Sociological core themes

In this course, you will develop an understanding of current changes in healthcare systems in the Western world. The last decades have been marked by a strong increase in a demand for healthcare due to demographic changes (such as reduced fertility and increased life expectancy), which have had a great influence on healthcare costs. Western governments have been trying to respond to these changes by introducing various policy measures such as the privatization of healthcare and decentralization. In this course, we will take a look at such policy transitions and their implications for various stakeholders. 

The course devotes considerable attention to specific social developments which have led to an increased demand for care. Examples include:

• The ageing population
• The emergence of unhealthy lifestyles
• Inequalities in healthcare formation and access to various groups in society 
• Increasing the labour market participation of people with disabilities

Course Coordinator: Dr Tali Spiegel

In the Criminology and Safety course, you develop your understanding of issues surrounding  crime and criminal justice policy responses. You will acquire knowledge about the causes of crime in different environments, the impact on public safety and the effectiveness of policy solutions. Attention will be paid to both old and ‘new’ forms of crime that have emerged from new technologies and means of communication. You will examine the patterns and explanations of crimes that occur within the local neighborhood environment, crimes that occur in the virtual world, and crimes that occur across borders.

In this course we will address a number of questions concerning crime and safety. These will not only be focused on serious crime, but also on types of deviant or anti-social behaviour such as graffiti, group drinking in public or loitering youth.

The following are examples of questions that will be addressed:

• What are the theories that explain crime and how sustainable are they today in the Netherlands?
• What are old and new types of criminal behaviour?
• What types of criminal behaviour will be popular in future? For instance, is white-collar crime on the increase? What about cybercrime? 
• How are criminal organisations structured? What types of networks are involved?
• What can we do to prevent the radicalisation of certain groups? When does radicalisation occur? When do we call a radical movement ‘criminal’?
• What type of policy is effective in fighting crime? How is that policy affected by different contexts, e.g. neighbourhoods and organisations?

Course Coordinator: Dr Amy Nivette

The internet plays an increasingly important role in modern societies. This development implies many new sociological and societal questions, but also provides unprecedented opportunities for new research, new policies, and policy-oriented research. At the same time, these new research opportunities come with challenges and caveats that are often poorly understood by social scientists, data scientists, as well as policy makers. This course aims at delivering professionals who can provide a much-needed interface between data analysts on the one hand and policy makers and other stakeholders on the other hand. Ideally you will be able to translate social problems and policy issues into relevant research questions that can be studied usefully and responsibly with digital data, and conversely, you will be able to interpret and apply results from data analysis to relevant social contexts, and to provide policy recommendations based on this research.

Examples of issues that we will address in the course include:

• What types of sociological questions can we answer with digital traces data?
• How do we collect data on human behavior on the internet, and what are particular opportunities and caveats of these methods?
• How do we navigate ethical concerns around digital traces research?

Course Coordinator: Dr Rense Corten

Climate change is one of the major challenges of our time. It is more than just an environmental crisis, it is also a societal problem. In this course, we will analyse the social causes and consequences of the climate crisis. We consider the roles of a broad range of societal actors, including individuals, companies and corporations, as well as governments and intergovernmental organizations. We will specifically focus on experiences with policy responses to the crisis and evaluate those. Theories, for example, that consider the climate crises as a collective action problem will be used to understand the overall effectiveness  of current policy responses and the role that private-sector organisations play in taking measures to become more environmentally friendly. We will also discuss options to improve climate change policies.

Examples of specific issues that we will address in the course include:

• What is the role of individuals in contributing to and addressing the climate crisis? 
• What is the effect of the climate crisis on (income and wealth) inequality in the Netherlands?
• What is the role of private-sector organisations in contributing to the climate crisis, through for instance greenwashing, and how can regulation effectively combat such impacts?
• How can fairness aspects be used to improve policies for the energy transition?

Course Coordinator: Dr Paulina Pankowska