IwiS – Aktuelle Probleme der Mensch-Tier-Gesellschaft. Herausforderungen & Lösungsansätze
Limited number of places available, please register early via zertifikat-bne@uni-due.de
Current problems of human-animal relations. Challenges and approaches
Archives: Courses
VU Summer School – The Circular Economy as a Social Innovation
We would like to announce the 12th VU Amsterdam Summer School! For students from Aurora-universities, we selected 2 interesting courses. These two-week summer courses are small-scale and cover two interesting themes: the circular economy (this course) and new venture creation (also available in the course catalogue).The course ‘The Circular Economy as a Social Innovation’ is taught in English, and open to Master’s students or students in a Bachelor’s honours programme.
Our Summer School professors are passionate about sharing their knowledge through interactive lectures, group discussions, and practical assignments. We also take care of our students and ensure they have a comfortable stay in the Netherlands. We offer exciting social activities such as city tours, museum visits, and workshops. These allow you to explore one of the most beautiful capital cities in Europe and gain valuable insights into Dutch culture.
The course ‘The Circular Economy as a Social Innovation’
What is the circular economy, and what can it mean for our life, study, and work? In this course, you will engage in active and creative workshops and excursions, next to lectures from circular economy experts. The course will teach you what the circular economy is, how it tackles environmental and social problems, and which social innovations are crucial to transition towards a circular economy. At the end of this course, you will be inspired and empowered to create social innovations for the circular economy.
The course draws on previous work conducted by the (guest) teachers as part of a community focusing on people at the heart of circularity. This community consists of researchers and professionals and is organised by Het Groene Brein. See the course page for more extensive information.
Application and costs
If you are interested, please reach out to the Aurora representative at your own university. The selected students can then be nominated by the Aurora home university via amsterdamsummerschool@vu.nl, before 1 April 2025. You will then have until 1 May 2025 to finalise your registration. The selected students from each Aurora university will receive a tuition fee waiver.
Students can refer to their home university to learn more about the Aurora Mobility grant in order to pay for other costs such as accommodation and travel expenses. Aurora students who are not nominated by their home university can still directly register for one of our 30 Summer School courses. They will then receive the same discount as VU-students.
More information
Would you like to know more? We have answers to the most common questions on our FAQ page or you can sign up for our next live information session.
Of course, we are also happy to answer your questions via amsterdamsummerschool@vu.nl.
VU Summer School – New Venture Creation
We would like to announce the 12th VU Amsterdam Summer School! For students from Aurora-universities, we selected 2 interesting courses. These two-week summer courses are small-scale and cover two interesting themes: new venture creation (this course) and the circular economy (also available in the course catalogue). The course ‘New Venture Creation in the Amsterdam Entrepreneurial Ecosystem’ is taught in English, and open to Advanced Bachelor’s students (3rd year).
Our Summer School professors are passionate about sharing their knowledge through interactive lectures, group discussions, and practical assignments. We also take care of our students and ensure they have a comfortable stay in the Netherlands. We offer exciting social activities such as city tours, museum visits, and workshops. These allow you to explore one of the most beautiful capital cities in Europe and gain valuable insights into Dutch culture.
The course ‘New Venture Creation’
The creation of new ventures is one of the most important economic issues of this time, all over the world. It is not limited to start-ups only, but also applies to the development of new activities by existing firms (among them corporates) and spin-offs by universities, company expansions, take-overs, and scale-ups, and much more.
This course follows a double approach. The first approach is the sustainable entrepreneurship approach, dealing with the economic, social, and ecological aspects of new ventures. The second approach is the life cycle of the firm approach, dealing with the changes of the firm and the entrepreneur during the life cycle of the firm. See the course page for more extensive information.
Application and costs
If you are interested, please reach out to the Aurora representative at your own university. The selected students can then be nominated by the Aurora home university via amsterdamsummerschool@vu.nl, before 1 April 2025. You will then have until 1 May 2025 to finalise your registration. The selected students from each Aurora university will receive a tuition fee waiver.
Students can refer to their home university to learn more about the Aurora Mobility grant in order to pay for other costs such as accommodation and travel expenses. Aurora students who are not nominated by their home university can still directly register for one of our 30 Summer School courses. They will then receive the same discount as VU-students.
More information
Would you like to know more? We have answers to the most common questions on our FAQ page or you can sign up for our next live information session.
Of course, we are also happy to answer your questions via amsterdamsummerschool@vu.nl.
Eco-systems disruption by IT
An ecosystem is a collection of parties who work cooperatively and competitively to satisfy customer needs. Well-known examples are Google, Facebook, and Netflix, but there are many other eco-systems in the field, e.g. in Fintech, energy, and automotive industry. In this course, we focus on digital ecosystems which are enabled by Internet- and related technologies. Frequently, these ecosystems are disrupted by innovative information technologies, such as machine learning, blockchain, and 5G mobile. The overall goal of this course is to analyze disruptive opportunities for an eco-system given a particular emerging technology. This year, that technology is blockchain.
Course content
The course comprises the following topics:
- Eco-systems and platforms
- Introduction in the selected technology of this year
- Business models and value proposition design
- The e3value method for understanding business networks
- The Business Process Modelling Notation for analysing cross-organizational networks
- The Unified Modelling Language – class modelling
- Transaction modelling
- Technological design issues
Additional information on teaching methods
The following methods are used:
- Lectures twice a week. These lectures include in-class workshops to practice the various methods used in this course
- Group work: teams of about 2/3 students design an eco-system. At the beginning of the course a number of eco- systems are offered as inspiration
- Group feedback sessions: Each week, students will get personal feedback in face-to-face feedback sessions. Moreover, groups will receive feedback on their submitted reports by email.
In order to be successful, the student should have sufficient knowledge about Requirements Engineering and/or Conceptual Modelling and should master such a modelling method (for example UML class or activity diagrams).
Registration
Interested students can send an e-mail to shortmobility@vu.nl and will then receive the online application form. Please make sure to finalise your registration before 15 January 2025. Please reach out to the Aurora representatives at your home university to discuss the possibilities for funding.
Orbis Pictus: Visual Culture of Early Modern Europe (KHI/XOPS)
The starting point will be the book Orbis sensualium pictus by Jan Amos Comenius, which will serve as a basic guide to early modern culture and at the same time enable the selection and formulation of individual topics. Each student will choose one of the topics and, in consultation with the instructor, prepare a presentation along with supplementary material (readings for other students, list of recommended readings, etc.).
This course requires physical attendance throughout the whole semester.
Digital Citizenship (KMS/DEDCT)
This course focuses on creating awareness about digital rights, responsibilities, and ethics, aiming to equip students for the digital environment to become informed and safe participants in the online community. This course is to explore the theoretical foundations of digital communication and understand how digital and hybrid media theories interpret the historical and current roles of user-centric media. Moreover the course provides essential knowledge about the digital world and the consequences of the development of internet users’ daily lives.
This course aims to develop critical thinking and self-reflection skills among students in the digital environment, enabling them to become active, informed, and responsible participants in the online community.
Content of the course:
1. Digital world sensitizing concepts.
2. Digital public sphere – online privacy and security.
3. Deep mediatization (changes in the dynamics of online world).
4. Digital identity (from “qualified self” to digital narcissism) – online footprint.
5. Digital citizenship
6. Digital Rights and Responsibilities
7. Big Data Sciencea.
8. Digital Religion.
9. Human-machine communication.
10. Research findings in the area of the digital world (netnography).
11. Algorythms and iterations.
12. Information literacy.
13. AI and its consequences
This course will be held fully on-line.
Governing Urban Metabolism
We are pleased to announce a workshop at the University of Naples Federico II for Aurora students of any background in Spring 2025. The course, organised by Anna Attademo and Marina Rigillo (Department of Architecture), includes two online lectures (25/02/2025; 11/03/2025) and a five-day Workshop in Naples (07/04/2025 – 11/04/2025).
The course focuses on developing critical capacity and specialised skills related to the intersection of environmental sustainability and design, emphasising the creation of eco-socio-technical environments that address the finite nature of natural resources. Given the challenges of climate change and resource depletion, the workshop highlights the need for inclusive, circular, and sustainable models for cities.
The workshop will study product life cycles and sectorial planning tools, exploring opportunities to include abandoned areas (waste scapes) in urban circular waste management. Participants will develop a systemic design proposal for a short paper waste supply chain, using reduce, reuse, and redesign principles, focusing on waste hubs and markets. Moreover, they will co-design and apply circular solutions in the Bagnoli neighbourhood of Naples, including a field trip and meetings with local stakeholders.
There are eight open positions open to Aurora Students of any background. To participate, you need a B.A. (or equivalent course at any Aurora University) and English proficiency.
For the application, you have to send an expression of interest and CV to anna.attademo@unina.it and marina.rigillo@unina.it.
You can apply from December 1st to December 15th, 2024 (deadline).
You will receive the notification of acceptance by December 20th.
Download the flyer for more info:
Structure and Activation Mechanisms of Cellular Receptors
The course aims to provide the student with the key to understanding (tools, techniques, methods) the functioning of the main classes of cellular receptors, studying the structure and mechanisms of activation of the main classes of receptors at the molecular level. The course will held in hybrid session, with Aurora students allowed to follow on-line. The student will learn the molecular basis of the intrinsic activity of drugs, with particular reference to biotechnological drugs through a challenge-based approach, which, through the active involvement of the student in the analysis of the 3D structures of receptors, will stimulate critical learning in which the student will be confronted independently with the analysis of structures of drug-receptor complexes as well as the effects of changes in the structure of a drug on the biological activity of a receptor.
The course takes a challenge-based approach, based on the analysis of 3D receptors and ligand/receptors complexes. The students, in working groups using MS Teams, will have to tackle the analysis following the guidelines of the challenge. Through the flipped classroom approach, the working groups will have to present the results of the analyses to the class, effectively and using appropriate language.This approach will therefore not only provide an understanding of the structure-function relationships of receptors and the different approaches used to modulate their activity, but will also provide the student with tools and methods for analyzing protein structure. The student should be able to apply the methods of analysis to receptors not specifically addressed, and in general to the study of any protein structure.
For registration, please send an expression of interest to the professor.
Spark Social (BIP course)
The University of Iceland is partnering with CBS and UNINA to offer this transdisciplinary course for senior graduate students registered in all schools and disciplines across all Aurora universities. The course combines online content, virtual sessions that take place over the semester, and a five-day capstone experience on-site at the University of Iceland.
Participants will gain insights into current and future challenges and learn about how these are being addressed. Participants will work in collaborative interdisciplinary teams under the guidance of experienced industry and academic leaders to apply their new knowledge toward developing their own recommendations for tackling immediate and foreseeable challenges. Students will gain a deeper understanding of their own strengths as well as developing methods and approaches for innovative thinking under the guidance of experienced teachers.
The course incorporates the approach of Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which is part of the Aurora Competency Framework. This concept includes both social entrepreneurship, a way to achieve social change by employing entrepreneurial principles with or without the formation of new organizations, and social innovation, a process of developing and deploying effective solutions to challenging and often systemic social and environmental issues in support of social progress.
Virtual sessions: 23 January-11 April 2025
On-site stay in Iceland: 12-16 May 2025
See further information on course here.
Students must be nominated by their home institution to take part in this course, please contact your local Aurora office for information on the nomination process.
Nomination deadline: 18 December, 2024
Nominated students will receive information on application procedure at the University of Iceland
Application deadline: 5 January, 2025
Sustainability education and learning
The purpose of this course is to provide participants with opportunities to focus on learning, teaching and leisure activities for sustainability. The on-line and campus sessions will be built on informed debate. Three major assignments will be expected together with student participation in organising classes, leading discussions plus a final assignment. The course is taught online and it is obligatory to attend 80% of classes during according to the course plan.
Assignments include discussion papers, oral presentations in class and a final paper.
Examples of issues to be dealt with:
Activism in learning and teaching
Place-based and experiential education
Behavioural change
Science learning, technology and sustainability
Creativity, creation of knowledge and social sustainability
University education, adult learning
Formal, informal and non-formal learning
Sustainability as an emerging curriculum area