MODULE 5: SUSTAINABLE CITIES
You will explore the challenges cities face these days: climate change, energy supplies and housing shortages are examples.
You will understand how:
- to involve all sorts of stakeholders in making decisions aimed at creating more liveable cities
- modern technologies increase well-being in large agglomerations over the world; for example by creating new infrastructures for public transport.
- to bring together the interests of multiple scales of governments and stakeholders. Who makes the authoritative and legitimate decisions that help cities to become “smarter”?
- qualitative research and interviewing techniques work.
Your project assignment is to design a governance structure for a technology-driven city project.
Module 6: Sustainable Development Goals
This module closes the circle of six core modules by focusing on evaluation. Using these evaluation outcomes and understanding trends helps you to get a well-informed perspective on the future. For example, by comparing how different countries find different ways to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's), we can learn from each other and find the best ways for a better future.
Module 7 & 8: SpecialiSations
After the core modules you can choose between two specialisations: (1) Public Administration and (2) Global and European Studies. The specialisation takes one semester.
SpecialiSation 1: Public Administration
The specialisation Public Administration offers students the opportunity to specialise in top-down and bottom-up decision-making. One module focuses on complex collective decision-making. You use rational choice models to forecast the outcomes of collective decision-making by many stakeholders. You learn how to influence these outcomes. The other module focuses on citizen involvement in public organisations. You study how the collaboration between professionals and citizens affects the quality of public services.
SpecialiSation 2: Global and European Studies
The specialisation Global and European Studies offers students the opportunity to focus on the international and European dimensions of societal challenges. One module focuses on current European crises, such as Brexit. The other module focuses on the position of Europe in the world. You learn how the European Union operates as one international institution among the big powers in the world, such as China or the U.S.