Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab

Globalization and the growth of digital technology has meant that knowledge and information can spread like never before. This also means that misinformation and fake news are on the rise, making it more important than ever that students develop skills of critical inquiry that cross disciplinary boundaries. Through open-source investigation techniques, students can learn to identify, document, verify, analyze, and evaluate open-source material such as news reports, social media posts, and satellite images. Their work can also contribute to reporting and advocacy around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by tackling issues such as food security and deforestation as well as human rights and international justice.

What are open-source investigations? Check out this information Zine to learn more about open-source investigation 101 and the Global Justice Investigations Lab!

Apply here!

Practical information and application

The next iteration of the lab will take place in study periods of 2 and 3 of the 2024-2025 schoolyear. The course is projected to be scheduled on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings. The lab will officially kick off on the 13^th of November 2024.

As the lab is of limited capacity, we will select participants based on a submitted 500-word motivation letter and your CV.

Partners

These are our partners

Our Aims and Purpose

Working together with societal partners and real-world projects, Utrecht University has set up a UU Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab, which aims to combine digital innovation with new media literacy. The Lab uses innovative applied-learning methods to:

Equip students with the interdisciplinary skills and ethical considerations required to learn how to conduct open-source investigations and evaluate open-source materials. This includes practical OSINT skills, such as Geolocation and Chrono-location, taught by experts in the field.
Bringing an interdisciplinary and international community of students, teachers, and societal partners (such as civil society organizations) together to work together towards addressing global challenges in a hands-on manner. The lab is both about learning something new (digital knowledge and skills to become critical global citizens) and about innovative ways of learning to drive SDG progress.

For more detailed information about the lab and its projects, see our page on the first iteration of the lab.

Student testimonials from the 2023-2024 iteration of the Global Justice Lab

“Before starting the lab, I was already very involved and passionate about global justice. However, now that I have been handed a new way of contributing to it, I feel like I can already start now, instead of waiting for later in my career.”

“I enjoyed the course immensely and gained a lot of research and creative skills that I could not get from anywhere else. Moreover, meeting so many interesting people with different backgrounds and perspectives was just amazing.”

“The opportunity to get hands-on experience working on my own research project with a societal partner has deepened my understanding of this profession in ways that I couldn’t have imagined beforehand.”