TSB Minors and Majors

Course 

Course code

When

ECTS

Practical information

Development of personal relationships

500190

Block 2

6

Course has lectures and workgroups 

Examination: written exam 100%

This course is centered on examining how these relationships develop throughout the lifespan. In a series of lectures, students will learn about how different types of relationships, at the dyadic and group level (e.g., romantic relationships, peer networks), both positive and negative (e.g., friendships, bullying), change from early life, through adolescence, to late adulthood and old age. In this regard, theories and research on normative, age-related, developmental changes will be examined and discussed.

Positive psychology and development

500191

Block 3

6

Course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: written exam 100%

Positive psychology is the scientific study of what facilitates people and institutions to flourish. This course will focus on the development of talent (e.g., aesthetics, creativity, excellence, and genius) and motivation (the forces that propel individuals to accomplish their goals) by examining it within the framework of positive psychology.

Developmental disorders

560026

Block 4

6

Course has lectures and seminars

Examination: multiple choice exam and an assignment

In the lectures, attention will be focused on the theoretical, scientific, practical-clinical aspects of various psychological problems and disorders during childhood and adolescence, including autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorders, anxiety and mood disorders, and addiction.

In five different seminars, students will obtain a more in-depth understanding of developmental disorders, by analyzing, evaluating, and discussing, four scientific articles. Groups of three students will also work on an individual case and make a concrete end product of choice, such as a short case study of 2 pages, and present this during the last seminar meeting to the student group and the tutor.

MAJOR (only for PSY) includes Psychological Assessment)

500196

Block 1

6

Note: this course is recommended only for students enrolled in one of the 5 clinical majors (clinical psychology, medical psychology, developmental/lifespan psychology, forensic psychology, cognitive neuropsychology) or for students who need it as a requirement to enroll in a clinical master’s program.

Consists of lectures, lab sessions 

Examination: 80% written exam of 40 MC questions. 20% of the mandatory assignments

During these lectures, a general model regarding diagnostic research and clinical decision-making processes will be explained, and will be enriched by adding experiential knowledge with invited guest-speakers. 

Course 

Course code

When

ECTS

Practical information

Economic Psychology 

423025

Block 2

6

Course has lectures

Examination: written exam 100%

This course investigates the psychological and economic processes underlying individual and social decision-making. We will develop an understanding of the differences between major theories and research practices in economics and psychology. We will learn economic theories of rational behavior, and when and why these theories fail descriptively. We will also examine alternative theories of decision- making have been proposed. Finally, we will address how the findings from psychology and economics can be applied to improve public policy and real-life decision-making.

Attitudes and Advertising

422056 

Block 3 

6

Course has lectures and assignments

Examination: written exam 100%

The course covers several basic questions about attitudes, including: What is an attitude? What functions do attitudes serve? Where do our attitudes come from? Is there such a thing as an unconscious attitude? How consistent are people’s attitudes, and under what conditions are they inconsistent? What is the role of emotion versus reason in social attitudes? How and when are attitudes related to actual behaviour? The course also covers the influence of social factors on persuasion. 

Consumer Behavior

590032

Block 4

6

Course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: 50% assignment during workgroups 50% written exam

This course provides an introduction to consumer behavior from a psychological perspective. The primary goal of the course is to investigate how consumers make their choices and respond to marketing campaigns and government policies. As we will discover, psychological processes sometimes lead consumers to make choices that appear to be irrational or biased. We will investigate why people are sometimes irrational, and what approaches can be used to improve consumer decision-making.

MAJOR (only for PSY) includes Behavioral Change

530037

Block 1

6

Required prerequisites: 

Please note that this course is part of the major track of Economic Psychology (part of the bachelor Psychology program). This means you should have completed the three prior courses in this track as the course will build on the content of those courses. As a result, this course is not suitable as an elective or minor course for students who do not have appropriate background knowledge. 

Course has lectures and tutorials

Examination: Group report (20%)  and a written exam (80%)

Upon successful completion of the course, the students will be able to use a structured approach (the PATHS model) when applying psychological insights to solve real-world societal and organizational problems. Specifically, students will be able to:

• define societal and organizational problems;
• analyze the causes of the problem and relating these to insights from psychological theories;
• select and integrate the most important causes in an explanatory model;
• develop an intervention to tackle the problem;
• evaluate a proposed intervention/application based on psychological principles and phenomena;
• communicate this intervention/application based on psychological principles in the form of a report

Course 

Course code

When

ECTS

Practical information

Emotions: Scientific and Clinical Aspects

500192

Block 2

6

Course has lectures and tutorials

Examination: 2 group assignments (pass/fail) written exam (100%)

This course is a blended learning course, consisting of a mix of face-to-face (e.g., lectures, practicals) and online (e.g., online clips, group assignments) activities.

Each week focuses on a topic. The topics that are covered are:

• Week 1: Introduction and theoretical approaches;
• Week 2: Emotion regulation;
• Week 3: Individual differences and mindfulness;
• Week 4: Cognitive and biological processes;
• Week 5: Clinical practice;
• Week 6: Emotions in communications

Personality Disorders

550038

Block 3

6

Course has lectures and practicals

Examination: written exam (100%)

During this course, students learn during lectures about general basic aspects of PDs like their symptom characteristics, symptom criteria in DSM-5, association to other mental disorders, epidemiology, assessment and diagnostics.

Besides these basics, we zoom in on two current, conflicting perspectives on PDs 

Finally, we zoom in on the specific individual personality disorders, their general aspects and opportunities for intervention.

Introduction to Treatment Method

500194

Block 4

6

Course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: written MC exam (100%)

In Introduction to Treatment Methods students are given the opportunity to become acquainted with the most important evidence-based treatment methods used by psychologists in mental health care. This is a first introduction, not an exhaustive overview or a course on applying therapeutic techniques to clients. Several different treatment methods are explained, together with their background and application. Attention is also paid to the importance of the therapeutic relationship as well as other ‘common factors’ that play a role within each treatment method.

MAJOR (only for PSY) includes Psychological Assessment

500196

Block 1

6

Note: this course is recommended only for students enrolled in one of the 5 clinical majors (clinical psychology, medical psychology, developmental/lifespan psychology, forensic psychology, cognitive neuropsychology) or for students who need it as a requirement to enroll in a clinical master’s program.

Consists of lectures, lab sessions 

Examination: 80% written exam of 40 MC questions. 20% of the mandatory assignments

During these lectures, a general model regarding diagnostic research and clinical decision-making processes will be explained, and will be enriched by adding experiential knowledge with invited guest-speakers. 

Course 

Course code

When

ECTS

Practical information

Introduction to Clinical Neuropsychology

550022 

Block 2

6

Course has lectures

Examination: written MC exam (100%)

The course “Introduction to Clinical Neuropsychology” discusses the effects of innate and acquired neural damage on emotion, cognition and behavior. The course will start with a brief recapitulation of neuroanatomy, as well as shortly discuss methods for measuring brain activity and diagnostics of brain damage and dysfunction.

Cognitive Neuropsychology

540033

Block 3

6

Course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: written exam open questions (100%)

The course will focus mainly on functional (fMRI) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG/ERP) experiments, including relevant considerations of experimental design, data collection and data analysis. Additional methods covered will include, but are not limited to, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetoencephalography (MEG), patient studies, etc.

Neuropsychological Assessment

423022

Block 4

6

Course has lectures and practicals

Examination: Written exam open and essay questions (100%)

The student will be introduced to the procedures clinical neuropsychologists follow when they make assessments of patients with neurological dysfunction. This includes the clinical interview, the importance of obtaining comprehensive case histories, the plethora of neuropsychological tests that are available and ultimately which ones to choose when a patient is referred to us for diagnosis and follow-up. Brain structure and function will be closely linked throughout. Neurodegenerative diseases including the most common forms of dementia, movement disorders and acute neurological disorders (e.g. stroke) will also be explored. The emphasis will be on neuropsychological assessment with a specific focus on perception, attention, memory, language, emotion, motor functions and executive functioning.

MAJOR (only for PSY) includes Psychological Assessment 

500196

Block 1 

6

Note: this course is recommended only for students enrolled in one of the 5 clinical majors (clinical psychology, medical psychology, developmental/lifespan psychology, forensic psychology, cognitive neuropsychology) or for students who need it as a requirement to enroll in a clinical master’s program.

Consists of lectures, lab sessions 

Examination: 80% written exam of 40 MC questions. 20% of the mandatory assignments

During these lectures, a general model regarding diagnostic research and clinical decision-making processes will be explained, and will be enriched by adding experiential knowledge with invited guest-speakers. 

Social Neuroscience (Elective) 

422093

Block 3

6

Course has lectures and seminars

Examination: Periodic MC exams and a paper

The course is about a relatively new field in cognitive neuroscience: Social Neuroscience. Social neuroscience investigates the neural mechanisms underlying social behavior, in particular the recognition, understanding and interaction with others. Topics of social neuroscience that are covered in the course are reading faces and bodies, emotions, motivation, mirroring, trust, altruism, morality and anti-social behavior, revenge, empathy, autism, social decision-making, groups and identity, joint attention, development of a social brain, prejudice and love.

Course 

Course code

When

ECTS

Practical information

Introduction to Forensic Psychology 

500193

Course has lectures and 3 optional workgroups

Examination: written exam (100%)

This course provides a first introduction to forensic psychology. It is the first part of the bachelor major Forensic Psychology and covers the most central themes in this field. As such, it is an ideal preparation for the other courses in this major or minor (i.e., Risk Assessment and Criminality, Cognition, and Personality). The following questions are central to this introduction: What is the role of psychology in law; how can we explain antisocial behavior; how can we distinguish between different types of offenders; and how can we predict (re)offending?

Risk Assessment

500198

Course has lectures and interactive lectures

Examination: written MC exam (100%)

This course will be an introduction to risk assessment; the process by which clinicians make judgments about an offender’s likelihood to commit future crimes, both within an institution and upon release. The course covers different types of risk and protective factors, specific measures related to violent and sexual offender recidivism, best practices for administering these instruments, and the strengths and weaknesses of clinical and actuarial judgements. Subsequently, the challenges of risk assessment in clinical forensic practice, the dangers associated with imprecise instruments and assessments, and how psychometric concepts and biases can help to critical evaluate the usefulness of a test will be discussed. 

Criminality, Cognition and Personality

500187

Course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: written 50 MC questions exam (100%)

This course will begin with an overview of individual differences that have been discussed in previous courses within or outside the forensic psychology major, introducing their role in antisocial and violent behavior. Then, the course will discuss traditional and more recent theories regarding the role of personality traits, cognitive, and emotional functioning in increasing the risk of criminal behavior. Next, the state of the art of empirical research investigating the mechanisms linking personality and crime will be presented and critically evaluated.  Additionally, students will gain an appreciation of the developmental precursors of individual differences related to crime. Finally, the implications for prevention and treatment programs will be introduced.

MAJOR (only for PSY) includes Psychological Assessment

500196

Note: this course is recommended only for students enrolled in one of the 5 clinical majors (clinical psychology, medical psychology, developmental/lifespan psychology, forensic psychology, cognitive neuropsychology) or for students who need it as a requirement to enroll in a clinical master’s program.

Consists of lectures, lab sessions 

Examination: 80% written exam of 40 MC questions. 20% of the mandatory assignments

During these lectures, a general model regarding diagnostic research and clinical decision-making processes will be explained, and will be enriched by adding experiential knowledge with invited guest-speakers. 

Course 

Course code

When

ECTS

Practical information

Sexology

500199

Block 2

6

Course has lectures and a seminar

Examination: written exam MC and open questions (100%)

Sexuality is considered to be an important aspect in life and it contributes to maintaining and quality of relationships. Patients, but also healthy individuals can face challenges with regard to sexuality. Sexual problems can also affect the partner.

Examples of learning goals:

• Describe the role of biological (e.g. hormones), psychological (e.g., evolutionary aspects) and social (e.g. culture) factors on sexuality and sexual development (e.g., gender identity, sexual behavior);
• Describe the methodology within sexology and apply theories on examples;
• Take position on what sexual (un)healthy or (ab)normality is

Stress and Health 

422094

Block 3

6

Course has lectures 

Examination: 

Experiencing stress is generally associated with negative outcomes and decreased health. However, experiencing stress is not always a bad thing, stress might enhance our functioning and help us survive by perceiving danger and acting upon it.

This course will focus on possible stressors and their effects on body and mind. The concept of stress and the stress response will be introduced, as well as psycho-biological mechanisms of acute and chronic stress. The effect of stress on (somatic) disease onset, progression, and recovery will be discussed. Finally, possible interventions that affect stress levels will be introduced.

Clinical Health Psychology in Medical Science

422092

Block 4

6

Course has lectures

Examination: written exam (100%)

psychological aspects will be discussed as part of various diseases, e.g., reasons for referral to a psychologist, diagnostics (e.g., clinical interview, self-report), risk factors for adaptational problems, coping, compliance, life style changes, anxiety, depression, interventions (e.g., cognitive behavioural therapy, biofeedback). In addition, the effect of disease on caregivers (partners) will be discussed.

MAJOR (only for PSY) includes Psychological Assessment

500196

Block 1

6

Note: this course is recommended only for students enrolled in one of the 5 clinical majors (clinical psychology, medical psychology, developmental/lifespan psychology, forensic psychology, cognitive neuropsychology) or for students who need it as a requirement to enroll in a clinical master’s program.

Consists of lectures, lab sessions 

Examination: 80% written exam of 40 MC questions. 20% of the mandatory assignments

During these lectures, a general model regarding diagnostic research and clinical decision-making processes will be explained, and will be enriched by adding experiential knowledge with invited guest-speakers. 

Course 

Course code

When

ECTS

Practical information

Evolutionary Psychology

422087

Block 2

6

Course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: written exam with essay questions (100%)

Evolutionary psychology starts from the premise that the human brain is the product of natural selection. Therefore, by adopting an evolutionary stance, we might come to a better understanding of the human mind and consequently, of human behavior. Evolutionary psychologists aim to test predictions that can be derived when applying the principles of natural selection to psychological processes and human behavior. These are called ultimate predictions and are concerned with the function or purpose of behavior. They seek to explain how a particular behavioral phenomenon, such as interpersonal violence, can be adaptive in a certain context and/or for some group(s) of people.

Evolutionary psychology provides an exciting and deviant perspective to all areas of psychology. That said this course focuses on human social behavior.

Group Dynamics

421061

Block 3

6

Course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: written exam and a group assignment

In the course, you will be immersed in the scientific literature that studies the actions, processes, and changes that occur in and between groups and in and between individuals of these groups. For instance, we will discuss why people join groups, how people react to being excluded, how people coordinate their efforts, who will emerge as a leader, who is the most effective leader, and how conflict within and between groups can be reduced.

Social Cognition

422052

Block 4

6

Cours has lectures 

Examination: written exam (100%) MC and open questions

In this course you will learn about social cognition—the part of psychology that deals with how individuals understand and make sense of the social world. You will learn about research that allows you to better understand how people think about and act upon their social environment and the people who inhabit it. On the one hand, social cognition is a theoretical, fundamental part of psychology. It can give us answers about such fundamental questions as: how do people form opinions?

MAJOR (only for PSY) includes Applied Social Psychology

570021

Block 1

6

Course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: 80% written exam and 20% group assignment

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to use a structured approach (the PATHS model) when applying psychological insights to solve real-world societal problems. Specifically, students will be able to:

1. define societal problems;
2. analyze the causes of the problem and relating these to insights from psychological theories;
3. select and integrate the most important causes in an explanatory model;
4. develop an intervention that could reduce the problem;

Course 

Course code

When

ECTS

Practical information

Work Psychology

575038

Block 2 

6

Course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: written exam (65%) and a group assessment (35%)

The course is built around the framework that organizations are comprised of people and that people are considered the most valuable “asset”. Therefore, it is important for organizations to know what would influence the effectiveness of their employees within the work context. Within this course, the primary focus will be examining ways to get the right person on the right position and more importantly how to motivate and engage them at work. This requires a focus on individual differences and job characteristics (e.g., work pressure and well-being).

Organizational Psychology

575032

Block 3

6

Course has lectures

Examination: written exam (100%)

Organizational psychology gives students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the most important topics, ideas and literature within the field of organizational psychology.

Upon completion of this course the students will have:

– learned the basics of Organizational Psychology theories, concepts and findings

– reliably demonstrated the ability to use a psychological lens to look at organizational issues

– reliably demonstrated the ability to apply psychological knowledge to tackle organizational problems

Diversity and Inclusion at Work

575039

Block 4 

6

Course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: written exam (100%). Bonus assignment during the workgroups

Societal changes (e.g., globalization, multiculturalism, female empowerment) give rise to the need to understand the role of diversity within work and organizational contexts.  Diversity, which encompasses peoples’ individual and social differences has become a leading topic at societal, governmental and organizational levels, as well as in science. It is therefore pertinent that work and organizational psychologists need to be at the forefront when dealing with the complexity of how diverse people work together not only at a policy level (e.g., quota for diversity), but also at a psychological level.

MAJOR (only for PSY) includes Applied Work and Org. Psy

575037

Block 1

6

Course has lectures and tutorials

Examination: written exam (80%) and a group report (20%)

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to use a structured approach (the PATHS model) when applying psychological insights to solve real-world organizational problems. Specifically, students will be able to:

• define organizational problems;
• analyze the causes of the problem and relating these to insights from psychological theories;
• select and integrate the most important causes in an explanatory model;
• develop an intervention that could reduce the problem;
• evaluate a proposed application of psychology;
• communicate this application of psychology in the form of a report.

Course

Course code

When?

ECTS

Practical information

Cultural Sociology 

424015

Block 1

6

This course has 1 essay (30%) and 1 open book exam (70%)

In this course you will read sections of modern-classic cultural sociological books from  the 1950s to now  and to reconstruct central research questions, theories, methods, and empirical findings. The books present central themes of culture and cover a variety of research methods (quantitative and qualitative methods). By reconstructing the central research questions, theories, method, and empirical findings students will gain more knowledge on each of these elements.

Sociological and Historical Perspectives on Identities

400151

Block 2

6

This course has 1 literature review (?%) and 1 portfolio (?%) 

In this course, you will approach identity and its contemporary relevance from a sociological perspective. To facilitate this, the course is organized in three parts. The first part discusses some general social and social psychological concepts and theories on identities. In the second part, we zoom in on three relevant categories: class, ethnicity, and gender, and discuss their origins and relevance. In the last chunk of this course, we zoom in deeper on national and regional identities.

Media, Globalization and Popular Culture 

825053

Block 3 and 4

6

This course consists of 1 Individual Portfolio (60%) and 1 paper (40%)

This course explores several concepts and phenomena in the field of popular culture including celebrity, fandom and video gaming. We will see that digitalization is a driving force in the revolution of entertainment industries in the last 30 years. Meanwhile, digital technologies also incorporate ordinary people, willingly or unwillingly, into the process of cultural production, a privilege used to be reserved for the social and cultural elites. Either to lament for the decline of a serious public sphere or to giggle at the latest viral YouTube video, this course will show that popular culture is a vantage point to observe the vast social transformation in the digital and global age.

Families in Context: How Families define us

424436

Block 4

6

This course consists of Life courses in context (35%), 1 Midterm (40%) and 1 assignment (25%)

This course will demonstrate, the interplay between families and other social structures and institutions is crucial for understanding the problems which modern societies face (e.g., greying of populations, supply of qualified labor force, social cohesion). Families are a key link between macro-level processes (political, cultural, and economic shifts) and individual outcomes such as socioeconomic and health status in later life. In other words, many of the decisions that you might perceive as fundamentally personal and individual (the kind of job you do or whether to work at all, whether to become a parent or not) are shaped by the interaction between our families and the broader social, cultural, and historical conditions.

Course

Course code

When?

ECTS

Practical information

Sociale Ongelijkheid

421012

1

6

Deze cursus bestaat uit hoorcolleges, werkgroepen, een literatuurreview (onbekend %)  en een tentamen (onbekend %).

De cursus richt zich op sociale ongelijkheid in het algemeen, en op twee belangrijke dimensies van sociale ongelijkheid in het bijzonder: ongelijkheid in onderwijskansen en ongelijkheid in arbeidskansen. Voorbeelden van behandelde thema’s zijn de invloed van ouders en school op het onderwijsniveau van kinderen en de overgang van school naar werk.

Grootstedelijke Vraagstukken

421013

2

6

Deze cursus bestaat uit hoorcolleges, werkcolleges een tentamen (70%) en een portfolio inclusief opdrachten en presentatie (30%)

In deze cursus behandelen we de stedelijke tradities in de sociologie en relevante hedendaagse theorieën over stad en buurt. We bestuderen in het bijzonder grootstedelijke vraagstukken (en mogelijke oplossingen) op het gebied van sociale ongelijkheid, segregatie en armoede; superdiversiteit en integratie; transformatie van publieke ruimte; woonmilieu preferenties; en leefbaarheid en stedelijk onbehagen.

Sociale Uitsluiting in de Verzorgingsstaat

421014

3

6

Deze cusus bestaat uit hoorcolleges, werkcolleges, een groepsopdracht (?%), individuele opdracht (?%) en een tentamen (?%)

In dit vak bestuderen we theorie over armoede en sociale uitsluiting (als een specifieke vorm van sociale ongelijkheid) in Nederland, en het belangrijkste beleidsinstrument om armoede en sociale uitsluiting te verzachten: de verzorgingsstaat (of wel sociaal beleid).Onderwerpen die aan bod komen zijn: definities en metingen van armoede en sociale uitsluiting in de verzorgingsstaat; ideologische visies; vormen van beleid en soorten verzorgingsstaten; de participatiesamenleving; bedoelde en onbedoelde effecten van sociaal beleid; verklaringen voor armoede; stigmatisering en de reproductie van armoede.

Levensloop en Gezondheid 

421015

4

6

Deze cursus bestaat uit hoorcolleges, werkcolleges, een mid-term tentamen (40%) en een

“policy brief” groepsopdracht (60%).

Een aantal voorbeelden van kernconcepten uit de levensloopsociologie zijn trajecten, transities, historische context, historische tijd, macro-micro-macro theorie en cumulative (dis)advantage. In deze cursus wordt de student stapsgewijs klaargestoomd deze om kernconcepten uit de levensloopsociologie in de praktijk te kunnen toepassen.

Course

Course code

When?

ECTS

Practical information

Globalization and Social Risks

424016

1

6

This course consists of 1 written exam (100%), assignments, workgroups and lectures

In this course, students learn about long-term trends, outcomes and policy responses regarding the transformation of social risks, within the context of (mainly economic) globalization. In the first part, the course aims to sketch the contours of a broader scene, which also forms the theoretical context for follow-up courses in the track ‘Social risks in a changing world’: Global migration; Sustainability, health and well-being in a global world; Sociology of work. The second part of the course will illustrate these long-term trends by means of a more in-depth treatment of topical issues, which are ‘exemplary’ for the transformation of social risks through globalization: globalization and welfare states, changes in labor markets, in particular labor market flexibility; impacts of globalization on uncertainty and life courses (young/elderly); the impact of (financial) globalization on the housing opportunities of young people, intergenerational solidarity and the alleged increase in the intergenerational transmission of inequality. 

Global Migration

424019

2

6

This course consists of a a written exam (70%), a group assignment policy brief (30%), lectures and workgroups.

During the course, we will cover major theories and trends of international migration. The course covers different pertinent migration topics with a global outlook, including the impact of migration on sending and receiving societies, the dynamics of labour migration, refugee flows, lifestyle migration and the nexus between migration, security and the state.

Sustainability, Health and Well-being

424021

3

6

This course consists of 1 photo presentation (10%), 1 blog post (10%), 1 infographic (10%), 1 policy intervention paper (40%), 2 essays (15% each), lectures and workgroups.

In this course students will learn to define and critically reflect upon complex concepts such as sustainability, health and well-being, and sustainable communities; get familiar with the theories and state-of the art empirical research linking the characteristics of the living environment (e.g., city, neighbourhood) to the health and well-being of the residents; understand the process of policy making; be able to develop policy interventions targeted at sustainable communities that promote health and well-being of the residents; and be able to translate the policy interventions in various formats that are accessible to selected target groups (e.g., general public, civil servants, policy makers).

Sociology of Work

424022

4

6

This course consists of lectures, labs, a written exam (80%) and an  assignment (20%)

The course is meant to give the student a profound insight in the world of work. Starting with different forms of work from the pre-industrial age till our post-industrial/modern world. Several theories on work will be discussed, the industrial relations between workers, employers, trade unions, and the state. Several types of work will be discussed – factory work, service work, knowledge work, managerial work – as well as aspects of work will be discussed: alienation, deskilling, work pressure, burnout, work-life balance. Attention will be given to gender, ethnicity, and class. A discussion on the future of work in a globalized and technological (internet, smartphones, robots) era will conclude the course.

Course

Course code

When?

ECTS

Practical information

Strategic Human Resource Management

760009

Block 2

6

This course has lectures, classes and consultation sessions

Examination: Written exam (50%) and group assignments (50%)

Central to Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) literature is the idea that key aspects of the management of people at the workplace (recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, pay and benefits, participation and communication) can have a significant positive impact on organizational performance.

Choose 2 out of 4 

Work and Health Psychology

761004

Block 1+2

6

This course has lectures, practicums and consults

Examination: written exam (50% of final grade) and group assignments (50% of final grade)

Work psychology is a classic subarea of applied psychology. The object of study in this discipline is the structure and regulation of individual work performance. Topics that are studied in work psychology relate to the level and type of workload (job demands), the resources in the job and the role of individual differences in this context. All of this is relevant for health, well-being and safety on the job on the one hand, and job performance on the other

In the context of HR studies these topics are relevant from the viewpoint of (sustainable) work performance, work motivation and well-being/health at work.

Talent Management

761006 

Block 3

6

This course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: Portfolio (group assignment) (50%), Written exam (essay questions) (50%)

In the broadest sense, talent management is about ensuring that an organization employs the right people, and deploys them at the right places at the right time. To ensure this, talent managers will systematically use specific human resource (HR) practices to identify, attract, motivate, develop, and retain employees who are considered to be talented. In this course, students will gain knowledge about the basic terms and theories in the area of talent management. In addition, students will learn to apply their knowledge of talent management to practical cases and to reflect critically on organizational context factors

Admission rules to the course:

1. This course is a mandatory course for students of the BSc People Management

2. This course is open for students who registered for the minor PEW/Personeelwetenschappen

3. This course is not open for exchange students

4. This course is not open for students of the BSc PEW/Personeelwetenschappen (due to overlap)

5. There is a maximum amount of 75 spots in this course. Preference will at all times be given to students of the BSc People Management

6. The partial results on the portfolio or written exam can be transferred to the next year in case students pass that component.

Assessment in Organizations 

760017 

Block 3

6

Human resource professionals advise about assessments concerning people in organizations. Assessment cases are for example: selection of employees, performance evaluations (pay decisions), and career decisions. Ultimately, this is to achieve organizational objectives, to ensure good quality processes, to manage risks and to promote the health and well-being of people.

Often used assessment tools are psychological tests, performance ratings by managers and others, selection interviews, and assessment centers.

The course requires a basic understanding of statistics for the social sciences (MTO-B and MTO-C). Exchange students who consider taking this course should be familiar with descriptive and inferential statistics and regressions analyses and be able to use the software package SPSS to perform several statistical data analyses and be able to interpret the output.

Managing Social Capital 

760040

Block 4

6

In the lectures and practica, the following is discussed.

Different conceptions and different dimensions of social capital in organizations.

The influence of HR practices on social capital and individual, team, and organizational performance.

Findings of research on antecedents, forms, and consequences of social capital in organizations.

Main topics are social capital and HRM, talent management, social exchanges and teams, social networks, leadership, organizational change and dynamics.

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When?

ECTS

Practical information

Introduction Human Resource Management

410122

Block 1 and 2

6

This course consists of an exam (50%), group assignment (30%), Portfolio assignments (20%), lectures and workgroups

In this course, you learn how to do ‘Evidence based HRM’ by applying insights from HRM research to organizational practice. There are two parallel tracks that help you to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to do this:

• The theoretical track: The course literature and lectures highlight the key theories and research in HRM. In particular, we zoom in on HRM topics that are important in an international business context, such as: investing in people and business performance, learning and knowledge, change maangement, the global war for talent, employee voice and participation, issues of diversity and inclusion and corporate social responsibility towards workers. 
• The practical track: The workshops are designed to learn how to do “evidence-based HRM”. This involves a stepwise approach in which groups of students advise organizations about their issues that involve people management by combining local evidence from the organization with the best available external research evidence, and proposing a practical intervention to solve or improve the issue. 

Strategic Human Resource Management

760009

Block 2

6

This course consists of a written exam (50%), group assignments (50%), lectures, classes and consultation sessions

The course on SHRM deals with the following five challenges associated with the HRM-performance relationship. First, our understanding of the factors and processes that help to explain how and why HR practices have an impact on organizational performance (the so-called black-box debate). Second,  the ‘best practice’ – ‘best fit’ debate in SHRM. According to the best practices perspective there is a coherent set of HR practices that is universally valid and effective, irrespective of the situation. The alternative contingency (best-fit) perspective, on the other hand, suggests that the effectiveness of given HRM system is likely to vary depending on the particular intra- and inter-organizational context and situation involved. Third, thee debate about the extent to which HRM does indeed have a beneficial effect on various aspects of performance, in particular on employee as well as organizational outcomes. Fourth challenge is that previous SHRM research focused primarily at managing the workforce as a whole. However, while some HR practices might be standardized for all employees, others might be customized to match the specific requirements of particular employee groups (a so-called differentiated workforce approach). As different groups of employees vary in their expected contribution, their uniqueness, and their strategic value to the organization the HR practices used to manage them are likely to vary. Lastly. the growing trend of HR devolution: the reallocation of HR- related management tasks from human resource managers to line- managers. The effective implementation of HR activities depends on line-managers motivation and ability.

Talent Management

761006

Block 3

6

This course has lectures and workgroups

Examination: Portfolio (group assignment) (50%), Written exam (essay questions) (50%)

In the broadest sense, talent management is about ensuring that an organization employs the right people, and deploys them at the right places at the right time. To ensure this, talent managers will systematically use specific human resource (HR) practices to identify, attract, motivate, develop, and retain employees who are considered to be talented.In this course, students will gain knowledge about the basic terms and theories in the area of talent management. In addition, students will learn to apply their knowledge of talent management to practical cases and to reflect critically on organizational context factors

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Practical information

Organization theory

441074

Block 2

6

This course has lectures, tutorials and 1 written test.

This course covers several organization theories and the Whetten scheme. At least one empirical paper testing each theory is presented. In the tutorials, several aspects of each block of theories, main constructs, measurement and modelling issues are discussed by means of OT exam questions. 

Innovation, Organization & Entrepreneurship

441081

Block 1

6

This course has lectures, practicals, 1 written exam (80%) and three case assignments (20%)

This course examines the firm level processes of innovation by examining the different types of innovation, and their antecedents and consequences by focussing internally on the firm resources and capabilities that increase the likelihood of innovation, bridging the internal and external aspects of the firm and focussing on the firm environment’s effect on innovation.

Organization Development

441079

Block 3

6

This course has lectures, working groups, 1 written exam (50%) and 1 research portfolio consisting of a group paper, peer review and presentations (50%)

Reorganizations, personnel transfers, culture change programs, downsizing and mergers: more than ever organizations are confronted with changes. This course explores the complexity of organizational development on organizational, team, and employee level, by outlining a theoretical framework which will be further explored by guest lecturers and a research project into a specific case of real-life organizational change, using qualitative research.

Relations and Networks of Organizations

441057

Block 4

6

This course has lectures, work sessions, a computer lab practicum, an individual assignment (pass), group assignments (30%), internet exam (10%) and written exam (60%).

The focus of the course is on inter-organizational relationships between two or more organizations. The course explains what inter-organizational relationships and networks are and how they can be analyzed,  deals with causes of network formation, focuses on outcomes and discusses aspects of the management of inter-organizational relationships and networks.

Strategic Decision Making

441058

Block 4

6

This course has lectures and practicals with attendance requirements, written exam (60%) and an assignment (40%)

The concept of strategic decision making implies long term decisions that affect the continuity of the whole organization. The course introduces an integrative framework of strategic decisions, zooms in on the antecedents, the formulation, implementation and the (un-)intended consequences of strategic decisions.

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When?

ECTS

Practical information

Topics in Causal Analysis

424244 

Block 1

6

This course consists of 2 exams of 50% each, lectures and practicals.

After taking this course, students are able to choose the appropriate analysis technique for answering a specific research problem, can clarify several statistical and/or methodological assumptions, carry out analyses using appropriate software,  give correct interpretations of statistical results, critically assess analyses and interpretations made by others and can indicate the limitations of several techniques.

Introduction to Statistical Science

424246

Block 2

6

This course consists of an exam (35%) and a individualized take home computer exam (15%), a final exam (50%), lectures and practicals.

Students had some courses on statistics, but these were focused on application and interpretation of results. Inthis course, students are taught more about the foundations of these statistics: probabilities, independence, probability density functions, linear combinations and their means and variances, the central limit theorem, likelihood functions, and the maximum likelihood principle. Furthermore,  students are taught about Bayesian statistics as an alternative to the traditional null-hypothesis statistical testing (NHST) approach that is typically employed in students’ bachelor statistics courses.

Topics in Psychological and Sociological Measurement 

424245

Block 3

6

This course consists of videos, lectures, computer labs and an exam (100%)

This course provides an introduction to latent variable measurement and psychometric networks in the psychological and social sciences. The models to be discussed are latent class, latent profile, and latent trait (or item-response theory) models, and among others the Gaussian Graphical network model. These models are routinely applied in various fields of the social sciences. Students will focus on the conceptual foundations of the models, discuss their basic form and their generalizations or special cases, and practice different applications to real data sets. The relevant software in this course includes SPSS, R, and LatentGOLD.

Introduction to Data Science

500189 

Block 4

6

This course consists of 2 group assignments (20% each), 1 written exam (60%), workgroups and lectures.

Data science methods are used to derive knowledge from data in academic research, companies, governmental agencies, and any other organization that wants to make data-based decisions. This course offers an introduction to the use of data science methods for social and behavioral science research. Upon completing this course, students will have acquired the skills necessary to apply statistical data science techniques to summarize and visualize complex data, discover patterns, and predict outcomes and trends for unseen data. Topics include prediction, classification, clustering, dimension reduction, shrinkage approaches, and more.

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Course code

When?

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Practical information

Algemene didactiek

995012

Block 1 and 2

6

Deze cursus heeft 1 take-home exam (100%), hoorcolleges en werkcolleges

Deze cursus behandelt relevante thema’s uit de onderwijspraktijk, didactische en pedagogische theorie en de toepassing daarvan. Denk hierbij aan het modellen en theorien met betrekking tot didactische analyse; leren en motivatie; stromingen in de leerpsychologie (behaviorisme, constructivisme en cognitivisme), en aan thema’s als: communicatie in de klas. lesvoorbereiding, en toetsing. 

Vakdidactiek Maatschappijleer

995136 

Block 1 and 2

6

Deze cursus heeft 4 opdrachten van elk 25% en werkcolleges

Deze cursus houdt zich bezig met de inhoud van de schoolvakken maatschappijleer en -wetenschappen en met het lesgeven hierin, zoals het beleid van de overheid en de eigen school m.b.t. de vakken maatschappijleer en maatschappijwetenschappen; de kenmerken van zelfstandig werken en zelfstandig leren;  specifieke denk- en analysevaardigheden; en politicologische en sociologische concepten 

Didactisch Leeronderzoek

995018

Block 1 and 2

3

Deze cursus bestaat uit een presentatie (40%) en een eindopdracht (60%) en contactmomenten

Tijdens de cursus wordt een leeronderzoek uitgevoerd. Het leeronderzoek betreft een onderwijskundig en/of pedagogisch-didactisch onderwerp. Het onderzoeksthema wordt mede bepaald door de onderzoeksagenda van de stageschool. Het leeronderzoek bestaat uit 1 of meerdere van de volgende vormen: Beschrijvend, vergelijkend,  definiërend, evaluerend of verklarend.

Het leeronderzoek wordt uitgevoerd in een groep bestaande uit 4 a 5 studenten, die op verschillende scholen stage lopen. Er wordt als team gezamenlijk aan een thema gewerkt, waarbij data verzameld worden op de verschillende stagescholen. Het onderzoek levert een vergelijkend beeld op over het thema voor de scholen. Het leeronderzoek wordt afgesloten met een presentatie van het onderzoek door het team en een individueel adviesrapport met aanbevelingen voor de eigen school.

Didactische Oriëntatiestage en Opleiden in de School

995016

Block 1 and 2

15

Deze cursus bestaat uit een oriëntatiestage, een portfolio (100%) en bijeenkomsten opleiden in school

De oriëntatiestage kent een opbouw die begint met praktijkobservatie en die via één-op-één-gesprekken met leerlingen, begeleiding van groepjes leerlingen en het verzorgen van deel lessen, uitmondt in minimaal dertig zelfstandig verzorgde leeractiviteiten/lessen, waarvan minstens vijftien zelfstandig verzorgde leeractiviteiten/lessen in de bovenbouw.