what it means to grow old in the twenty first century and how this meaning may have developed or
changed over the course of history or be differently shaped by national and transnational cultures. Also, it requires research
into the many images and stories of aging that circulate in popular culture and influence the way we think about older
people. This, then, will form the heart of the inquiry we will make in this course. We will explore what aging is and means
from different disciplinary, historical and (trans)national perspectives, examining the concerns raised about aging societies
and the causes and consequences of ageism, which is prejudice or discrimination based upon a person’s age.
Aging is a topic that we all have a stake in. On one level, this stake is very personal. If we live the long lives we desire, we
will all become older, whether or not the label “old” is one we fear or desire. On a larger scale, the concerns of population
aging cross every discipline and ageism pervades all parts of our social and personal lives, even when we don’t recognize it.
Whatever occupation you pursue, a deeper understanding of aging will have relevance. This course will prepare you to
engage critically in the current and future debates about our aging society and to interrogate your hopes and fears for your
own aging experiences. Theoretically and methodologically, this course is part of diversity studies as it adds the category of
age to other identity markers, such as gender, sexuality, class, ethnicity, and religion.

Literature
 E-reader containing excerpts from books and relevant journals.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, (guest) lectures, and a feed-back session in relation to the final paper.

Examination
The assessment of this course is based on (1) classroom participation and your performance as discussion
leader, (2) a presentation, and (3) a final paper.

50
HUM3051 Medical Humanities: Bodies & Minds, Histories of the Normal and the
Pathological
Course coordinator
M. Brancaccio, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences. Department Health, Ethics & Society,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities & Social Sciences No
NB: This course is highly interdisciplinary (philosophy, history, cultural studies, medical anthropology &
sociology, several branches of medicine). It is situated at the crossroads of Social Sciences, Humanities and
Science.
Prerequisite
Students should have taken at least one of the two following courses: COR1002 Philosophy of Science or
HUM1003 Cultural Studies I: Doing Cultural Studies.
Objectives
 To gain knowledge of different influential conceptions of ‘body’ and ‘mind’, ‘healthy’ and ‘sick’,
‘normal’ and ‘pathological’, ‘regular’ and ‘deviant’.
 To gain understanding of how cultural, social, economic, legal, scientific and religious contexts play a
role in the construction and consequences of these distinctions.
Description of the course
Medical humanities acknowledge that instead of being fixed entities, health and illness are constantly changing,
ambiguous phenomena. What is called healthy (sane) or ill (insane) depends indeed on a large variety of issues
and dynamics: cultural, socio-economical, and religious aspects; moral system; legal system; science;
technology; art and media etc. This course approaches the question of health and illness through a
philosophical, anthropological and sociological exploration of “bodies” and “minds”. Through a historical and
cross-cultural perspective it will discuss various concepts of body and mind. We will discuss how and why some
bodies and minds are considered as normal and others as abnormal or pathological. For this we will draw on
scientific, social, cultural and economic contexts, but also on how bodies and minds are represented in art and
(popular) culture. Cases include cosmetic surgery; the modern hospital; boxing in the ghetto; organ
transplantation; depression; menopause; prostheses in Paralympic athletes; medical imaging technologies; the
war on cancer; depression.
Literature
 E-Reader. (Articles that are not included in the E-Reader will be made available for photocopying
during the course). A book on a special topic in this field, selected by you from a list offered.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures. Additionaly, field visits to sites such as the anatomical cutting room.
Examination
Participation tutorials and field visits; Midterm book review and presentation; End term essay and
presentation.

51
HUM3052 Lifting the Iron Curtain. Modern and Contemporary Eastern Europe
Course coordinator
Dr. F. Laczó, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, History
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Core Device Free

Fall 1 5 Humanities No
Prerequisite
COR1003 Contemporary World History and one of the following: HUM1013 The Idea of Europe: The Intellectual
History of Europe, HUM2007 States and Nations in Europe. From the Middle Ages to the First World War,
SSC1006/SSC2002 International Relations: Themes and Theories, SSC1025 Introduction to Political Science.
Objective
The course explores key developments in Eastern Europe over the past hundred years from a comparative
point of view with a focus on communist regimes (discipline of history and field of Soviet studies) as well as
contemporary trends, such as democratization and Europeanization, economic transformations and crises since
1989-91, violent conflicts as well as attempts to deal with dictatorial pasts (comparative politics and
international relations, peace and conflict studies, memory studies). The course aims to broaden students’
horizons to a region which has been the central stage of numerous recent transformations and cataclysms in
Europe. It seeks to equip students with the tools to analyze modern and contemporary Eastern Europe from a
multidisciplinary perspective.
Description of the course
Lifting the Iron Curtain studies the political, social and economic transformation of Eastern Europe from the
end of the First World War till today. This multidisciplinary course can be divided into two major parts: a
historical one devoted to the short twentieth century until 1989-91 and a contemporary one exploring the
achievements and shortcomings of the three decades since. The first half of the course starts by examining
East-West relations in Europe on a material and discursive level. It continues with discussing the emergence of
the nation state system and the rise and fall of democracy after the First World War. It also focuses on the
practically simultaneous emergence of the Bolshevik regime in the (newly created) Soviet Union as well as the
development of this regime under Lenin and Stalin. The course includes sessions devoted to the origins of
Soviet-type regimes in Eastern Europe; the major challenges these regimes had to face, such the Hungarian
uprising or the Prague Spring and the reasons behind their unexpected and sudden collapse in 1989-91. The
second half of the course assesses the political and economic transformation of Eastern Europe since 1989-91.
Questions regarding democratization and the quality of democracy in the region as well as the European
opening and the related expectations, hopes and disappointments will be in the center of our attention. We
shall also zoom in on the origins and unfolding of the two major violent conflicts in the region since, that in
former Yugoslavia in the 1990s and the ongoing one in Ukraine, and dissect the memory regimes characterizing
the post-dictatorial countries of Eastern Europe. The course closes with a discussion of the major challenges
Eastern European countries confront today.
Literature
 Judt, Tony (2005). Postwar. A History of Europe since 1945. London: Penguin.
 Klimó, Árpád von and Livezeanu, Irina, eds. (2017). The Routledge History of East Central Europe since
1700. London: Routledge.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings twice a week, lectures and documentaries.
Examination
Mid-term literature review and final research paper of 3500 words (list of potential topics to be circulated).

52
HUM3053 The Idea of Africa
Course coordinator
Dr. U. Mueller, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Humanities & Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
One 1000 level course in either the Humanities or the Social Sciences. Two 2000 level courses within the
following fields: philosophy, sociology, international relations, cultural studies, history, media-and art studies
and political science.
Objective
 To become critically reflexive about Western ideas and images of Africa and to dismantle European
constructions of the African continent.
 The course will provide students with a first-hand experience of reading works by and learning from
African scholars from within and outside of the continent.
Description of the course
This comprehensive course - the title of which is taken from Valentin-Yves Mudimbe - provides students with an
overview of African history and politics ranging from pre-colonialism to contemporary debates on African
politics. Course readings are predominantly based on writings that are produced either on the African continent
or by African writers and/or scholars. We start out the course with an interrogation into how we imagine the
continent from within and outside of Africa. Does the “single story” narrative, i.e. stereotypical representations
that involve images of poverty, starvation and war, influence our imagination as outlined by Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie or is our imagination more multilayered? We then look into African epistemologies of knowledge to
explore how African knowledge is constructed and organized. Focusing on Mudimbe’s The Invention of Africa,
we explore what he refers to as “African gnosis,” i.e. a term he uses to include African traditional systems of
thought into what is generally denoted as African philosophy. We look into the argument in which he states
that the colonizing structure has resulted in dichotomizing structures where the traditional is juxtaposed with
the modern, the oral with the written, the agrarian with the urban and the subsistence economy with the highly
productive economy. This, in turn, has produced marginal societies, cultures and human beings. From there we
look into Africa’s “deeper past” with excerpts on the African Middle Ages before we dive into the history of
colonialism as well as anticolonial resistance. These two themes we investigate via sections from Saidya
Hartmann’s study on the transatlantic slave route as well as Rosalind Shaw’s anthropological study on how the
slave trade has been “forgotten” and “remembered” in Sierra Leone. Shaw examines non-verbal forms of
remembering among the Temne-speaking communities in northern Sierra Leone. This is followed by exploring
how movements such as Pan-Africanism and the Black consciousness movement have affected the African
experience. We conclude the course by delving into contemporary political themes such as, African feminism,
Queer politics and the politics of “development.”. In the last three tasks we will engage with Stephen Ellis book,
Season of Rains: Africa in the World, and Desmond Tutu’s No Future without Forgiveness, a detailed and
fascinating report on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Literature
 Course readings are mostly, but not exclusively, based on African writers in-and outside of the African
continent. Among the writers and scholars we read are V.Y. Mudimbe, Chinua Achebe, Saidiya
Hartman, Rosalind Shaw, Desmond Tutu and Steve Biko.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A final take home exam or research paper, participation grades and graded discussion leading.

53
Sciences (SCI)

54
SCI1004 Introduction to Chemistry
Course coordinator
Dr. B. Blom, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Maastricht Science Programme,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Sciences No
NB: This course is aimed at students who have never taken chemistry or have only taken basic level chemistry.
It is strongly suggested that students who took chemistry in high school consider taking SCI2017 directly.
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To teach the first principles of organic and inorganic chemistry for future students in medicine, biology
and molecular life sciences, in such a way that they can apply these concepts to solve typical chemical
and biomedical problems.
 To give you the ability to recognize chemical compounds and to understand their basic physical and
chemical properties.
 To enable you to understand the basic physical chemistry of fundamental importance to most natural
processes, such as thermodynamics, acid-base behavior, kinetics, and electrochemistry.
 To provide the basic knowledge for further advanced courses in chemistry, biochemistry and the life
sciences.
Description of the course
The emphasis of this course will be on a number of essential topics in modern chemistry. The course will start
with a close look at the structure of atoms and their place in the periodic table, followed by an examination of
the properties of various types of chemical bonds, ending with a discussion of chemical reactivity. The topics
covered in this course cover the characteristics of gases/liquids/solids, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, acid-
base chemistry, electrochemistry, and chemical bonding theory. The concepts that are learned are applied to
biochemical examples. Basic knowledge of chemistry is important in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from
(life) sciences and medicine to management, economics and governance studies.
Literature
 To be announced.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures. The course will incorporate Problem-Based Learning (PBL) but the
students will also be expected to cooperatively solve more structured learning assignments based on exercises,
during tutorial sessions.
Examination
Student evaluation will be based on 1) a midterm examination, 2) a final examination, 3) the contributions to
the tutorial group.

55
SCI1005 The Digital Enterprise
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. A.F. Harmsen, School of Business and Economics, Accounting and Information Management,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Sciences & Social Sciences No
NB: The course is an introductory course to the Information Sciences curriculum, providing an overview of
topics related to the use, embedding and management of information and information technology. The
emphasis will be on the organizational (enterprise) context, but we will also touch upon the broader societal
impact of information technologies.
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To introduce students to the role of data, information and knowledge in several contexts: enterprises,
but also society in general.
 To familiarize students with the background of knowledge management, its models and application.
 To introduce students to the methodologies used in developing information systems (e.g. the systems
development lifecycle method versus agile methodologies).
 To introduce students to the organization and governance of data, information and knowledge.
 To introduce students to the managerial challenges associated with the use of information systems in
enterprises.
Description of the course
Too often IT is viewed as the province of technocrats, a domain inhabited by technical experts with
little relevance to real-world problems. And yet, the economic importance of information, information systems,
and thus information management has been growing constantly over the last decades, thanks to the relentless
increase in computer performance.
We are increasingly dependent on information systems and data to make decisions in a wide range of
domains. Sensor and network technology helps us to collect and analyze data in real-time, and to speed up
decision making in all areas of our society. The possibilities of information and computer science are endless,
but they also raise concerns: for instance about privacy, security, and identity, but also about interpretation and
perception of data.
All these developments have led to the present-day ”digital enterprise”. In digital enterprises, the
creation, distribution, use, integration and manipulation of information is a significant economic activity. The
digitization of enterprises also has consequences for society. People who have the means to partake in this
form of society are sometimes called digital citizens. This is one of many dozen labels that have been identified
to suggest that humans are entering a new phase of society. The digital society can be both a threat and an
opportunity to enterprises – this is, for instance, clearly visible in sectors such as retail (traditional retailers vs
Amazon & Co), accomodation (traditional hotel vs AirBNB) and transportation (traditional taxis vs Uber).
This course offers an overview of role of digital concepts in enterprises: the digital enterprise. The
course provides both a theoretical grounding and a pragmatic approach to applying key concepts. Drawing on
ideas, tools, and techniques from such disciplines as economics, sociology, cognitive science, organizational
behavior, and computer science, the course shows the digital enterprise from different perspectives: its
position in society and the market , but also elements such as governance, information technology, and
people. The course serves as an introduction to other Information and Computer Science courses, in which the
various topics of the Digital Enterprise will be discussed in more detail.
Literature
 E-Reader
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
During the course the students make several small assignments. Theoretical aspects of the course are applied
and concepts are translated to practical usability. In addition to that, students do a group assignment, including
a presentation, and write an individual paper about a topic that is relevant for the course.

56
SCI1009 Introduction to Biology
Course coordinators
B. Schmitz, MSc, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]
Dr. B. Schutte, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Genetics & Cell Biology,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Sciences Yes
NB: This course is aimed at students who have only taken basic level biology. It is strongly suggested that
students with substantial high school experience in biology consider taking relevant 2000-level courses directly
(for an indication of the relevant topics, see SCI-B,). However, the content of this course does go beyond high
school biology end level. It is possible to take this course without having previously taken biology, but it will be
challenging.
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To provide students with a good basic knowledge required to enter more specialised courses in life
sciences.
 To gain insight in the biology of organisms.
 To increase appreciation and knowledge of the science of life.
Description of the course
Biology, the science of life, studies organisms as the basic units of life. How they are evolved, how they are build
up, how they act, how they communicate with each other, how they are related to the non-living environment,
and how they reproduce. Since organisms are built up of cells, the basic unity of all life forms, the course will
start with biomolecules and reactions that enable life, followed by tasks about organelles, cells, DNA and the
protein machinery that results in the diversity of cells. We will continue with cell growth and differentiation,
metabolism and reproduction. Towards the end of the course, we will go into organ systems and evolutionary
mechanisms that ultimately provide the biodiversity on planet Earth.
Literature
 Campbell et al., Biology, a global appraoch, 11th edition, 2018.
 Sadava et al., Life, the science of biology, 11th edition, 2016.
Instructional format
Lectures and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Assessment will be based on 1) an exam in the final week, consisting of open questions and 2) a presentation, in
small groups, on a selected biology topic.

57
SCI1010 Basic Mathematical Tools
Course coordinator
Dr. D. Vermeulen, School of Business and Economics, Quantitative Economics,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Sciences & Social Sciences No

NB: This course is aimed at students who have only taken basic level Mathematics in High School. Although the
level of high school mathematics required for this course is basic, the pace of this course exceeds high school
levels. Further, the course topics cover, but also digress beyond high school mathematics. Thus, since the
emphasis of this course is on computational rather than conceptual issues, students that take this course are
required to have at least some affinity with quantitative skills and application of mathematical techniques.
Students who are not sure whether this course is appropriate for them are welcome to contact the course
coordinator. It is strongly suggested that students who have taken the highest level of mathematics in high
school consider taking relevant 2000-level courses directly.
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To provide students with a thorough mathematical basic toolbox.
 To train students in computation and analytic reasoning.
 To demonstrate why mathematics is extremely useful in many disciplines.
 To prepare students for more advanced courses in mathematics.
Description of the course
Students learn to analyze mathematical problems from various fields in mathematics, such as analysis, algebra,
and probability theory. Thus, students are trained to model and solve quantitative problems from a wide variety
of disciplines.
The course is intended in particular for students with only a limited mathematical background from
pre-university education that need to refresh their skills in mathematics and calculus. The first three weeks
recap topics that are already covered in secondary school. The remaining weeks cover more advanced topics to
prepare students for further quantitative courses.
The course guides students through a wide variety of topics in mathematics and its applications. Topics
range through solving equations and inequalities, techniques for differentiation, function analysis, probability
theory, geometry and approximation techniques.
Literature
 Reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Written exam and presentation of homework assignments in class.

58
SCI1016 Sustainable Development: An Introduction
Course coordinator
Dr. M.Huynen, International Centre for Integrated Assessment & Sustainable Development,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Sciences & Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To gain a basic understanding of the (various perspectives on the) concept of sustainable development
and some of the main related ideas, concepts and theories.
 To gain insights into (the limits to) our immense global human impact on the earth’s systems and the
underlying drivers of these unsustainable trends
 To explore ideas about how to achieve a more sustainable society.
Description of the course
Today it is acknowledged that achieving sustainable development at the local, regional and global scale
is one of the greatest challenges for the 21st century. But in many cases the term ‘sustainable development’
functions as little more than a vacuous buzzword. So what does sustainable development actually mean? How
unsustainable is our global society at the moment? Are we contributing to irreversible climate change? Are we
already passing dangerous global environmental tipping points? Why are humans acting in such unsustainable
ways? And, of course, what are sustainable ways forward?
This course aims to enhance student’s understanding of ‘sustainable development’, based on the
notion that human development can only be sustainable when environmental boundaries are respected. The
course introduces the main concepts, ideas and theories related to the term sustainable development.
Students will gain insights into (the limits to) humanity’s immense impact on the earth’s systems and the
underlying drivers of these unsustainable trends. Furthermore, sustainable development requires an
understanding that inaction has consequences. Students will explore ideas about how to achieve a more
sustainable society. As part of the examination students will link theories/concepts/ideas discussed in the
course to a self-selected case study (a promising way forward towards sustainability) in a poster presentation.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Practical assignment (poster presentation) and written exams.

59
SCI2002 Discrete Mathematics
Course coordinator
Dr. G. Schoenmakers, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Department of Data Science and Knowledge
Engineering,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Sciences No
Prerequisites
Substantial high school experience in Mathematics (For an indication of the relevant topics, see SCI-M, p. vi-
viii). Students who are unsure if this course is suitable for them can contact the coordinator to discuss their
situation.
Objectives
 To make students familiar with several fundamental concepts in mathematics, a.o.numbers, logic,
proofs, sets, relations, functions and combinatorics (see description).
 To get the students to notice how beautiful the world of mathematics is.
Description of the course
The students will learn the what the following fundamental concepts involve:
1. Numbers: We discuss a.o. integers, natural numbers, real numbers and prime numbers and properties
that these classes of numbers have;
2. Logic: This involves drawing (correct!) conclusions and how to use logic to prove mathematical
statements.
3. Sets: A set is nothing more than a collection of items. Often those items will be numbers, but this is
not necessarily the case. We discuss properties of sets and concepts related to sets, like intersections,
and unions;
4. (Mathematical) relations: A relation is essentially a comparing mechanism for elements in a set. E.g.
‘smaller than’. We discuss several relations and their properties;
5. Functions: A function is a mapping from one set to another. We discuss several properties that
functions may have, like invertibility;
6. Combinatorics, the science of ‘smart counting’: The question is ‘In how many ways…’, the answer will
often be a big number and we discuss how to find them quickly. For this purpose we use concepts like
permutations and combinations.
Almost every time mathematics is used, it concerns some of the above concepts. A good understanding of
these topics is therefore very important and Discrete Mathematics is a perfect course to combine with other
mathematics courses. Hence, students who are interested in (applied) mathematics, computer science and/or
econometrics might find this course particularly useful.
Literature
 Chetwynd, A., & Diggle, P. Discrete Mathematics.
 Lecture notes will be provided via Student Portal.
Instructional format
Frontal, but interactive instruction and active training in comprehending the instructed material by spending a
lot of time on problem solving, either individually or jointly with other participants. There are no tutor groups
for this course. During all contact hours instruction and practice will alternate in line with the progress of the
material in the book/lecture notes.
Examination
Two written exams (one midterm and a final exam).

60
SCI2009 Human Physiology
Course coordinator
Dr. A.J. Gilde, Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Physiology,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Sciences No
This course is designed to be taken in combination with SKI2079 Lab Skills: Human Anatomy and Histology.
Students wishing to take the Lab Skills should concurrently enroll in, or have completed, this course. Students
wishing to take SCI2009 Human Physiology without taking the Lab Skills may do so.
Prerequisites
SCI1009 Introduction to Biology. Students with substantial high school experience in Biology (For an indication
of the relevant topics, see SCI-B, p. vi-viii) can contact the coordinator to request a waiver.
Objective
 To obtain basic knowledge of human physiology.
Course Description
While Mathematics is seen as the father of science, Physiology is the mother. Physiology attempts to explain
the physical and chemical factors that are responsible for the origin, development, and progression of life.
Human physiology investigates the mechanisms of the human body making it a living being (Guyton). In the
healthy human body it is of the utmost importance that the working conditions for all cells are kept “constant”.
In this respect it is noteworthy that essentially all organs and cells of the human body perform functions that
help to maintain this constant nature or homeostasis by using feed-back mechanisms. We will begin by
discussing the physiology of the cell, and the function of the cell membrane. Continuing, we will discuss
cardiovascular physiology, respiratory, fluid and salt balance, followed by the autonomic nervous system and
the endocrine system and ending with gastrointestinal physiology, control and feedback.
Literature
Multiple sources provided by UM/UCM libraries including textbooks on:
Physiology, Biochemistry, Physics, Pathology, Internal Medicine, etc. The use of the on-line library Access
Medicine (access provided by UB).
Instructional format
Lectures and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Written exam and a paper on a physiological subject of choice.

61
SCI2010 Introduction to Game Theory
Course coordinator
Dr. G. Schoenmakers, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Department of Data Science and Knowledge
Engineering,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Sciences No
Prerequisites
SCI1010 Basic Mathematical Tools or substantial high school experience in Mathematics (For an indication of
the relevant topics, see SCI-M, p. vi-viii). Students who are unsure if this course is suitable for them can contact
the coordinator to discuss their situation.
Objective
 To familiarize the students with the fundamentals of Game Theory.
Description of the course
What is a game?
The word game may make you think of things like poker, chess or backgammon. However, within the context of
this course its meaning is far broader. A game is basically a decision problem in which several parties are
involved. Generally these parties have different and conflicting interests, and often there is no solution to the
decision problem that will make all parties happy. The parties in the conflict are normally called players (or
agents), but one should keep in mind that these may just as well be firms competing for their market shares,
animals fighting over a territory, children trying to get the biggest piece of cake, or politicians fighting over the
distribution of budgets. We encounter very fundamental issues like rationality, expectations, fairness, power,
cooperation, threats, manipulations, risk, stability. In some games everything depends on strategic possibilities
of the players. In such games we also encounter information structures; what does each player know about the
other player’s possibilities and goals. Does A know that B knows that A knows that B knows etc?

Game Theory analyzes different types of games and their solution concepts. Analyzing, or solving, a game boils
down to answering a mathematical question and then interpreting the result.

In the games that we discuss in the Game Theory course the solution depends on strategic possibilities
of the players. We will discuss the games in order of increasing strategic possibilities, which means that as the
course progresses, the games become more complex. Many examples shall be discussed to clarify the issues
and many exercises will be provided to learn how to compute solutions.
Literature
 Lecture Notes Introduction to Game Theory by Frank Thuijsman will be provided.
Instructional format
Frontal, but interactive instruction and active training in comprehending the instructed material by spending a
lot of time on problem solving, either individually or jointly with other participants. There are no tutorial groups
for this course. During all contact hours instruction and practice will alternate in line with the progress of the
material in the lecture notes.
Examination
There will be two written exams (one midterm and one final exam) that consists of solving a number of “open”
problems.

62
SCI2011 Introduction to Programming
Course coordinator
G. Stamoulis, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Sciences No
Prerequisites
Abstract thinking ability. Basic math knowledge is assumed. No prior programming experience is required;
recommended: SCI2039 Computer Science.
Objectives
 Identify, interpret and apply fundamentals of programming & object-oriented design.
 Give examples of important topics and principles of software development.
 Point out obvious mistakes in programs and analyze how they run.
 Design, compose and evaluate programs that solve specific problems.
 Use a software development environment (IntelliJ) to create, debug, and run programs.
Description of the course
This course is an intensive introduction to programming in Java that assumes no prior programming experience.
It explores all aspects of modern programming by means of lectures and hands-on practical lab sessions.
The course starts with the basics of computer science and computer programming. After a short
introduction to computer organization, the principles of structured programming in Java are presented. Main
topics covered are: data types and variables, methods, conditional statements, loops, recursion. Finally, the
course introduces the object-oriented features of Java and their usage for program design. All these concepts
have to be understood both from their theoretical perspective and their practical applications.
Literature
 Allen B. Downey, Think Java: How to Think like a Computer Scientist, Green Tea Press, 2012.
http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkapjava/ (ABD).
 David J. Eck, Introduction to Programming Using Java, Sixth Edition, 2011.
http://math.hws.edu/javanotes/ (DJE).
Instructional format
Lectures, tutorials and lab sessions. During lectures students will be instructed in the basics of programming via
slides and hands-on programming examples . Tutorials take place after the lecture and provide the necessary
practical experience and insights on how to apply the knowledge acquired during the lecture. Labs are practical
programming sessions where students are asked to solve a short problem using a method learned in the lecture
or/and the tutorial. Labs along with the assignments influence the final grade (see `Examination').
Examination
Practical part (Six labs (20%), Three assignments (30%)): Assignments will be announced during the period and
need to be handed-in individually.
Final exam (50%): An open book and notes, open-questions exam at the end of the course.

63
SCI2017 Organic Chemistry
Course coordinator
Dr. H. Diliën, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Sensor Engineering
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Sciences Yes

Note: Please be aware that this course is jointly offered together with MSP. This might imply that classes will
take place in the MSP building, and that the course is displayed under an MSP course code in your schedule and
on Student Portal. On your transcript and your grade list the course will be displayed with the regular UCM
course code.
Prerequisite
SCI1004 Introduction to Chemistry or CHE1001 Introduction to Natural Sciences: Chemistry
Objectives
 To give the ability to recognize and name common organic compounds.
 To know the basic physical and chemical properties of common organic compounds.
 To understand stereochemistry and its impact on the properties and applications of organic molecules.
 To enable you to understand the most important organic reactions and be able to apply these reactions
to obtain well defined organic compounds.
Description of the course
This course focuses on the basis of organic chemistry. In the first part of the course, important fundamental
topics, such as atomic theory, bonding theory, hybridization, molecular orbital theory and resonance will be
discussed. A special topic will be stereochemistry, which is an essential topic in organic chemistry and the life
sciences, since stereochemistry often determines the activity of biological compounds or medicines.
Subsequently, the course continues with an introduction into reactivity of organic molecules. Focus, will be on a
selection of fundamental organic reactions, which form the basis for a wide array of other organic reactions. To
this end, a logical review will be provided of the reactivity of the most important functional groups, as applied in
organic synthesis.
Literature
 Klein; “Organic Chemistry”; 2th edition or 3rd edition; Wiley (ISBN: 9781118452288/978-1119110477).
Instructional format
Lectures and tutorial group meetings. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) assignments will be supplemented with
more structured learning assignments based on exercises, which can be found in the textbook.
Examination
A midterm examination, which consists of multiple choice questions; a final examination, which consists of open
questions; the contributions to the tutorial group meetings.

64
SCI2018 Calculus
Course coordinator
R. Cavill, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Sciences No
Prerequisite
SCI1010 Basic Mathematical Tools or substantial high school experience in Mathematics (For an indication of
the relevant topics, see SCI-M, p. vi-viii). Students who are unsure if this course is suitable for them can contact
the coordinator to discuss their situation.
Objective
 In this course we provide an introduction to calculus. Emphasis is on an understanding of the basic
concepts and techniques, and on developing the practical, computational skills to solve problems from
a wide range of application areas.
Description of the course
Students enter this course with a wide variety of backgrounds. For some students who have previously seen
very little calculus there will be many new techniques introduced, whereas for other students with a broader
prior experience some of the techniques will be familiar. Throughout the course we will illustrate the methods
learnt by looking at real problems from different fields where these techniques can be applied and through this
applied lens all students will explore new facets of calculus and deepen their knowledge.
The course will discuss;
 Functions
 Limits and continuity
 Derivatives
 Rules of differentiation
 Maxima and Minima
 Implicit differentiation and related rates
 Integration
 Definite integrals
 Applications of integration
 Improper integrals
 Differential Equations
Literature
 Waner, S and Costenoble, S.R. (2014). Applied Calculus, 6th edition, international edition. Brooks/Cole,
Cenage learning.
Instructional format
Weekly lectures and twice-weekly problem classes. The lectures will present the topics to be covered in the
next week’s problem classes. The problem classes will review set questions on each of these topics, as well as
allowing students time to ask further questions and explore together difficult aspects of the course.
Examination
Two coursework assignments, participation grade and a final exam.

65
SCI2019 Linear Algebra
Course coordinator
S. Chaplick, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Sciences No
Prerequisite
SCI1010 Basic Mathematical Tools or substantial high school experience in Mathematics (For an indication of
the relevant topics, see SCI-M, p. vi-viii). Students who are unsure if this course is suitable for them can contact
the coordinator to discuss their situation.
Objective
 To provide an introduction to the main topics of linear algebra. The emphasis is on an understanding
of the basic concepts and techniques, and on developing the practical, computational skills to solve
problems from a wide range of application areas.
Description of the course
Linear algebra is the branch of mathematics which is primarily concerned with problems involving linearity of
one kind or another. This is reflected by the three main themes around which this introductory course is
centred.
The first theme is concerns what can be recognized without doubt as the most frequently occurring
mathematical problem in practical applications: how to solve a system of linear equations. For this problem a
complete solution procedure is developed which provides the student with a way to deal with such problems
systematically, regardless of the number of equations or the number of unknowns.
The second theme addresses linear functions and mappings, which can be studied naturally from a
geometric point of view. This involves geometric ‘primitives’ such as points, lines and planes, and geometric
‘actions’ such as rotation, reflection, projection and translation.
One of the main tools of linear algebra is offered by matrices and vectors, for which a basic theory of matrix-
vector computation is developed. This allows one to bring these two themes together in a common,
exceptionally fruitful, framework. By introducing the notions of vector spaces, inner products, and
orthogonality, a deeper understanding of the scope of these techniques is developed, opening up a large array
of rather diverse application areas.
The third theme arises when the point of view is shifted once more, now from the geometric point of
view to the dynamic perspective, where the focus is on the effects of iteration (i.e., the repeated application of a
linear mapping). This involves a basic theory of eigenvalues and eigenvectors, which have many applications in
various branches of science as will be discussed. For instance, important applications can be found in problems
involving dynamics and stability, and applications to optimization problems found in operations research.
Many examples and exercises shall be provided to clarify the issues and to develop practical
computational skills. They also serve to demonstrate practical applications where the results of this course can
be successfully employed.
Students will obtain the insight that various seemingly different questions can all boil down to the
same mathematical problem of solving a system of equations. Students will learn to look at the same problem
from different angles and will learn to switch their point of view (from geometric to algebraic and vice versa).
Literature
 Lay, David C. (2012). Linear Algebra and Its Applications. (4th ed.)
Pearson. ISBN 13: 978-0-321-62335-5.
Instructional format
A combination of interactive frontal instruction and active training. Students will be guided in comprehending
the material by spending a considerable amount of time on problem solving, either individually or jointly with
other participants.
Examination
There will be two written tests on parts of the course that consists of solving a number of open problems.
Inspection hour:
The course coordinator will organize an inspection hour after each exam component (midterm exam, final
exam, and resit).

66
SCI2022 Genetics and Evolution
Course coordinator
Dr. H. Smit, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Sciences No
This course is designed to be taken in combination with SKI2088 Lab Skills: Genetics. Students wishing to take
the Lab Skills should concurrently enroll in, or have completed, this course. Students wishing to take SCI2022
Genetics and Evolution I without taking the Lab Skills may do so.
Prerequisite
SCI1009 Introduction to Biology. Students with substantial high school experience in Biology (For an indication
of the relevant topics, see SCI-B, p. vi-viii) can contact the coordinator to request a waiver.
Objectives
 To acquaint students with genetics and evolutionary theory.
 To provide students with insight into the essentials of genetic and evolutionary models and their
applications in biology, medicine and psychology.
Description of the course
Within the life sciences there are two kinds of theories that deal with phenomena: proximate-causal theories
and ultimate causal theories. Molecular genetics is indispensable for understanding the proximate causation of
phenomena. It explains how genetics information, encoded in the DNA, is transcribed and translated into
molecules that are involved in the development of characteristics (phenotypes) of an individual. Evolutionary
theory tries to solve problems related to the ultimate causation of phenomena. Why have specific genotypes
been selected through selection on phenotypes? Its core discipline is evolutionary genetics. Genetics and
evolutionary theory will be discussed in this course.
The course starts with the mechanisms that cause evolutionary change: natural selection, inheritance,
and gene expression. In order to make these mechanisms understandable for students, this course will deal
with the essentials of molecular, Mendel, and population genetics. It then moves on to the evolution of life
cycles, sex, and sexual selection. After discussing kin selection it uses genomic imprinting to explain genetic
conflicts. Game theory will be used to explain the models that treat conflicts. The course will finish with the
evolution of life histories, especially senescence.
Besides theoretical and mathematical models, the course will treat the applications of these models
within the fields of biology, medicine, and psychology. For example sexual selection will be used to explain the
principles of partner selection in human beings (psychology), kin selection will be treated in the context of
conflicts between paternal and maternal alleles during pregnancies (medicine), and the evolution of sex will be
treated in relation to rates of mutation and recombination (biology).
Literature
 Stearns, S.C. & Hoekstra, R.F. (2005) Evolution; An introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press,
Oxford.
 Alberts, D. & Johnson, A. (2007) Molecular Biology of the cell, fourth, fifth or sixth edition.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
An essay during the course, on topics chosen from a list to be distributed at the start. Deadline is in week 7. A
test with open questions at the end of the course.

67
SCI2031 Immunology
Course coordinators
B. Schmitz, MSc, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected] (corresponding coordinator)
K. Wouters, PhD, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Sciences Yes
Prerequisite
SCI1009 Introduction to Biology. Students with substantial high school experience in biology (for an indication
of the relevant topics, see SCI-B, p. vi-viii) can contact the coordinators to request a waiver.
Recommended
SCI2037 Cell Biology, SCI2040 Microbiology.
Objectives
 To gain knowledge and insight in cells and humoral factors of the innate and adaptive immune system.
 To gain knowledge and insight in cellular and molecular effector mechanisms of the innate and
adaptive immunity during inflammation and infection.
 To gain knowledge and insight in the structure and function of primary and secondary lymphoid tissue.
 To gain knowledge and insight in the processes in the immune response after immunization and
vaccination.
 To gain knowledge and insight in immune mechanisms in disease.
Description
The course Immunology focuses on the role of different humoral factors, cells and cell systems of the innate
and adaptive immune system, that are involved in the defense of an organism against intruders like foreign cells
or (non) complex structures (e.g. foreign proteins). In addition, the processes in the immune response after
immunization, vaccination and transplantation will be discussed.
Literature
 Abbas, A.K., Lichtman A.H. and Pillai, S. (2019). Basic Immunology (6th ed.). Philadelphia: Elsevier.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures, and self-study assignments.
Examination
Student evaluation will be based on 1) a written test, and 2) a presentation (in small groups) on an immunologic
topic.

68
SCI2033 Datamining
Course coordinator
Dr. E. Smirnov, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Sciences No
Prerequisites
SCI2039 Computer Science or SCI2011 Introduction to Programming and SSC2061 Statistics I.
Objectives
 To provide an introduction to the fundamental concepts found throughout the field of data mining.
 To provide a practical experience of applying data-mining techniques for analyzing data and deriving
new knowledge.
Description of the course
Data mining is a relatively new scientific field that enables finding interesting knowledge from (very large) data.
In practice it is often a mixed-initiative process that has the potential to predict events or to analyze them in
retrospect. Data mining has elements of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and statistics.
A typical database contains data, information or even knowledge if the appropriate queries are
submitted and answered. The situation changes if you have to analyze large databases with many variables.
Elementary database queries and standard statistical analysis are not sufficient to answer your information
need. Your intuition guides you to understand that the database contains more knowledge on a specific topic
that you would like to know explicitly. Data mining can assist you in acquiring this knowledge. The course
shows you within two months how this works. You will learn new techniques, new methods, and tools of data
mining. The course focuses on techniques with a direct practical use. A step-by-step introduction to powerful
(freeware) data-mining tools will enable you to achieve specific skills, autonomy and hands-on experience. A
number of real data sets will be analyzed and discussed. In the end of the course you will be able to apply
data-mining techniques for research and business purposes.
The following points will be addressed during the course:
* Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery
* Data Preparation
* Basic Techniques for Data Mining:
 Decision-Tree Induction
 Rule Induction
 Instance-Based Learning
 Bayesian Learning
 Ensemble Techniques
 Clustering
 Association Rules
 Tools for Data Mining
 How to Interpret and Evaluate Data-Mining Results
Literature
 Mitchell, T. (1997). Machine Learning. McGraw Hill. ISBN 0070428077.
Instructional format
Lectures and practical lab sessions.
Examination
Weekly assignments, an open-question test at the end of the course.

69
SCI2034 Brain and Action
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Heins, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]
Practical coordinator
Dr. H. Steinbusch, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neurosciences,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Sciences No
Prerequisite
Secondary school biology (for an indication of the relevant topics, see SCI-B, p. vi-viii) and/or a genuine(!)
interest in the anatomy of the nervous system.
Objectives
 To make students familiar with the basic division, anatomy and functions of the central and peripheral
nervous system.
 To gain knowledge of the workings and anatomy of the brain's most important structures.
 To gain basic practical knowledge of brain dissection.
Description of the course
Human beings mostly go through their lives without paying much attention to their actions such as breathing,
eating and even learning. Our brain seems to take care of us in an almost effortless way by planning, initiating
and executing our actions and by regulating our somatic homeostasis. The course Brain and Action is concerned
with exactly how the nervous system does so. The course deals with the scientific study of the central and
peripheral nervous system as well as with some of the latest developments in neuroscience. Via problem based
learning tasks, both the anatomy and functions of important neurological structures like the spinal cord and the
brain are examined. In addition, some of the effects our current life-styles (e.g. listening to relatively loud music
by use of inner-ear headphones) have on the structure and function of the nervous system are examined by
reading some research articles on this topic.
Questions that will be raised continually during the course are, e.g.: What is the hippocampus? What
function does the corpus callosum have? How does the brain develop both pre- and postnatally? How does
neurotransmission take place? Etc.
Literature
 Bear, M.F., (2016). Neuroscience: Exploring the brain (4th ed.), ISBN: 9780781760034.
 Various textbooks on the anatomy of the brain (available in UM library and UCM reading room).
 Several research articles on the relationship between modern lifestyle and nervous system anatomy
and functioning.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures and practical.
Examination
Practical attendance (fail/pass), a paper and an exam.

70
SCI2035 Biochemistry
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. C. Reutelingsperger, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Biochemistry,
[email protected]
N. Deckers, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Biochemistry,
[email protected] (corresponding coordinator)

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Sciences No
Note: Please be aware that this course is jointly offered together with MSP. This might imply that classes will
take place in the MSP building, and that the course is displayed under an MSP course code in your schedule and
on Student Portal. On your transcript and your grade list the course will be displayed with the regular UCM
course code.
This course is designed to be taken in combination with SKI2086 Lab Skills: Biochemistry. Students wishing to
take the Lab Skills should concurrently enroll in, or have completed, this course. Students wishing to take
SCI2035 Biochemistry without taking the Lab Skills may do so.
Prerequisites
SCI1009 Introduction to Biology or SCI1004 Introduction to Chemistry. Students with substantial high school
experience in Biology or Chemistry (For an indication of the relevant topics, see SCI-B and SCI-C, p. vi-viii) can
contact the coordinator to request a waiver.
Objectives
 To communicate fundamental principles governing structure, function and interactions of biological
molecules to students encountering biochemistry for the first time.
 To increase appreciation of the science of biochemistry and its relevance to Health and Disease .
 To study the roles of bio-macromolecules like proteins, lipids, polysaccharides and nucleotides in living
cells in the context of diseases such as hyperventilation, thrombosis and obesitas.
 To create deeper understanding of the basic principles of enzyme catalysis and inhibition.
 To prepare students to enter advanced courses that require more detailed biochemistry knowledge,
and to finally allow entrance to various Master programs in the life sciences.
Description of the course
Biochemistry is considered the mother of all Life Sciences. Understanding Biochemistry will facilitate learning of
more specialised Life Sciences such as Molecular and Cell Biology.
This course will present the essentials of Biochemistry during 6 lectures and 10 tutorials. We will cover the
structures, functions and interactions of the biomacromolecules, including proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, DNA
and RNA, which perform many of the activities associated with life. We will provide insight in the specificity and
action of enzymes, the biocatalysts of the cell. Further, we will explain metabolic pathways that result in the
generation of ATP, the major energy currency of the cell.
Finally we will present recent biochemical understandings on genome editing that revolutionize treatment of
diseases at the level of correcting mutated genes (gene therapy).
Literature
 Berg, J.M., Tymoczko, J.L., Stryer, L. Biochemistry. (8th ed). W.H. Freeman. ISBN-10: 1-4641-2610-0;
ISBN-13: 978-1-4641-2610-9
 Pratt, C.W. and Cornely, K. Essential Biochemistry (4th ed.) John Wiley & Sons. ISBN978-1-119-45112-9
 Garrett and Grisham. Biochemistry. (4th ed.). Thomson Brooks/Cole. ISBN101133108792 ISBN13 978-
1133108795.
Instructional format
Lectures and tutorial groups. The course is subdivided into subjects, and for each subject lectures will be given
on the basis of observed deficiencies.
Examination
A written midterm and final examination (open and multiple choice questions).

71
SCI2036 Artificial Intelligence
Course coordinator
S. Asteriadis, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To convey the ideas that have emerged over the past fifty years of Artificial Intelligence research, and
about two millenia of related work.
 To discuss the possibility of machines that think.
 To show how algorithms can be used to enable systems to think or act intelligently and to discuss
state-of-the-art advances in the Artificial Intelligence community.
Description of the course
The course starts with an introduction to artificial intelligence and an explanation of algorithms that allow
agents to search for optimal solutions in complicated environments. Also, algorithms and problems related to
artificial intelligence and games, neural networks basics, but also the emerging field of computer vision are
introduced ansd discussed. Towards the end of the course, a lecture regarding artificial intelligence and related
ethics takes place, allowing students to see how computational techniques relate to handling biases and
misconceptions.
The main part of the course explores the metaphor of an intelligent agent by introducing a number of state-of-
the-art concepts, algorithms, and methods which enable computers (i.e., software and robots) to solve
problems in a way which deserves to be called intelligent. Covered topics are explored and applied in exercises
and tasks (mainly in-class, but also as homework).
Literature
 Russell, S., & Norvig, P. (2009, Third Edition). Artificial Intelligence. A modern approach. Prentice-Hall.
Instructional format
Lectures and practicals (exercises and tasks). Computer programming skills are neither required nor taught in
this course.
Examination
Mid term exam and final written exam. Lecture and practicals attendance is mandatory.

72
SCI2037 Cell Biology
Course coordinators
Dr. B. Schutte, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Genetics & Cell Biology,
[email protected] (corresponding coordinator)
Dr. J. Broers, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, , Department of Genetics & Cell Biology,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Sciences No
This course is designed to be taken in combination with SKI2077 Lab Skills: Cell Biology. Students wishing to take
the Lab Skills should concurrently enroll in or have completed this course. Students wishing to take SCI2037 Cell
Biology without taking the Lab Skills may do so.
Prerequisites
SCI1009 Introduction to Biology. Students with substantial high school experience in biology (for an indication
of the relevant topics, see SCI-B, p. vi-viii) can contact the coordinator to request a waiver.
Objective
 To obtain insight in basic molecular genetic and cell biological processes in cells, tissues and organisms by
leading the student through the origin of life, its differentiation and diversification, and deregulation of
molecular processes leading to disease.
Description of the course
In this course students have an opportunity to get acquainted with the discipline of cell biology. This discipline
has been profiting from the development and improvements of recombinant DNA technology and is a driving
force in fundamental and biomedical research. In this course students are challenged to discuss, at a detailed
molecular level, different cellular and genetic processes that are the basis of life as we know it. The aim of the
course is to familiarize students with further knowledge in the field of cell biology, which will enable them to
better understand and appreciate the newest developments in this research area. Discussions will revolve
around general cell biological topics such as the role of membranes, membrane transport of small molecules,
the nuclear architecture, the organization of the genome, regulation of transcription and translation, protein
trafficking, the cell cycle and maintenance of genomic integrity, programmed cell death and senescence. The
last task, dealing with cancer, serves as an integration task; knowledge of the previous topics is required to
appreciate what the consequences can be when a cell goes astray and the defence mechanisms of the body fail.
Literature
 Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 6th edition, 2014.
 Sadava et al., Life, the science of biology, 10th edition, 2012.
 Scientific publications provided during the course.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Assessment will be based on 1) a written exam consisting of open questions, 2) a written assignment and 3) a
presentation on the topic of the paper.

73
SCI2039 Computer Science
Course coordinator
Dr. E. Smirnov, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Objective
 To provide an introduction to the fundamental concepts found throughout the field of informatics and
computer science.
Description of the course
As an overview of the discipline, the course covers a breadth of topics including algorithmic foundations of
informatics; hardware issues such as number systems and computer architectures; and software issues such as
operating systems, programming languages, compilers, networks, the Internet, and artificial intelligence.
All the concepts introduced during the course are investigated in lab sessions. In the end of the course
students are expected to develop experience in how to apply techniques from informatics, computer science
and programming for their own research and educational purposes.
Literature
 Schneider, G.M. & Gersting, J.L. (2013, Sixth Edition). An Invitation to Computer Science: Java Version.
Thomson Pub Co. ISBN-978113319108
Instructional format
Lectures and practical lab sessions.
Examination
Weekly lab assignments and a closed-book test with open questions at the end of the course.

74
SCI2040 Microbiology
Course coordinator
Dr. L. van Alphen, Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Medical Microbiology, MUMC;
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Sciences No
Prerequisites
SCI1009 Introduction to Biology.
Objectives
 To obtain basic knowledge of microbiology, i.e. of bacteriology, virology and environmental and
applied microbiology.
 To study the characteristics of a selection of micro-organisms in relation to their related infectious
diseases, more specific pathogenesis, immunity, epidemiology, diagnosis and therapy.
 To study the epidemiology of infectious diseases in relation to outbreaks, outbreak management and
prevention
 To study environmental microbiology by looking at the role micro-organisms play in our environment
and how micro-organisms can be used to our advantage.
Description of the course
The 7 weeks course will be divided into 4 parts:
Bacteriology (3 weeks):
1) Introduction in bacteriology. General principles of replication, classification and identification
of bacteria will be adressed. Presence of bacteria in humans, animals and plants and
composition of the endogenous flora will be discussed. These items will be discussed in an
introduction lecture, expert meeting and 2 obligatory practical sessions.
2) Bacterial infections, including adhesion, virulence, biofilms and antimicrobial resistance: This
part will be discussed in a lecture and in PBL tutorial meetings. The acquisition of antimicrobial
resistance and the epidemiology of worldwide antimicrobial resistance will be discussed. In
addition, new approaches for treatment of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, such as phage
therapy, will be discussed
Virology (2 weeks):
1) Introduction in virology. General principals of replication, classification and pathogenesis of
viruses and classes antivirals will be discussed in the introduction lecture.
2) Viral infections: The second part will consist of 2 topics and will be discussed in PBL approach.
Topics to be discussed are influenza and HIV. The unique characteristics of the structure of
these viruses and its importance for epidemiology. The lecture on epidemiology and outbreaks
will also focus on outbreaks of virla pathogens and highlight the difference with outbreak of
bacterial pathogens
3) The host response to infection, and prevention of infection by vaccination will be discussed in a
lectureand during the PBL sessions.
Epidemiology of infectious diseases and outbreak management (1 week)
1) Introduction in epidemiology of infectious disease. General principals of transmission, latency
and infectiveness will be discussed in a lecture and during PBL sessions.
2) The basic principles of outbreak management, the use of epidemic curves of disease for
outbreak management and prevention of the spread of infectious diseases will be the focus of
a lecture and PBL sessions.
Environmental and Applied Microbiology (1 week)
1) Introduction in the role of microbes in the environment. The role of microbes in
biogeochemical cyles, such as the carbon and nitrogen cylces, in the environment and
adaptation to the environment, as well as the use of micro-organisms as biosensors, in food-
production, waste treatment and bioremediation will be discussed in a lecture and and during
PBL sessions.

75
Literature
The books recommended will only provide a basic knowledge of the topics, the students are encouraged to find
scientific literature online for detailed study on the topics.
 Murray. Medical Microbiology. (7th ed.)
 Tortora. Microbiology: an introduction (8th ed.)
 (Review) scientific articles, mentioned in the course manual.
Instructional format
Two practical sessions, expert meeting, tutorial group meetings and lectures. Halfway through the course the
students will prepare a 15 min presentation on a contemporary microbiological subject of their choice, which
will be presented during a mini symposium.
Examination
The final grade will be decided by a combination of the grades of the final written exam and the
minisymposium presentation. Furthermore, professional behaviour (participation in PBL meetings) will be part
of the evaluation.

76
SCI2041 Climate Change
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Huynen, International Centre for Integrated Assessment & Sustainable Development,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Sciences & Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SCI1016 Sustainable Development.
Objectives
 To explore historic, current and future changes in our climate system.
 To review the uncertainties underlying (the modeling of) future climate change
 To examine some key impacts of climate change on human societies and natural systems.
 To explore climate mitigation and climate adaptation strategies (incl. Paris Agreement).
Description of the course
Does it infuriate you when people consider the greenhouse effect to be a bad phenomenon? Do you know your
‘RCP2.6’ from your ‘RCP8.5’? How about the relative importance of carbon dioxide and methane in terms of
radiative forcing? Or the difference between climate-friendly and climate resilient? No? Join the club. Very
few people understand the nuts and blots of climate science. And that is a real shame, because climate change
is considered to be the greatest environmental threat humanity has ever faced. The Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC) states that the human influence on the climate system is clear. Continued emissions
of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. Limiting
climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, while the need
for adaptation to this new reality is increasingly being recognized.
The course will provide students with a sound understanding of the key drivers and processes of climate
change. We will discuss the state-of-the-art climate science, examine some key impacts of (future) climate
change, and explore what can be done to address the problem.
Literature
 E-Readers.
 Textbook: t.b.d
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Written exams and group assignment.

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SCI3003 Optimization
Course coordinator
Dr. G. Stamoulis, Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Sciences No
Prerequisites
SCI2018 Calculus and SCI2019 Linear Algebra.
Objective
 To become familiar with the basic concepts and methods of optimization.
 To understand how techniques from calculus and linear algebra are useful for optimization.
 To become familiar with a diversity of optimization problems and solution techniques.
 To be able to cast certain real-world problems into the form of optimization problems.
 To be able to solve certain optimization problems with software (Matlab).
Description of the course
In everyday life we are surrounded with applications of optimization. A common drive of human activity is to
make things better, to enhance performance, and to carry out the best possible actions in given situations.
Often the essentials of a situation can be captured by a mathematical description (a model, with or without
constraints) and the value of a proposed action by a function (an optimization criterion). Then the goal becomes
to optimize the criterion for the given model under the associated constraints (if any). Depending on the nature
of the model, the constraints, and the optimization function, many different mathematical techniques are
available to characterize and compute optima. In this course we address the most important areas in
optimization and we study the most common techniques.
First, we consider the optimization of unconstrained continuous functions in several variables. Some notions we
will come across are: partial derivatives; the gradient and the Hessian; stationary points; minima, maxima and
saddle points; local and global optima. Techniques to compute optima range from analytical and algebraic
techniques (i.e., solving systems of equations) to iterative and approximate numerical techniques (e.g., gradient
methods and hill climbing, Newton and quasi-Newton methods, and several others). We will focus on a
selection of these. An important class of functions to consider is that of least squares criteria. We will consider
both linear and nonlinear least squares problems and suitable iterative techniques to solve them. Linear least
squares problems are often encountered in the context of fitting a model to measurement data. They also allow
one to rephrase the problem of solving a nonlinear system of equations as an optimization problem, while the
converse is possible too.
Second, we address optimization problems subject to a given set of constraints. A well-known such class
consists of linear optimization functions subject to linear equality or inequality constraints: the class of linear
programs. The problem of fitting a linear model to measurement data using the criterion of least absolute
deviations, can be reformulated as a linear program. Several methods are available to solve such problems,
including active set methods and the simplex algorithm, but also interior point methods and primal-dual
methods. We discuss the Kuhn-Tucker conditions for optimality. For the optimization of nonlinear functions
subject to nonlinear constraints we address the Lagrange multiplier method.

To demonstrate the various optimization problems and solution techniques, we will provide many examples
and exercises. To demonstrate the wide range of applicability, these are taken from different fields of science
and engineering. To become acquainted with optimization techniques, one computer class is organized in which
the basics of the software package Matlab are presented.

78
Literature
 Hand-outs will be distributed during the course.
Recommended literature:
 F.S. Hillier and G.J. Lieberman: Introduction to Operations Research (10th edition). McGraw-Hill, 2015
ISBN 978-0-07-352345-3.
 A.D. Belegundu and T.R. Chandrupatla: Optimization Concepts and Applications in Engineering (2nd
ed.). Cambridge university Press, 2011.
 Martin T. Hagan et al.: Neural Network Design (2nd edition), available as free ebook.
Instructional format
Lectures and exercises, including one computer class with Matlab, in order to study optimization in a mixed and
interactive way.
Examination
Two homework assignments (10% of the final grade, each), a written midterm (40% of the final grade) and a
written final exam (40% of the final grade) with open questions.

79
SCI3005 Metabolism, Nutrition and Exercise
Course coordinators
Dr. J. Hoeks, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department Nutrition and Movement
[email protected]
Prof. dr. R. Mensink, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department Nutrition and Movement
[email protected]
Prof. dr. P. Schrauwen, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department Nutrition and Movement
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Sciences No
Prerequisite
SCI2035 Biochemistry.
Recommended
SCI2009 Human Physiology, SCI2037 Cell Biology.
Objectives
 To acquire knowledge of cellular and whole-body energy metabolism in rest and during exercise.
 To acquire knowledge of the effects of nutrients on cellular and whole-body energy metabolism.
 To acquire knowledge of the effects of training on different body systems and how this relates to
exercise.
 To translate scientific, biochemical theories and processes to pracital applications for laymen.
Please note that this course focuses primarily on the biochemical aspects of metabolic processes. It is not a
course on nutrition or exercise physiology.
Description of the course
The aim of the course is to provide students with a solid understanding of the key aspects in energy metabolism, and the
effects of nutrients on skeletal muscle metabolism during exercise of different types. The course requires prior knowledge
on some simple (bio)chemical concepts (e.g. the structure and function of macromolecules, common forms of chemical
reactions, basic cell structure, and metabolism of macromolecules).
The course builds around a practical case study. With a group of students, you develop a recommendation regarding
nutrition and exercise for a patient, a client, or an organisation. Since this is an advance-level course, with students from
different backgrounds, you can also provide other recommendations, e.g. how to motivate the client to meet the
recommendations.
The first part of the course provides a theoretical framework on the basics of exercise biochemistry and exercise physiology.
In the form of tutorial groups, you discuss the physiology of muscles, the metabolism of macronutrients, the hormonal
regulation of metabolism, and the biochemical and physiological role of micronutrients in relation to exercise and fatigue.
You are not confronted with predesigned problems; instead you can relate the theoretical framework directly to your case.
The course builds on knowledge you have obtained in basic and intermediate courses, such as biochemistry, human
physiology, and cell biology. In addition, you are encouraged to relate to appropriate knowledge from other courses. This
course serves as a culmination: relevant knowledge acquired in previous courses is combined and applied.
In the second part of the course, you look further into the case and fill in the gaps. You may have to do some more literature
research, but you can also get in touch with professionals who work with cases like yours on a day-to-day basis. There will
be ample time to discuss the group work in class, and ask for and provide feedback to fellow groups. This will be in the
format of group discussions and a peer review session. By doing so, you have the opportunity to present your findings and
ask remaining questions or discuss issues in relation to the case study, as well as to receive feedback on how to proceed. A
recommendation on your case, in the form of a group assignment, concludes this part of the course.

Literature
 There is no main book for this course. A list of suggested readings is provided in the course manual;
these books are all available in Reading Room at UCM and/or in the library. In addition, an E-Reader
will be posted on the Student Portal.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, workshops and lectures.
Examination
Assessment will be based on a recommendation to a client.

80
SCI3006 Mathematical Modelling
Course coordinator
Prof.dr.ir. R.L.M. Peeters, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Department of Data Science and Knowledge
Engineering,
[email protected].

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Sciences No
Prerequisites
SCI2018 Calculus and SCI2019 Linear Algebra.
Objectives
 To have the ability to interpret dynamical phenomena as mathematical systems and to cast them into
such form.
 To understand the basic concepts of linear systems theory.
 To be familiar with analysis techniques for linear systems, to understand their behavior and interaction.
 To become familiar with some application areas of mathematical systems and models.
Description of the course
To describe natural phenomena and processes, mathematical models are widely used. The focus in this course
shall be on dynamical models (i.e., where time plays a role) in particular those that have interaction with the
environment through inputs and outputs. Mathematical systems theory provides the framework to deal with
such models in a systematic and useful way.
First we consider some general aspects of mathematical modeling. Then we briefly address dynamical systems
without inputs and outputs - but which may show nonlinear behavior. We study basic properties such as
equilibrium points, linearization, and stability.
We then switch to linear dynamical models with inputs and outputs. They are used in many different areas of
the natural sciences and in engineering disciplines. We discuss the following topics and concepts. Linear
difference and differential equations, Laplace transforms, transfer functions of linear systems; controllability,
observability, minimality; system representations with an emphasis on state-space representations and
canonical forms; stability; the interconnection of linear systems including feedback; frequency domain analysis
and the relationship with filter theory, Fourier analysis, and time series analysis.
To demonstrate the applicability of the techniques and concepts, many examples from science and engineering
are mentioned and briefly discussed.
Literature
 Lecture notes, electronically provided
Recommended background literature:
 R.J. Vaccaro, Digital Control. A State-Space Approach, McGraw-Hill International Editions, 1995. ISBN: 0-
07-066781-0.
 D.W. Jordan and P. Smith, Nonlinear Ordinary Differential Equations, 2nd ed., (Oxford Applied
Mathematics and Computing Science Series), Clarendon Press, 1987.
Instructional format
Lectures and exercises in a mixed and interactive way.
Examination
A written midterm and a written final exam with open questions. The midterm and the final exam both contribute
equally to the final grade. Optionally, one may take a final exam on all of the course material, in which case the
final grade will be composed of 20% of the midterm exam result and 80% of the final exam result. This option is
only available to those who participated in the midterm exam.

81
SCI3007 Endocrinology
Course coordinator
Dr. A. Gilde, Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Physiology,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Sciences No
Prerequisites
SCI2009 Human Physiology.
Objective
 To obtain insight into the endocrine system of the human body by studying illnesses that disturb this
homeostatic control mechanism.
Description of the course
The discipline Physiology deals with the explanation of the biological, physical and chemical factors that are
responsible for the origin, development, and progression of life. The first course on Human Physiology – which
is compulsory for this course - focused on the specific characteristics and mechanisms of the normal
homeostasis in the human body.
In this follow-up course disturbances in physiological function (homeostasis) resulting in disease will be studied
and used to deepen the knowledge on human endocrinology. These disturbances will be studied through the
presentation of patient cases exemplified by; hypertension, renal failure, infertility, steroid abuse, diabetes and
starvation. Attention will also be paid to the treatment of these diseases.
Literature
 Multiple sources provided by UM/UCM libraries including textbooks on:
Physiology, Biochemistry, Physics, Pathology, Internal Medicine, etc.
The use of the on-line library Access Medicine (access provided by UB).
Instructional format
Team-based learning meetings (assignments as a duo with concomitant presentations) and lectures.
Examination
Weekly oral presentations on patho-physiological assignments and a written final-exam.

82
SCI3046 Cognitive Neuroscience
Course coordinator
Dr. I. Leunissen, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Sciences & Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
SCI2034 Brain and Action and elementary knowledge of electricity and magnetism as stated under SCI-P(p. vi-
viii).
Recommended
SCI1009 Introduction to Biology or SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology or SSC2025 Memory.
Objectives
 To give an introduction into the field of cognitive neuroscience.
 To learn which methods a brain researcher can use to investigate the neuronal bases of different
mental processes.
Description of the course
Cognitive neuroscience is a research field that originally emerged from a combination of traditional sciences
such as philosophy, psychology, medicine and biology that all investigate the principles of perception, behaviour
and cognition from different perspectives.
As technical developments of different methods and tools in the field of cognitive neuroscience came
forth, and as theoretical application of different mathematical and computer science-based models were used
to explain neuronal functioning, additional disciplines, such as physics, mathematics, bioengineering and
computer science materialized as an important part of this research field.
Subsequently, an effective research project in cognitive neuroscience requires an interdisciplinary
cooperation, in which each scientific discipline contributes its respective genuine theories, models, techniques
and tools for the mutual investigation of the neuronal principles of perception, attention, and cognition.
But can we really watch the brain at work? Are there ways to identify where exactly, and when exactly
activation in the brain is necessary to perform a specific mental process? This course will help to give some
answers on the basic principles of brain research and it will show relevant applications of these techniques in
different areas of cognitive psychology.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures. The course also includes two excursions to the brain imaging centre in
Maastricht for some hands-on experience.
Examination
A group presentation and a final exam. The exam will consist of several open questions.

83
SCI3049 Pathobiology and Disease
Course coordinator
Dr. B. Schutte, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Genetics & Cell Biology,
[email protected]
Dr. K. Wouters, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine,
[email protected] (corresponding coordinator)

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Sciences No
Prerequisites
SCI2037 Cell Biology and SCI2031 Immunology.
Recommended
SCI2040 Microbiology, SCI2009 Human Physiology, SKI2088 Lab Skills: Genetics, SKI2077 Lab Skills: Molecular
Cell Biology and Genetics.
Objectives
 To gain more insight in the field of pathobiology. particularly in immunological and oncological diseases
 To increase appreciation and knowledge of healthy living.
 To provide students with a good basic knowledge required to enter master courses in life sciences.
Description of the course
In this course students will have an opportunity to learn how modern medicine has benefitted from our
knowledge in the fields of (molecular) cell biology and immunology. Pathobiology is the field that deals with
disturbance of normal physiological processes and the consequences of it for adequate functioning of our
human body. Our challenge has been to arrange a program that offers insight in the nature, the causes and
processes of disease.
The emphasis in this course is on diseases of the immune system and oncology. In this respect, this
course builds on the knowledge obtained in the UCM course ‘Immunology’ and ‘Cell Biology’. It is our hope that
the acquired knowledge will furthermore enable you to better understand and appreciate the newest
developments in treatment of these diseases.
The program comprises PBL tasks, workshops and assignments. PBL tasks will be presented to you in
the form of tutorial group meetings and topic-related lectures. The tasks deal with 1) examples of diseases
caused by unwanted reactions of the immune system, e.g. chronic inflammation and autoimmunity, and 2) with
oncological diseases in which cells have gone astray, circumvent the body’s defence mechanisms and give rise
to cancer.
Workshops will address immunology- and oncology-related research highlights related to diagnostic,
preventive and (immuno)therapeutic developments in immunological and oncological diseases.
Assignments consist of writing an essay and giving a presentation on a block-related subject for
discussion and deepening in the tutorial group meeting.
Recommended Literature
 Abbas, Lichtmann and Pillai. Cellular and Molecular Immunology, 8th edition, 2014.
 Alberts et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 6th edition, 2015.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, work-shops and lectures.
Examination
A final test, an essay and presentation.

84
SCI3050 Advances in Biomedical Sciences
Course coordinators
Dr. P. Wieringa, MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Sciences No
Prerequisites
At least one of: SCI2017 Organic Chemistry, SCI2037 Cell Biology. Highly motivated students with a different
background should speak to the course coordinators.
Objectives
 To gain insight into frontier topics of the biomedical sciences, with first-hand accounts of successes,
problems, and a forecast for the future.
 To apply knowledge from the natural sciences towards problems in society.
 To give an accurate account of the work and thought process of academic researchers.
 To learn to critically read scientific news and perform basic literature research.
 To learn how to ask questions of a scientist and report others research to a wider audience.
 To gain familiarity with cutting edge research within the MERLN and M4I institutes.
 To access new labs and research lines starting with young Assistant Professors within UM.
Description of the course
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to recent breakthroughs in the physical and biological
sciences that are now being explored for biomedical applications. The topics will come directly from the
research expertise of the lecturers, all of whom are young principal investigators in the new research institutes
at the UM: MERLN and M4I. The course will cover a broad range of topics, including nanomaterials for
regenerative medicine, supramolecular biomaterials, big data and computer learning, electron microscopy,
imaging and diagnostic mass spectrometry, and structural biology of tuberculosis. Each of these fields has the
potential to address some of society’s greatest challenges, including the health and vitality of our ageing
population, and this will be discussed in both the lectures and the tasks. Students will gain firsthand experience
of scientific research taking place at the UM and will have the opportunity to visit research laboratories as part
of a demonstration of some of the topics discussed in the lectures. Students will experience unrestricted access
for a firsthand account of a new generation of research lines with a new generation of labs.

In addition to a final content-based oral exam, there will be two papers for evaluation. For their midterm,
students will choose a recent discovery reported in the press and investigate the scientific claims and integrity
of the reporting. In the final paper, the student acts as the reporter, and will write an opinion piece on a topic of
research in either MERLN or M4I; this report will be informed by an interview with one of the lecturers.

This course is designed for top students with a concentration in the sciences who wish to advance their learning
to the next level, beyond textbooks. Students will benefit from close contact with young scientists from diverse
fields and will be expected to read scientific literature to enhance their learning. Skills learned within this course
will be highly applicable for more advanced degrees (Master’s, PhD) within the sciences, and within the
competitive job market.
Literature
Selected scientific papers.
Instructional format
Lectures, tutorial group meetings, interview, lab/institute visit.
Examination
A midterm paper, final paper and final oral exam.

85
SCI3051 Data Analytics
Course coordinator
M. Peeters, School of Business and Economics, Quantitative Economics
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Sciences & Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SCI2033 Data Mining.
Recommended
SSC2061 Statistics 1.
Objective
 This course aims at getting hands-on experience in analyzing managerial decision processes, based on
available data, and using quantitative techniques for decision making
Description of the course
This course treats the theory and practice of Business Analytics. Tools for the analysis of data are discussed, as
well as methods for discovering knowledge from information and using this knowledge for intelligent decision
making.
The course consists of applying up-to-date data analytics techniques on real-life cases. These techniques will be
implemented with modern software tools (Tableau and Knime). We study how (and how not) to extract
information from large data bases with standard techniques from data mining and how to interpret the results.
The cases are selected from business practices based on current topical developments of the various disciplines
involved with data oriented decision making: financial, marketing, supply chain management etcetera. These
cases will be introduced by the selected companies. Some companies involved in previous years are: VISA
(London), Proctor & Gamble (Brussels), and Smurfit-Kappa (Roermond).
Literature
 Data Science for Business, What You Need to Know about Data Mining and Data-Analytic Thinking,
by Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett, O’Reilly Media 2013. ISBN 978-1-4493-6132-7, EBook ISBN 978-1-
4493-6131-0 (not compulsory).
 Other materials, i.e. slides, selected scientific papers and data, will be made available through Student
Portal.
Recommended:
 Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic (2015). Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business
Professionals. Wiley. ISBN-10: 1119002257, ISBN-13: 978-1119002253
Instructional format
Lectures and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Papers and Participation.

86
Social Sciences (SSC)

87
SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology
Course coordinator
Dr. A. H. van der Lugt, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 1/4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To engage students in scientific inquiry about psychological processes.
 To introduce students to the various subfields of psychology as an academic discipline.
 To gain a basic understanding of the methods of psychological research.
Description of the course
Psychology is all around us. Psychology permeates our everyday lives. It is therefore not surprising that the
science of psychology has received great interest from behavioral scientists and the general public alike. We are
all amateur psychologists. We all want to know what makes us and other people tick! However, our common
sense understanding of how people think, feel and act is often misguided. The self-referential nature of
psychology has caused some people to believe that psychology is not a science at all! This course will show you
that psychology is a science, and that it encompasses the collaborative efforts of scientists from many different
disciplines. Psychology is the study of behaviour and mental processes, and as psychologists we aim to describe,
understand, predict, and sometimes change behaviour. Psychologists study human behaviour and mental life
from different perspectives (i.e. biological, individual and social) and at different levels of analysis (from genes
and the brain up to the social and cultural level). We will consider what these different approaches have to offer
in our quest for an understanding of the human mind, the brain, and behaviour. Along the way, scientific
methods of psychological research will be introduced by addressing some of the main questions that drive
contemporary psychology: How do we experience fear or happiness? How do we (think we) see the world
around us? How do we learn, remember and forget things? Where should we draw the line between normal
and abnormal behaviour? How social are humans? When do people harm or help others?
Literature
 Gray, P. & Bjorklund, D.F. (2014), Psychology (7th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Observational research practical, tutorial meetings and lectures.
Examination
Small research report, presentation and written exam.

88
SSC1007 Introduction to Law and legal Reasoning
Course coordinator
Dr. G. Arosemena, Faculty of Law, Human Rights,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 1/4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To introduce students to the basic areas of law (contracts, property, torts, criminal law, international
law etc.).
 To familiarize students with the methods of legal reasoning.
 To illustrate to students how law arises in response to social problem and how it is different from other
domains such as politics and morality.
Description of the course
This course aims to introduce students to the general content of modern law and to the discipline
of legal reasoning. These two go together. Law cannot be fully understood in abstraction of the particular way
that lawyers, judges and other expert operators of the legal system look at it. Coming out of the course,
students should be able to understand what law is and how it is different from (and similar to) morality, identify
the main branches of Law and their basic institutions, recognize and differentiate the principal values
underlying those branches and understand the nature of legal reasoning and be able to apply it to legal
problems.
It is often assumed that to study law means essentially to study the law of a particular jurisdiction. A
Dutch lawyer studies Dutch law and a German lawyer studies German law, and there is little that they share
beyond the name of their chosen profession. This picture is misleading. Despite the fact that every country
establishes its own legal system, there is much less diversity in law than what one would imagine. A key theme
of this course is that law arises naturally as a solution to various social problems and, to the extent that human
societies face the same problems, similar responses appear almost everywhere. Even though details may vary,
contract, property, inheritance, marriage, constitutions and crimes exist in almost all modern societies. Instead
of focusing on specific sets of rules like the Dutch Civil Code, or the French Criminal Code, this course focuses on
these widely shared problems and widely shared institutional responses.
With regards to legal reasoning, the course asks students to create a tax, which will help them
understand how law can be used as a policy tool for regulatory and redistributive purposes. In this connection,
the course will also include a “workshop” where students will be asked to go through a high profile judgment
and identify the logical moves taken by a court to justify its decision.
Literature
 Jaap Hage & Bram Akkermans, Introduction to Law (Heidelberg: Springer 2017).
 Additional material on legal reasoning provided by the instructor.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and weekly lectures.
Examination
Written exam plus assignment.

89
SSC1009 Introduction to European Integration
Course coordinator
Dr. D. Fromage, Faculty of Law, International and European Law,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences Yes
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To examine the development in European integration processes during the 20th century.
 To examine the way the European Union operates in the 21st century as well as to discuss the problems
and challenges it currently faces.
Description of the course
This course analyses critically the evolution of the European integration process from the late 1940s until today.
It first seeks to explain and rationalize the birth of the European Communities in the 1950s, their slow
development in the 1960s and 1970s as well as the revival of the integration process from the mid 1980s. After
having taken a close look at European integration in the East during the Cold war, the course covers a
chronological and detailed analysis of the Treaties of Maastricht, Amsterdam and Nice, the death of the
notorious European Constitution and the final adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon. It also provides space for the
analysis of current developments, such as Brexit or the Rule of law crisis, as they are unfolding. The course will
enable students to develop their own views on whether the European Union as it currently exists can be
labelled as a success or not, and to assess the numerous critical views expressed in the media on the future
development and direction of the European integration process.
Literature
 I. Bache, S. Bulmer, S. George, O. Parker, Politics in the European Union, Oxford University Press, 2014.
 Reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A written exam and a research paper.

90
SSC1025 Introduction to Political Science
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. R. Haar, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences Yes
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To introduce students to the concepts, ideas and theoretical underpinnings which constitute the study
of government and politics.
 To outline the scope of political science and its central themes.
 To provide the intellectual skills necessary for coming to informed judgments about political issues.
Description of the course
This course will be an introduction to a field of study that is often subdivided into five or more
disciplines. The subdivision list includes International Relations, Comparative Government, Political
Theory/Philosophy, Public Policy/Public Administration and finally a state-centric discipline which depends on
your country of origin (i.e. American Politics or Dutch Politics to name two).
The course will start with a simple examination of the meaning of the world “politics.” How much of
politics is really about solving distribution problems? In other words, a limited amount of resources in society
must be distributed in some equitable manner. After this initial discussion, the course will move to consider the
central themes of Macro politics, with particular emphasis on the classification of political systems, political
ideology and political authority.
Themes in Micro politics are addressed in the second half of the course. Micro politics refers to the
study of how individuals “fit” into their political system. Micro political topics will include political socialization,
political groups, elections, voting, political parties, party systems and political leadership. The course ends with
a look at system performance and how to bring about change in political systems when performance is
wanting.
To help students understand and relate to the political realm in which they exist, each student is
required to embark on an individual research paper about their country of origin. It is hoped that this
assignment will not only allow students to apply concepts learned in the course but also prompt them to
expand their knowledge of how to use resource materials available via the library.
Literature
 Heywood, A. (2019). Politics, 5th edition. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave.
 E-readers.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A final exam (consisting of multiple choice questions, true and false questions and essay questions), a
constructive learning assignment (creating your own exam questions) and a research paper.

91
SSC1027 Principles of Economics
Course coordinator
Stefan Terstiege, School of Business and Economics, Department of Microeconomics and Public Economics,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 2/5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
Standard high school knowledge of basic mathematical concepts such as solving equations, reading and working
with graphs, and manipulating inequalities is expected. Students who lack this knowledge are advised to take
SCI1010 (Basic Mathematical Tools) first.
In economics, no prior knowledge is assumed.
Objective
 Get acquainted with basic ideas and concepts to understand economic debates and be prepared for
possible further economics courses.
Description of the course
According to a classic definition, economics is the study of the use of scarce resources that have alternative
uses. This course introduces basic economic ideas and concepts. In the lectures, we first study markets, the
most common allocation mechanism for scarce resources of any kind in many economies. We analyze
behaviour on markets, outcomes of markets, and different market forms. Here, we also introduce game theory
to study situations with strategic interaction (e.g., oligopolistic competition). We then turn to the idea of
comparative advantage as an explanation of trade patterns. While the first part of the course mainly covers
microeconomic topics, the second part is devoted to macroeconomics. Here, we first consider macroeconomic
indicators (e.g., GDP) and then study economic fluctuations (e.g., the Great Recession of 2007–2009) as well as
economic policy. Further topics (e.g., the monetary system) will be covered in the tutorials. Through
presentations and special debates (e.g., on Behavioral Economics), the tutorials give the opportunity to apply
and reflect on some of the contents of the course.
The course provides a foundation for many other economics courses at UCM. It is a strict or recommended
prerequisite for courses such as SSC2020 (The Economics of Information), SSC2038 (International
Macroeconomics/SSC2007 Intermediate Macroeconomics), SSC2043 (Development Economics), or SSC2048
(Intermediate Microeconomics).
Literature
 Acemoglu, D., D. Laibson, and J.A. List, Economics, global edition. Pearson.
The edition will be stated in the course manual.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Written final exam, presentation, special discussion session, participation.

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SSC1029 Sociological Perspectives
Course coordinator
Dr. K. Heidemann, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
None. Please note that this course is specifically designed and intended for freshmen.
Objective
 To become conversant in the foundations of sociological thought and theory.
 To gain understanding of the primary areas and topics of sociological analysis.
 To be able to apply sociological concepts and theories to the study of pertinent social problems.
 To reflect on the relevance and utility of sociology in the ‘everyday’ world and public policy-making.
Description of the course
This course offers an introduction to the social scientific discipline of sociology. The course focuses on various
foundational areas of sociological research and theorizing in order to explore how sociologists approach the
study of various social processes, practices and problems. Some key questions explored include: What is
Society? How are individuals shaped by society? To what extent can and do individuals shape society? How
have different societies developed historically? How do societies distribute wealth, income and other
resources? How do societies establish particular kinds of political authority and power relations? How are
cultural identities, values and beliefs reproduced over time? What are the sources of conflict, consensus and
change in society? Working from a global comparative perspective, the course will introduce students to
different strands of sociological theorizing, the distinctive levels of sociological analysis, and some of the most
central areas of sociological investigation, such as class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, culture, media,
education, marriage, work and globalization. Periodic attention will be given to applying the sociological lens to
the analysis of pressing social issues and problems in the contemporary world, such as inequality and violence .
Literature
 Sociology: A Global Perspective (9th Edition) by Joan Ferrante.
 Selection of E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
One short essay, a group presentation and a final exam.

93
SSC1030 Introduction to Business Administration
Course coordinator
Dr. P. Bollen, School of Business and Economics, Organization and Strategy,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Objective
 To introduce students to topics in business administration. In addition, the course prepares students
for courses in marketing, organization, finance, strategy, supply chain management and accounting.
Description of the course
Business administration studies economic problems within the firm and relates to problems in the fields of
marketing and logistics, finance, accounting and information management and organization and strategy.
Business administration aims to provide an integrated view of all the various (sub) disciplines. This course
introduces students in the various topics that are related to business administration so that students have basic
knowledge for the more specialized courses in marketing, organization, finance, strategy, supply chain
management and accounting. The course will be centered around a real-life management simulation: Market
Place live.
Literature
 E-reader.
 Course material on Market Place live (for which you must purchase an individual licence).
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, team work and lectures.
Examination
A midterm test, tutorial group participation, participation and ranking in market place live management
simulation.

94
SSC2002 International Relations: Themes and Theories
Course coordinators
B. Erdogan (MA), Faculty of Law, International and European Law,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 1/5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
COR1003 Contemporary World History or SSSC1025 Introduction to Political Science or COR1002 Philosophy of
Science.
Students who already took SSC1006 Introduction to International Relations cannot take this course.
Objectives
 To provide students with an in-depth understanding of the main theories and critical approaches in
International Relations.
 To analyse foundational concepts of international politics, such as system, states and security.
 To discuss many key historical and contemporary issues, tranformations, actors and events in
International Relations.
Description of the course
Please note that this course used to be titled the SSC1006 Introduction to International Relations. Some
content and literature of the course and its assessments have been modified to meet the requirements of a 2000-
level course.
The first part of the course discusses several mainstream International Relations (IR) theories and issues
including neoliberalism, neorealism and debates about the liberal world system. Moreoever the problematics of
soft versus hard power, absolute versus relative gain, cooperating versus cheating, war versus peace will be
discussed. In this part, we will not go through the world history, contemporary history, main international
institutions or the history of nation-states. We will immediately start studying contemporary IR.
The second part of the course covers less mainstream approaches, some ‘new’ theories and some
neglected issues about the ‘other’ side of world politics. In this part normative and ideational structures,
environmental issues, problems of the developing world, gendered-biases, economic inequalities, the
construction of partial knowledge, the legitimization of power politics, the representation of images,
establishment of stereotypes and the reproduction of hegemony will be studied critically. Moreover, new IR
approaches like Queer theory and Asian IR approaches will be discussed. In this part, we aim at asking important
questions and try to find reflective answers about the role of power and hegemony, how to make IR more green,
how to de-colonialise knowledge about the world, how to make IR and politics more gender-sensitive.
It is important that students become aware of the theoretical richness of the discipline, and that there
is not a single ‘right’ way to answer questions about what is happening around us in the world. Students are
given a chance to dicuss and to apply those theories to different and more specific cases and issues. For this
reason, this course is an opportunity to learn and apply international relations theories, concepts and models to
the daily news and real time developments in the world. Case studies or specific issues are provided by the
course literature. Thus, the course is based on active student participation.
Literature
 E-readers and several other visual, audio or written material.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Midterm assignment will be in the form of a take-home exam or short essays. Midterm will cover the first half
of the course. Final will be a reflective and analytical paper or take-home exam. Students wiil be also be graded
by their class participation.

95
SSC2004 Clinical Psychology
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Heins, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
One of the 1000 or 2000 level psychology courses offered at UCM.
Objectives
 To make students familiar with the most common psychiatric disorders; their clinical pictures,
diagnostic criteria, the etiological theories and the empirical findings that either support or refute the
theories, current ways of treatment, and the effectiveness of the therapies.
 To give students a basic idea of what clinical interviews are and what it feels like to ‘have’ a psychiatric
disorder by writing a patient role and playing that role.
 To learn basic clinical interview techniques.
Description of the course
The course Clinical Psychology is concerned with mental disorders. It is aimed at understanding mental
and behavioural distress and/ or dysfunction and thereby learning about how to promote subjective well-being
and personal adaptation. On the basis of case descriptions, important clinical pictures of a.o. different anxiety
disorders, eating disorders, addictions, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, and personality disorders are
examined.
Questions that are raised continually during the course are: What is the clinical picture of…? Where is
the boundary between no need for care and need for care? What causes such a disorder? And what can be
done about the disorder? At the end it will be clear that there is a gap between theory and practice, between
scientific thinking and clinical treatment. A number of different theoretical schools will also be examined, and
these schools explain/treat psychiatric disorders in keeping with their favorite theory. The choice of
theory/treatment in most cases is thus based on ideology and not empirical findings, and the question is
whether this situation is so desirable.
Literature
 Various textbooks on clinical psychology (can be found in UM library and UCM Reading Room).
 E-readers.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures, clinical interviews and role-playing by students.
Examination
A final exam with a minimum of 6 open questions and a written patient role, a letter of patient referral, and
interview report.

96
SSC2006 Developmental Psychology
Course coordinator
E. Persoon, Center for European Studies (in cooperation with the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience)
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology.
Objectives
 To teach students what kind of changes underlie psychological development.
 To teach students how children develop psychologically in perception, cognition, language/arithmetic,
personality and emotions from infancy to adolescence.
 To teach students about developmental disorders such as autism and ADHD.
 To provide students with knowledge on elementary biological processes that underlie psychological
development.
 To provide students with knowledge about the learning processes that children have at their disposal
such as habituation and social learning.
Description of the course
The development of and changes in psychological functions from birth through adolescence are the topic of this
course. These changes will be illustrated with many empirical findings and explained by some theoretical
models. Such influential older theories as that of Piaget will be compared to more recent information
processing models of development and evolutionary perspectives. How does a child reason? How does a child
becomes faster and better in learning? How does a child succeed in developing from almost nothing into an
adult? How do children learn to perceive and to think (the so-called cognitive development) ?
In addition to these questions, attention will be paid to aritmetic development. The social-emotional
basis for later development will also be explored. It concerns the attachment relations to mothers and fathers.
How do infants form attachments? Is attachment important? Do our early attachments influence our later
emotional development? Other social-emotional topics are temperament and aggression. Not every
development ends in a “normal” child. The course will address differences in development too, such as
disorders as autism and ADHD. When is an active young boy normal and when do we say that he has ADHD?
Literature
 To be announced.
 Selected chapters and journal papers.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
There is a midterm and final examination consisting of a combination of multiple choice and written essay
questions.

97
SSC2007 Intermediate Macroeconomics
Course coordinator
Dr. L. Lieb, School Business and Economics
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1027 Principles of Economics. Knowledge of basic mathematical concepts such as solving equations, reading
and working with graphs is a prerequisite, as well as the knowledge of general macroeconomic indicators and
concepts.
Objective
 Introduce students to an intermediate level of macroeconomics by linking theory, data, and current
policy debates.
 Provide students with theory-based arguments required to understand relevant macroeconomic issues
in academic and policy discourse.
Description of the course
In this course we discuss how national income, employment, and prices are determined. We study long-run
economic growth as well as short-run fluctuations in economic activity, unemployment, and inflation. We then
analyse tools of fiscal and monetary policies. Throughout this course economic data is tightly woven into the
discussion of economic theory.
By the end of this course we are able to critically assess and contribute to discussions on current economic
issues and give an educated assessment on economic commentary, analyses, or policy proposals (for example in
publications such as the The Wall Street Journal or The Economist).
Literature
 Olivier Blanchard, Macroeconomics, Pearson, 7th (global) edition
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Participation, a project including presentations and a report, and a final written exam.

98
SSC2008 Organization Theory
Course coordinator
S. Zaar, School of Business and Economics, Department of Organization, Strategy and Entrepreneurship
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 Provide insight and enhance knowledge about the impact of external environment on how an
organization is designed.
 Provide insight and enhance knowledge about various organization designs.
 Provide insight and enhance knowledge about the components of organizational structure and
organizational culture.
 Provide insight and enhance knowledge on the impact of leadership and learning processes on
organization design.
 Prepare for future practice in designing and managing organizational systems and learning processes.
 Develop discussion competence, constructive feedback seeking and feedback giving approaches, and
the capacity to critically analyse within topics and synthesize across topics.
 Develop the ability to professionally lead discussions and give impactful presentations.
Description of the course
This course is aimed at getting to know more about organizations, at gaining an understanding of
workplaces, and learning about how to enhance your relationships with the organizations that you encounter
throughout your life and career ahead. Organization Theory is a branch of social sciences that is particularly
interested in the why, how, and when multiple individuals join efforts to reach a common goal. It is a
multidisciplinary subject drawing from disciplines such as arts and humanities, educational sciences,
psychology, evolutionary biology, economics, and politics. These multiple lenses through which we view
organizations, makes Organization Theory a fascinating and relevant topic to explore and examine at any stage
of your study program. Main topics covered in this course are organization-environment relations,
organizational design types, organizational structure and culture, leadership development, organizational
learning, and managing organizational growth and decline.
Literature
 Academic journal articles, (business) press articles, case texts, etc.
Instructional format
Introductory lecture and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Case presentation, discussion leadership, group assignment.

99
SSC2009 Corporate Finance: Behavioural Foundations A Touch of Responsible
Investments and Behavioral Economics
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. R. Bauer, School of Business and Economics, Finance,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
Students should have taken one or more of the following three courses: SSC1027 Principles of economics,
SSC2022 Accounting and accountability or SSC2036 / SSC1030 Introduction to Business Administration.
Objectives
 You get a broad overview of the field of finance.
 You will be able to better understand financial articles in newspapers like the Financial Times, the Wall
Street Journal and the Economist.
 You will be able to apply your knowledge to understand basic financial information of the firm or
institutions you will work for.
 You deepen your knowledge on a specific financial topic of your choice on which you will work for your
project.
Description of the course
Today’s business environment is more complicated than ever. This is illustrated by the recent financial
crisis and its aftermath and emerging topics like climate change and corporate social responsibility increasingly
affecting corporate decision making. The field of corporate finance deals with the financing and investment
decisions made by the management of companies in the pursuit of shareholder wealth maximization and
dealing with the preferences of other stakeholders. This course gives a broad overview of important issues in
corporate finance and combines insights from (behavioral) economics and finance. The economic side of
corporate finance deals with the maximization of shareholder wealth. Managers aim at securing the greatest
possible return in exchange for accepting the smallest amount of risk. For instance, a company can finance itself
by borrowing money from banks, by issuing bonds or through issuing equity at the stock market. These types of
decisions influence the expected return and risk of the company.
Traditional economics assumes that managers and investors are rational, self-interested people.
However, there is a large body of evidence from social psychology and behavioral economics that people often
act irrationally and behave pro-socially by taking the social impact of (investment) decisions into account. This
course also shows how decision making biases managers and investors in their financial decisions and how
social preferences of shareholders and stakeholders impact corporate social responsibility. Investors in both
equity and debt claims of these companies have (heterogeneous) social preferences. Increasingly, large
institutional asset owners such as public pension funds exert pressure on the management of companies with
the purpose to increase the governance quality, and the environmental and social performance of their
investments.
The course is largely based on real-life cases that we discuss in an interactive manner during tutorial
groups. Students will debate on topics such as “What amount of risk should companies take?” and “Is it
important for firms to put corporate social responsibility high on their agenda?”.
Literature
 Berk, J. and P. DeMarzo, Corporate Finance - Pearson International Edition, Latest Edition, Pearson
Education, Inc.
 Scientific articles.
 Case Studies.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Written assignment, presentations and a final exam.

100
SSC2018 Advertising: Marketing Communications of Brands
Course coordinator
S. Nievelstein, School of Business and Economics, Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Recommended
SSC1027 Principles of Economics.
Objectives
 To give students an introduction to the communication of brands to consumers. On the one hand a
strong theoretical foundation will be built by studying the textbook chapters and journal articles (E-
reader). On the other hand, we will continuously translate this theory to practice, by means of short
articles from the business press (E-reader), brief student presentations, and one larger group project.
 Next to being instructive and interesting, this course can also be a lot of fun. We are confronted with
brands and advertising every single day, and it is challenging to explore the processes by which this is
done.
 To have an in depth understanding of the theories concerning branding, marketing communication and
consumer behavior, and of the implications of these theories for marketing management. Skills that
will be developed/ enhanced during this course are: presentation skills, teamwork skills, writing skills,
analytical skills, reflection skills and creativity skills.
Description of the course
This course covers foundations of brand management and marketing communications (including advertising).
The course will take a strong consumer-based focus, therefore the foundation of branding and advertising in
consumer behavior and consumer psychology theories will be discussed. We will discuss theory that is at the
foundation of branding and advertising and then apply it through team assignments on students’ chosen
brands.
The course consists of two parts:
 In the first part we will deal with brand management: In the brand management part the nature of brands
in consumers’ minds, the concept of brand equity and instruments to build and leverage brands will be
discussed.
 In the second part we will focus on integrated marketing communications. In the integrated marketing
communications part we will have a look at the concept of Integrated Marketing Communications, the
communication process and theories of consumer behavior and response.
Instructional format
This course consists of 13 tutorial group meetings. Most of the educational group meetings are structured
as follows:In the first hour we will critically reflect on and discuss the literature for that meeting.
We will explore the theoretical concepts discussed in the articles and chapters and make sure that
everyone understands the big picture.In the second hour, we will apply the studied literature to practice.
The tutorial groups will be divided into three or four teams, and each team will be responsible for a brand
during the whole course.
For most sessions there is a small team assignment to be prepared by each team about the specific brand
the team has chosen. In essence it means using “your” brand to give a practical example of the literature.
Furthermore there will be a mid-term assessment in the form of a paper of maximum 8 pages, in which you
will have to individually reflect on the brand management topic we discussed in the first part of the course. In
week 7 there will be a final assessment in the form of a team presentation (an integrated communications plan)
about your brand and a proposed brand extension. Students’ assignment is to reflect on the decision of
extending the brand into the proposed category, to decide what the brand extension should look like and to set
up a launch plan for the brand extension (an IMC plan).
Literature
 To be announced.

101
Examination
There is no final exam in this course. Examination consists of participation, the small team assignments that are
to be presented during the tutorial sessions, the mid-term individual paper and the final group assignment.

102
SSC2019 Social Psychology
Course coordinator
Dr. J. Alleva, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Clinical Psychological Science,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences Yes
Prerequisite
SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology.
Objective
 To provide an introduction to social psychology.
Description of the course
Social psychology is the scientific study of the ways in which people’s behaviour, thoughts, and feelings are
influenced by others. This course will cover the core themes from social psychology – such as attitudes and
attitude change, conformity, and aggression – and how they can be scientifically investigated. During the
course, students will also participate in a “Humans of Maastricht” project. In this project, students will make
contact with their self-perceived “out-group,” applying social psychological theories and concepts to their
experiences and reducing their own stereotypes and prejudice in the process.
Literature
Basic books:
 Hogg, M. A., & Vaughan, G. M. (2018). Social psychology (8th Ed). Harlow, UK: Pearson Education
Limited. ISBN: 978-1-292-09045-0
Additional readings:
 E-reader.
 Online materials (e.g., podcasts, TED Talks).
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, practical assignment (2 meetings), and lectures.
Examination
A test with multiple choice and open questions (during the last week of the course) and a written report and
presentation concerning the practical assignment.

103
SSC2020 The Economics of Information
Course coordinator
S. Terstiege, School of Business and Economics, Department of Microeconomics and Public Economics,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1027 Principles of Economics.
Objective
 Learn durable economic principles of markets for information goods; skills in analyzing such markets.
 Understand problems arising from lack or unequal distribution of information in economic situations;
skills in analyzing such problems.
Description of the course
This course studies markets for information goods and gives an introduction to the field information economics.
The term ‘information good’ is very broad and, in principle, includes everything that is or can be digitized, such
as software, databases, or music (as a consequence, trade often takes place via the Internet). These goods have
special characteristics; for example, they typically have a special cost structure with very high fixed costs but
negligible marginal costs. We study several issues arising from these characteristics, such as pricing of
information goods, rights management, and network effects.
Information economics is concerned with issues arising from lack or unequal distribution of information in
economic situations. Examples include job applications, where the applicant knows more about his abilities
than the employer, or insurance contracts, where the insurance company cannot observe the insuree’s effort in
preventing damages. We study the main issues in the field, in particular adverse selection and moral hazard.
Literature
 Perlof J.M, Microeconomics, Pearson. The edition will be announced in the course manual.
 Shapiro, C. and H.R. Varian (1998), Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy.
Harvard Business Review Press.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Participation, presentation, final exam.

104
SSC2022 Accounting and Accountability
Course coordinator
R. Kaenen , School of Business and Economics, Accounting and Information Management,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To give students the ability to apply basic bookkeeping (making journal entries and preparing basic
financial statements) and management accounting techniques (e.g. cost analysis, cost behavior).
 To provide an understanding of international accounting rules and principles.
 To provide an understanding of the basics of related fields like corporate governance, auditing and
management control.
Description of the course
Accounting is usually studied from a financial point of view. This conventional view sees accounting as
identifying, measuring and communicating financial information to enable informed judgments and decisions by
the users of information. From this financial perspective, accounting is mainly split into two complementary
fields: financial accounting and management accounting.
In financial accounting the external use of accounting information is discussed. The most important
outcome of the financial reporting process is the annual report, containing the firm’s financial statements.
During the course students will learn essential bookkeeping techniques, that is, how to make the necessary
journal entries and prepare basic financial statements. Furthermore, the underlying principles of financial
accounting rules will be studied.
In discussing the subject of management accounting, which has an internal focus (aimed at managers),
the course will concentrate on the value of management accounting information for the internal decision-
making process. In general, the purpose of management accounting is to facilitate (e.g., cost calculations) and
influence decision-making (e.g., performance evaluation).
This course is however not bound by this financial framework. It acknowledges that accounting is
gradually evolving from an entirely financially oriented discipline to one that also studies non-financial
information, including contemporary concepts such as corporate governance and corporate social
responsibility. As such, it discusses accounting within a broader framework, extending the notion of accounting
to a societal phenomenon.
A topic of special importance in accounting and accountability nowadays is corporate governance. In
essence, corporate governance deals with the relationships between a company’s management, its board of
directors, shareholders and other stakeholders. Specifically, the course will discuss some major important
accounting scandals and the role corporate governance played in these scandals.
Literature
 Bhimani, A., C.T. Horngren, S.M. Datar, G. Foster (2015). Management and Cost Accounting, Prentice-
Hall, 6th edition.
 Harrison, W.T., C.T. Horngren, C.W. Thomas & T. Suwardy (2014). Financial Accounting – International
Financial Reporting Standards, Pearson, 9th edition/global edition.
 Selected chapters from other text books.
 Research articles available via the Student Portal.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
The final grade consists of the following assessments: a group presentation, individual class participation, a
midterm exam and a final written exam, consisting of multiple choice and open questions.

105
SSC2024 International Law
Course coordinator
Dr. I. Westendorp, Faculty of Law, International and European Law,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences Yes
Prerequisite
SSC1007 Introduction to Law and Legal Reasoning or another law course;
SKI1008 Introduction to Academic Skills I; SKI1009 Introduction to Academic Skills II;
PRO1010 Introduction to Academic Communication: A Writing Project.
Recommended
SSC1006/SSC2002 International Relations: Themes and Theories.
Objective
Students who have taken this course have in-depth knowledge of the characteristics of international law in
comparison to national law systems and they will understand how the two systems complement each other. In
this context, students can analyze the domestic situation of a State as regards the way in which international
law has been implemented. They can identify situations of violations of international law and they are able to
determine which steps can be taken to solve conflicts in a peaceful way.
 In addition, students will have acquired legal skills. In general, they will be able to apply legal theory to
concrete cases. More in particular, they can find international legal sources, they are able to closely
read and analyze legal documents (especially case law), they can identify legal problems, and they are
able to use legal arguments in favour or against a certain legal position.
Description of the course
In particular since World War II international law has been subject to considerable change, both in scope and in
content. The number of State actors has grown as the result of the process of decolonization. A large number
of international organizations and institutions have emerged as subjects of international law, and also
individuals have international legal personality to some extent. Transnational corporations increasingly
constitute an important economic power factor in international relations. The need for international
cooperation became progressively evident in order to maintain international peace and security, to promote
economic and social development, to safeguard the environment and to uphold human dignity.
The course focuses on some of the more traditional issues of international law as well as on some new
developments. The topics are: the changing nature and enforceability of international law, subjects and sources
of international law including the law of treaties, recognition, territory, human rights, the law of the sea, State
responsibility, international environmental law, peaceful settlement of disputes, and the use of force.
One session will be in the form of a moot court on an international environmental law case for which
students will prepare by writing a (short) memorandum of pleading. Both the paper and the oral pleading are
part of the mid-term examination.
Literature
 Henriksen, Anders, International Law, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-19-882872-3
 Elementary International Law (Elementair Internationaal Recht), TMC Asser Press, 2019 ISBN: 978-90-
6704-358-8.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures and a moot court session.
Examination
Writing a memorandum of pleading and holding an oral pleading in a moot court setting.
A take-home exam consisting of a case with essay questions.

106
SSC2025 Memory
Course coordinator
A. Sambeth, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology; SCI2034 Brain and Action is strongly recommended.
Objectives
 To help students acquire knowledge of recent as well as classic theories in the field of memory
acquisition, consolidation and retrieval, for short- and long-term declarative memory.
 To provide knowledge of the principles of forgetting, reconstructive processes and false memories.
 To provide knowledge about the biological basis of memory acquisition, storage and retrieval.
 To familiarize students with relevant basic brain anatomy.
 To provide experience with common experimental designs in memory research.
Description of the course
In our everyday cognitive functions we rely heavily on multiple types of memory. This includes seemingly trivial
actions, such as remembering your grocery shopping list, to navigate through Maastricht, and to have a sense
of your own identity. How are memories formed and maintained in our mind and brain? Do we have multiple
memory systems, or just one memory mechanism from which the richness of memory is derived? What
happens if our memory fails us, when we forget or when we remember falsely? This course investigates the
behavioural (conditioning), cognitive (information processing), and neurobiological mechanisms of both
declarative and non-declarative memory. You will study how some memories are produced automatically by
your brain, such as in an operant conditioning paraidmg. We will also discuss a number of cognitive models
explaining how your explicit experiences are stored in memory. Finally, we will discuss synaptic and molecular
mechanisms of memory, such as long-term potentiation (LTP), the role of the hippocampus in memory
formation and retrieval, and the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms that may strengthen or weaken an
existing memory. These research topics rely on many decades of cognitive and neuroscientific research that has
been awarded with Nobel prizes several times (in 2000 to Prof. Kandel for synaptic plasticity and in 2014 to
Profs. O’Keefe and Moser/Moser for hippocampal place cells and navigation).
Throughout the course, we will discuss relevant methodological issues regarding memory research.
Importantly, please be aware that brain anatomy and function are an important part of this course; an interest
in and understanding of these fields at the level of Introduction to Psychology or higher is strongly
recommended. In addition to the tutorial meetings, students will complete a practical and paper assignment in
which memory performance of real subjects is assessed.
Literature
 To be announced.
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, practical meeting, and lectures. During the practical meeting, a number of memory
tests will be studied. Students are required to test several subjects (e.g. friends, family, fellow students) and
write a report on their findings.
Examination
Assessment will be based on a practical report and a final exam.

107
SSC2027 Law and Society
Course coordinator
Dr. Š. Imamović, Faculty of Law, Public Law,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC1029 Sociological Perspectives, SSC1007 Introduction to Law and Legal Reasoning, or SSC1003/SSC2065
Theories of Social Order.
Objectives
 To study law as a social phenomenon and discuss several theoretical approaches to law and society.
 To examine a variety of legal processes, such as conflict resolution, lawmaking, social control and
change, and to seek to understand how they function empirically.
 To examine and understand the interrelations between law (as an academic discipline) and other fields
of study.
Description of the course
Legal scholars generally focus their attention on the law as it appears in books. They look at formal
manifestations of the law, such as constitutions, statutes, legal rulings and court structures. While this is
certainly an important aspect of studying law, we would miss quite a lot if we limited our attention to the
formal structures of law, and ignored the larger society in which law functions. While law in action bears some
resemblance to law in books, law as a social phenomenon is often far more complex than is apparent from the
formal manifestations of law alone. This course looks at the law in action: it studies law as a social
phenomenon. Only when we understand how the major elements of a legal system function together in a
specific social context, can we really understand how law affects society and how society in turn shapes law.
The first part of the course will introduce the sociological study of law. We will give an overview of the
field, discuss several prominent theoretical approaches and examine various methods of researching socio-legal
questions. The second part of the course will examine several legal processes in detail, using the tools that were
developed in the first half of the course. In particular, we will look at the organization and making of law, law as
a means of social control, dispute resolution and law as a means of social change.
Literature
 Sutton, J.R. (2001) Law/Society: Origins, Interactions, and Change. Pine Forge Press, Thousand Oaks –
London (available as a full-access e-book through the University Library).
 A number of articles and book chapters, available (through databases to which UM is licensed) on
Student Portal.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A midterm exam which will consist of open-ended essay questions on the theories studied and how they can be
used to construct explanation and a research paper on a socio-legal topic.

108
SSC2028 Classical Sociology
Course coordinator
Dr. K. Heidemann, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
Either SSC1029 Sociological Perspecives, OR SSC1003/SSC2065 Theories of Social Order
Students must have completed the full cycle of Research Methods (SKI1004 + SKI1005) as this course requires
basic working knowledge of social scientific methodology.
Recommended
Students in their first year of study at UCM are recommended not to take this course.
Objectives
 To become conversant in the theoretical foundations of classical sociology.
 To evaluate and assess these theories in a constructive manner.
 To compare and contrast social theories in a critical fashion.
 To be able to apply these theories to the study of contemporary society.
 To understand the socio-historical context from which these theories emerged.
 To reflect on the relevance and utility of social theory more generally.
Description of the course
This course is part one of a sequence of courses tracing back through the historical development of sociological
theory. We will engage with the works of early theorists such as Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Max Weber, W.E.B
Dubois, Jane Addams and George Simmel. Some of the basic lines of inquiry we will pursue include: What were
the big questions driving the formation ‘classical sociology’? Are these questions still relevant today? What is
the basis of social order and structure? How and why do societies change? What are the causes and
consequences of conflict in society? What place does the individual hold in the study of society? Throughout
the course, we will read original materials accompanied some contemporary interpretations of the classics.
This is an essentail course for students interested in the foundations of sociology and the social sciences more
broadly.
Literature
 Understanding Classical Sociology (2003) Hughs, J. Sharrock, W. and Martin, P. [eds] Sage: London
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Problem analysis, Pesentation, and Final Exam or Paper.

109
SSC2037 Peace and Conflict Studies
Course coordinators
B. Erdogan (MA), Faculty of Law, International and European Law, International Relations,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
At least two 2000-level courses in Humanities or Social Sciences.
Recommended
Some background knowledge on important conflicts in history, on the current conflicts in the world, on
international relations theories and methods of social sciences are helpful in this course. SSC2002 International
Relations, SSC2024 International Law, COR1003 Contemporary World History, SSC3032 Atrocity Triangle,
SSC3040 Identities and HUM2003 Making Crucial Differences are recommended courses.
Objectives
The objectives of this course are to survey the theory and practice of violent conflict and its resolution. The course
will discuss some current issues in conflict studies related to the identity, community, belonging, human needs,
structural issues, greed and grievances, discourses of violence and conflict, possible causes of communal violence,
economic and environmental issues, third-party intervention, mediation, peace-building and reconciliation in the
different stages of preventing, containing and ending violent conflict, as well as to gain insight into basic elements
of peace and security studies, conflict management and international politics. Specifically objectives of the course
is:
 To discuss and learn what conflict and peace mean and why groups resort to violence;
 To discuss conflict types and trends in the contemporary world;
 To get familiar with conflict models and conflict studies, such as primordial, constructivist, discursive and
cultural approaches;
 To discuss ontological and epistemological issues regarding conflicts studies;
 To apply these models, concepts and theories to several conflicts;
 To understand the main techniques of peace-making and conflict resolution such as mediation, and the
efforts of International Organisations such as United Nations;
 To discuss peacekeeping and interventions in conflict resolution;
 To get introductory knowledge on ending conflicts and post-conflict reconstruction, peacebuilding and
reconciliation processes.
Description of the course
In this course, we will focus on contemporary conflict resolution. The course will cover many issues related to the
theories, causes and models of violent conflict in the first part, and then conflict resolution, including prevention
of conflicts, (issues of early warning and early action), halting ongoing violent conflict, the role and forms of
mediation, peacekeeping and how to end violent conflict, build peace and transform societies to reconcile their
differences in the second part.

Tutorials are enriched with case studies, interesting links, presentations and movies.
Literature
 Jolle Demmers, Theories of Violent Conflict: An Introduction, 2nd Edition, 2017
 Additional articles and book chapters.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures (Attendance is mandatory).
Examination
During the course, students can submit a midterm paper or make a class presentation and write a short paper
after the presentation. Final will be in the form of an extensive paper or a take-home exam. Depending on the
number of students, a simulation game can be organised about a conflict or a peace deal. Each assignment
will be analytical and will reflect the application of the relevant literature/theories. Different deadlines will be
applied to different assignments. Class participation will also be taken into account in the assessment.

110
SSC2039 History of Western Political Thought
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. T. Dekker, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences & Humanities No
Prerequisite
COR1004 Political Philosophy.
Recommended
HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy.
Objectives
 To provide students with a basic grasp of the evolution of political thought in the Western tradition.
 To teach students how to study historical works of philosophy.
 To identify how issues and questions in contemporary politics and contemporary political thought have
their roots in historical writings.
Description of the course
When considering modern political issues it is often instructive, and sometimes humbling, to realize that many
such issues have deep historical roots. For as long as human beings have been living together in societies,
questions concerning how these societies should be organized have been asked. The answers that historical
writers have given to these questions are still relevant today and still inform current political thinking. By
investigating the questions historical philosophers were grappling with and how they sought to answer them,
we may perceive more acutely the questions facing our societies and discover how we might answer those
questions.
We will study important texts by 8 seminal political thinkers in the Western political tradition , from
several periods in history: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Smith and Hegel. Our aim will
be to understand the particular problems they were seeking to solve and how or whether they did so. Although
the main texts we will use are historical, the methods we will use are analytic. We will also read several modern
texts, which take up themes from these historical texts. By applying the tools acquired in Political Philosophy
(COR1004) to these texts, we will be able to come to terms with them and apply historical insight to current
issues.
Literature
 Cahn, S. (2005/2011/2015). Political Philosophy. OUP, Oxford. (All editions are acceptable).
 Several pieces of modern secondary literature in an E-Reader available on Student Portal.
Instructional Format
Tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Two take-home exams with open-ended essay questions.

111
SSC2042 Rights of the Child
Course coordinator
C. Eggett, Faculty of Law, International and European Law,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1007 Introduction to Law and Legal Reasoning.
Objectives
 The course aims to enable students to become familiar with the content of international children’s
rights, and allow them to gain a critical understanding of both theoretical and practical challenges
facing the legal protection of children’s rights. The module will allow students to develop an
understanding of a child-centred approach when analysing policies, social practices, legislation, and
court decisions concerning children. This course is focused on the legal protection of the rights of the
child. As such, the main objective is for students to gain knowledge of the legal rules and their
operation, and to develop and refine their skills in understanding and applying these rules.
Description of the course
Central to this course is the international legal framework for the protection of children. In this course,
we will examine and assess the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the broader
framework of international human rights law relevant to children. While the focus is on legal rules, law does not
exist in a vacuum, and legal rules must be seen and evaluated in their broader context. Therefore, throughout
this course we will be critically assessing the law, and attempting to understand legal rules as part of the
broader societies that they seek to regulate, and in which they exist.
Literature
 There is no required text book and readings are – whenever possible – made available electronically.
Course structure
The course is structured in two main parts. Part I consists of the first six tutorials. This part examines
more general and basic concepts, including the nature of the rights in question, and broader issues on the legal
framework related to children’s rights. A considerable proportion of this time will focus on the basic principles
of the CRC. Part II consists of the final five tutorials. This part explores selected issues related to the rights of the
child, such as violence against children, children in international criminal law, and statelessness.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings supported by (guest) lectures.
Examination
Case/legiuslation commentary and final take-home exam.

112
SSC2043 Development Economics
Course coordinator
Prof. B. Verspagen, School of Business and Economics, Economics,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1027 Principles of Economics. Knowledge of basic quantitative concepts such as reading and working with
graphs and simple equations is also a prerequisite.
Objectives
 To provide participants with an overview of major economic concepts and policies in development
issues, such as economic growth and population dynamics, education, health, migration, institutions,
and environment.
 To deliver the skills needed to consider development problems and approach them in a rigorous and
critical way, using both economic theories and policy analysis.
Description of the course
The long-run economic development of countries, as well as inequality within countries are the major topics of
this course. The long-run growth part deals with topics such as basic growth theories, including institutions,
population, education, health, and migration. The inequality part relates to how the distribution of income,
access to education, health services, or infrastructure can be highly uneven and become a major obstacle for
economic development. Throuhout the course, policy implications and potential actions related to these topics
are taken into consideration and discussed.
Literature
 Perkins, Radelet, Lindauer, Block: Economic Development, 7th edition, Norton, 2013
 Other reading materials will be indicated during the course.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and student presentations.
Examination
The final grade will be based on class participation including presentation and a final examination.

113
SSC2046 Globalization and Inequality: Perspectives on Development
Course coordinator
Dr. W. Nauta, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Technology and Society Studies,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences & Humanities No
Prerequisites
Academic Skills Training or equivalent University-level writing skills preparation.
Objectives
 To understand and analyze development issues in the light of globalisation and inequality from several
disciplinary perspectives and recognise links between globalisation, inequality, poverty and
development.
 To understand theories, concepts and historical roots of global social, political and economic inequality
as well as understand contemporary issues in development and the developing world, in particular:
o Global agencies of development
o Democratisation, human rights and development
o Health and development
o Global migration and remittances
o Food security, natural resources and global crises
 To gain knowledge of the main global and international actors and networks in the field of
development, including their aim, impact and effectiveness.
 To analyze changes in 21st century geopolitical perspectives on development, such as the growing
impact of ‘emerging’ countries like China and ‘new’ South-South partnerships.
 To develop insight in the relations between the various global crises and recent development policies.
 To use the accumulated understanding and knowledge to envision future development scenarios.
Description of the course
This course critically examines structural issues of development through a lens of globalisation. Globalisation
refers to the increasing interdependence of markets, states and civil societies and the resulting effects on
people and their environment. By also focusing on inequality –that is, the structural differentiation among
actors in terms of access to means, opportunities and resources– issues of (re-)distribution are taken into
account as well. The course investigates inequalities and interdependencies on a global, international, national
and local level, while considering the role of public, private and civil society actors. Thus, it aims to understand
underlying development processes and unlock ongoing debates. The course focuses on the following themes:
globalisation and development; the Global Goals for Sustainable Development; history of inequality; agencies
of development; democratization, human rights and development; health and development; global migration
and remittances; and food security, natural resources and global crises.
Literature
 Hopper, P. (2018). Understanding development: 2nd edition fully revised and expanded. Cambridge:
Polity.
 Relevant academic articles, reports, book chapters and websites.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures, group work and presentations.
Examination
Group presentations, a group paper and a take-home exam.

114
SSC2048 Intermediate Microeconomics
Course coordinator
A, Mackenzie, School of Business and Economics, Economics,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC1027 Principles of Economics.
Recommended
SSC2061 Statistics I.

Students taking this course should be prepared to use and manipulate basic mathematical expressions. A good
knowledge of the analysis of common functions and their derivatives will be an asset for the course.
Objectives
 To introduce students to the basics of microeconomic theory.
 To acquire skills in applying its analytical tools to real-life economic problems.
Description of the course
Economics is the study of exchange and tradeoffs. Questions about what to buy, what to produce and how to
allocate time all involve tradeoffs between different alternatives, and economists develop models to better
understand the process by which individuals and firms make such decisions. With these models in hand,
economists can then develop criteria by which to judge the efficiency and effectiveness of market structures,
policies and institutions.
This course is a first introduction to microeconomics. It will present an overview of the basic models that
constitute the foundations of modern economics. We will build the theory of the consumer and the producer
from the bottom up to create models of market behavior. The goal is not to offer a complete description of the
world as it exists; rather, we will seek to simplify reality with the goal of providing a concise description of a broad
class of real-world circumstances.
As we progress we will touch on examples of theory in applied settings to highlight and discuss how
these models characterize much of the economic behavior we observe in the real world. After developing
models of the market as a whole, we’ll explore extensions of the theory to the strategic behavior of firms and
individuals. The theory of strategic behavior will then be used to analyze, among other things, competition
policy, environmental policy and political competiton between parties.
Literature
 Varian H. Intermediate Microeconomics. (9th ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
Instructional format
There will be two regular, weekly tutorial group meetings supplemented by a number of lectures. The first
lecture will introduce the course organization and content, and review the relevant mathematical background
necessary to follow the course.
Examination
Participation grade, writing asignment and a final exam.

115
SSC2050 Psychology and Law
Course coordinator
Dr. J. Schell-Leugers, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences Yes
Prerequisite
SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology.
Recommended
SSC1007 Introduction to Law and Legal Reasoning and/or an interest in Law.
Objectives
The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge about the application of psychology to the legal
system. By the end of the course, students should
 be able to identify current issues and controversies in the field of Psychology and Law;
 be able to describe methods and tools typically used in this field and experiments that have been
conducted;
 be able to list ethical dilemmas that occur when collecting data and running experiments with human
participants;
 be able to provide reasons why raising awareness about the problems that arise when psychology is
applied to law in practice are crucial;
 be able to describe and analyze cases by applying various tools and methods.
Description of the course
This course focuses on applications of psychology to the legal system. It will provide students with insights and
knowledge about typical themes within legal psychology. Such themes range from how reliable eyewitness
testimonies in court are to whether criminals have a brain dysfunction making them permanently dangerous to
society, to the role of experts in court. The role of psychologists within these themes is to ask questions that
have a direct relevance to the legal arena and to conduct research to address these questions.
Through working with cases, students will be familiarized with various issues in the field in this course,
for example police procedures, legal backgrounds, psychological experiments and the disputes that arise when
psychology is applied to the law. Moreover, several small exercises in class will give students the opportunity to
get a small taste of which tests and procedures are used by academics and professionals working in the field.
Drawing from areas of social, cognitive, developmental, clinical, and neuropsychology this course will
deal with questions such as: How dangerous are sex offenders? Are all criminals competent to stand trial? How
reliable are lie-detector tests? What is the role of expert witnesses in court? What are the dangers of bias in
expert testimonies?
Literature
 Book: Costanzo, M., & Krauss, D. (2012 or 2017). Forensic and legal psychology. Psychological science
applied to law. New York: Worth Publishers.
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and (guest) lectures.
Examination
Assessment is based on a written assignment and a final exam at the end of the course.

116
SSC2053 Public Health Policymaking
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. D. Ruwaard, MD, PhD, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To make students familiar with basic issues in public health.
 To make students familiar with basic issues in public policymaking.
 To make students familiar with basic issues in public policymaking on public health.
Description of the course
In this course about public health and public policymaking students will become familiar with several interesting
and interrelated topics.
First of all, this course will give insight in the meaning of health and public health, how (public) health
can be conceptualized, how (public) health can be measured according to indicators and which determinants
influence (public) health and what (future) challenges we face or will be facing in the area of (public) health.
Secondly, students will become familiar with the key concepts of public policymaking. In particular, the
course will address the policy cycle (problem recognition and definition, agenda building, policy formation, policy
implementation, policy evaluation and feedback) as well as the analytical guideline for health policy analysis
showing the interaction between the policy actors or stakeholders, the policy context and the policy process.
Finally, students will learn to combine the knowledge gained under the first and second objectives.
Concretely, they will learn to understand the implications of public health issues for public health policymaking.
How does public health policymaking work in reality under crisis circumstances, like the corona virus outbreak in
China? And how does public health policymaking work in reality under non-acute circumstances where a shift in
responsibility can be seen from government (central steering) to governance (decentral steering)? Special
attention will be paid to health inequalities in public health, the role of genomics in public health and the
importance of economic evaluation in public policymaking, raising ethical and solidarity issues.
The course is set up as a multidisciplinary course. There are contributions from political science, public
health, medical sociology, health economics, health ethics and public health genomics.
Literature
 Buse K, Mays N, Walt N. Making Health Policy (2nd edition). Berkshire: Open University Press, 2012.
Additional literature can be found for each assignment.
Instructional format
Lectures accompanied with associated tutorial group meetings.
Examination:
A presentation, a paper and a written test.

117
SSC2055 Entrepreneurship
Course coordinator
M. Carree, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht Centre for Entrepreneurship,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology or SSC1029 Sociological Perspectives or SSC1027 Principles of Economics or
a first year undergraduate business course.
Objectives
To provide an understanding of the how, where, when, whom and why of entrepreneurial initiative. However,
our ambitions go beyond helping you to learn, we also want you to feel (more) empowered to engage in the
entrepreneurial process itself:
 You are able to explain and illustrate the unique qualities of the entrepreneurial process.
 You are able to explain and illustrate the unique qualities of entrepreneurs.
 You are able to explain how entrepreneurial opportunities are discovered and created.
 You are able to explain how entrepreneurs select their opportunities.
 You are able to explain how entrepreneurs link value creation to value appropriation.
Description of the course
Not many will contest the societal impact of enterprising individuals and entrepreneurial ventures on our
economies. Entrepreneurs may start-up companies that challenge (and often replace) incumbents. In the
process, they create new jobs and apply competitive pressure on established firms. Entrepreneurs supposedly
have an important direct and indirect effect on driving innovation. Despite the heroic image of successful
entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship is much more about failure than about success. What motivates
entrepreneurial types to venture of on a path that will often result in failure?
In this course you will study factors that drive entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial process. We will
focus on new venture gestation: the initial stages of the process that may result in a new company to emerge.
Throughout the course you will explore how entrepreneurs not only rely on generic business management
principles, but also how they cope with the uncertainty, risk, scarcity of time, capital and other resources that is
inherent to all entrepreneurial venturing. Perhaps you will conclude that many entrepreneurs are in fact not
really good managers (good entrepreneurs will compensate for this by hiring better managers).
We start the course by exploring the process dynamics of entrepreneurial activity. We then will explore
the origins of entrepreneurial opportunity, review how entrepreneurs screen and develop the opportunities
that they discover, and you will unravel how entrepreneurs seek to appropriate the returns from their
enterprising behaviour.
This is not a “how-to” course, instead the course will introduce you to relevant scholarly insights that
provide (future) entrepreneurs, an evidence base for entrepreneurial action. Those students that are ready to
enact entrepreneurship may want to contact the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation that we provide
to enterprising students and alumni.
Literature
 Each student is to select and read a published biography of an entrepreneur.
 List of academic articles (1 compulsory and 1 chosen out of 5, per session).
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings. In the tutorial group meetings you explore the literature and you contribute by having
a case (one-pager) prepared. The biography project invites you to link your learning to the life history of an
entrepreneur. There is a group project.
Examination
Student evaluation will be based on 1) a take-home midterm test, consisting of open questions; 2) class
participation (including one-papers); 3) a group presentation on a regional entrepreneurship topic and 4) the
biography paper.

118
SSC2059 Social Movements
Course coordinator
Dr. K. Heidemann, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1029 Sociological Perspectives PLUS at least ONE of the following: SSC1025 Introduction to Political Science,
SSC1003/SSC2065 Theories of Social Order, SSC2019 Social Psychology, SSC2028 Classical Sociology, or SSC3038
Contemporary Sociological Theory.
Objectives
 To become conversant in the major questions driving social movement research.
 To become conversant in the key theories and concepts driving social movement research.
 To become conversant in the primary methods driving social movement research.
 To evaluate and assess social movement research in a critical and constructive manner.
 To design a case study and initiate an original empirical study of social movements.
 To reflect on the relevance and utility of studying social movements.
Description of the course
This course is designed to introduce students to the sociological study of social movements. An overview of the
field will be provided by identifying key concepts, theories and methods through examination of a variety of
case studies. Salient themes addressed will include: democracy, identity, globalization, civil rights,
environmentalism, gender, sexuality, class and ethnicity/race. While much attention will be placed on social
movements within Europe and North America, a global-comparative perspective will be periodically
emphasized. The over-arching goal of the course will be to reveal the ways in which social movements work to
both produce and resist social change. Some of the main questions addressed in the course will be: What is a
social movement? Why do people join social movements? How do movements gain/lose momentum? What is
the relationship between social movements and democracy? And, under what conditions do social movements
'succeed'?
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Final paper or take home, one reflective essay and one presentation.

119
SSC2060 Comparative Constitutional Law
Course coordinator
Dr. Hoai-Thu Nguyen, LL.M., Faculty of Law, Public Law,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC1007 Introduction to Law and Legal Reasoning or SSC1009 Introduction to European Integration or SSC1025
Introduction to Political Science.
Objectives
 To get students acquinted with the political and constitutional systems of a number of European
countries and the United States.
 To introduce students to the overarching concepts of constitutional law.
Description of the course
In this course, we study basic concepts of constitutional law. Particular attention is devoted to: the functioning
of a state, different systems of government and the concept and application of the principle of separation of
powers.
Furthermore, different electoral systems and different mechanisms governing the relations between
the executive and legislative branches of government will be discussed. The issues of federalism and
bicameralism will be analysed. Finally, the rules governing constitutional review will be discussed, together with
the issue of fundamental rights protection. These themes will be addressed with regard to the American,
German, French, British and Dutch legal systems.
Literature
 Heringa, A.W. (2016), Constitutions Compared - An Introduction to Comparative Constitutional Law.
(4th Ed.) Antwerp/Oxford: Intersentia.
 S. Hardt and A.W. Heringa, eds. (2014), Sources of Constitutional Law, Antwerp/Oxford: Intersentia.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures. Discussions in tutorial group meetings are based on problem scenarios
and tasks from the coursebook.
Examination
The final grade is based on the results of a mid-term exam consisting of a paper and a final written exam
comprising essay questions.

120
SSC2061 Statistics I
Course coordinator
Dr. D. Tempelaar, School of Business and Economics, Quantitative Economics,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 2/5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SCI1010 Basic Mathematical Tools. Students with substantial high school experience in Mathematics (For an
indication of the relevant topics, see SCI-M, p. vi-viii) can contact the coordinator to request a waiver.
Objectives
 To perform your own (first) research using quantitative techniques.
 To develop the abilities to read, understand and criticize scientific articles in the domain of your study
or work that use quantitative techniques.
 To gain experience in actively performing such a quantitative analysis yourself, making use of applets
provided through the internet.
Description of the course
The course Statistics I provides a general introduction to quantitative research methods commonly used in
social and life sciences. Emphasis is on methods of data collection and types of data, descriptive statistics,
regression modeling, discrete and continuous random variables, and inferential statistics: the construction of
confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, null and alternative hypotheses, p-values. The structure of the course
is based on a new paradigm in teaching statistics: that of a simulation and randomization based approach
(please see http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5Dnw46eC-0o for an intuitive
motivation). This instructional principle departs from the classical statistics curriculum of first covering
descriptive statistics, next discuss probability theory and models of random variables, continue with sampling
theory, to deal with inferential statistics only in the very end of the course. Randomization-based courses make
a drastical change, and start with inferential statistics from the very beginning. A crucial element in the new
approach are the applets you will find in the internet, and that allow you to simulate many samples from a
hypothesized population, or from a known population, in order to visually clarify statistical concepts.
Active learning is based on solving 5 or 6 statistical explorations from the text: four collaboratively, in
the two tutorial sessions, and 1 or 2 individually, at the end of the week. Next, an important role in this course is
for the student project. This project starts in the first weeks, with students working with surveys, and in doing
so, collecting data on student characteristics, such as metacognitive abilities and general study styles and
habits. In the Student project, you will perform a statistical analysis of your own data, and after collecting the
data of all students, you will develop a statistical model that explains students’ achievements in terms of
background variables and input factors.
Literature
 Introduction to Statistical Investigations, Preliminary Edition, by Nathan Tintle, Beth L. Chance, George
W. Cobb, Allan J. Rossman, Soma Roy, Todd Swanson, Jill VanderStoep (tentatively).
Instructional format
Besides the lectures, there are two weekly tutorial sessions. In these meetings, we will be working on statistical
explorations with the help of simulation applets, so the availability of a laptop is of great advantage.
Examination
Final exam, writing and providing peer feedback for six weekly explorations, and a final essay for the student
project.

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SSC2062 Foundations of Cognitive Psychology
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Capalbo, Faculty of Psychology and Neurosciences
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences & Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology or SCI2036 Artificial Intelligence.
Objectives
 To give students on overview of the study of the human mind as information processing machine over
time and to provide insight into the foundations of cognitive science.
 To make students familiar with the basic concepts used in theories on human information processing
and the experimental designs used in cognitive psychology.
 To provide an insight into the character of cognitive processes; various forms of perception, learning,
thinking, etc.
Description of the course
The mechanization of thought (i.e. regarding the human mind as an information processing machine not unlike
a computer) has always repelled and attracted psychologist and philosophers after the scientific revolution of
the 16th and 17th centuries. As a result, human thought wasn’t always the topic of psychology, especially at the
time of the rise of radical behaviorism in the early 20th century. Anything referring to mental processes was not
to be used in explanations of human behavior. However, with the inventions of machines that could think in
combination with the failure of behaviorism to account for even the simplest of human behavior, the mind was
back in psychology. And back with a vengeance. During the ’60 and ’70 of the 20th century information
processing theory became the leading paradigm in cognitive psychology. Information processing theory deals
with how people receive, store, integrate, retrieve, and use information.
The present course is concerned with theoretical and empirical perspectives on human cognition,
perception and the experimental methods to study cognition and perception. Eleven basic topics of cognitive
science/ psychology are discussed using a Problem Based Learning format. The topics studied in the course are
amongst others: The history of the study of the human mind as information processing machine, schema’s,
scripts, plans, and frames, knowledge representation, top down and bottom up processing, semantic networks
and spreading of activation, intelligence and individual differences, etc.

Literature
 E-reader available on Student Portal.
 Several chapters from basic cognitive psychology textbooks (There is not one single basic book that
covers all topics, hence the chapters of several books are available as an E-Reader or hardcopy at
UCM’s reading room and the UM library)
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A final essay and an exam.

122
SSC2063 The Psychology of Individual Differences: Personality and Intelligence
Course coordinator
P. Brüll, Faculty of Psychology and Neurosciences
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology.
Objective
 Gain insight into the two key subdivisions in the study of human individual differences: personality and
intelligence.
Description of the course
This course will provide you with knowledge on the most important scientific theories and empirical
findings on personality and intelligence. You will learn why and when a person behaves in a different way than
someone else and how personality impacts what will happen to us in our life. We will also discuss practical
applications of theory and research findings and learn to apply measurement techniques for assessing individual
differences.
You will learn about different theoretical conceptualizations and measurement approaches of
personality and intelligence. Based on the purpose of the assessment, different methods may prove more or
less useful. You will also discover different explanations for why people differ in their personality and their level
of intelligence. We will look at physiological, evolutionary-genetic as well as contextual explanations. Further,
you will take a closer look at the relationship between personality, intelligence and meaningful life events. What
personality traits are important for marital satisfaction and what characteristics make us become a criminal?
But also – how does becoming a parent or getting a new job change our personality? Lastly you will be
introduced to real life applications of knowledge on personality and intelligence. Specifically, we will discuss
how this knowledge is used in clinical settings (e.g., when having patients with a personality disorders) and in
organizational settings (e.g., for personnel selection purposes).
Literature
 Larsen, R. J., Buss, D. M., Wismeijer, A., & Song, J. (2017). Personality Psychology: Domains of
knowledge about human nature. Berkshire, UK: McGraw Hill Higher Education.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Presentation (30%) and Take-home exam (70%).

123
SSC2064 Migration Studies: Flows and Concepts
Course coordinator
K. Kuschminder, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance/UNU-Merit,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
None.
Recommended
SSC1025 Introduction to Political Science or SSC1006/SSC2002 International Relations: Themes and Theories.
Objectives
 To provide students with a basic overview of migration flows and concepts.
 To give insight into the complexity of human movement.
 To acquaint students with different cases and examples of the various global migration flows.
Description of the course
This course will examine the following concepts in contemporary migration studies: forced migration and
refugees; irregular and transit migration; integration and transnationalism; and return migration and
reintegration. The course will introduce students to both the complexities and challenges of migration and the
potential positive effects of migration. Throughout the course, multiple case studies will be examined to
highlight different migrant concepts and flows.
Literature
We will consult several journal articles in the reference list.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Participation, a mid-term assessment and a final assignment.

124
SSC2065 Theories of Social Order
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. M. Levels, School of Business and Economics, Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1029 Sociological Perspectives or SSC2028 Classical Sociology or COR1005 Theory Construction and
Modelling Techniques
Objectives
 To introduce students to the way classical and modern sociologists theorize about society and in
particular, to introduce students to a core theoretical issue in the social sciences: the problem of social
order.
 To develop skills in identifying and analyzing theoretical arguments.
 To understand how sociologists use different types of evidence to understand society.
 To apply abstract theories to new concrete empirical situations.
Description of the course
What binds us? What divides us? And how can we organise society so that we can all live together peacefully?
These questions seem to have a renewed urgency in many Western countries, where the traditional societal
order seems under attack in many different ways. In “Theories of Social Order”, we study the different types of
glue that hold societies together. For sociologists, the root of the problem of social order may be found in the
sometimes conflicting interests of individuals and those of groups (and societies), which these individuals
constitute. Whenever individual interest conflicts with group interest, social order is at risk. A solution to the
problem requires the reconciliation of individual and collective interests, but theorists have provided several
distinct solutions to this problem.

We will consider the five most prominent mechanisms to produce social order: individuals, hierarchies, markets,
groups and networks. Classical and foundational texts by important sociologists like Marx, Weber, and Durkheim
are combined with contemporary extensions and empirical applications on two themes that, in some form or
another, apply the arguments made by these earlier scholars. These themes are Ethnic Diversity & Migration and
Gender Inequality. The editorial introductions by Hechter & Horne provide the background for each of these texts
and link them to the central problem: how to understand social order. Throughout the course, not only are the
texts divided by the mechanisms and themes, but the texts are also built up over the course by the different
empirical sociological research phases: 1) problem analyses, 2) theory and 3) empirically testing. In doing so, the
strengths and weaknesses of the various theories are discussed, by relating them to contemporary events
whenever feasible and by scrutinize them by their evidence. In this way, students will improve their
understanding of the social world and will learn to apply the analytical tools to real-life phenomena.
Literature
 Hechter, M. & Horne, C. (2009). Theories of social order. A reader. 2nd edition. Stanford University
Press.
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Grading will be based on participation during the tutorials, an individual paper on a problem of social order and
a pitch of the individual paper in an oral presentation session.

125
SSC2070 Social Studies of Finance: The Making (and Taking) of Value in the
Financialization of Our Lives
Course coordinator
Dr. C. Rausch, University College Maastricht
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentrations Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences & Humanities No
Prerequisite
Either one of the following courses: SSC1007 Law and Legal Reasoning, SSC1025 Introduction to Political
Science, SSC1027 Principles of Economics, SSC1029 Sociological Perspectives, HUM1010 Common Foundations
of Law in Europe, HUM2046 Living in a Technological Culture: Introduction to Science and Technology Studies.
Objective
 To introduce histories and theories of money and finance
 To critically analyze practices of finance and financialization
 To relate social studies of finance to current issues
Description of the course
What is financial value, and what is the value of finance? In this course we will evaluate the global reach and local
impacts of our current financial system, including the financialization of more and more aspects of our everyday
lives like housing, education, work, medical care, retirement, and even art. From a variety of perspectives, we will
learn about the histories, practices and theories behind the crises-struck but seemingly inevitable rise of finance
into the 21st century.
The way we know about money and finance today is changing. In fact, a global economic crisis has
become a crisis of orthodox Economics. But, what exactly is a crisis, and who decides? In November 2008, only
weeks after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, Queen Elizabeth inaugurated a new building at the London School
of Economics. Referring to “the financial crisis”, she asked the professors: “Why did nobody notice it?” In a written
reply, the scholars explained that the reason “was principally a failure of the collective imagination of many bright
people, both in this country and internationally, to understand the risks to the system as a whole.” This course
introduces attempts to re-imagine our knowledge of money and finance by many “other” bright people, among
which anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, historians, philosophers, artists, and even some economists.
We will discuss contested notions of public and private ownership, debt and investment, speculation, risk and
uncertainty, as well as regulation and taxation. Instead of dealing with business cases, the course explores
different fields of finance ethnographically, providing glimpses of the worlds of central banking, corporate- and
shadow banking, private wealth management, and new digital financial technologies also known as “fintech”.
Based on these examples, we will consider the meanings of financial vocabularies (e.g. those of collateral and
leverage), as well as the legal codes of financial derivates (such as credit default swaps). We will analyze capitalist
ethics of growth and financial profitability, as well as the ideals and rhetoric of trust and transparency that often
clash with opaque realities of corruption and fraud. Projecting the dominant temporalities and politics of finance
against an urgent backdrop of global humanitarian and ecological crises, we will learn that price is not to be
equated with value(s). But how do the values of finance affect us today, and what are the prices we are willing to
pay for the failures of its imagined futures?
Literature
 Mader, P., Mertens, D, and N. van der Zwan (2019). The Routledge International Handbook of
Financialization. Routledge, London
 Academic articles and book chapters
 Legal instruments and policy documents
Instructional format
Lectures, workshops, and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
A mid-term review writing assignment about a topic of choice and a final take-home exam featuring open essay
questions.

126
SSC3002 European Foreign Policy
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. R. Haar, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences Yes
Prerequisites
SSC1025 Introduction to Political Science or SSC1006/SSC2002 International Relations: Themes and Theories,
and SSC3030 The Law of European Institutions or SSC1009 Introduction to European Integration.
Objectives
 To understand the history and the complexity of European Foreign Policy.
 To understand the political-institutional process in which EU Foreign Policy is made.
 To grasp the content of European Foreign Policy.
 To understand relations with important regions and particular states that the European Union has
established strong foreign policy relationships.
Description of the course
The course is divided into three sections. The first section will start with a focus on the importance of
European Foreign Policy for foreign policy analysis and vice versa. It will also consider what theories in
International Relations can help explain the conduct of European Foreign Policy. This section will then move on
to consider the institutional framework of the EU’s foreign policy, the role of the Member States in the
formation of policy and then finally consider in more detail the main external relations policies themselves . The
main policy areas include Common Defense Policy, Common Security Policy, Economic and Trade Policy and
Enlargement Policy.
The second section deals with the important regions and particular states that the European Union has
established strong foreign policy relationships. These important regions and states include the United States,
Russia, the Developing world and Emerging Economies. The third section ends with a consideration of the EU’s
future role as a global player.
Literature
 Christopher Hill, Michael Smith, and Sophie Vanhoonacker. 2017. International
Relations and the European Union. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780198737322.
 E-readers.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A final exam (consisting of multiple choice questions, true and false questions and essay questions), a
constructive learning assignment (creating your own exam questions) and a research paper.

127
SSC3006 The Social Study of Environmental Problems: Between Nature, Society, and
Politics
Course coordinator
L. Lachmund, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences,
j.lachmund @maastrichtuniversity.nl

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences/Humanities No
Prerequisite
At least one 2000-level Social Science Course. OR HUM3049 Science, Power and the Construction of Facts
Recommended
It is an advantage if you have passed one of the following courses: HUM3049 Science, Power and the
Construction of Facts, SSC1029 Sociological Perspectives; SSC2028 Classical Sociology, SSC3038 Contemporary
Sociological Theory, SSC3056 Innovation Systems, Policy and Sustainability Transitions; SKI1004 and SKI1005
Research Methods I and II.
Objective
 To introduce students to central themes and concepts in the interdisciplinary social study of the
environment.
 Enables students to engage in normative reflection and valuation of major socio-ecological challenges.
Description of the course
Environmental problems such as chemical pollution, global warming, acid rain or species loss are both
material effects of the human interaction with nature and nexuses of social practice and political contestation.
This course probes the entanglements of nature, society, and politics through which the environment is
formed, experienced, problematized, interpreted, and contested, and governed in different socio-cultural
contexts. It helps students to develop a critical perspective on the dominant patterns of industrial production
and consumption, and to ask how our societies can be made more sustainable. The course draws on insights
from environmental history, environmental sociology, science and technology studies, sustainability studies,
and recent debates on the “Anthropocene”.
Thereby, it seeks to complement the fact-oriented perspective of the natural sciences with a reflective
understanding of the politics through which our knowledge (and non-knowledge) of the environment is
formed. The course is structured in four sections. The first three each focus on one core domain of nature-
society-politics: the risks of industrial production; biodiversity and land; global climate change. The final
section reflects on how we can move from these insights towards a comprehensive understanding and
transformative politics of the Anthropocene.
Literature
 E-reader with academic articles and book chapters from environmental sociology, political science,
science and technology studies, human geography.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Discussion paper, take-home exam (mini-essay)

128
SSC3008 Middle Eastern Politics
Course coordinator
B. Erdogan (MA), Faculty of Law, International and European Law, International Relations,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Core Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1006/SSC2002 International Relations: Themes and Theories
Recommended
COR1003 Contemporary World History

Objective
 To critically investigate and analyse the historical and political processes and actors in the Middle East and their
impacts on the contemporary economic, social, cultural and political landscape in the region.
 To assess the effect of the local, regional and global power relations and rivalries in the Middle Eastern states and
societies. To look critically into the role of these relationships in the ‘making’ and in the ‘representation’ of Middle
East.
 To understand several significant historical issues, actors, ruptures, critical turning points and transformatory
processes in the region.
 Linking these historical processes to the study of Middle East today and trying to make sense of contemporary
events, conflicts, actors and issues in the Middle East.
 To explore the role of bottom-up and top-down processes, discourses, subjectivities and identities; to bring sub-
altern, hidden, silenced, invisible and irrelevant to the surface.

Description of the course

Middle East is not only a geographical region or location. It is also a politicised and highly contested concept whose
representation sometimes overshadows the actual reality. Middle East has always been a subject in political and academical
debates thanks to its controversial history, its demography and its major actors; in economic debates due to its natural
resources; in security debates due to the wars and conflicts that affect(ed) the whole global structure. It is infamous with
some powerful, undemocratic and repressive political regimes, while at the same time hosting extremely vivid civil societies,
record amount of bloggers and online youth activism. It has been an arena where great powers tried to extend their political,
ideological and economic ambitions (even their own fights) and intervened almost regularly. For some, the Middle East is a
common and generic name for those societies which share the same religion, language, history and culture. For more careful
observers, it is an extremely diverse area where various groups speaking different languages and practicing distinct religions
for centuries. For critical minds, the Middle East is not an objective and neutral space but a politically constructed concept
which is re-produced through certain discourses, representations and practices.
In any ways, the Middle East has always been a birth or meeting place of complex combination of significant political, social,
cultural, religious, ideational and economic actors, issues and movements. Our purpose in this course is to shed a light on
this incredibly interesting and debated region and discuss its historical, economic, social and most importantly political
‘realities’. This course will investigate the past and the present of the region. In the beginning, the course will introduce the
concept of Middle East, not only as a geographical place but also a cultural, contextual, discursive and political concept.
Then the course will cover the history of the region and its ongoing effect on the current developments. In this context,
major events, ideas, issues, (external and internal) actors and political movements that have been shaping the Middle East
will be introduced. In the remaining time, specific and contemporary issues such as interventions in the 21st century, Arab
Spring, Syrian civil war and rising rivalries between regional powers will be discussed and critically analysed.

Literature
 TBA
 E-readers, selected texts
 Visual and online resources

Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.

Examination
The format of the mid-term assignment can be chosen by the student (please note that these assignments are subject to
some deadlines, rules and to the approval of the tutor). Final is an academic and critical paper. Class participation will be
taken into account in the grading.

129
SSC3009 Public Economics
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Löffler, School of Business and Economics, Department of Microeconomics and Public Economics.
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
NB: This course was formerly known as SSC2052 Public Economics.
Prerequisite
SSC2048 Intermediate Microeconomics, Basic Calculus (differentiation).
Objectives
 Acquire a structured insight into the important function of the state in modern market economies.
 Learn about the functioning and performance of the state and its interactions with markets.
 Understand and critically reflect upon recent developments and discussions concerning issues of the
public sector like inequality, taxation, or climate protection.
Description of the course
Public economics (or public finance) is the study of the role of government in the economy. It deals with the
formulation, execution, and effects of government policy, or more generally with non-market mediated policies.
This study involves answering the following four broad questions: When should the government intervene in
the economy? How might the government intervene? What is the effect of those interventions on economic
outcomes? Why do governments choose to intervene in the way that they do?
The government differs from other organizations because it can use legal instruments to enact policies
and may also have different goals than other actors in the economy. The typical allocation mechanism for
scarce resources in markets is the price mechanism, which – under particular circumstances – aggregates
information and preferences of many different individuals in an efficient way. If these assumptions are not met
or Pareto efficiency alone is not a sufficient criterion since a particular allocation is “unfair”, there might be
room for intervention by the public sector. We will discuss arguments for when government intervention is
warranted and whether such intervention is beneficial.
This course provides basic knowledge of the functioning and the relevance of the public sector. The
topics include (i) market failures such as incomplete information, public goods, and externalities, (ii) issues with
fairness, inequality, poverty, redistribution, and taxation, and (iii) political decision-making and elections. These
topics will be analyzed from a normative (welfare economic) as well as from a positive (explanatory)
perspective, with emphasis on the relevance and limitation of traditional economic theory. After the course,
you should be able to reflect and recognize the strength but also some of the limitations of traditional economic
theory and interpret some basic empirical evidence. You should also be able to critically assess political and
economic discussions pertaining to the public sector.
Literature
 Gruber, J. (2019). Public Finance and Public Policy, 6th edition, Worth publishers, New York.
Instructional format
There will be two weekly tutorial group meetings supplemented by weekly lectures.
Examination
Active participation in the tutorial group meetings and a final exam.

130
SSC3011 Public Policy Evaluation
Course coordinators
Drs. R. Speijcken, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance/UNU-Merit,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
At least two 2000-level Social Sciences courses.
Objectives
 To develop a critical analytical approach to public policy evaluation, analysis and public policy making.
 To provide students with a basic understanding of the key concepts, approaches, models and
methods of public policy analysis & evaluation.
 To develop the basic skills needed to conduct public policy analysis & evaluation and to communicate
the results effectively.
 To provide students with an understanding of the roles and ethics of the policy analyst/evaluator in
the policy process.
Description of the course
This course provides students with an academic and at the same time practical and ‘hands on’ approach to the
study of public policy and more in particular, to the professional practice of policy analysis and evaluation.
Public policies can be described as “a course of government action or inaction in response to public problems”
such as insufficient access to health care or education, environmental degradation, threats to workplace safety,
corruption, overcrowded highways or air pollution (Kraft and Furlong 2010:5). Problems range from relatively
simple to highly complex and manifest from the local to the national or global levels. They can reflect conflicts
over causes, solutions, problem definitions as well as over fundamental human values. Decision-makers that
take final decisions on these issues need to be informed by sound evidence based policy analysis and evaluation
that has carefully weighted, crafted, prescribed and evaluated the policy alternatives. This is important as the
decisions taken do not only affect people’s lives, but also influence society’s key values. It is the task of the
policy analyst / evaluator to provide sound evidence, analysis and advice. To acquaint students with, and
prepare them for such undertakings, this course is designed to foster critical thinking and understanding about
public policy and possible alternative courses of action by deliberating and analyzing the key concepts, models,
approaches and methods of policy analysis & evaluation, and practicing some of its basic skills.
In the first week of the course students explore what policy analysis & evaluation actually is. It intends
to shed light on the role of power, politics, institutions and actors in the policy making process. Subsequently, in
the second week the art of problem structuring is explored. In the third week students will be introduced to
working with evaluative criteria and choosing policy options for formulating policy advices. With the knowledge
gained in these first three weeks students will work in small groups to prepare and present a ‘hands on’ a policy
advice on a real life country case. Finally, just before the midterm exam, students are introduced to two
frequently used methods of policy analysis and evaluation: cost benefit and cost effectiveness analysis. The
midterm exam consists of two parts: an individually written policy memorandum on a given topic (part 1) and,
on the basis of that memorandum, a team role play (part 2 of midterm). After the midterm the focus shifts from
having gained the basic knowledge for policy analysis and evaluation (problem structuring, stakeholder analysis,
choosing evaluative criteria and using them to benchmark and weigh the different policy alternatives) to
exploring policy evaluation approaches in more depth. Students will be introduced to plan, process and
outcome evaluations on the basis of the realist or theory-based evaluation approach. They will work in small
groups on another real life case to actually carry out and present a plan (and or) process evaluation themselves.
Finally, ethical and accountability aspects of policy analysis and evaluation, as well as the role of the public in
this process are explored.

The course is built around 6 cases (some spread over 2 tutorials) and 6 lectures by both academics and
professional practitioners that share their knowledge and experiences with the students. This together with
studying academic and policy literature as well as the ‘hands on’ work on evaluation cases, provide the main
guidance for the student’s learning process in this policy analysis & evaluation course.
Literature
The course combines book chapters from state of the art text books on policy analysis with articles from
academic journals and real life case study material from practice, next to youtube videos and short
documentaries. Textbooks from which partial chapters are used:
131
  Kraft M.E and Furlong S.R. (2013) Public Policy Politics, Analysis and Alternatives, CQ Press, SAGE
 Guess G.M. and P.G. Farnham (2011), Cases in Public Policy Analysis
 Weimar L. and Vining A. (2011) Policy Analysis, 5th Edition, Longman
 Weiss C.H. (1998) Evaluation (2nd ed.), London: Prentice-Hall.

Next to that book chapters, journal articles, youtube videos and short documentaries will be studied.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, team presentations in which gained knowledge needs to be put in practice by working
on real life cases, role play and interactive lectures.
Examination
The final grade will be based on the policy memorandum, a role play team briefing exercise and a final policy
paper as well as attendance and the quality of participation in tutorial groups and lectures.

132
SSC3012 War in World Politics
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. R. Haar, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences Yes
Prerequisites
SSC1006/SSC2002 International Relations: Themes and Theories or SSC1025 Introduction to Political Science
and at least one more 2000-level Social Sciences course.
Objectives
 To understand international conflict.
 To examine different types of conflict and their various causes in the world.
 To examine as case studies different conflicts throughout history.
Description of the course
Why do nations and states go to war? This course will endeavor to give some answers to this question. The
course is divided into three sections that mirror the above objectives. The first section will focus on the
different types of conflict. In this section, the ethics of war will also be discussed: do “Just Wars” exist? Section
two will concentrate on the causes of conflict. It will reflect upon a variety of sources that emerge from such
domains as the global system, the states themselves and/or individuals. Part three will examine as case studies
a number of modern conflicts, such as World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the
breakup of Yugoslavia, the War between India and Pakistan, the Arab- Israeli conflict and Saddam Hussein’s
Wars against Iran and Kuwait.
Literature
 Levy, J. S. and W. R. Thompson. (2010). Causes of War. Wiley-Blackwell.
 Stoessinger, J. G. (2011). Why Nations Go to War. 11th Edition. Thomson, Wadsworth.
 E-readers.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A final exam (consisting of multiple choice questions, true and false questions and essay questions), a
constructive learning assignment (creating your own exam questions) and a research paper.

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SSC3017 Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Course coordinator
J. Ormiston, School of Business and Economics, Department of Organisation, Strategy & Entrepreneurship
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
Student are assumed to have knowledge of at least ONE of the following courses: SSC2036 / SSC1030
Introduction to Business Administration OR SCI1016 Sustainable Development OR SSC2055 Entrepreneurship
Objectives
On the successful completion of this course you should be able to:
 Critically reflect on social and sustainable entrepreneurship theory and practice
 Identify and evaluate social and sustainable entrepreneurship opportunities
 Develop a strategy for a social/ sustainable enterprise
 Conduct primary research and analyse primary and secondary data in the field of social and sustainable
entrepreneurship
 Prepare and present documentation to pitch a novel enterprise idea
 Learn to cope with the chaos and complexity of doing social and sustainable entrepreneurship in the
real world.

Description of the course

Interest in the concept of social and sustainable entrepreneurship has been sparked over the last two decades
due to increasing complexity of societal and environmental problems. An explicit and central social/sustainable
mission, innovation, creativity and a strong market orientation are the distinguishing features of social and
sustainable entrepreneurship. Social and sustainable entrepreneurs are committed to furthering a social and/or
sustainable mission, and rank social, environmental or cultural impact above, profit. At the intersection of
business, government and not-for-profit organisations, these social and sustainable entrepreneurs are now
visible and having an impact on a global scale.

This course will provide you the opportunity to learn how you can apply your knowledge and skills to address
complex sustainability problems. This course is structured around experiential problem-based learning,
providing you the opportunity to synthesise theory and practice as you develop an idea for your own
social/sustainable enterprises. Topics will include: critically reviewing concepts; user centred-design of social
and sustainable enterprises; frameworks for understanding and strategizing; understanding and reporting social
and environmental impact; and cross-sector collaboration.
Literature
 eReader with papers & Harvard Business cases (You need to pay for your cases, approx. €15).
Instructional format
This course utilizes experiential problem based learning as a core teaching and assessment approach. This
approach involves you creating an idea for social and/or sustainable enterprise to solve a current problem.
Throughout the course you will work with a team of students to develop a social/sustainable enterprise idea
that will create positive societal impact. You will work collaboratively with your teammates to develop a pitch
based on primary and secondary research. In experiential problem based learning, the problems faced by you as
entrepreneurs drive the learning experience. These real life problems will guide your reading, research and
interviews throughout the course.

The class involves a mix of lectures, workshops, tutorials and facilitated case discussion sessions. In the lectures
and workshops you will apply practical entrepreneurial tools to developing your social/sustainable enterprise
idea. In the tutorials and facilitated case discussion sessions you will explore the cases and the academic
literature. In the facilitated case discussion sessions you will explore how the scholarly and practical insights can
be used to inform your own entrepreneurial practices.
Examination
Your evaluation will be based on your participation, a facilitation, an individual idea pitch, a group pitch and a
final research paper.
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SSC3018 Statistics II
Course coordinator
Dr. D. Tempelaar, School of Business and Economics, Quantitative Economics,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC2061 Statistics I.
Objectives
 To familiarize students with quantitative research methods, building on SSC2061 Statistics I .
 To develop the abilities to read, understand and criticize articles in the domain of your concentration,
as a passive use of your knowledge of quantitative techniques.
 To gain experience in actively performing a quantitative analysis yourself, making use of the (more
advanced features of the) tool SPSS.
Description of the course
In Statistics II, we resume the thread of Statistics I: a discussion of the basic tools of inferential statistics:
confidence intervals and hypothesis tests (which in turn involved concepts like null and alternative hypotheses,
Type I and Type II errors, rejection points and p-values), all these concepts illustrated in the context of the one-
sample tests. In this course you will encounter a whole battery of additional tests, enabling you to examine a
large array of questions that may come up in social sciences and life sciences, and that focus on cases you will
encounter most frequently: multivariate cases, rather than univariate cases.
In the first weeks, we discuss amongst others the two-sample t-test (allowing you to compare the
mean of a quantitative variable between two populations), ANOVA (same, for more than two populations), the
paired-sample t-test and the chi-square test (allowing you to establish relationships between qualitative
variables, using contingency tables). But the main dish of the course is obviously regression analysis, a very
flexible technique which allows you to relate a dependent variable to a number of independent or explanatory
variables.
There will be a strong focus on actively doing statistics. Using the great ‘How is Life?’ data set of OECD,
that compares the quality of life in many countries, you will do weekly empirical investigations, using SPSS as
your modelling tool. And at the finish of the course, you will do another, more major and less structured
empirical analysis in SPSS: your student project. The project measures your active mastery of statistical data
analysis. In the final exam, your passive mastery will be assessed. The exam will consist of pieces of statistical
analyses, with the student having to interpret and criticise the outcomes of these analyses. Weekly
assignments, as well as the project and exam, focus on your ability to apply statistics in relevant areas, beyond
‘knowing statistics’.
Literature
 De Veaux, R.D., Velleman, P.F., & Bock, D.E. (2012). Stats: Data and Models, International Edition, 3/E.
Addison-Wesley. 0-321-75372-0 (tentatively).
Instructional format
Besides the lecture, there are two weekly group meetings, of different kind. One group meeting will take place
in the computer room, and is dedicated to solving the weekly empirical assignments in SPSS. The other group
session is a standard tutorial group session, filled with problems and discussion tasks.
Examination
Final exam, six weekly empirical assignments, and the final essay for the student project.

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SSC3019 Human Reasoning and Complex Cognition
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Heins, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences & Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology or SCI2036 Artificial Intelligence and at least two 2000-level courses.
Recommended
SSC2062 Foundations of Cogitive Psychology.
Objectives
 To help students acquire knowledge of recent (psychological) theories in the field of reasoning,
decision making, problem solving, and (moral) judgement.
 To provide an insight into the role of higher cognitive processes have in directing human behaviour;
various forms of human reasoning, decision making, problem solving, creativity, etc.
 To explore a given topic in the psychology of thought by writing a client consultancy report (group
work).
Description of the course
The present course is concerned with theoretical (psychological) and empirical perspectives on human
reasoning and complex cognition. Reasoning involves making deductive or inductive inferences and judging
them according to current goals, beliefs and knowledge. Decision making refers to choosing between
alternatives (e.g. different mental models). Furthermore, several theoretical and empirical findings on problem
solving and judgment are discussed. These topics are of central importance to humans and even though some
seem to reason better than others or their decisions seem more sound, thinking remains an important and for
some uniquely human feature. Studying human thought belongs to the field of Cognitive Psychology. Like most
topics studied by psychologists, higher cognition includes a wide range of explanatory models that emphasize
different aspects of human thought.
Eleven topics of the (cognitive) psychology of complex cognition are discussed using a Problem Based
Learning format. The topics include: (hypothetical) reasoning, , the psychology of decision making, , emotions
and complex cognition,, deductive and inductive reasoning (heuristics and biases), (creative) problem solving,
moral judgement, and socio-economical decision making (pro-social behavior: risk and trust).
Literature
 Chapters of several basic cognitive psychology books are made available as e-reader or hardcopy.
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Assesment is based on an exam, a client concultancy report (group grade), and a short group presentation
(pass/ fail).

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SSC3023 Philosophy of Mind
Course coordinator
R. de Vries (MA),
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences & Humanities No
Prerequisites
SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology or HUM1007 Introduction to Philosophy and at least one 2000-level course
from Humanities, Social Sciences or Sciences.
Recommended
COR1002 Philosophy of Science.
Objective
 To acquaint students with current ideas, philosophical arguments and empirical evidence on the nature
of mind and the relationship between mind and body. We focus on modern cognitive and
neuropsychological theories in the area of consciousness. Philosophical reflection on the caveats and
problems associated with the notion of consciousness will be stimulated.
Description of the course
The mind-body problem is a legacy from the scientific revolution, which started in the 16th century and reached
its culmination point with Newtonian physics. Starting with Galileo’s and Descartes’ formulation of this problem
we will discuss different philosophical positions in a more in-depth fashion. In the behavioral- and
neurosciences these problems transform into questions about consciousness, conscious experience, and
conscious perception. Those topics disappeared from science with the rise of behaviorism in the early twentieth
century. But now they are back in the behavioral- and neurosciences again. Only over the past few decades
consciousness has reappeared in cognitive science and neuropsychology.
We will start this course with some philosophy, then we will scrutinize modern day sciences, especially
cognitive science and neuroscience for ideas on mind and consciousness. At the end of the course we will go
back to philosophy and we will ask ourselves whether all this empirical knowledge from psychology and
neuroscience has brought us further in unraveling the brain-consciousness- (or mind-body) problem.
Suggested Literature
 Kim, Jaegwon: Philosophy of Mind, 2011
 Dehaene, Stanislas: Consciousness and the Brain, New York, 2014
 Massimini, Marcello & Tononi, Giulio: Sizing Up Consciousness, Oxford, 2018
Literature
 E-reader.
 Introduction Course Manual
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Assesment is based on an exam and a paper.

137
SSC3030 The Law of the European Institutions
Course coordinator
M. Brkan, Faculty of Law, International and European Law,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC1007 Introduction to Law and Legal Reasoning and at least one of the following courses: SSC2060
Comparative Constitutional Law (SSC2012 Comparative Government) or SSC2024 International Law.
Objectives
At the end of the course, students should have acquired adequate knowledge, practical skills and a critical
understanding with respect to the following:
 The role and significance of law in the European integration process.
 The legal foundations of the European Union (EU) (as set out in the Treaties).
 The institutions of the EU, their historical evolution and the horizontal relationship between them (as
reflected in decision-making procedures).
 The vertical relationship between the EU and the Member States (including the principles of
supremacy, legality, subsidiarity, proportionality and loyalty).
 The implementation and enforcement mechanisms of EU law (infringement proceedings, enforcement
through national courts, review of EU action).
 The position of the individual as a holder of fundamental rights and a citizen of the Union.
In addition, throughout the course the students should have become familiar with legal thinking and legal
reasoning, and should in particular be able to:
 Find legal instruments in paper or electronic format.
 Keep abreast of legal developments.
 Read a legal document and extract the relevant information from it.
 Construct a legal argument on a basic issue of EU law.
 Use EU law to give an opinion on a legal problem.
Description of the course
This course focuses on the institutions of the European Union. At the same time, this course provides an
opportunity for students to be exposed to legal thinking. Law is central to the process of European integration,
and it plays a greater role in European affairs than it does at national or international level. It is accordingly
essential for students to become familiar with the ways of legal thought and legal reasoning, if they want to
understand fully the European integration process, and European matters more generally.
Literature
 A copy of the EU Treaty and of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. These can be downloaded
from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/collection/eu-law/treaties.html or they can be found in Foster (ed.),
Blackstone’s EU Treaties and Legislation (last edition).
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Written assignments and a final written exam of case studies and essay questions. One of the written
assignments will count as one exam question.

138
SSC3032 Atrocity Triangle: A course on the Criminology of Gross Human Rights Violations
Course coordinator
Dr. R. Moerland, Faculty of Law, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
Two 2000-level courses in the Social Sciences or Humanities.
Objectives
 To gain a criminological understanding of gross human rights violations and other international crimes
by examining their causes on individual (micro), institutional (meso), national and international (macro)
levels using a criminological approach that integrates relevant insights from different disciplines (social
psychology, sociology, victimology, history, international relations, international law and psychology).
 Moreover, to view the world through the eyes of the perpetrators as well as the victims and the
bystanders by focusing on their roles in the occurrence of gross human rights violations.
 To make insightful the linkage between gross human rights violations and violent conflicts in the world.
 To gain an understanding of how to approach the criminological study of complex cases of violence
and to be able to analyze such cases independently.
Description of the course
The first part of the course introduces the leading concepts and theoretical frameworks that will
structure the course. The course therefore firstly 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. Subsequently, an integrated criminological model will be introduced which sets out the relevant
etiological elements that will be addressed in greater detail in the second part of the course.

The second part of the course, which focuses on the perpetrators, will start 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 focusses on the meso level and the
role of military organizations and other institutions is discussed. In this context attention is paid to the
influence of military training and we will discuss how with the help of a bureaucratic system genocide can be
planned, organized and carried out. The discussion will thus address several compulsive and determinative
features of the environment surrounding perpetrators of gross human rights violations. We will furthermore
discuss several experiments (Milgram, Ash, Stanford, etc.) on obedience, institutional roles and conformity, but
we will also address other social-psychological mechanisms which are helpful in understanding how and why
people are able to participate in the perpetration of gross human rights violations. Lastly, the important role
that language and discourse plays in conflict and international crime is highlighted.

The third part of the course will focus on the bystander. We will start the discussion on the role of the
bystander by looking into the phenomenon of the ‘the bystander effect’ in order to address the question 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 will be discussed. We will give special attention to
the role of the UN Security Council when it was confronted with gross human rights violations. Lastly, in
addition to perpetrators and bystanders (collaborators), certain actors in the same situations did not
perpetrate or passively stood by, instead they took affirmative action and came to the help of those in need.
We will therefore look more closely into the phenomenon of rescuing in order to find out what turns actors
into rescuers.

The fourth and last part of the course will take a more victimological perspective, which focuses on the
position of the victim. Who are the victims and why are they victimized? What is the relationship between
these victims and their perpetrators and what are the consequences of this relationship? In this context specific
attention will be paid to gender selective violence. More particularly, the phenomena of rape as a ‘weapon of
war’ and gendercide (gender selective mass killings) will be discussed. Also, the complex case of child soldiers
will be addressed as they are victims and perpetrators at the same time.

Several lectures will be held during this course. These lectures will be used to illustrate the discussed
materials and to provide the participants with a deeper understanding of the subject matter by presenting the

139
linkage between theory and (research) practice. During the lectures, various guest speakers will address the
subject matter from the practitioner’s perspective. In addition, we will screen a number of documentaries that
will be analyzed during the post-discussion. We hope that, through these documentaries, the subject matter of
this course will become more accessible and less abstract.

Case studies play an important role throughout the course and we will therefore pay attention to a
wide variety of cases including The Holocaust and other cases of genocide (Armenia, Australia, Cambodia,
Rwanda, Srebrenica, Darfur, etc.). Although cases of genocide will play an important role in this course, the
caseload is certainly not limited to genocide and other violent conflicts will be addressed as well. Here one
could think of the following cases, Chili, Argentina, Guatemala, Indonesia, East Timor, Iraq, Syria, Congo, Central
African Republic, etc. Not to forget the torture practices of the U.S.
The insights gathered throughout this course have policy implications and inform us how we could
react to gross human rights violations once they have occurred. These policy implications are addressed in
greater detail during another UCM course titled The aftermath of atrocity: A course on transitional justice and
post-conflict reconstruction (SSC 3052) which will be taught during the spring semester in period 5.
Literature
 Handbook (t.b.a)
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, compulsory lectures and screening of documentaries.
Examination
A midterm- and final take-home exam both consisting of a paper. The themes and topics of the papers will be
announced in due course.

140
SSC3033 Economic Psychology
Course coordinator
P. Werner, School of Business and Economics, Economics
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC2061 Statistics I and SSC1027 Principles of Economics.
Recommended
SSC2048 Intermediate Microeconomics.
Objective
 To familiarize students with basic concepts, theories and insights of the economic psychology of
judgment and decision-making.
Description of the course
Increasingly, economists are discovering psychology as a means to enrich their models of economic behaviour
and well-being. The importance of this is illustrated by the fact that the Nobel prize winner in economics in
2002 was the distinguished psychologist Daniel Kahneman. He characterizes his research as a quest for the
‘logic of the irrational’. Adam Smith already recognized that economic behaviour, just like other behaviour, is
motivated by an intriguing blend of ‘rational’ considerations and ‘irrational’ sentiments. The great challenge is
to investigate the implications of the latter motives for economics.
This course aims at giving an intensive introduction into this field. The first part of the course provides
an overview of the psychology of judgment and decision making. Basic principles of rational decision-making are
compared with actual behaviour.The second part of the course deals with applications of how psychological
mechanisms influence economic decision-making in the field and their relevance for law and public policy.
Students should realize that this course is not easy and that its material also includes some mathematical
derivations.
Literature
 Hastie, Reid, and Robyn M. Dawes. Rational choice in an uncertain world: The psychology of judgment
and decision making. Sage, 2010.
 Articles and chapters from books.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings with presentations by students and two survey lectures.
Examination
The final grade will be based on a final written exam with open-ended questions, presentation(s) and
participation. Each student gives one or two presentations on one/two of the subjects.

141
SSC3036 American Foreign Policy
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. R. Haar, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences Yes
Prerequisites
SSC1006/SSC2002 International Relations: Themes and Theories or SSC1025 Introduction to Political Science,
and at least one more 2000-level Social Sciences course.
Objective
 To understand the history, the political process in which policy is made and the policy content of
American foreign policy.
Description of the course
Everyone appears to have an opinion on American foreign policy, however, often such opinions are based on
emotion or rhetoric. This course does not want students to be less critical of the United States, rather it strives
to inform and educate students on the history, process and sources of American foreign policy, so that opinions
are based on a sound footing.
The course is divided into four sections. The first section will focus on the field of foreign policy
analysis as a subfield in International Relations. An overview of the various analytical perspectives on U.S.
foreign policy will be covered. This first section will also consider the importance of examining American foreign
policy in today’s world.
Section two will concentrate on the history of U.S. foreign policy, covering such events as the Founding
of United States, World War I, the interwar years, World War II, the making of a Superpower, the Cold War, the
Post-Cold War world, September 11th and ending with recent world events, such as the Iraq War and the Global
War on Terror.
Part three will examine the politics and the policy-making process of American foreign policy. Topics
for discussion in this section will include the institutions involved in the policy making process, such as the
President, various bureaucracies like the State Department, the Department of Defense and the CIA, plus
Congress and the Courts. This section will also consider the role the American public plays in the process of
making U.S. foreign policy. The final part of this course will study the instruments used to implement American
Foreign Policy. This section will include a discussion of America’s use of open or diplomatic instruments, secret
instruments, economic instruments and also its military instruments. This final section will end with a task that
discusses the future of American Foreign Policy.
Literature
 Hastedt, Glenn P. (2018). American Foreign Policy: Past, Present and Future. 11th edition. Rowman &
Littlefield.
 Kaufman, Joyce P. (2017). A Concise History of U.S. Foreign Policy. 4th edition, Rowman & Littlefield.
 E-readers.

Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A final exam (consisting of multiple choice questions, true and false questions and essay questions), a
constructive learning assignment (creating your own exam questions) and a research paper.

142
SSC3038 Contemporary Sociological Theory
Course coordinator
Dr. V. Lifrieri, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
One of the following courses: SSC1003/SSC2065 Theories of Social Order, SSC2028 Classical Sociology, SSC2059
Social Movements, HUM2031 Cultural Studies II, HUM2014 Philosophers of the 20th Century.
Recommended
SSC2028 Classical Sociology or HUM2014 Philosophers for the 20th Century. This course is not recommended
for first year students.
Objectives
 To familiarize students with theories in 20th century sociology and give students the necessary skills to
analyze, apply, compare and criticize those theories.
 To discuss what a theory is, how we can theorize, and how theories can illuminate real social problems
or issues.
Description of the course
“Many people, ordinary ones and scientists alike, hate theory. Yet they could not live without it. When all is
said and done, theory is the more or less disciplined talk by which people make what sense they can of their
social worlds” (Charles Lemert in The Blackwell Companion To Major Classical Social Theorists, 2003, p. 267).
This course is part two of a sequence that traces the historical development of sociological theory (the first part
being Classical Sociology). Whereas in Classical Sociology students focus on sociological theory up until the
1930s, in this course we will be dealing mainly (but not exclusively) with social theory that has emerged from
the 1960s onward. During this time, the historical context started to change in important ways. It brought
about an inclusion of new voices from the Global South, the beginnings of the greatest phase of the women’s
movement, and a variety of other social movements from environment to gay rights. The 1960s pushed
sociological theorists to focus more on processes of social change, social inequality and processes of
marginalization and exploitation that shape change, on power relations and social movements that contest
them, and on cultural and other differences among individuals and groups.
In this course, you will be introduced to several major theoretical bodies of thought in modern sociology, such
as the Frankfurt School, Symbolic Interactionism, Post-structuralism, Feminism (e.g. Standpoint Theory,
Ecofeminism) and Post-colonial Theory. We will discuss these traditions mostly on the basis of original works by
eminent social theorists like Herbert Marcuse, Nancy Chodorow, Frantz Fanon and Michel Foucault. Reading
original works can be, of course, a very difficult and challenging, but also elating task. Reading original
theoretical material is important since students thus have the opportunity to form their own opinions about
theorists’ ideas. Some of the questions we will be dealing with in the course include: How can we make sense
of the social world? How does capitalism impact our social reality? How is social reality constructed? What
causes social change? What is the link between agency and structure? How is knowledge produced, and by
whom? An important component of the course is applying the different theoretical approaches to varied social
phenomena in order to explore the world around us through the lens of these theories?
Literature
 Calhoun, C., et al. (2002/2015). Contemporary Sociological Theory. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.
 Excerpts from books and articles from academic journals.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
A take-home exam with two essay questions; a presentation of an application of theory to a case; your
performance as a discussion leader.

143
SSC3040 Identities
Course coordinator
Dr. U. Müller, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences & Humanities No
This course is not recommended for first year students
Prerequisites
At least two of the following courses: SSC1029 Sociological Perspectives, SSC2028 Classical Sociology, HUM1003
Cultural Studies I, SSC2059 Social Movements, HUM2031 Cultural Studies II, HUM2018 Cultural Diversity in a
Globalizing World, HUM2003 The Making of Crucial Differences, HUM2014 Philosophers of the 20th Century,
HUM2056 Cultural Remembrances.
Objectives
 To learn how different categories of social identities operate as categories of socio-structural
inequality.
 To discuss perspectives on race, ethnicity, class, gender and national identities in order to get a better
understanding of what they are and how they are conceptualized theoretically.
 To learn about and reflect on how you yourself, your thinking and your way of being is affected by
these relations of oppression and domination in everyday life.
Description of the course
Identity is about one’s sense of self, it is about personhood, and it is about what kind of person one is.
Identities always involve both sameness and difference. Thus, if you are Dutch, you are like other Dutch people
and different from the non-Dutch. There is a tendency to see identities as being fixed or given. Sociologists,
however, argue that identities are fluid and changeable and that we can acquire new ones.
In this course we will explore theoretical texts on the historical, cultural and political construction of
social identities. We will focus on class, gender, race, ethnicity and nationality as historically specific, structured
relations of oppression and exploitation examining their existence and interaction. Discussions and analyses
will be based on how social identities work as overlapping categories of both inclusion and exclusion and how
they are used to divide, rank, and discriminate.
Some of the questions to be addressed are: What are the main levels of analysis within which we can
explore the interplay between these exploitative and oppressive relations? What are their theoretical, cultural,
ideological and political implications?
The course is designed for students who have a serious interest in the topic and who are open to
critically evaluate and understand their own participation within structures of domination and oppression. We
will examine and interrogate how heterosexuality, whiteness and class privilege, for instance, function in such a
way as to keep systems of oppression intact and discuss how to participate in the struggles against identity-
based forms of domination.
Literature
 Alcoff, L.M., & Medieta, E. (2003). Identities: Race, Class, Gender, and Nationality.
Instructional format
Group discussions, lectures and films.
Examination
One take-home exam including one or two essay questions and one self-reflective essay. Your performance as a
discussion leader will comprise ten percent of your final grade.

144
SSC3041 Economics and Society in Contemporary Asia
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. T. van Veen School of Business and Economics
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1027 Principles of Economics.
Recommended
SSC2007 Intermediate Macroeconomics (SSC2038 International Macroeconomics.)
Objective
The goal of this course is to understand economic issues and economic developments in contemporary Asian
societies in their social, cultural and political context.
Description of the course
This course focusses on the intersection of economics, politics and culture in Asia societies. The course
transcends the borders of academic disciplines and includes topics such as long-run economic development,
intra-regional cooperation, social change, political and economic institutions, and the changing global role of
Asian countries. We pay attention to topical issues such as the trade and the financial relations between China
and the rest of the world.
Literature
Collection of articles and book chapters.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Paper and presentation, Written exam and open questions.

145
SSC3047 Urbanisation, Development and Poverty
Course coordinator
Dr. L. Wagner, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Technology and Society Studies,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences & Humanities No
Prerequisite
SSC2046 Globalization and Inequality or SCI1016 Sustainable Development.
Objectives
After completion of this course students have acquired knowledge about impacts of urbanisation on
development and poverty in an increasingly globalized world. In particular, they will learn about:
 Multifaceted impacts of global urbanisation, including economic, ecological and social challenges and
opportunities of increasingly populated cities
 Impoverished conditions of many city dwellers of the Global South, as experienced through access to
infrastructures, mobilities, public space, and diversity
 Development impacts and potentials created by interconnectedness between ‘global cities’.
Description of the course
Since 2008, according to the United Nations Population Division, more than half of the world population lives in
urban areas. Over a billion of these city dwellers live in informal settlements (slums), where poverty and
precarity are highly concentrated. Nevertheless, people continue to migrate to cities, and primarily to informal
settlements. Despite their vulnerability to disaster, disease, violence and cultural tensions, they also appear to
be focal points of vitality, opportunity and new initiatives. In many ways ‘the city’ can be conceptualized as a
contested site, a compact ‘laboratory’ where many of the tensions and opportunities related to globalization
and development are acted out.
Through lectures from ongoing research and selected readings, this course delves into the human
aspects of these sites that embody contrasts and contradictions of social, economic and political processes in
cities of the Global South. We discuss connections and tensions between urban communities and economic
development; the creation of vulnerable populations through urbanisation and the precariousness of labor; the
structural failures of slum ecologies and how they affect people; but also how citizens nevertheless find ways of
making the city their home. In short, we aspire to infuse you with both how development and poverty of urban
contexts are structurally reproduced in highly political ways, and how ‘cityness’ also always depends on people
who manage to flexibly and inventively arrange their lives on a daily basis.
Literature
 Simone, A. M. (2010). City life from Jakarta to Dakar: Movements at the crossroads. New York:
Routledge.
 Relevant academic articles, reports, book chapters and websites.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, group work and lectures.
Examination
Composition of a City File & presentation (group); take-home exam (individual).

146
SSC3049 Human Rights: Principles and Polemics
Course coordinators
Dr. G. Arosemena, Faculty of Law, Human Rights,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC2024 International Law or SSC1007 Introduction to Law and Legal Reasoning.
Objective
 Provides students with an advanced introduction into human rights.
 Introduces key concepts that are used within all forms of human rights discourse.
 Familiarizes students with polemics in the field of human rights
 Provides students and opportunity to engage with the intricacies of legal reasoning.
 To encourage critical thinking and appreciation of differences within the field of human rights.
Description of the course
There is the expectation that in an increasingly multicultural and post-secular world, human rights
provide us with some common ground: however turbulent and changeable social life may be, we can all
demand and enjoy the protection of human rights. This expectation might turn out to be misguided. Even
within the “West”, there is intractable disagreement as to the content and implications of human rights.
Activities that are seen as human rights violations by some legal systems are tolerated by others. Even more,
activities that are seen to be human rights violations by some legal systems are seen to be rightful exercises of
freedom by others. How deep are these disagreements? Can they be overcome?
This course will provide students an advanced introduction to the field of human rights. It covers two
aspects. First, it covers the “dogmatic core” of human rights law, which includes topics such as the sources of
the status of human rights law in international law, who benefits from human rights (individual human beings
exclusively, or also corporations or collectives?), what happens when human rights conflict? Naturally, my
freedom stops when your freedom start, but how do we draw the line between different claims to freedom?
What happens when human rights clash with the public interest? Can human rights be abused?
The second part of the course explores polemics in the field of human rights. These include the legality
of the the limits of free speech, the proliferation of rights, the scope of the prohibition on discrimination and
the meaning of human dignity. This part of the course will be based on the exploration of contrasting judicial
decisions extracted a variety of international and domestic courts. This part of the course aims to show that it
may be premature to speak of “a human rights community”. Human rights mean different things for different
people, and even the appointed experts are often unable to reach agreement.
This course is predominantly legal in character. That means that social scientific explanation and
understanding will not be the focus of the course. Rather, the course will concentrate on analyzing the
justification of legal decisions in accordance with legal rules and principles.
Literature
 E-Reader
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
TBA.

147
SSC3051 Contemporary Critical Security Studies
Course coordinators
B. Erdogan (MA), Faculty of Law, International and European Law, International Relations,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1006/SSC2002 International Relations: Themes and Theories.
Objectives
 To understand ‘security’ in International Relations (IR) as a complex concept with changing meanings
and applications.
 To discuss the consequences of different meanings for security critically.
 To deconstruct the given notions and policies about security and ask questions like what is included,
excluded, legitimized and justified in them.
 To illuminate the main theoretical assumptions of the several approaches of security studies in IR by
placing the main focus on the more contemporary and critical ones.
 To explore the ways how contemporary or critical security studies challenge traditional security studies.
 To discuss in what ways contemporary security approaches compare and contrast with each other.
 To emphasize the empirical application and practical use of such approaches by discussing each
approach with a relevant case study.
Description of the course
Security Studies during the Cold War was a rather limited and narrow sub-field of International Relations mainly
focusing on state security and defining threat only in military terms. By the end of the Cold War period, new
schools of thought have emerged in the field of Security Studies in parallel with the emergence of new kinds of
threats against human well-being and security. Today, Contemporary Critical Security Studies represents a large
group of scholars, schools, approaches and understandings.
This course deals with a number of these schools and approaches. It starts with an introduction to the
conventional security (Realism and Liberalism) and explains why these approaches are found unsatisfactory by
the academic community at the beginning of the 1990s. Then it explains various theoretical positions from
constructivism to Feminism (gender security), Green Theory (environmental security) and Post-Colonialism
(security from non-Western perspectives). Then it introduces contemporary concepts like ‘Securitisation’ which
is developed by the Copenhagen School and discusses ‘security networks’ or ‘security apparatus’ investigated by
the Paris or Sociological school. Another relevant contemporary approach is called ‘Human Security,’ and the
course explains the development of this concept. In general, the course aims at giving an idea to the students of
International Relations how Critical Security Studies has developed as a separate sub-field of International
Relations, which was the biggest contribution of the Wales or Aberystwyth Schools.
The course also discusses several contemporary issues to give a broader understanding to the students
about the application of theories and approaches (such as poverty, migration, borders, cyberwar, new
technologies and warfare, responsibility to protect, humanitarian intervention, war against terror, and other
contemporary security issues).
Literature
 Columba Peoples and Nick Vaughan-Williams (last edition), Critical Security Studies: An Introduction,
Routledge.
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures. Attendance is compulsory.
Examination
During the course, students can choose what kind of midterm assignment they will do after they discuss it with
the tutor. These assignments can range from presentation(s) to midtermpaper(s), from writing journals to
making book/movie reviews. Each assignment will be analytical and will reflect the application of the relevant
literature. Different deadlines will be applied to different assignments. In the final examination students will
write an extensive and analytical final paper (on a topic students choose and approved by the tutor). Class
pariticipation will also be taken into account in the assessment.

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SSC3052 The Aftermath of Atrocity: A Course on Transitional Justice and Post-conflict
Reconstruction
Course coordinator
Dr. R. Moerland, Faculty of Law, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
Two 2000-level courses in the Social Sciences or Humanities.
Objectives
 An understanding of transitional justice and how to deal with grave historical injustices from the past.
Although the course addresses the roles of many different actors, the role of the victim will receive
more substantial attention.
 To examine different approaches to post-conflict justice (retributive, restorative and transformative
approaches) and their policy implications.
 To provide for a critical overview of different instruments for transitional justice, such as, apologies
and forgiveness, memorialization and commemoration, truth telling and truth commissions, impunity,
pardons and amnesties, compensation, restoration, restitution of property (especially looted and
stolen art), international and regional criminal courts and tribunals, lustration and vetting, etc. and to
examine their impact and effectiveness.
 An understanding of issues in post-conflict reconstruction which focuses on the challenges (military,
political, and social) that post-conflict societies are facing and how they impact on the consolidation of
peace and stability.
Description of the course
The course will first introduce and define the field of transitional justice. We will look into its historical
evolution and address the rationales underlying it. The introduction furthermore includes an overview of the
main mechanisms/components that can be part of the process of transitional justice and how they are
interrelated.
The course will subsequently address several of these transitional justice mechanisms and in this
analysis we will predominantly focus on the perspectives of the victims. Victims (and survivors) are not only a
group, but also individual human beings and their wishes and interests in the aftermath of large scale conflict
can be very diverse and even contradict the wishes of other victims or the group as such. What are their
interests and what are their views on transitional justice including possibilities of remedy and reparation? In this
context specific attention is given to the impact of violent conflict on women and children.
Throughout the course critical attention is paid to the following justice mechanisms: apologies and
forgiveness, memorialization and commemoration, truth telling and truth commissions, pardons and amnesties,
compensation, restoration, restitution, international and regional criminal courts and tribunals, lustration and
vetting. The analysis will be concluded with a discussion of the various justice mechanisms and their potential to
contribute to (or jeopardize) sustainable peace. How effective are these approaches in breaking cycles of
violence? Can they bring reconciliation?
In addition to issues such as justice and reconciliation, other matters are also significant in post-conflict
societies as they greatly affect the consolidation of peace and stability. Justice and reconciliation only form one
pillar of reconstruction, but also in other areas constructive action is required. Such other areas of concern
include, for instance, security, wellbeing, and governance. The course therefore looks into the process of
reconstruction and discusses which actions are required in order to move from the precarious early stages of
post conflict transition to a more sustainable situation which allows for the consolidation of peace and stability.
Several lectures will be held during this course. These lectures will be 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 will address the
subject matter from the practitioner’s perspective. In addition, we will screen a number of documentaries that
will be analyzed during the post-discussion. We hope that, through these documentaries, the subject matter of
this course will become more accessible and less abstract.

Case studies play an important role throughout the course and we will therefore pay attention to a wide variety
of cases including The Holocaust and other cases of genocide (Armenia, Australia, Cambodia, Rwanda,
Srebrenica, Darfur, etc.). Although cases of genocide will play an important role in this course, the caseload is
149
certainly not limited to genocide and other violent conflicts will be addressed as well. Here one could think of
the following cases, Chili, Argentina, Guatemala, Indonesia, East Timor, Iraq, Syria, Congo, Central African
Republic, etc. Not to forget the torture practices of the U.S.
Literature
 Handbook (t.b.a)
 E-Reader.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, compulsory lectures and screening of documentaries.
Examination
A midterm- and final take-home exam both consisting of a paper. The themes and topics of the papers will be
announced in due course.

150
SSC3054 International Trade Law: Globalization, Trade and Development
Course coordinator
Dr. I. Alexovicová, Faculty of Law, Department of International and European Law,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC2024 International Law or SSC2060 Comparative Constitutional Law
Objective
 To gain a better understanding of the World Trade Organization and its basic legal framework.
Description of the course
The recent revival of economic nationalism in various parts of the world, including in some of the traditional
pillars of trade liberalization such as the United States and United Kingdom, reflect the growing fear, mistrust and
hostility of many people in these countries and around the world regarding economic globalisation and international
trade. While economic globalisation in general, and international trade in particular, undoubtedly offer the possibility
of unprecedented prosperity for people in both developed and developing countries, they also cause numerous
problems and give rise to justified concerns. The challenge facing the international community is to manage and
regulate the economic globalisation and international trade so that they benefit all of humankind.

The World Trade Organization, established in 1995, is at the forefront of the multilateral effort to manage
and regulate economic globalisation in general and international trade in particular. The law of the WTO governs the
trade relations between the WTO’s 164 Members but also concerns each of us directly, as it affects the price and
quality of the goods and services we consume. Moreover, for many of us, our (future) job will be, directly or indirectly,
related to (and sometimes threatened by) international trade.

Since 2001, WTO Members have been negotiating in the context of the WTO Doha Development Round on
rules for the further liberalisation of international trade. To the disappointment of many, years of negotiations so far
have resulted in only limited agreements on new rules for international trade, achieved in Bali in December 2013 and
in Nairobi in December 2015. However, the current WTO rules have played an important role in mitigating the
consequences of the 2008-9 Global Financial and Economic Crisis. In the face of the dramatic drop in production and
exports as well as high unemployment experienced by many countries during the 2008-9 crisis, it was feared that
countries would resort to trade protectionist measures to support their domestic industries. During the Great
Depression of the 1930s, the adoption of such protectionist measures deepened and lengthened the economic crisis
considerably, which in turn led to political upheaval and radicalization, international tension and, eventually, war. It
has been argued that the WTO and its rules have contributed much to the fact that countries did not - in a more
significant manner - resort to disruptive protectionism in response to the Global Financial and Economic Crisis and that
history did not repeat itself. However, continued vigilance is called for because high levels of unemployment and
inequality persist in many countries leading to pressure on governments by domestic industries calling for protection
from foreign competition, with the trade war between the US and China being the most prominent example of such
developments. Moreover, present-day protectionist measures do not only take the form of high tariffs or small quotas
(both easy to detect) but instead hide in domestic regulation or domestic policy measures.

This introductory course on WTO law and policy is recommended to all students who want to gain a better
understanding of the core institutional and substantive rules of the international trading system. This understanding will
enable students to also appreciate some other recent developments in the field of international economic law, such as the
proliferation of preferential trade agreements and the ongoing trade tensions between major trading powers in the world.
Both are a response to the failure of the Doha Development Round to reach multilateral consensus, thereby shifting trade
negotiations and actions partly away from the WTO. Depending on the political and economic position of the involved
states, some of these agreements and actions may well set new standards for future international trade regulation. By
taking this course, students will gain understanding of not just the WTO but also of other recent developments in
international economic relations.

The course is built around a number of true-to-life international trade problems represented in the form of
case studies. The course addresses six themes. It starts by examining the phenomenon of economic globalization and,
the arguments for and against free trade, as well as the role of law in international economic and trade relations.
Secondly, the course looks at the history, objectives, structure, functions, decision-making and membership of the
WTO. Thirdly, the WTO's unique system for the resolution of trade disputes is discussed. Fourthly, the principles of
non-discrimination in WTO law (namely the obligations of most-favoured-nation treatment and national treatment)
are examined. Fifthly, the WTO rules on market access, dealing with tariff barriers and some non-tariff barriers to
trade in goods and services are addressed. Finally, the provisions of WTO law that aim to balance trade liberalization
with other societal values (such as health, environment and security) by means of exceptions to WTO obligations are
discussed.
151
Literature
 Van den Bossche, P., The Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization: Text, Cases and Materials, Third edition
(Cambridge University Press, 2013), selected chapters and/or sections only.
 The Legal Texts - The Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations (Cambridge University Press,
1999, reprinted 2007). The relevant WTO legal texts can also be found on the WTO website.
Instructional format
The course consists of two mandatory tutorial meetings per week and a number of lectures. The lectures deal with
selected topics covered by the course and are either conducted by a visiting lecturer or offered in the form of
recorded lectures by Prof. Van den Bossche, a former Member of the WTO Appellate Body and Honorary Professor at
Maastricht University. The tutorial meetings, held in principle twice a week, are dedicated to detailed discussion of
case studies that address problems covered by the relevant theme and are prepared by students beforehand in
writing. They are in principle conducted by the course coordinator.
Examination
Written assignment submitted during the course and a final written exam. In case of a lower course enrollment, an oral
exam may be held instead of a written exam.

152
SSC3056 Innovation Systems, Policy and Sustainability Transitions
Course coordinators
Dr. S. Türkeli, School of Business and Economics, UNU-MERIT,
[email protected]
Dr. P.H. Wong, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 5 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisite
SSC1027 Principles of Economics OR SCI1016 Sustainable Development: An Introduction.
Recommended
At least two 2000-level Social Sciences courses.
Objectives
To gain holistic, interdisciplinary and critical knowledge in the analyses of:
 Varieties of systems of innovation and sustainability transitions from political economic and societal
perspectives, which integrates economic, social, environmental, as well as policy perspectives.
 In particular, varieties of systems (e.g. technological, regional, socio-technical systems),
entrepreneurships (e.g. technological, social, environmental), sciences in systems (e.g. natural and
social sciences), innovations (e.g. technological, social, environmental eco-innovations), transitions
(e.g. technological, regional, societal, sustainability transitions), and alternative economies (e.g.
circular economy, social economy, digital economy, bio-economy, sharing economy).
 Varieties of systems and transitions from a global perspective (e.g. contexts and cases of high and
middle/low income countries, emerging markets and powers, international cooperation in between).
 Varieties of systems and transitions from a human perspective (e.g. varieties of entrepreneurships and
of outcomes, e.g. agency, quality of life, well-being, happiness, peace).
 To acquire an evidence-based approach for different policy analysis and design styles, and formulation
techniques on how to write a policy brief in practice.
Description of the course
The issues, that the political economic systems create while moving forward with a multitude of attempts in
structuring our everyday lives and possible futures, continue to systematically socialize negative economic,
environmental and social impacts over us and the world society. Much needed global societal transition towards
alternative settings calls for a comprehensive understanding and the analysis of the working of the multi-scalar
socio-technical systems. Accelerating the evolutionary scientific, technological and social sustainability transitions
towards alternative societal futures requires a holistic, interdisciplinary and critical know-how which will be
introduced by a set of lectures and enhanced by participatory discussions. Lectures and discussions are
supplemented by optional multi-method research, entrepreneurial mentoring, critical advocacy and evidence-
based policy writing skills sessions. After completing this course, participants will acquire working knowledge on
ideas, interests, institutions of societal relevance and be able to design new actions or policies for change making
in varieties of systems, sciences, innovations, transitions, economies, contexts, and, ultimately on the
sustainability outcomes.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Lectures and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Participation, traditional or video presentation and a final paper.

153
SSC3057 Economics and Society: History of Economic Thought
Course coordinators
Dr. T. Meissner, School of Business and Economics,
[email protected]
Prof. dr. T. van Veen, School of Business and Economics,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 1 5 Social Sciences No
Prerequisites
SSC1027 Principles of Economics; COR1002 Philosophy of Science, SSC2048 Intermediate Microeconomics
Objective
This course aims to discuss solutions that economists have considered to tackle economic problems such as
economic decision making and the role of rationality, the organization of an economy and the effectiveness of
economic policy. We discuss the theoretical context and the development of economic thinking. We will
extensively pay attention to different views that exist in economic theory.
Description of the course
The first part of this course is about how people make economic decisions. We will start out with an
introduction to the “standard” economic paradigm of expected utility theory and rational choice. We will then
continue to look at how the influence of other disciplines, such as psychology and sociology, has changed the
understanding of how people make economic decisions. In particular, we will analyze how people deviate
systematically from the self-interested, utility maximizing, rational behavior that has been traditionally
assumed when modelling economic choice.
The second part of this course discusses macroeconomic theories and policies. The main question that
macroeconomists try to address is: is macroeconomic demand policy effective? This question has caused and
still causes huge debates among macroeconomists, in particular between New-Keynesian, Post-Keynesian and
Austrian economists. The link with the first part of the course is that the more behavior deviates from standard
rational behavior, the more the government needs to act as a coordinator in an economy. Hence, discussions
about modelling economic behavior have been all around in discussions among macroeconomists.
Literature
To be announced. We use a textbook and articles.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Written exam with open questions (if the number of students < 5 we organize an oral exam); a
Presentation grade and a participation grade.

154
Skills Trainings (SKI)

155
SKI1004 Research Methods I
Course coordinator
Dr. J. Moes, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall / Spring 1/4 2.5 No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
After taking Research Methods I, you will know about:
 What research is, its philosophical foundations, and what the concepts are by which to evaluate it.
 Formulating a good research question, and matching it to a systematic research design.
 Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods, and what their respective advantages are.
 Interpreting research outcomes from a wide variety of approaches.
 Basic statistics, sampling strategies, and survey question design.
 Working with SPSS and executing basic commands.
Description of the course
Research is “creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge […]”.
This goal can be achieved in a wide variety of ways. We can count “things”, add them up, calculate statistics
about them, and get a reliable overview of “things”. We can also describe those “things” in great detail and
question why they are the “things” that they are, and what that means in the context of those “things”. Which
approach is better? The answer is that this depends on what you want to learn about those ‘’things”. In other
words, if we want to “increase the stock of knowledge”, it partly depends on which knowledge you are
interested in increasing (your “puzzle’’ and specific questions), and partly also on what you consider
“knowledge” to be in the first place. In Research Methods I, we will address these issues in great detail, and we
will go into how a research project can be set up in alignment with the answers to these questions.
Research Methods I (SKI1004), Research Methods II (SKI1005), and the Research Project (PRO1012)
form one coherent semester-long block of courses in which you will start from scratch and end with your own
finished research project. Along the way, we will discuss a wide variety of research approaches frequently used
in the humanities, social sciences, and the sciences. Another goal of this sequence of courses is for UCM as an
academic community to further develop its multi/interdisciplinary character, and for students to be able to
reflect and comment on each other’s work, no matter how diverse that may become in the course of the next
three years.
The first component of this three-course block is Research Methods I. Within this block, you will learn
the basics of research: about the systematic and logical aspects that are (virtually) universal across research
styles, and about the differences that define them. We will develop a common vocabulary to evaluate and talk
about research, and we will work on where it all begins: asking the right questions. From there, we will consider
the sub-questions and hypotheses that flow from the central research questions, the data (broadly defined)
that we would need to find answers, and how we can analyze that data. The remainder of the Research
Methods 1 course then focuses on quantitative research approaches and the technical skills needed to support
this.
Literature
 Gray, D. E. (2014). Doing Research in the Real World (Third ed.). London: Sage Publications.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures, computer lab sessions, and online educational materials.
Examination
Grades are based on (1) a written assignment and (2) a final examination at the end of the course period.

156
SKI1005 Research Methods II
Course coordinator
Dr. J. Moes, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall / Spring 2/5 2.5 No
Prerequisite
SKI1004 Research Methods I.
Objectives
After taking Research Methods II, you will know about:
 Designing a realistic research project.
 Interviewing techniques and conducting basic qualitative research.
 Designing and executing a basic survey.
 Presenting your ideas in a poster format.
 Basic methods in the sciences, and how a lab works.
 Intermediate statistics, sampling strategies, and intermediate commands in SPSS.
Description of the course
Research is “creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of
knowledge […]”. This goal can be achieved in a wide variety of ways. We can count “things”, add them up,
calculate statistics about them, and get a reliable overview of “things”. We can also describe those “things” in
great detail and question why they are the “things” that they are, and what that means in the context of those
“things”. Which approach is better? The answer is that this depends on what you want to learn about those
‘’things”. In other words, if we want to “increase the stock of knowledge”, it partly depends on which
knowledge you are interested in increasing (your “puzzle’’ and specific questions), and partly also on what you
consider “knowledge” to be in the first place. In Research Methods I, we will address these issues in great detail,
and we will go into how a research project can be set up in alignment with the answers to these questions.

Research Methods I (SKI1004), Research Methods II (SKI1005), and the Research Project (PRO1012)
form one coherent semester-long block of courses in which you will start from scratch and end with your own
finished research project. Along the way, we will discuss a wide variety of research approaches frequently used
in the humanities, social sciences, and the sciences. Another goal of this sequence of courses is for UCM as an
academic community to further develop its multi/interdisciplinary character, and for students to be able to
reflect and comment on each other’s work, no matter how diverse that may become in the course of the next
three years.
In Research Methods II, we will build on the foundation laid out in Research Methods I to work towards
your own research proposal at the end of this course. Along the way, we will work on designing a research
project that is feasible with limited resources in terms of time and money, and in addition we will work on some
specific qualitative skills and techniques that will allow you to go out and do research. In the research methods
Project that follows you will execute that proposal and finish with a presentation and a report about your
findings. At the end of Research Methods II, we will organize specialized workshops on various methodological
approaches (both quantitative and qualitative) in order to prepare you for your research in Project Period.
Literature
 Gray, D. E. (2014). Doing Research in the Real World (Third ed.). London: Sage Publications.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, lectures, workshops, and online educational materials.
Examination
Grades are based on (1) an individual poster presentation due halfway through the course and (2) a group
research proposal due at the end of the course period.

157
SKI1008 Introduction to Academic Skills I
Course coordinator
A. Wellum, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
A. Foster, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall / Spring 1/4 2.5 Yes
This course is not open to exchange students.
Prerequisite
None.
Note: The instructions in this course are closely aligned with the writing assignments in COR1003 Contemporary
World History and COR1005 Theory Construction & Modelling Techniques. Therefore, students who are
enrolled in SKI1008 are strongly encouraged to also take either COR1003 or COR1005.
Objective
 To analyse and apply principles on academic writing at UCM.
 To understand and apply information literacy skills, such as formulating a research question/thesis
statement and conducting a systematic literature search.
 To be able to determine what makes a good argument at UCM and apply tools to construct these.
 To analyze fundamental components to working in a PBL environment and apply these.
 To be a safe space where freshmen students can ask questions and compare notes on their
experiences.
Description of the course
The transition from secondary to tertiary education is often experienced as challenging for students, especially
considering the expectations at university regarding students’ academic skills, such as essay writing,
argumentation, or critical and analytical thinking. It is therefore imperative to support and train students right
from the start to take on a professional ethos with regard to their university studies and their personal and
academic development.
The skills course Introduction to Academic Skills consists of a semester-long program spanning three
periods. In this skills course, students are encouraged to take their academic development into their own hands.
Seminars, practical sessions, workshops, and (written) assignments will focus on acquainting students with the
core academic skills needed to be successful at university. The sessions are set up in such a way that students will
be able to put their newly acquired skills and insights into practice in the courses that run parallel to this skills
course.
Through continuous reflection on their personal learning process, in combination with periodic
assessment of this process, students should conclude this course with a clear overview of their competencies
with regards to general academic skills as well as specific skills, including study skills, information literacy skills,
analytical and critical thinking skills, writing skills, time management, and organisational skills.
Successful completion of SKI1008 is essential to be able to register for SKI1009 Introduction to
Academic Skills II.
Literature
 Required reading material will be available in on Student Portal.
Instructional format
Lectures, workshops and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Two written assignments.

158
SKI1009 Introduction to Academic Skills II
Course coordinator
A. Wellum, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
A. Foster, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall / Spring 2/5 2.5 Yes
This course is not open to exchange students.
Prerequisite
SKI1008 Introduction to Academic Skills I.
Objective
 To analyze and apply principles of academic writing at UCM.
 To understand and apply information literacy skills, such as formulating a research question/thesis
statement and conducting a systematic literature search.
 To be able to determine what makes a good argument at UCM and apply tools to construct these.
 To analyze fundamental components to working in a PBL environment and apply these.
 To be a safe space where freshmen students can ask questions and compare notes on their
experiences.
Description of the course
The transition from secondary to tertiary education is often experienced as a rather challenging one for students,
especially considering the expectations at university regarding students’ academic skills, such as essay writing,
argumentation, or critical and analytical thinking. It is therefore imperative to support and train students right
from the start to take on a professional ethos with regard to their university studies and their personal and
academic development.
The second part of the Introduction to Academic Skills series will focus on honing the skills learned
during ItAS I, and will explore skills necessary to surviving not just the first period but an entire semester at
UCM. For this, we will continue to explore study skills, fine-tune academic writing skills, and practise
information literacy skills. In the final part of the course, students will come together in groups to set up their
research and writing project in anticipation of Introducing Academic Communication: A Writing Project.
Literature
 Required reading material will be available in on Student Portal.
Instructional format
Lectures, tutorial group meetings and workshops.
Examination
Written assignments.

159
SKI2005 Back to the Sources
Course coordinator
Dr. P. del Hierro, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, History,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Spring 4 2.5 No
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To familiarize students with the most important types of primary sources (esp. on the history of the
EU) and the ways to find these sources (heuristic objective).
 To stimulate a critical and methodical attitude towards sources (critical objective).
 To differentiate between primary and secondary sources.
 To appreciate the importance of primary sources for the study of historical phenomena in general.
 To recognize the different characteristics and pitfalls of the several types of primary sources.
Description of the course
Reading history is not the same as researching it. Researching history means pursuing one’s own enquiry into
the past, instead of following another historian’s argument about it. Above all, researching history implies not
relying on ‘second-hand’ information. Instead, it involves going back to the primary historical sources as much
as possible. However, going back to the sources is not as simple and straightforward as it may sound. There are
all sorts of difficulties involved, intellectual as well as practical.
This Skills training offers a first introduction to the ways historians deal with these difficulties. During
the Skills training, students will discuss the information-value of several historical sources, especially public
political statements, archival records and public opinion sources. The several specific sources that stdents will
discuss during the course will all be related to one specific theme: the origins of the first European Community,
the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), established in 1952 (and the first that ceased to exist, in 2002).
This early episode in the history of European integration is particularly suited for an introduction to historical
research because a variety of archival and other primary sources is readily available. It is also an interesting
topic because it has led to controversy among historians. What was the role of the leading politicians and
officials involved, especially Schuman and Monnet? To what extent did existing idealism about European unity
play a role? Or was the initiative to establish the ECSC rather inspired by national self-interest of the states
involved?
This Skills training will be a useful guide to those students who are keen on doing historical research in
the future. But it will also prove to be of value to those with a general interest in history and in the history of
the European integration process in particular. By offering knowledge and insights on how the historian works,
it will mentally equip students to assess the strong and the weak aspects of the histories they will be reading.
This will enable them to inform themselves on specific topics, especially topics concerned with the process of
European integration.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Four meetings in which the literature and the written assignments are discussed.
Examination
Written assessment. Three short papers spread over the course.

160
SKI2007 Presentation Skills
Course coordinator
Dr. D. Vliegenthart, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall / Spring 1/4 2.5 Yes
Prerequisites
Students must be familiar with slideware, such as PowerPoint, Slides or Prezi.
Objectives
The purpose of this course is to improve your (academic) presentation skills, by learning how to:
 recognize and apply key components of an (academic) presentation;
 structure a message in a clear, concise and convincing manner;
 convey complex information clearly, both verbally and visually;
 design an engaging narrative, which is tailored to the audience;
 interact with and respond to non/verbal input from the audience;
 cope with nervous tension and gain more confidence as a speaker;
 give and receive constructive feedback on academic presentations.
Description of the course
This course will help you to prepare for future presentations during your studies as well as in your professional
career. Apart from a general introduction to fundamental presentation skills in the opening lecture, this course
is based on learning-by-doing. Each student will give four presentations: one 5-minute presentation on an
informal topic determined by the course coordinator and three 12 to 15 minute presentations of an academic
nature. Students choose their own topics for their academic presentations; preferably topics they are interested
in and have already researched. Students provide each other with extensive verbal feedback after each
presentation.

Students will receive feedback on their presentations from their peers and their tutor, with regards to e.g.:
 Delivery: speech pace and pauses; tone of voice; body language such as posture, gestures, movement.
 Structure: providing an introduction, body and conclusion, with clear transitions between different
sections of a presentation, using a logical sequence of information, with main points and subpoints.
 Content: providing sound descriptions and interpretations of the main topics, supported by relevant
academic methods and theories and other reliable sources, and clarified with examples or metaphors.
 Visual Aids: using slideware that supports, and does not distract from, the content of the presentation,
including key words, clarifying images such as (photo)graphs, and entertaining touches such as
cartoons.
 Audience: tailoring the form and content of one’s message to the audience; interacting with the
audience during the presentation as well as adequately responding to verbal and non-verbal input
from them.
 Feedback: providing and receiving constructive feedback on presentations to/from fellow students.
Literature
 None.
Instructional format
An introduction lecture on fundamental (academic) presentation skills and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
One informal 5-minute presentation (pass/fail).
Two 12 to 15 minute academic practice presentations (2 x 25%).
One 12 to 15 minute academic final presentation (50%).

161
SKI2048 Introduction to Discourse Analysis
Course coordinators
Dr. V. Lifrieri, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]
Dr. D. Vliegenthart, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Spring 5 2,5 No
Prerequisites
None.
Objectives
In this introduction to discourse analysis, students will acquire:
 Basic knowledge of some discourse analytical theories;
 Basic methods for investigating the socially constructed nature of perceptions of “reality”;
 Basic skills for applying multi-level discourse analysis.
Description of the course
In this course, we start from the assumption that a discourse is socially constructed. A “discourse” is an
ensemble of verbal and non-verbal practices that reciprocally structure and are structured by our perceptions of
the world around us. A discourse does not just translate reality into language, but influences how we see
reality. Discourse analysis provides the methodology for critically assessing naturalized uses of language and
challenging tacit knowledge underlying our perceptions of reality.
Following critical discourse analysis (CDA), we concentrate on conducting and integrating textual and contextual
explorations of diverse written texts. The course is co-taught by the two coordinators, thus allowing students to
gain insights from both areas of expertise. In practical terms, three of the tutorials focus on how to relate
textual representations and socio-political contexts, while the other three tutorials focus on how to relate
textual representations and the linguistic components of texts. Students are expected to prepare for the
tutorials by reading assigned background literature and doing practice exercises before the meetings.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional Format
Lectures and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Grades are based on:
(1) preparation for and active participation in class (pass/fail);
(2) a critical written analysis of an example CDA article [20%];
(3) a paper which replicates the example article based on new primary source material [80%].

162
SKI2049 Argumentation I
Course coordinator
Dr. W. Giernalczyk, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall / Spring 1/4 2.5 Yes
Prerequisite
Students who take the course need to have written at least one academic paper.
Objectives
In this skills training we work from two fundamental assumptions regarding arguments:
1. They have a specific structure, which can be made visible and evaluated.
2. The quality of an argument depends on its structure as much as it depends on its content.
In order to “get a grip” on arguments the course is divided into four parts that introduce information and
exercises to gradually develop the skill of argument analysis. The first part will serve as an introduction
discussing the general characteristics and typology of arguments. Furthermore, in this part students learn how
arguments can be standardized and how argumentative structures can be visualized by drawing patterns. The
core question this part of the course seeks to answer is: What is the structure of arguments and how can one
reveal this structure? This part of the course will also contain an introductory lecture, entitled “Standardizing
Arguments”.
In part two an informal but systematic method for evaluating the quality of arguments, the ARG-
method, is introduced. By assessing the acceptability of premises, the relevance of premises with regards to the
conclusion they are supposed to support, and the logical connection between premises and the following
conclusion, the ARG-method enables us to examine both structure and content of an argument. During this part
of the course an introduction to bad arguments, so-called fallacies, is provided as well. A Lecture, “Evaluating
Arguments”, will accompany this part of the course.
In the third part the knowledge and skills provided in the first two parts will be applied to complete
texts, seeking to isolate the arguments they present in a systematic way and evaluate whether or not they are
good arguments.
Part four moves beyond the analysis of already existing arguments. In this part, standardization and
patterns of arguments, as well as the ARG-method, will be used to construct arguments. Furthermore it will be
practiced how the skills learned throughout the course can be applied for the purpose of writing academic
papers.

Note: Students considering enrolling for the skill trainings in argumentation should be aware that the course
will not focus on rhetoric and debating skills (although it can be assumed that the analytical skills acquired in
this course will be helpful for debates).
Literature
 E-reader with various articles and chapters on argument analysis and logic.
Instructional format
Assignment-based discussion, supplemented by lectures.
Examination
A midterm assignment asking students to conduct an analysis of one of their own papers using the techniques
of argument analysis and a final assignment in which students compose an argument of their own.

163
SKI2077 Lab Skills: Cell Biology
Course coordinators
Dr. B. Schutte, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Genetics & Cell Biology,
[email protected] (corresponding coordinator)
Dr. J. Broers, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Genetics & Cell Biology,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Spring 4 2.5 No
Prerequisite
This course is designed to be taken in combination with SCI2037 Cell Biology. Students who wish to take this
course should concurrently enroll in SCI2037 Cell Biology prior to enrolling in SKI2077.
Objective
 To develop laboratory skills in the field of cell biology.
Description
The aim of this course is to develop competences in the planning and performance of experiments and in the
evaluation of results using common techniques in molecular genetics and cell biology. The skills training starts
with an introductory lecture providing information on the assignments as well as an introduction into Good
Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Safe Laboratory Practice (SLP). Students perform experiments on several different
topics.
Literature
 There is no main book for this course. A list of the books in which these suggested readings can be
found is provided; these books are all available in the Reading Room at UCM and/or in the library at
the UNS50. In addition to the books, E-reader will be posted in the Student Portal.
Instructional format
Practical assignments and lectures. The practical assignments take place at the laboratories of the Faculty of
Medicine, Health and Life Sciences (FMHL) in Randwijck.
Examination
Assessment will be based on written assignments (in pairs of 2 students) prior to each practical, a presentation
(in pairs of 2 students) to conclude the practical sessions, and a written exam in the final week.

164
SKI2079 Lab Skills: Human Anatomy & Histology
Course coordinators
Dr. L. Köhler, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Anatomy & Embryology,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Spring 5 2.5 No
Prerequisite
This course is designed to be taken in combination with SCI2009 Human Physiology. Students who wish to take
this course should concurrently enroll in SCI2009 Human Physiology prior to enrolling in SKI2079.
Objectives
 To gain knowledge and experience in microscopic studies of the histology of blood vessels, tissue types
and organs.
 To gain knowledge and experience in macroscopic studies on corpses with regard to the anatomy of
the thorax and abdomen.
 To gain knowledge and experience in macroscopic studies on human plastinates and models with
regard to the anatomy of the kidney, lungs, heart, vessels and the digestive tract.
Description of the course
The aim of this skills training is to familiarize students with skills and knowledge concerning human anatomy
and histology. The histology part entails a practical introduction to virtual microscopy, followed by microscopic
studies of the histology of blood vessels, individual cell types and structures in diverse tissues of the circulatory,
urinary, respiratory and digestive tract where the computer serves as microscope. Each “virtual microscopy”
session start with a short 10- minute lecture introducing the topic. During the sessions, students use a
handbook (Powerpoint file) with tasks and questions. At the end of each session students will have produced
their own booklet, complete with annotated histology pictures. If you have a histology book, it is highly
advisable to bring it to the course. Students are encouraged to work in groups of two (in the histology section of
the course) or more (in the anatomy section of the course) to discuss their findings. The macroscopy part of the
course entails an introduction to the autopsy room. Students will perform observatory studies on corpses,
models and human plastinates guided by a list of tasks and questions, part of which needs to be studied in
advance at home.
Both for the histology sessions and the anatomy sessions, a self-study manual and a manual for the actual
practical session are provided. Students are expected to prepare the self-study manuals at home – and
questions on those manuals will be asked at the beginning of each session.
Literature
 Gartner, L.P. & Hiatt, J.L. (2007). Color Textbook of Histology. (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Elsevier. (UM-
Library).
 Junqueira, Basic histology, a text and atlas. (13th ed.). Online edition:
http://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=574&sectionid=42524590
 Kierszenbaum, A. (2001). Histology and Cell Biology. (1st ed.). Philadelphia: Mosby. (UM-Library).
 Ross, M.H. & Pawlina, W. (2011) Histology, a text and atlas. (6th ed.). Philadelphia, Wolters Kluwer.
 Netter, F. (2006) Atlas of Human Anatomy. (4th ed.). Philadelphia: Elsevier. (UM-Library).
 Sobotta, J., Putz, R., Pabst, R., Putz, R., Bedoui, S. (2006). Atlas of Human Anatomy. (14th ed.).
München: Elsevier. (UM-Library).
 Drake, R.L., Vogl, W., Mitchell, A.W.M., Shaw, A.-M., Gray, H. (2005). Gray’s Anatomy for Students.
Philadelphia: Elsevier. (UM-Library).
 Agur, A.M.R., Dailey, A. F. (2013) Grant’s Atlas of Anatomy. (13th ed.) Philadelphia, Wolters Kluwer.A
 Practical instruction manuals and short atlasses (E-reader).
Instructional format
Practical assignments and lectures. The practical assignments take place at the laboratories of the Faculty of
Medicine, Health and Life Sciences (FMHL) in Randwijck.
Examination
Student evaluation will be based on four written short tests after every studied organ, a written exam at the
end of the course, and the students’ behaviour during the practical sessions (formative).

165
SKI2083 International Negotiation
Course coordinator
Dr. M. Stout, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Spring 5 2.5 Yes
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To teach students the negotiation skills required to achieve optimal outcomes in a multicultural and
often multilateral setting like the EU, UN or an international business meeting.
 To teach students to make a detailed diplomatic paper from the perspective of one of the following: an
EU member state, EU institution, a non-EU state.
 Students will acquaint themselves with the negotiating approaches of the country, company,
institution they are representing.
 To train students in planning negotiations carefully-deciding on the most useful alliances etc.
 Students will participate in a complex negotiation of around 4.5 hours where they will to put into
practice what they have learnt.
Description of the course
In this skills course students will learn about international negotiations and how countries, companies and
institutions plan and seek to achieve their goals in a multicultural and often multilateral setting. Students will
learn the negotiation and cultural skills necessary for completing a successful international negotiation:
analytical, strategic, social and bargaining. Students are trained to analyze complex negotiation situations and
to then apply the theories that they have learnt to maximize their outcomes.
After every simulation, the students discuss their strategies/ negotiation skills and outcomes with their peers
and the tutor. In the final EU simulation, students will enjoy the challenging experience of participating in an
international negotiation.
Literature
 Roger Fisher and William Ury, Getting to Yes Negotiating an agreement without giving in (2nd edition),
Random House Business Books 2012.
 C. Moore, P.J. Woodrow, Handbook of Global and Multicultural Negotiation Jossey-Bass 2010.
Instructional format
Assignment-based discussion. The skills training also contains practical assignments.
Examination
A diplomatic paper and the final negotiation both of which are graded and position papers which are pass/fail.

166
SKI2084 Writing in an Academic Context: Improving Argumentation and Style
Course coordinator
A. Wellum, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall / Spring 2/5 2.5 Yes
Prerequisite
None.
Objectives
 To develop awareness of the conventions of academic writing.
 To understand how to write clearly and coherently in an academic context.
 To develop writing through peer- and tutor feedback.
Description of the course
This course is designed to help students polish their academic writing skills. Since an important aspect of good
writing is the ability to convey ideas as clearly as possible to the reader, we will examine the nuts and bolts of
writing that are essential to this. This may include rules of syntax and how to make your writing more accessible,
paragraphing and overall coherence, a closer look at the structural parts of an academic paper, and how to
improve conciseness and coherence in your paper. Furthermore, we will practice using proofreading tools such
as the reverse outline.
During the course, we will look beyond the general ideas of academic articles and papers to see the
mechanisms of how these papers work, especially at a technical level. This will be done in the form of weekly
exercises that you will prepare in advance and discuss in class, and by giving in-depth feedback to your peer’s
writing during in-class feedback sessions. You will put what we discuss in class into practice by revieweing your
own paper and providing peer feedback.
This course is interactive and writing intensive and you will be reading and writing both inside and
outside of class. Although sharing your writing with others can seem intimidating, this writing course is a safe
space for you to work, make mistakes, and improve your writing.
Literature
 Readers on student portal
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings, a lecture, full-class discussions and small group discussion, weekly readings and home
exercises.
Examination
Written assignments.

167
SKI2085 Ethnography and Qualitative Interviewing I
Course coordinator
Dr. U. Müller, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall 1 2.5 No
Prerequisites
SKI1004 Research Methods I, SKI1005 Research Methods II and PRO1012 Research Project.
Recommended
This course is for students with a background or sincere interest in sociology, anthropology and/or cultural
studies.
Objectives
 To get a general impression of the qualitative research process and its fundamental differences to
quantitative data analysis.
 To become familiar with the “art” of qualitative interviewing.
 To practice taking fieldnotes.
 To provide students with hands-on experience in crafting their own study and writing a feasible
research proposal.
Description of the course
Qualitative Research is an overarching term for a diverse range of approaches and methods within different research
disciplines. Qualitative researchers essentially “study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or
interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them” (Ritchie 2003: 3). Ethnography is one form of
qualitative research and means literally “writing culture” (Hesse-Biber 2006: 230). Often called “participant observation”,
ethnography is based on the simple idea, that in order to understand what people are up to, it is best to observe them by
interacting with them up close and personal within their everyday lives. Ethnographers provide detailed accounts of the
everyday practices of a culture, subculture, organisation or group by “hanging out”, observing and recording the ongoing
social life by taking fieldnotes and/or providing “thick descriptions” (Hesse-Biber 2006: 230).
This is part one of an overall sequence of three skills trainings within which students design and implement their
own study, analyze the data collected, and report on their research findings. In this first module students will learn about
various research tools, such as participant observation and qualitative interviewing. Students will learn how to take
fieldnotes and will be introduced to various forms of interviewing, such as the structured interview, the in-depth interview,
focus groups and life history interviews. Taking fieldnotes and interviewing will be practiced in and outside of the classroom.
Moreover, students will be guided through the process of crafting a feasible research question and the appropriate design
for the study that they will pursue in the follow up modules of this course. The research questions will provide the basis for
students’ investigations. What is to be investigated is entirely up to the student(s). However they will be provided with
guidance in the formulation of their topics.
In this course, students will have to conduct at least one interview, thus you will need to have access to a tape
recorder and/or video camera.
Note: This is a time and labor intensive skills training, especially once you have begun data collection in the second module
of the course. Most of the work that you are required to accomplish will occurr outside of the class setting. Students are
expected to work independently and should count on having to invest an extra two to four hours per week for interviewing,
transcribing the interviews and working on the data analysis.

Literature
 Hesse-Biber, S.N. (2011). The Practice of Qualitative Research. Sage Publication, Thousand Oaks,
California, Second Edition.
 Burawoy, M. (2000). Global Ethnography. Berkeley: University of California Press.
 Excerpts from several books on qualitative research that are available at the UCM reading room, for
example, Silverman, D. (2005). Doing Qualitative Research, Rubin, H. (2005). Qualitative Interviewing:
The Art of Hearing Data and Ritchie, J. (2003). Qualitative Research Practice.
Instructional format
Lectures, group discussions and in class exercises on interviewing and taking fieldnotes.
Examination
Presentation of two qualitative studies and a written research proposal.

168
SKI2086 Lab Skills: Biochemistry
Course coordinators
Prof. dr. C. Reutelingsperger, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Biochemistry,
[email protected]
N. Deckers, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Biochemistry,
[email protected] (corresponding coordinator)

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall 2 2.5 No
Prerequisite
This course is designed to be taken in combination with SCI2035 Biochemistry. Students who wish to take this
course should concurrently enroll in SCI2035 Biochemistry or have taken SCI2035 Biochemistry prior to enrolling
in SKI2086.
Objective
 To develop laboratory skills in the field of biochemistry.
Description of the course
Laboratory skills are essential for students who want to pursue a Life Science oriented master study. In this skills
training you will get acquainted with the basic laboratory skills in biochemistry. Training involves safety and
Good Laboratory Practice, as well as some essential biochemical techniques like DNA isolation, enzyme kinetics,
absorption spectrophotometry, and protein gel electrophoresis. You will measure cholesterol levels in various
food samples and you will determine the presence of sugars and identify the types of sugars in unknown
samples, solving a sugar-riddle. You will work in teams of two and prepare your own protocol for each practical.
Literature
 Reed, R., Holmes, D., Weyers, J., Jones, A. (2007). Practical Skills in Biomolecular Sciences. (3rd ed.).
Essex: Pearson Education Limited (Reading Room).
 Practical instructions and background texts (E-reader).
Instructional format
An introductory lecture and practicals. The practicals take place at the laboratories of the Faculty of Medicine,
Health and Life Sciences (FMHL) in Randwijck.
Examination
Student evaluation will be based on written protocol proposals (in pairs of two students) and lab journal entries
for each practical, written lab reports (in pairs of two students) for 2 of the practicals, and a final practical exam
(individual assessment).

169
SKI2088 Lab Skills: Genetics
Course coordinator
Dr. R. Brandão, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Dept. of Clinical Genetics,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall 1 2.5 No
Prerequisite
This course is designed to be taken in combination with SCI2022 Genetics and Evolution. Students who wish to
take this course should concurrently enroll in SCI2022 Genetics and Evolution or have taken SCI2022 Genetics
and Evolution before.
Objective
 To develop basic laboratory skills in the field of genetics.
Description of the course
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the basic principles and techniques in genetics, to develop
basic competences in the planning and performance of experiments and the evaluation of results, as well as
writing reports. The course consists of 6 sessions of approx. 4 hours and covers topics such as DNA and RNA
isolation/purification, spectrophotometry for nucleic acid quantification, amplification of specific genetic
regions, gel electrophoresis and basic bioinformatics (commonly used databases, finding the genetic location
of a specific gene and its gene sequences, design amplification primers for a specific genetic region, etc) using
online available tools. The emphasis will be on genetic variation, which is relevant for human clinical diagnostic
setting, evolution studies, etc. Furthermore, this course provides basic knowledge on Good Laboratory Practice
(GLP) and Laboratory Safety Regulations. Besides the 4 hours hands-on time in the lab, each session requires 1-
2 hrs of preparation beforehand and 1-2 hrs for reporting afterwards. Students will work in pairs. Lab
experience is not required, although biological and chemical background knowledge at secondary school level is
recommendable for full understanding of the provided techniques. If necessary, in the first lab session,
pipetting skills will be trained.
Literature
A course manual containing background information on the experiments and experimental protocols will be
provided. For each training session the manual will contain questions that will help the student to prepare the
experiments.
Instructional format
This course consists of an introductory lecture and 6 practical trainings. These take place at the laboratories of
the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences (FMHL) at the Randwijck campus (Universiteitssingel 40, 50
and 60).
Examination
A written report (per pair) and an individual exam consisting of multiple choice and open questions.
General behavior and attitude during lab work will also be taken into account in the final grade.

170
SKI3002 Argumentation II
Course coordinator
Dr. W. Giernalczyk, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall 2 2.5 Yes
Prerequisite
SKI2049 Argumentation I.
Objectives
Argumentation II is the sequel to Argumentation I. In this respect the main objective of Argumentation II is to
further develop the skills of argument analysis and design. The particular focus of this skills training will be on
the structure of arguments. At the end of the course students should be able to:
 Identify and assess the different functions that different parts of an argument fulfill according to the
Toulmin model.
 Formally evaluate the validity of arguments by applying the basic methods of sentential logic.
 Build and present arguments of their own according to the Toulmin model.
Description of the course
In this sequel to SKI2049 Argumentation I, we will zoom in on the structure of arguments. In the first part of the
skills training the Toulmin model of argumentation is introduced. This model goes beyond the basic distinction
of premises and conclusions as constituent parts of arguments by distinguishing the different functions that
premises can fulfill. The Toulmin model is more flexible than argumentative analysis based on formal logic, but
also more specific and logically rigorous than the tools introduced in Argumentation I. Therefore it can be a
powerful tool for specific and sophisticated argumentative analysis. Such analyses will be conducted during this
skills training, first on small, simplified academic arguments and afterwards on a larger scale, analyzing
examples from real life discourse. Finally, in the midterm assignment, students are asked to apply the Toulmin
model to design an argument themselves.
The second part of the course takes the analysis of argumentative structures a step further and the tools that
are used are logically even more rigorous. This part introduces students to basic sentential logic, a strictly
formal, almost mathematical approach to argument analysis. Sentential logic introduces a simple set of rules
and procedures that allows students to test whether an argument is formally valid, i.e. if its structure is correct,
independent of its content. To test for the validity of an argument in this way, the structure of English
sentences will be separated from their content by translating the sentences into symbols; afterwards formal
rules will be applied (by using truth tables and semantic tableaus) to check whether an argument logically works
or not.
Note: Students should be aware of the abstract nature of formal logical reasoning when enrolling for
this course. Learning this is highly valuable to train a particular way of thinking, but students might perceive this
skill as less directly applicable to, for example, paper writing or discussions than the tools that are introduced in
Argumentation I.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Assignment-based discussions supplemented by lectures.
Examination
A midterm assignment that requires students to design an argument using the Toulmin model and a written
final exam on formal logic.

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SKI3003 Research Studio, Introduction to Applying an Art Practice as Research Method
Project coordinators
I. Römgens, MA, University College Maastricht (corresponding coordinator),
[email protected]
Dr. R. Benschop Faculty of the Arts, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 2 5 all No

Prerequisites
HUM1011 Introduction to Art and at least one of any of the following courses: HUM1012 Pop Songs and Poetry,
HUM2013 The Presence of Art, HUM2031 Cultural Studies II, HUM2043 Film Art, HUM3036 Narrative Media or
HUM3043 Acts of Literature.

Students who register for SKI3003 Research Studio, introduction to applying an art practice as research method
also have to register for PRO3015 Research Studio, where art and academia meet in the same semester. It is not
possible to take either module separately due to the integrated set-up of this skills training and the project.
Objectives
The learning objectives addressed in the skills training part of Research Studio are as follows. Students will learn:
1. To familiarize themselves and engage with a variety of (artistic) research methodologies.
This includes being able to recognize different forms of artistic research, being able to critically reflect on their
application in different contexts and being able to relate them to (and potentially pair them with) academic methods
of research.
2. Ways to engage in and discuss an art practice.
This includes the use of artistic methods to generate knowledge (see objective 1) and the ability to distinguish
between an art practice and artistic research.
3. Collaboration in a diverse and interdisciplinary team.
This includes teamwork and communication skills as well as adaptability and reflection on one’s strengths and
weaknesses in contributing to the team-effort.
4. To transfer their knowledge and skills to a practical issue of societal concern.
This includes critical analysis of the topic, recognizing what questions can be raised and what approaches can be
taken to address these questions.

Description of the course

The two modules of Research Studio invite to explore conducting research in an interdisciplinary team
consisting of theatre artists and academics. Bridging the domains of art and academia, Research Studio
challenges students to get out of their ‘comfort zone’ and transfer their academic knowledge and skills to a new
working environment. This interdisciplinary view on research is underpinned by the idea that art and academia
are not separate domains, but ‘particular kinds of experimental practices in a more general experimental
culture’ (Gere, 2010). Taken together, the skills training and project trigger creativity, require adaptability and
endorse critical reflection on established research practices, methods and ways of knowing. They challenge to
critically consider the questions how do we know what we know? And what for?

Participants in Research Studio are part of an interdisciplinary team. Together they work on a topical issue,
guided by both a theatre professional and an academic researcher. The aim is not to turn UCM students into
theatre artists or to ‘make theatre’. Instead, the aim is to explore ways in which practices and insights from
theatre can help to get to know about the topic of the research. Hence, the project welcomes students from all
concentrations. All team-members contribute based on their personal backgrounds, expertise and interests. No
specific experience in theatre or any other art practice is expected. Students should be open to experimenting
with new or unfamiliar ways of conducting research, using for instance the body as a research instrument.
Instructional format and assessment
As an introduction to research incorporating an art practice, the project involves a variety of activities from both
theatre and academia. Examples are discussion / brainstorm sessions, lectures, practical workshops, fieldtrips
and individual reading and writing. During the first part (skills training) the focus is on how an art practice can
contribute to getting to know about the world, for example as a research method or by providing insight in
what questions could be asked or how to come up with research questions. Assessment focuses on
documentation of and reflection on the learning process. For this students start a personal research portfolio,
which they continue in period 3. Additionally, they work towards creating a research plan of their own in which
they include (insights from) an art practice they learned about. The research plan will be implemented in period
3.

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SKI3050 Preparing Conference
Course coordinator
W. van Dellen (MSc), Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall 2 2.5 No
NB: Students who register for SKI3050 Preparing Conference must also take PRO3006 Conference. It is not
possible to take either of these modules separately due to the specific nature of this skills training and the
project.
Prerequisite
It is necessary that students have passed several courses, skills trainings and projects on a 2000 level and/or a
3000 level in Humanities, Sciences and/or Social Sciences. The reason is that students will base their individual
contribution to the conference on their UCM curriculum. It is therefore recommended for students to participate in
their fourth semester or later.

Recommended
SKI2007 Presentation Skills.
Objectives
 To train students in skills required for preparing an academic conference.
 To give students the opportunity to position their interest within a field of their choice and academic
fields in general and express that by means of activities at a conference such as lectures and
workshops.
 To train students to work together and set up PR, logistics, and an opening and closing session for a
conference.
 To train students in using a framework for instructional design and apply its principles to their
individual contributions to the conference.
 To train students in writing lesson plans with one or two fellow students for their individual
contributions to the conference and the plenary sessions that will be offered.
 To train students in working together on preparing a conference.
Description of the course
A conference is a platform for scholars or professionals to meet and share ideas, to present new discoveries and
to connect to fellow academics. At a conference papers and research posters are presented, workshops are
offered for skill development, and seminars are held to familiarise the scientific community with current
academic topics and new developments. As an academic you visit a conference to present your own work, see
others’ work and to start possible collaborations.
This skills training focuses on the preparation and planning of a conference. Students will write extensive
plans for the annual UCM Liberal Arts and Sciences conference to be held in the third period of this semester.
Students will do the following in order to develop these plans:
1) Discuss the shared assumptions, values and goals of Liberal Arts and Sciences and an open curriculum
and turn that into a subtheme for the conference.
2) Discuss and compare individual interests within the group to find similarities and differences and turn
that into workshops and lectures at the conference which will be offered in collaboration with one or
two fellow students.
3) Discuss instructional design (teaching and learning) in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes and use
that to work out lesson plans for the conference for workshops and lectures.
4) Discuss PR and logistics and the opening and closing of the conference and collect their preparations
and plans in a team portfolio.

Note that this skills training is not only about presentation skills and organisation skills. It also aims at giving
students the opportunity to learn more about education and teaching and instructional design.
The skills training relies heavily on students’ personal experiences from having been in a liberal arts and
sciences program for several semesters and on being able to make that explicit to others. On the one hand, this
will be used while preparing the conference and to inform first semester UCM students. On the other hand,
participating students will benefit from the skills training and its follow-ups by fostering a preparation for e.g.
Capstone and master’s applications for which a profound understanding and expression of a student’s academic
interest will be necessary.

173
 The skills training puts a strong emphasis on instructional design. Individual contributions to the
conference are considered to be educational units and approached as such. For participating students, this will
be an opportunity to gain experience with developing and designing intended learning objectives and then
implementing teaching and learning activities for a target group and audience. Students will inform themselves
on different approaches to teaching and apply them to preparing lesson plans for the lectures, workshops and
plenary sessions offered at the conference.
A wide variety of individual interests in the Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities is welcomed in
order to offer a diverse conference. This skills training fosters an interdisciplinary approach among the
participating students.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Training, feedback and peer review in small groups.
Examination
Students will be assessed and graded on (1) a conference team portfolio, and (2) a lesson plan for their lecture
and workshop (assignment by two or three students).

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SKI3052 Ethnography and Qualitative Interviewing II
Course coordinator
Dr. U. Müller, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall 2 2.5 No
Prerequisite
SKI2085 Ethnography and Qualitative Interviewing I.
Objectives
 To provide students with hands-on experience in collecting data for their own study, i.e. students will
gain experience in “doing observations”, taking fieldnotes, and qualitative interviewing.
 To experience transcribing interviews.
 To become familiar with qualitative data analysis.
Description of the course
This is the second of a three module course on qualitative research methods. This module builds on what
students have learned in part I and is designed to guide them through the steps of data collection for their own
qualitative study. Students will work on gaining access to their research site and will begin the interview process
and/or their observations and conversations with their research participants as participant observers. Students
will be introduced to the process of transcribing the interviews, coding the data and memo writing. All three
steps are part of qualitative data analysis. As students develop their research projects, they will be challenged
to link their specific research questions to larger processes and forces. They will also be asked to consider who
might find their research useful and how the results of their investigations might be utilized to promote social
change. In-depth analysis of the intricacies underlying contemporary social, cultural, and political discourses
and practices, provides the basis for good social research.

Note: This is a time and labor intensive skills training, especially once you have begun data collection. Most of
the work that you are required to accomplish for the training will occurr outside of the class setting. Students
are expected to work independently and should count on having to invest an extra two to four hours per week
for interviewing, transcribing the interviews and working on the data collection.
Literature
 Hesse-Biber, S.N. (2011). The Practice of Qualitative Research. Sage Publication, Thousand Oaks,
California, Second Edition.
 Burawoy, M. (2000). Global Ethnography. Berkeley: University of California Press.
 Excerpts from several books on qualitative research that are available at the UCM Reading Room, for
example, Silverman, D. (2005). Doing Qualitative Research Robin, H. (2005). Qualitative Interviewing:
The Art of Hearing Data and Ritchie, J. (2003). Qualitative Research Practice.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and lectures.
Examination
Key aspects of work produced during data collection and analysis.

175
LAN2000 Language Trainings
Course coordinator
Maastricht University Language Centre
www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/languages

Semester Period ECTS Skills Device Free

Fall / Spring 1 / 2 and 4 / 5 2.5 Yes
Prerequisite
Language trainings are open to all UCM students. Within the UCM curriculum a language course counts as a
2000-level skills training. Each student can take up to two language courses or 5 ECTS in total. UCM uses a
specific registration procedure for language trainings (see below). To determine the level of a course that is
suitable to a student's proficiency in the language, the registration procedure might include an intake interview
with a teacher of the language in question.
Objective
Please refer to the website of the Language Centre UM, www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/languages, for further
information about the levels, intake requirements and content of the courses.
Description of the courses
Students can choose a language course from the list of courses that are on offer for UCM students as long as it
is not English or their native language. It goes without saying that the choice of a certain language course can be
related to future plans and the country students select for doing their semester abroad. However, this is not
obligatory.
Literature
Most courses use standard text- and workbooks that can be obtained at Studystore. In some courses materials
will be used that the Language Centre UM has developed. Those materials will be handed out to you by your
tutor or they will be sent to you by e-mail or Student Portal. Further information on the books that need to be
obtained can be found at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/languages
Instructional format
Dutch courses run for 7 weeks (two sessions per week) or 14 weeks (with one session per week). The modern
languages courses run for 14 weeks (with one session per week). Please note that the majority of language
courses are taught in the late afternoon or evenings.
Examination
All language courses will use an attendance and assessment procedure to determine whether or not you have
passed or failed the course. The test results will be graded on a 10-point scale.

Attendance
Language courses have an attendance requirement of 85%, which means that you are allowed to miss two
sessions. If you miss three sessions you must give your tutor a valid reason. The tutor will then decide on the
validity of the reason. Only if your reason is held to be valid, you will be given an extra task by the tutor. If you
miss four sessions or more you fail the course.
Registration procedure
Indicate “SKI2000 Language Training” in the list of skills on the Course Registration Form. You will then be
contacted to register for the specific course. If necessary the Language Center will send you a request for an
intake interview to determine your current proficiency.

176
Projects (PRO)

177
PRO1010 Introducing Academic Communication: A Writing Project
Course coordinator
A. Wellum, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
A. Foster, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Fall / Spring 3/6 5 Yes
This course is not open to exchange students.
Prerequisites
SKI1008 Introduction to Academic Skills I and SKI1009 Introduction to Academic Skills II.
Objective
 The aim of this project is to acquaint Liberal Arts & Sciences students with the process and practice of
writing an interdisciplinary research paper. Furthermore, the goal is to familiarize students with
working in an interdisciplinary group. The tutor will assist students in this process and will be available
to offer support, guidance and feedback. The emphasis of this project, however, will lie upon students’
own input, planning and group work.
Description of the course
To be a Liberal Arts & Sciences student means to have a broad interest and to be able to approach problems
from different perspectives. Working together with students from different disciplines on the same problem, is
a crucial part of being a true Liberal Arts & Sciences student.
Furthermore, while communication plays an important part in everyday life, within academia it is essential.
Having good communication skills involves being able to express your ideas and findings in a clear and concise
manner, within the guidelines set by the academic community.
In this project, students will practice writing an academic piece in an interdisciplinary team. Students will be
expected to put the skills learned in Introduction to Academic Skills I & II into practice and write an extensive
research paper. The project is mainly based on peer-to-peer education; by writing a paper in a small,
interdisciplinary group, students will be able to both share their skills and knowledge and learn from each other.
Literature
 Required reading material will be available in on Student Portal.
Instructional format
Lectures and tutorial group meetings.
Examination
Written assignments.

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PRO1012 Research Project
Course coordinator
Dr. J. Moes, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Fall / Spring 3/6 5 No
Prerequisites
SKI1004 Research Methods I and SKI1005 Research Methods II.
Objectives
After doing the Research Project, you will know about:
 Conducting a well-designed research project from start to finish.
 Academic writing in the context of empirical research.
 Presenting empirical research outcomes.
Description of the course
Research is “creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of
knowledge […]”. This goal can be achieved in a wide variety of ways. We can count “things”, add them up,
calculate statistics about them, and get a reliable overview of “things”. We can also describe those “things” in
great detail and question why they are the “things” that they are, and what that means in the context of those
“things”. Which approach is better? The answer is that this depends on what you want to learn about those
‘’things”. In other words, if we want to “increase the stock of knowledge”, it partly depends on which
knowledge you are interested in increasing (your “puzzle’’ and specific questions), and partly also on what you
consider “knowledge” to be in the first place. In Research Methods I, we will address these issues in great
detail, and we will go into how a research project can be set up in alignment with the answers to these
questions.
Research Methods I (SKI1004), Research Methods II (SKI1005), and the Research Project (PRO1012)
form one coherent semester-long block of courses in which you will start from scratch and end with your own
finished research project. Along the way, we will discuss a wide variety of research approaches frequently used
in the humanities, social sciences, and the sciences. Another goal of this sequence of courses is for UCM as an
academic community to further develop its multi/interdisciplinary character, and for students to be able to
reflect and comment on each other’s work, no matter how diverse that may become in the course of the next
three years.
The Research Project is the conclusion of your research methods training, and an opportunity to put everything
you learned in to practice. We will build on the foundation laid out in Research Methods I and Research
Methods II. You ended Research Methods II with a final research proposal, which forms the starting point for
the Research Project. Assuming that this final proposal was indeed fully ready for execution, you can start
gathering data and/or analyzing your data from day one of the Research Project. You will finish with an
extended paper that presents your findings.
For additional support during your Research Project, consider getting in touch with the UCM Methods Lab
through www.MethodsLab.nl or [email protected].
Recommended Literature
 Gray, D. E. (2014). Doing Research in the Real World (Third ed.). London: Sage Publications.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings for feedback on the research process and paper.
Examination
Grades are based on the final research project outcome. It is assumed that this normally takes the form of an
empirical paper, but alternative forms such as a documentary, photographic exhibition, etc. are possible and
encouraged if your tutor and the course coordinator approve. In addition, each research team presents their
findings during the final conference (graded), and tracks their progress through weekly reports (ungraded).

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PRO2003 Writing Project: “The Journal”
Course coordinator
Dr. V. Lifrieri, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Fall / Spring 3/6 5 No
Prerequisites
Either SKI2084 Writing in an Academic Context or SKI2049 Argumentation I.
Objectives
 To apply academic writing/argumentation skills gained in skills courses in order to improve written
projects.
 To do an in-depth analysis of a topic, using the knowledge (theoretical framework, factual context,
overall interpretations and analyses) acquired during regular content courses.
 To write an academic review of a paper and respond to such review in a professional manner.
 To gain familiarity with academic journals and their mode of operation.
Description of the course
The overall format of the project is that of a fictitious academic peer-reviewed journal, for which the members
of a tutorial group serve both as editors and contributors. Students will select a tutorial group dedicated to a
particular topic. Under the guidance of their tutor and aided by the feedback from their peers, students will
write a research paper in which they explore the topic of their group, and use, refer to, and compare several
sources dealing with the topic. The topic of the journal issue is the same for all members of a group, but
students will examine their own specific research question within this topic. During the process of researching
and writing, the work of all group members will be evaluated by their peers, on the basis of criteria agreed
upon by the group as relevant and fitting for their journal (in addition to a set of basic criteria given
beforehand). Students will conduct a review of relevant writing and argumentative aspects of a peer’s paper
and exchange reviews with their peers in order to gain a better understanding of what it means to write an
excellent paper in their chosen field. The final papers will be bundled in the journal of that tutorial group. All
the tutorial groups will present their group’s journal at The Journal Fair.
Literature
 Reading lists from tutors of each tutorial group.
 Independent literature research.
Please be aware that:
Towards the end of period 2 or 5 (depending on when the project is taken) students must sign up for a specific
journal topic. There is a choice of several different topics that reflect the expertise of UCM academic staff
(international relations, economics, law, sociology, psychology, the arts, history and philosophy). Short
descriptions of each topic will be published on StudentPortal in due course and students can sign up for their
topic of their choice on StudentPortal.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and a lecture. The project spans over the four weeks of the project period, and that
there is a 100% attendance requirement. In addition to tutorials, groups are highly encouraged to meet without
the tutor in order to ensure a unified and cohesive journal in the end.
Examination
A research paper (individual grade), a peer review and a response to the peer review (individual grade) and an
academic journal (group grade).

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PRO2004 Project Academic Debate
Course coordinator
Dr. D. Vliegenthart, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Fall / Spring 3/6 5 No
Recommended
SKI2007 Presentation Skills, SKI2049 Argumentation I.
Courses relevant to the topics of that particular year.
Objectives
 To equip students with essential debating and communication skills.
 To introduce students to the practice of speaking in a public setting.
 To become well informed on a topic of their choice (the debate topic).
Description of the course
Debating skills are an important component of academic life. That is, students should be able to defend their
own position and to refute opposing positions by providing substantial arguments based on relevant academic
sources.
In this project, students will prepare, present and defend a position for an academic debate on a
specific topic. The available topics emerge out of a wide range of UCM courses from different concentrations.
Students can submit their preferences for topics beforehand, but should be prepared to commit to any topic to
which they are assigned. At the start of the project, each group will discuss their topic and settle on a concrete
proposition for their final debate. After that, they splits up into a PRO (“yes”) and a CON (“no”) side; the PRO
side will argue in favor of, the CON side will argue against, the proposition. The two sides prepare separately for
the final debate.
A crucial part of the preparation for the final debate is writing a collective position paper based on
self-study of academic sources. The purpose of this position paper is to be informed about the topic of the
debate.
In addition, there will be practice debates, which focus on delivery. At least one of these practice
debates will be scheduled in the lecture hall. The purpose of these practice debates is to familiarize students
with the setting of a debate and to provide them with feedback on their public speaking skills. The topic for the
practice debates will thematically relate to, but nevertheless significantly differ from, the proposition of the
final debater.
Literature
 Students will have to search, read and use academic literature on their debate topic themselves.
Instructional format
Mandatory introduction lecture and introduction workshop, tutorials (incl. practice debates), final debate.
Examination
Individual presentation of an argument, collective academic position paper; practice debates; final debate.

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PRO2011 Project Deep Reading
Course coordinator
TBA, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Fall 3 5 No
Prerequisites
None.
Objectives
 Students will undertake an in-depth reflection and commentary on a single seminal text linked to the
humanities, social sciences or natural sciences.
 Students will learn about the process of ‘deep reading’ as well as the genre of writing critical and
substantive book reviews.
Description of the course
In this project students will engage in a deep reading of a text linked to seminal themes and issues in the
humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences. Deep reading is a process of thoughtful and deliberate reading
through which a reader actively works to critically contemplate, understand and ultimately enjoy a particular
text to the fullest extent possible. Rather than selectively skimming for facts or speed-reading for summaries,
the process of deep reading means slowing down, re-reading and even stopping periodically to more fully
contemplate specific pages or passages. Having considered and recognized what a text says, deep reading
goes a step further and strives to reflect upon the broader implications or consequences of the text; i.e. what
does the text ‘do’? Although deep reading is a profoundly personal experience, within the context of
problem-based learning the process of deep reading also rests on the premise that profound understanding
and appreciation of a text emerges through group-based discussion and deliberation.
Literature
 A single seminal text (classic or contemporary) will be assigned by individual tutors.
Instructional format
Tutorial group meetings and individual and collaborative work.
Examination
Final paper in the format of an extended book review and several short reflective essays.

182
PRO3006 Conference
Course coordinator
W. van Dellen (MSc), Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Fall 3 5 No
Prerequisites
SKI3050 Preparing Conference.
Recommended
SKI2007 Presentation Skills
Objectives
 To train students in skills required for preparing an academic conference.
 To train students in rehearsing, adapting and fine-tuning their contributions to a conference.
 To train students in offering a conference.
 To train students in evaluating a conference.
Description of the course
In this project, students will finalize and offer the conference that has been prepared in the second period of
this semester. The purpose of the conference will be to provide a platform for an audience of approximately
240 first semester students, scholars and professionals. The conference will allow people to meet and share
ideas, present findings and discoveries and connect to fellow academics.
The project consists of three parts, being:
1) Final preparations for the conference, including dress rehearsals, peer feedback and dealing with the
organisation of the conference.
2) Offering the conference to the target audience, organisation on the conference day(s) and gathering
information for evaluation of the conference.
3) Evaluating the conference and writing a report with evaluations and recommendations for future
editions
A wide variety of individual interests in the Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities is welcomed in order to
offer a diverse conference. The project fosters an interdisciplinary approach among the participating students.
Literature
 E-reader.
Instructional format
Training, feedback and peer review in small groups and a conference setting.
Examination
Students will be assessed and graded on (1) the opening or closing session or PR and logistics of the
conference and its evaluation(group assignment), (2) the lecture/workshop and its evaluation (assignment by
two or three students).

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PRO3008 Think Tank
Course coordinators
W. van Dellen (MSc), Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected] (corresponding coordinator)
I. Römgens (MA), Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Fall / Spring 3/6 5 No
Prerequisites
The following modules are considered highly relevant in preparation of the project and at least two modules
from the following list are required: SKI2049 Argumentation I; SKI3002 Argumentation II; SKI2084 Writing in an
Academic Context; SKI2048 Introduction to Discourse Analysis; Ethnography and Qualitative Interviewing
(SKI2085, SKI3052, and PRO3009); SSC2061 Statistics I; SSC3018 Statistics II; COR1005 Theory Construction and
Modelling Techniques; SSC3011 Public Policy Evaluation; UGR3001 MaRBLE; UGR3002 The Documentary;
UGR3003 Applied Research & Internship Project.

The coordinators would like to emphasize that 1) the project and the nature of the assignment require some
experience in academia. It is therefore recommended for students in their fourth semester or later, 2) the
project is time-consuming and has a high workload that requires high motivation. Students should have a broad
interest in e.g. policy development and research and analysis. Due to the specific nature of the project and the
fact that group work is an essential element, students should take into account that they need to be available
during entire weekdays throughout the project.

Participating in Think Tank as part of the regular workload at UCM is doable but demanding. Therefore, having
a higher workload due to e.g. additional or parallel projects is not allowed.
Objectives
 Let students work together and set up a problem analysis based on the assignment given by an external
client, i.e. to develop skills concerning critical analysis, including the analysis of a problem,
conceptualizing a problem as a case study (the ability to see the particular problem within a wider
context), and to generate new knowledge relevant to the case at hand (Ernest Boyer’s scholarship of
‘discovery’ and ‘integration’)
 Let students write a report based on an assignment that was given to them, i.e. skills related to
formulating finding and recommendations in a comprehensive yet concise manner (Boyer’s scholarship
of ‘application’ and ‘teaching’)
 Let students present their report to the client’s representative and a group of experts (Boyer’s
scholarship of ‘teaching’).
 Let students work together and do research based on the assignment that was given to them, i.e. to
develop skills concerning organization of work, and collaboration in a team (not specifically related to
Boyer, yet instrumental towards all four aspects at the level of collaborative learning).
Description of the course
Students will form a ‘think tank’ and write and present an extensive and elaborate (policy) recommendation for
an external client, i.e. a company or organization. The project coordinators will offer a topic in advance. A
creative and critical analysis of the problem at hand will lead to the application of knowledge and skills acquired
at UCM through previous course work, and new insights developed during the project.
The first week will focus on a problem analysis and an analysis of the knowledge and expertise of the members
of the think tank. The second week will focus on doing research. The third week will deal with discussing and
formulating solutions. During the final week students will present their report to their client.
Besides having meetings with their fellow students and a tutor, the group might meet with guest experts
(either invited by the coordinators or by the students themselves) and undertake self-organized field trips and
external visits in order to obtain the required information.
Literature
 There is no general literature or course books that students need to buy or possess. Students will
choose, read and use literature that is specifically related to their topic.
 E-reader.

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Instructional format
Students will meet with their group on a daily basis by means of tutorial group meetings, external visits and
workshops.
Examination
Problem analysis (group assignment), research memo (individual assignment), final group report and final
presentation of the report (group assignment).

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PRO3009 Ethnography and Qualitative Interviewing III
Course coordinator
Dr. U. Müller, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Fall 3 5 No
Prerequisites
SKI2085 Ethnography and Qualitative Interviewing I and SKI3052 Ethnography and Qualitative Interviewing II.
Objective
 To produce a comprehensive narrative of their research findings.
Description of the course
This is the third part of a three module course on qualitative research methods. In this module students will be
mainly engaged in writing the final analysis of their research findings. The relevance of their findings must be
contextualized within the larger social and political forces within which the research is embedded. The course
will end with a symposium where students will have the opportunity to present their research.
Literature
 Hesse-Biber, S.N. (2011). The Practice of Qualitative Research. Sage Publication, Thousand Oaks,
California, Second Edition.
 Burawoy, M. (2000). Global Ethnography. Berkeley: University of California Press.
 Excerpts from several books on qualitative research that are available at the UCM reading room, for
example, Silverman, D. (2005). Doing Qualitative Research Robin, H. (2005). Qualitative Interviewing:
The Art of Hearing Data and Ritchie, J. (2003). Qualitative Research Practice.
Instructional format
Weekly meetings to support the writing process and a two day undergraduate Symposium where students
present their research to each other.
Examination
Writing up the final analysis of the research findings (5.000 - 6.000 words).

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PRO3012 Science Research Project: Neuropsychology
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. S. Kotz, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Basic & Applied Neurodynamics
[email protected]
Dr. M. Schwartze, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Basic & Applied Neurodynamics
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Fall 3 5 No
Prerequisite and registration procedure
SSC2061 Statistics I and courses that are appropriate the particular project. This will be specified in the topic
description.
The topic description will be made available on MyUCM at the time of the course registration period. If you
would like to join this project you need to apply for it by filling in the application form on MyUCM. Part of this
form asks you to elaborate on your motivation to follow the project. This should cover an explanation as to how
participating in the project adds to your curriculum, why you think you are well prepared to follow the project
and an overview of the relevant courses that you took. The application needs to be submitted in advance of the
course registration deadline.
Depending on the topic being offered the number of available spots might be limited. Therefore, the course
coordinator reserves the right to only select the students that are deemed most suitable. It will be
communicated in a timely manner, but no later than 6 weeks before the start of the project, whether the
application for the project was successful. If access to the project is denied, then you will be allocated to a
backup project. Please indicate the backup project on your course registration form.

Note: This is a time-consuming, full-time project with a high workload. In principle, students should take into
account that they need to be available during entire weekdays throughout the project.
Objective
 To let students work together and apply their knowledge of the Natural and Life Sciences in the
context of an empirical research project.
 To let students work together and give them first-hand experience of full-time academic research by
involving their team in experimental neuropsychological research.
Description
In the Neuropsychology Research Project students will form a small research group and join an ongoing
research project in the Basic & Applied Neurodynamics (BAND) laboratory at the Department of
Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology. Work in the lab mainly focuses on temporal aspects of cognitive
and motor behavior. Your tasks will include all aspects of empirical research from the planning and organization
of an experiment to the reporting of the results. To get an idea of ongoing research at the laboratory, we
encourage you to look at the lab’s website (https://band-lab.com/).
Literature
 There is no general literature or course book that students need to buy or possess. Students will
choose, read, and use literature that is specifically related to their topic.
Instructional format
Students will meet with their group and supervisor in the laboratory on a daily basis.
Examination
The assessment depends for a large part on the supervisors and the projects. There will be (at least) two
moments and (preferably) two forms of assessment (e.g. a presentation of the results during a general research
meeting of the department and/or a written report of the findings).

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PRO3013 Science Research Project: Data Science
Course coordinator
Dr. L. Rieswijk (IDS), Institute of Data Science
[email protected],
Dr. R. Çelebi (IDS), Institute of Data Science
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Spring 6 5 No
Prerequisite and registration procedure
Courses that are appropriate for the project that you choose, which will be specified in the project description.
Generally, it is assumed that students have taken one or more courses related to data science (such as SCI2011
Introduction to Programming, SCI2033 Datamining, SCI2036 Artificial Intelligence, SCI2039 Computer Science,
SCI3051 Data Analytics).
The topic description will be made available on MyUCM at the time of the course registration period. If you would
like to join this project you need to apply for it by filling in the application form on MyUCM. Part of this form asks
you to elaborate on your motivation to follow the project. This should cover an explanation as to how
participating in the project adds to your curriculum, why you think you are well prepared to follow the project
and an overview of the relevant courses that you took. The application needs to be submitted in advance of the
course registration deadline.
Depending on the topic being offered the number of available spots might be limited. Therefore, the course
coordinator reserves the right to only select the students that are deemed most suitable. It will be communicated
in a timely manner, but no later than 6 weeks before the start of the project, whether the application for the
project was successful. If access to the project is denied, then you will be allocated to a backup project. Please
indicate the backup project on your course registration form.

Note: This is a time-consuming, full-time project with a high workload. In principle, students should take into
account that they need to be available during entire weekdays throughout the project.
Objectives
 To provide students the opportunity to learn and apply knowledge about Data Science in the context of
a team-based research project.
 To provide students first-hand experience of full-time academic research, by fully involving the team in
an ongoing research project along with data science researchers.
Description
In the Data Science Research Project students will form a small research team and join an ongoing research
project in the Institute of Data Science. The project will be driven by a research question to provide a solution to
a domain-specific problem, which requires the application of Data Science methods. Your tasks will include all
aspects of empirical research from the formulation of the research question, choosing and implementation of
the right methodology, performing experiments, interpreting and analyzing results along with the scientific
reporting of those results.
We encourage you to look at the institutes website to get an idea of ongoing research:
https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/research/institute-data-science.
Literature
 There is no general literature or course book that students need to buy or possess. Students will
choose, read, and use literature that is specifically related to their topic.
Instructional format
Students will meet with their group and supervisor in the institute on a daily basis.
Examination
The assessment depends for a large part on the supervisors and the projects. There will be (at least) two
moments and (preferably) two forms of assessment (e.g. a presentation of the results during a general research
meeting of the department and/or a written report of the findings).

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PRO3014 Science Research Project: Biomedical Engineering
Course coordinator
M. Baker, FHML, Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine
[email protected]
A. van Apeldoorn, FHML, Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Fall 3 5 No
Prerequisite and registration procedure
Courses that are appropriate for the project that you choose, which will be specified in the project description.
Generally, it is assumed that students have taken one or more courses related to biomedical sciences (such as
SCI2035 Biochemistry, SCI2037 Cell Biology, SKI2077 Lab Skills Cell Biology, SKI2086 Lab Skills: Biochemistry).
The topic description will be made available on MyUCM at the time of the course registration period. If you
would like to join this project you need to apply for it by filling in the application form on MyUCM. Part of this
form asks you to elaborate on your motivation to follow the project. This should cover an explanation as to how
participating in the project adds to your curriculum, why you think you are well prepared to follow the project
and an overview of the relevant courses that you took. The application needs to be submitted in advance of the
course registration deadline.
Depending on the topic being offered the number of available spots might be limited. Therefore, the course
coordinator reserves the right to only select the students that are deemed most suitable. It will be
communicated in a timely manner, but no later than 6 weeks before the start of the project, whether the
application for the project was successful. If access to the project is denied, then you will be allocated to a
backup project. Please indicate the backup project on your course registration form.

Note: This is a time-consuming, full-time project with a high workload. In principle, students should take into
account that they need to be available during entire weekdays throughout the project.
Objective
● To provide students the opportunity to learn and apply knowledge in the field of biomedical engineering
in the context of a team-based research project.
● To provide students first-hand experience of full-time academic research, by fully involving the team in
an ongoing research project along with biomedical researchers.
Description
In the Biomedical Engineering Research Project students will form a small research team and join an ongoing
research project in the Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine (MERLN). The project will be
driven by a research question to provide a solution to a domain-specific problem, which requires the methods
at the interface of biology and engineering. Your tasks will include all aspects of empirical research from the
formulation of the research question, choosing and implementation of the right methodology, performing
experiments, interpreting and analyzing results along with the scientific reporting of those results.
We encourage you to look at the institutes website to get an idea of ongoing research:
https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/research/institute-technology-inspired-regenerative-medicine.
Literature
 There is no general literature or course book that students need to buy or possess. Students will
choose, read, and use literature that is specifically related to their topic.
Instructional format
Students will meet with their group and supervisor in the laboratory on a daily basis.
Examination
The assessment depends for a large part on the supervisors and the projects. There will be (at least) two
moments and (preferably) two forms of assessment (e.g. a presentation of the results during a general research
meeting of the department and/or a written report of the findings).

189
PRO3015 Research Studio, Where Art and Academia Meet
Project coordinators
I. Römgens, MA, University College Maastricht (corresponding coordinator),
[email protected]
Dr. R. Benschop Faculty of the Arts, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall 3 5 all No
Prerequisites
Students who register for PRO3015 Research Studio, where art and academia meet also have to register for
SKI3003 Research Studio, introduction to applying an art practice as research method in the same semester. It is
not possible to take either module separately due to the integrated set-up of this skills training and the project.
Objectives
The learning objectives addressed in the project part of Research Studio add to the ones from the skills training
part as follows. After having familiarized themselves with artistic research methodologies and ways to discuss
and engage in an art practice, Students will (continue to) learn:
1. To communicate about their research process to a specific audience, which they define as fitting to their
research process. This includes finding an appropriate ‘form’ to communicate about their research that
follows from the approach developed during the research process and reflects on the methodologies
involved.
2. Collaboration in a diverse and interdisciplinary team, including teamwork, communication skills and
adaptability.
3. Transferring their knowledge and skills to a practical issue of societal concern.
Description of the project
The two modules of Research Studio invite to explore conducting research in an interdisciplinary team
consisting of theatre artists and academics. Bridging the domains of art and academia, Research Studio
challenges students to get out of their ‘comfort zone’ and transfer their academic knowledge and skills to a new
working environment. This interdisciplinary view on research is underpinned by the idea that art and academia
are not separate domains, but ‘particular kinds of experimental practices in a more general experimental
culture’ (Gere, 2010). Taken together, the skills training and project trigger creativity, require adaptability and
endorse critical reflection on established research practices, methods and ways of knowing. They challenge to
critically consider the questions how do we know what we know? And what for?

The project continues from the research plan created during the skills training. Each team will work with one of
our resident artists researching their chosen questions by artistic and academic means and will work towards
presenting their findings and their research journey in an ‘Open Studio’ at the end of the period.
Instructional format and assessment
As an introduction to research incorporating an art practice, the project involves a variety of activities from both
theatre and academia. Examples are discussion / brainstorm sessions, lectures, practical workshops, fieldtrips
and individual reading and writing. During the second part (project) the focus is on how an art practice can play
a role in the students’ own research. Students will apply what they learned during the skills part by borrowing
from the art practice in their own research.
Assessment focuses on documentation of and reflection on the learning process. For this students keep a
research portfolio. Additionally, they work towards creating a presentation of their work in an ‘Open Studio’ at
the end of the term. The Open Studio does not ask to present a final ‘work’ (e.g. paper, presentation or
artwork) but rather to provide an insight in the research journey and any findings, issues or ideas that came out
of it.

190
PRO3016 Social Sciences/Humanities Research Project
Course coordinator
Prof. dr. R. Haar, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Project Device Free

Spring 6 5 No
Prerequisite and registration procedure
Courses that are appropriate for the topic that you choose. This will be specified in the topic description.
Generally, the project requires some experience in academia. It is therefore recommended for students in their
fourth semester or later.
The topic description will be made available on MyUCM at the time of the course registration period. If you
would like to join this project you need to apply for it by filling in the application form on MyUCM. Part of this
form asks you to elaborate on your motivation to follow the project. This should cover an explanation as to how
participating in the project adds to your curriculum, why you think you are well prepared to follow the project
and an overview of the relevant courses that you took. The application needs to be submitted in advance of the
course registration deadline.
Depending on the topic being offered the number of available spots might be limited. Therefore, the course
coordinator reserves the right to only select the students that are deemed most suitable. It will be
communicated in a timely manner, but no later than 6 weeks before the start of the project, whether the
application for the project was successful. If access to the project is denied, then you will be allocated to a
backup project. Please indicate the backup project on your course registration form.

Note: This is a time-consuming, full-time project with a high workload. In principle, students should take into
account that they need to be available during entire weekdays throughout the project.
Objective
 To give students a first-hand account of full-time academic research by involving them in an ongoing
UCM research project.
 To let students work together in a team and apply their knowledge and skills in the context of a
research project. This includes the strengthening of research, writing and analytical skills.
 To further develop skills concerning organization of work and collaboration in a team.
Description
In the Social Sciences/Humanities Research Project students will form a small research group and join an
ongoing UCM research project. They are supervised by a UCM researcher, who provides a specific topic that
relates to her/his own research. Students work on the topic in a team with the goal to produce an output that is
of relevance and applicability to the supervisor’s research. This requires the application and further
development of knowledge relevant to the project in question and of research, writing and analytical skills. The
exact setup of the project varies according to the specific research topic that is offered.
Further information about the research topics and the specific setup of the project will be made available on
MyUCM at the time of the course registration period.
Literature
Students will choose, read, and use literature that is specifically related to their topic.
Instructional format
Research-Based Learning, group meetings and individual research. The specific format may vary according to
the topic in question.
Examination
The assessment depends for a large part on the topic. There will be (at least) two moments and (preferably) two
forms of assessment (e.g. a presentation of the results during a general research meeting of the department
and/or a written report/paper outlining the findings).

191
CAP3000 Capstone
Course coordinator
Dr. P. Vermeer, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Capstone Device Free

Fall / Spring 1-3 / 4-6 10 No
Prerequisite
To participate in Capstone students should be in their last semester at UCM (usually the 6th except for transfer
students) and have at least 140 ECTS at the start of Capstone.

Note: that Capstone encompasses the regular two skills trainings and project of a UCM semester. Participating
in Capstone as part of the regular workload at UCM is doable, but demanding (i.e. next to the two courses per
period). Therefore, having a higher workload due to e.g. additional courses, skills trainings and/or projects is
not recommended..
Objectives
 To enable students to express their individual academic profile through a scholarly project during their
last semester at the College.
 To assist senior students in the transition from undergraduate education to a master’s program or the
labor market.
Description of the course
Capstone is the culmination of a student’s academic work at UCM and is comparable in function to a bachelor
thesis. It is a full semester module for which students receive 10 ECTS. During the first weeks students will work
on writing a proposal in which they formulate their individual goals and determine a topic and format. In
addition, students will choose an advisor. The advisor provides the student with advice and guidance on the
content of the Capstone product.
Students work on Capstone individually. There will be meetings with the tutors, fellow students, and the
coordinator. These meetings support the individual work on Capstone, by way of presenting one’s own work to
other students and giving and receiving feedback. Furthermore, the meetings are intended to monitor the
progress and writing process. Students will meet with their individual advisor separately from the group
meetings. Those meetings are intended for discussing the content of the Capstone and for receiving individual
feedback on the work in progress and the final product.
An outline is handed in at the start of the second period of Capstone. A complete methods section is handed in
before the third period of Capstone. Both the outline and the methods section are discussed with the advisor.
The last period is for completing and revising the Capstone.
Literature
 There is no mandatory literature. Students will choose, read and use literature that is related to their
Capstone topic.
Instructional format
Individual work, tutorial group meetings, guidance from Capstone advisor and support hours.
Examination
Students will be assessed on a proposal, an outline, a methods section and the final version of their Capstone.
In addition, they will present their Capstone to fellow students in the second period of the project. The final
Capstone will be evaluated by the advisor and a second grader.

192
Undergraduate
Research (UGR)

193
UGR3001 MaRBLe Undergraduate Research
Project coordinators
Dr. J. Moes, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected] (corresponding coordinator)
Dr. U. Mueller, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 1-3/4-6 10 per semester No
NB: Exchange students who are interested in doing the MaRBle project can only apply if they stay for a full year
and then only in their second semester.

MaRBLe is an acronym for Maastricht Research Based Learning, and is Maastricht University’s excellence
programme that brings multidisciplinary scientific research to the bachelor phase. It is a semester long research
program carrying 10 ECTS. Successful MaRBLE participants may be allowed to continue their research for more
than one semester.

MaRBLe encompasses the two Skills and one Project offered during a semester. In most MaRBLe projects, the
first course period will be mainly dedicated to an introduction into the specific field and related methodologies,
and a research plan or proposal will be written. During the second and third periods the students will engage in
their own independent research, while staying in close contact with the other members of their group as well as
their supervisor to discuss progress and challenges. At the end of each semester UCM will organize a
symposium during which all participating students will present their research to their fellow researchers and the
larger UCM community. Around week 3 of the semester students will share their research plans in a poster
session.
Prerequisites and registration procedure
More than anything else, the MaRBLe undergraduate research program is aimed at students with a great
appetite for learning and research. Students should ideally have a progress rate of ≥0.9, and a grade average
of ≥7.5. In addition, specific courses may be required for particular projects (these prerequisites will be
mentioned in the announcement of offered projects). At least as important as these ‘technical’ requirements,
we expect students who apply for MaRBLe to be motivated, and to have a clear idea on how the project they
apply for fits into their individual UCM curriculum.
The project descriptions will be made available on MyUCM at the time of the course registration period. If you
would like to join a project you need to apply for it by filling in the application form on MyUCM. Part of this
form asks you to elaborate on your motivation to follow the project. This should cover an explanation as to how
participating in the project adds to your curriculum, why you think you are well prepared to follow the project
and an overview of the relevant courses that you took. The application needs to be submitted in advance of the
course registration deadline. If eligible, you can be invited for an interview.
The number of available spots in different projects might be limited. Therefore, the course coordinators reserve
the right to only select the students that are deemed most suitable. It will be communicated in a timely manner,
but no later than 6 weeks before the start of the project, whether the application for the project was successful.
If access to the project is denied, then you will be allocated to backup modules. Please indicate the backup
modules on your course registration form.
Project objectives
 To enhance the learning experience of students by integrating research into their undergraduate
curriculum.
 To prepare students for graduate research by introducing them to and educating them in the relevant
skills and knowledge.
 To emphasize the ability to identify and formulate academic problems.
 To select and apply relevant research methodologies accordingly.
To reinforce the awareness of how academic work relates to society: how it may respond to trends and issues in
society, and how it may initiate new ideas.
Description of the project
MaRBLe is a form of RBL, Research-Based Learning. In RBL, learning is based on research that students
do themselves, rather than being dependent on research done before and by others. Small groups of students
will conduct research under the guidance of a senior researcher. They will act as a group, but engage in
individual work as well. MaRBLe offers a unique opportunity to develop one’s own research topic within the

194
context of a pre-defined research program. In this way, student researchers will make an actual contribution to
ongoing research, and will experience first-hand what is involved in doing research. During the project, specific
skills will be addressed at the appropriate time: e.g. problem analysis, writing a proposal, data selection and
analysis reporting and presenting.
Literature
Varies per research topic.
Instructional format
Research-Based Learning, group meetings and individual research.
Examination
Examination may vary and depends on the nature of the research conducted, but will usually include:
 Presentation of findings (at UCM).
 Research paper or report.
 Further assessments can be set by the project supervisor.

Students who are interested in MaRBle are encouraged to contact the coordinators.

195
UGR3002 Undergraduate Research / The Documentary
Project coordinator
L. Ogden, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Spring 4-6 10 per semester No
NB: Exchange students who are interested in UCM Documentary can only apply if they stay for a full year and
then only in their second semester.
Prerequisites and registration procedure
First year students are not eligible for this course. There are no prerequisites for this project, however, the
Ethnography track and a topic related course in Film Studies s such as HUM2043 Film Art or Narrative Media are
strongly recommended. Nevertheless, a definite requirement is enthusiasm and the motivation to work hard
and to develop new skills. Students are required to have a progress rate of at least 0.9 and a GPA of at least 7.5.
If you would like to join The Documentary you need to apply for it by filling in the application form on MyUCM.
Part of this form asks you to elaborate on your motivation to follow the project. This should cover an
explanation as to how participating in the project adds to your curriculum, why you think you are well prepared
to follow the project, an overview of the relevant courses that you took, and the suggestion of a research topic.
The application needs to be submitted in advance of the course registration deadline.
The number of available spots in different in The Documentary is limited. Therefore, the course coordinator
reserves the right to only select the students that are deemed most suitable. It will be communicated in a timely
manner, but no later than 6 weeks before the start of the project, whether the application for the project was
successful. If access to the project is denied, then you will be allocated to backup modules. Please indicate the
backup modules on your course registration form.
Project objectives
By the end of this project, students will:
 develop an understanding of the basic theoretical and methodological aspects of filmmaking as a
research method;
 acquire and apply basic research-filmmaking skills, i.e., planning, filming and editing; and
 produce a research film that investigates and answers a relevant academic question.
Description of the project
Many of us regularly turn to documentaries as entertaining and engaging ways of learning about new topics
from different perspectives. Visual communication – including non-fiction film – is increasingly saturating all
aspects of our lives, and images and sound now constitute a large part of the information and entertainment
we seek out and consume in daily life. In academia, too, visual methods are increasingly part of the toolkit used
to do research and share research with both specialist and general audiences. Audiovisual media, like
documentaries, can broaden the topics we can research, add new dimensions to the knowledge we create, and
make scientific findings accessible to diverse audiences. As such, filmmaking can be a way of conducting serious
academic research – asking questions, gathering data, and presenting arguments – in novel and creative ways.
This project will extend your existing academic skills into a new arena by introducing you to an
alternative medium for doing and presenting academic research, namely through filmmaking based on the
visual ethnographic tradition. You will learn basic filmmaking skills and visual research methods and use them to
design and carry out your own research project in groups. The result will be a short research film, through
which you will answer an academic research question and present new information in accessible, informative
and appealing ways. By the end of the project, you will have acquired the tools necessary to design, record, and
edit your own research film which deals with an academic question in a field of your interest.
The Documentary is a semester long group research project carrying 10 ECTS. The level of the project is
equivalent to that of a 3000 level course, as we expect students to acquire entirely new skills while building
upon their already acquainted knowledge and research skills. It encompasses the two skills trainings and the
project offered during the Spring Semester. During the first period, students will be acquainted with the
theoretical and methodological underpinnings of research filmmaking. Simultaneously, the groups will start to
develop their research. In the second period, students will conduct their research through film, and attend
workshops to teach them the skills necessary to do so. In the final period, students will edit their final
documentaries.
Literature
E-Reader

196
Instructional format
Tutorial sessions, workshops, and feedback sessions.
Examination
A range of individual (pass/fail) and group (graded) assignments, including film reviews, visual exercises,
research proposal, extended literature review, group presentations, fieldwork logbooks, filmmaker statements
and final film.

197
UGR3003 Applied Research & Internship (ARI) Project
Project coordinator
I. Römgens (MA), Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]
W. van Dellen (MSc), Faculty of Science and Engineering, University College Maastricht,
[email protected]

Semester Period ECTS Concentration Device Free

Fall / Spring 1-3 / 4-6 10 No
Prerequisites and registration procedure
This project asks for highly motivated students, who are willing and able to work hard, and represent UCM at an
external client.
Students who are interested in participating are invited to consult the list of clients on MyUCM at the time of
the course registration period. Specific prerequisites in terms of courses and skills apply for each case.
If you would like to join the ARI project you need to apply for it by filling in the application form on MyUCM.
Part of this form asks you to elaborate on your motivation to follow the project. This should cover an
explanation as to how participating in the project adds to your curriculum, why you think you are well prepared
to follow the project and an overview of the relevant courses that you took. You will also have to submit a CV
and you might be invited for a personal interview with the client and the academic supervisor. The application
needs to be submitted in advance of the course registration deadline. If eligible, you can be invited for an
interview.
This is a selective project. Therefore, the course coordinators reserve the right to only select the students that
are deemed most suitable. It will be communicated in a timely manner, but no later than 6 weeks before the
start of the project, whether the application for the project was successful. If access to the project is denied,
then you will be allocated to backup modules. Please indicate the backup modules on your course registration
form.
Project objectives
 To enhance the learning experience of students by providing an opportunity to apply academic
knowledge and skills acquired at UCM to a real-life case from a client that is active in the work-field of
the student’s interest.
 To prepare students for applied problem solving and applied research outside academia.
 To provide students with an opportunity to gain insights in a professional context in their field of
interest.
 To reinforce the awareness of how academic work relates to society and how academic knowledge and
skills can be used to address practical, societal issues.
Description of the project
In this project students will apply their academic knowledge and skills to a case presented by an external client
(e.g. a company, a NGO or a governmental organization). The student produces an academically-grounded, but
practically useful work-product that satisfies the needs of the client and UCM’s academic requirements. The
nature of the work-product differs depending on the discipline, client and case.
The research in this module is practice-based and catered to the needs of an external client. At the same time,
the work for the client is research-oriented. The core of the project is the research the student conducts based
on the case the client presents. In order for the student to gain knowledge about the client’s professional
environment, the context of the case and stakeholders involved, the module includes a four-week period of on-
site work at the client’s workplace during the project period (the internship). Additionally, the project contains
two periods of 7 weeks in which the student works on the project one day per week independently. The precise
set-up of the project and the tasks per period depend on the individual assignment the student gets. At the end
of the semester, the student presents his/her work to both the client and the academic supervisor.

Similar to MaRBLe and The Documentary, the Applied Research & Internship project takes a full semester and
replaces two skills courses and one project.
No general literature is assigned. Students need to select literature and conduct research that applies to their
case.
Instructional format
This project is an individual ‘live-case study’. Students meet up with their client and academic supervisor
regularly. Additionally, students present their work in plenary peer-feedback sessions.

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Examination
The assessment in this course includes writing a case-analysis and project proposal; writing a research update
report and giving presentations. At the end of the semester, students hand in a specific ‘work product’. The
nature of this work product depends on the case and the client. Students and supervisors specify the scope,
expected outcome and assessment criteria at the start of the project in a ‘project contract’.

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 Appendix
Courses at
Maastricht Science
Programme
&
University College Venlo
It is possible for UCM students to take courses at the Maastricht Science Programme and University College
Venlo, provided they meet the prerequisites of those courses. As these programmes are sister programmes to
UCM, the courses listed in this appendix are considered internal courses for purposes of graduation, meaning
that they do not count towards the 60ECTS maximum for external education, and that they do not have to be at
the 3000-level. Students must register for these courses through the external course-booking module on
MyUCM, indicating backup courses on the course registration form. After students have filed the request, and
upon approval from their Academic Advisor, the request is forwarded to the UCV/MSP Office of Student Affairs,
where the course will be booked. Once they are booked, the courses will appear on Student Portal.

Note that:
 UCM cannot guarantee that there is no clash of schedules between courses at MSP and courses at
UCM.
 A prerequisites conversion table is available on MyUCM under Requests > External Education > B.
Request for taking a course at Maastricht Science Programme and University College Venlo (and on AA-
Online for advisors under Course Registration).
 Resits at MSP are scheduled in the project periods in week 3 (resits for period 1 or 4), and week 4
(resits for period 2 or 5).
 These courses are not available to exchange students.To take courses at MSP/UCV, students must
meet the prerequisites listed in the prerequisite conversion table. Students who are not certain if they
meet the prerequisites should contact the coordinator of Academic Advising at MSP, Christopher
Pawley ([email protected]), or the coordinator of Academic Advising at UCV, Iris Burks
([email protected]), to discuss whether they have sufficient knowledge to participate
in that course
.

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Courses Available at Maastricht Science Programme
UCM students are welcome to register for the following courses, provided they meet the prerequisites. Students wishing to
take courses not listed in this appendix may file a request with the Board of Examiners. More details on these courses are
available in the MSP course catalogue:
https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/education/bachelor/bachelor-maastricht-science-programme/courses-curriculum

code course prerequisites

BIO2002 Ecology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
BIO2003 General Botany Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
BIO2004 General Zoology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
BIO2005 Evolutionary Biology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
BIO2006 Biotechnology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
BIO3002 Ecophysiology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
BIO3004 Animal Behaviour Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
BIO3007 Tropical Ecology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
BIO3010 Genomics and Proteomics Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
CHE2003 Physical Chemistry Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
CHE2004 Spectroscopy Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
CHE2005 Chemistry for the Future: Generation and Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
Storage of Alternative Energy
CHE3008 Analytical Science and Technology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
INT1003 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
INT1005 Commercializing Science and Technology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
INT2008 Molecular Toxicology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
INT3002 Advanced Microscopy: Theory and Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
Applications
INT3003 Biomaterials Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
INT3005 Biobased Materials and Technology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
INT3007 Systems Biology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
INT3008 Regenerative Medicine Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
INT3009 Chemical Ecology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
INT3010 Science and the Visual Arts Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
MAT2008 Differential Equations Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
MAT2009 Multivariable Calculus Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
NEU2001 Cognitive Neuroscience: from Sensation to Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
Perception
NEU2002 Neuropsychopharmacology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
NEU3001 Neuroscience of Action Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
PHY1001 Elements of Physics Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
PHY2001 Classical Mechanics Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
PHY2002 Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
PHY2003 Vibrations and Waves Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
PHY2004 Electromagnetism Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
PHY2007 Optics Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM

201
Courses Available at University College Venlo
UCM students are welcome to register for the following courses, provided they meet the prerequisites. Students wishing to
take courses not listed in this appendix may file a request with the Board of Examiners. More details on these courses are
available in the UCV course catalogue:
https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/education/bachelor/bachelor-university-college-venlo/courses-curriculum

code course prerequisites

VHU2001 Sustainability and Social Justice Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC2107 Chronobiology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC2201 Epidemiology of Food; The Relationship Between Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
Food and Health
VSC2202 Food and Disease Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC2203 Food Technology and Processing Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC2207 Plant Biology and Agriculture Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC3101 Gut Microbiology Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC3102 Healthy Life Cycle Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC3201 Health Education and Communication Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC3203 Food Innovation Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC3204 Food Safety Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC3206 Nutritional Pharmacotherapy Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSC3501 Sustainable Food Production Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSK2006 Clinical Lab Skills Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSK2007 Risk Communication & Crisis Management Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSK2008 Visualization and Data Storytelling Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSK2009 Leadership skills Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSK3004 Digital professional communication Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSS2101 Psychology of Eating Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSS2102 Behaviour Change Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSS2206 Supply Chain Management Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSS3101 Performance Psychology in Sports and Business Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSS3102 Taste Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSS3202 Consumer Behaviour Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSS3206 Operations Management Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM
VSS3501 European Food Law Check prerequisite conversion table on MyUCM

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