Please note: this is an online course. 

Global trends in Demographics and Migration is a two-week summer course that examines developments in global and regional changes in the population composition (declining birth rates and ageing) and migration policies today from interdisciplinary perspectives. The course aims at familiarizing students with a contemporary phenomenon that can be seen as one of the most outspoken expressions of globalization.

This course is mainly offered in an online setting, with on-site lab sessions possible for the second week of the course.

How do artists make their art? Does painting in oil result in different working procedures and visual effects compared to other media? Which material and technical properties determine the creative possibilities of prints, sculptures, and the applied arts? What can art historians learn from re-making art, re-working historical recipes, or reproducing material objects? This course will immerse you in discussions related to art production and (re-)making, materials and materiality, and techniques and technology.

The Baltic States share an intricate history of repression and liberation and are now thriving culturally and economically. Learn about the history and identity of these countries and their connection to the European Union over the course of six inspiring and educational weeks. From lectures to company visits, from museums to the European parliament, you will have a diverse and unforgettable experience in these three distinct yet interconnected countries.

This track is a joint programme on European integration by the Utrecht University’s Summer School and the International Summer University of the University of Tartu. The aim of the course is to introduce the diversity and unity of European Identities, the European Union, (shared) foreign policy and new challenges. The course will dive into the different and diverse identities that can be found in Europe, and provide insight into Estonia, going from the past to the future.

Our world has an abundance of so-called complex systems. These are typically large collections of connected elements that influence each other. In this online course, we combine examples across physics, the life sciences, socio-economic sciences and humanities with an introduction to basic mathematical tools to learn a complex systems way of thinking. The main aim is to show students how complex systems science is applied by Utrecht University researchers to challenging societal problems.

This track offers three different yet complementing approaches to the world of business from a European perspective. First, you will be introduced to the European Union and its historical, social and economic developments. Next, we will widen our view and look at the European Union as a business network. A visit to Milan, fashion capital of Europe, is included. Lastly, you will obtain hands-on practice in running a company; using your knowledge of the past weeks. In the end, you will have gained multiple new insights into the practice of doing business in Europe!

Writing creatively, in any genre, is the ultimate way to explore the possibilities for expression and innovation in language. In this course (with instruction in Dutch or English) you will focus on structure, style, and genre to improve your writing skills, and write critical exegeses of your work to situate it within longstanding traditions and current trends in literature.

Welcome to the LANDac (the Netherlands Land Academy) Annual Summer School “Land Governance for Development”. Large-scale acquisition of land in the Global South has received a great deal of interest in the last few years. This course provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the ‘land rush’ within the more general context of land governance in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We will look at the history and drivers, the diversity of stakeholders and networks involved, the urgency of current challenges and innovative governance solutions. 

This course will provide both theoretical background and hands-on experience with business process management (BPM), improvement and innovation. On the one hand it is important for organisations to have grip on their processes, and to continually evaluate and improve their processes in an evolutionary way; Information Technology (IT) can play a supporting role in this. On the other hand, innovative IT can play a disruptive role for businesses. In this course both aspects will be illustrated and discussed.

Changes in technology and society strongly influence modern survey research. This course covers the essentials of modern survey methodology, organised by the Department of Methodology and Statistics in collaboration with Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Central to the course is survey quality and the reduction of Total Survey Error (coverage, sampling, nonresponse, including questionnaire and mode effects), while balancing logistics and survey costs. Best practice guidelines for surveys from design to implementation, analysis and reporting will be discussed.

This course will provide fundamental knowledge about Decision Management and Business Rules Management. Organisations execute numerous decisions each day, based on an increasing amount of data. Technology offers increasing possibilities for automating or supporting such decision-making. Decision Management and Business Rules Management enables organisations to progress from relatively simple task automation beyond workflow and process automation, into decision-centric automation. This course provides students with the theoretical background and hands-on experience regarding the capabilities required to innovate using Decision Management and Business Rules Management.

A global food revolution is urgently needed for a healthy, sustainable, and a fair food supply for the rapidly growing and urbanising human population with increasing living standards, life expectancy, and incidences of chronic diseases, while recognizing the limits of our planet. This summer school introduces three research themes: environmental impact of food production, food consumption and health, and governance for fair food. Through lectures, workshops, assignments, and excursions, participants acquire insight in the complexity of food studies.