Member Profile for AISSR, Amsterdam

Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

The AISSR unites all social science research of the UvA. The research programme focuses on the functioning of contemporary societies and their interrelationships from historical, comparative and empirical perspectives.

The research programme is organised into thematically focused groups with an anchor in one or more of the represented disciplines: sociology, geography, planning & development studies, political science and anthropology.

Cooperation across these programme groups is institutionalised in five interdisciplinary centres: the Centre for Urban Studies (CUS), the Centre for Social Sciences and Global health (SSGH), the Centre for Inequality Studies (AMCIS), The Centre of Gender and Sexuality (ARC-GS) and the Centre for Migration and Ethnic Studies (IMES).

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News from AISSR Website

Does independent mobility help children know their cities better?
When we travel from A to B we are exposed to our physical environments. This can influence how we feel about our cities, especially in times when we seem to increasingly live in social and spatial bubbles. How is this for children in Dutch cities? Does travelling independently help them to know their environment better? UvA researchers launch a new project around this theme in cooperation with the NEMO Science Museum.

In memoriam Prof. dr. Frances Gouda (1950 – 2019)
We are shocked and deeply saddened to have learned that our dear colleague and friend Frances Gouda has passed away.

Vidi-grant for ACES affiliates Saskia Bonjour and Chiara de Cesari
With the grant of 800.000 euro per project, can they start their own research line the coming 5 years and begin their own research group.

Jonathan Zeitlin and Francesco Nicoli guest editors of special issue of the Journal of European Public Policy
A special issue of the Journal of European Public Policy on integration and politicization in the EU, guest-edited by Jonathan Zeitlin and Francesco Nicoli has been published.

Vidi grant awarded to 11 UvA and AMC-UvA researchers
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded a Vidi grant worth 800,000 euros to eleven researchers from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Academic Medical Center (AMC-UvA, part of Amsterdam UMC). With the grant, the researchers will be able to develop their own innovative line of research and set up their own research group over the next five years.

Call for Presentations | Urban Infrastructures
We are now welcoming presentations for the one-day playshop Urban Infrastructures. This interdisciplinary playshop, funded by a joint ACHI-CUS seed grant, aims to bring together UvA scholars from different faculties and disciplines, working on different regions, and offers an opportunity to share ongoing work and to open it up to new methodological and analytical perspectives.

Daniël Mügge and Liza Saris discuss European Democracy at Pakhuis de Zwijger on May 20.
On May 23 are the Elections for the European Parliament. Europe is from all of us, but who is representing the democracy in Brussel? May 20, in Pakhuis de Zwijger Daniël Mügge, Liza Saris, Sophie Bloemen and John Grin will discuss Democracy in Europe.

Latest Publications

The National Boundaries of Solidarity: A Survey Experiment on Solidarity With Unemployed People in the European Union

2019/05 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); European Political Science Review; Author(s): Theresa Kuhn, Aaron Kamm
AISSR

Grand Theories of European Integration Revisited: Does Identity Politics Shape the Course of European Integration?

2019/05 – Journal of European Public Policy; Author(s): Theresa Kuhn
AISSR

The Lure of Ill-Fitting Unemployment Statistics: How South Africa’s Discouraged Work Seekers Disappeared From the Unemployment Rate

2019/05 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); New Political Economy; Author(s): Juliette Alenda-Demoutiez; Daniel Mügge
AISSR

Is There Such a Thing as a ‘Fair’ Distribution of Road Space?

2019/04 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Journal of Urban Design; Author(s): Samuel Nello-Deakin
AISSR

Is It Time to Phase Out UNDESA's Regional Criterion of Development?

2019/05 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); International Migration; Author(s): David Ingleby et al
AISSR

India’s Emergent Urban Formations

2019/05 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Annals of the American Association of Geographers; Author(s): Robbin Jan van Duijne; Jan Nijman
AISSR

Conceptualizing and Measuring Subnational Democracy Across Indian States

2019/05 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Democratization; Author(s): Imke Harbers; Jos Bartman; Enrike van Wingerden
AISSR

Refugee Reception Within a Common European Asylum System: Looking at Convergences and Divergences Through a Local-to-Local Comparison

2019/04 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Department of Geography, University of Bonn (GIUB); Erdkunde; Author(s): Birgit Glorius et al
AISSR

Guidelines for Anthropological Research: Data Management, Ethics and Integrity -

2019/04 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Ethnography; Author(s): Martijn de Koning; Birgit Meyer; Annelies Moors; Peter Pels; Martijn de Koning, Birgit Meyer, Annelies Moors, Peter Pels
AISSR

Blog: Soft, Hard, or No Brexit: The Damage Is Done

2019/04 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); blog post; Author(s): Niccolò Pisani and Omar Toulan
AISSR

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Courses

European Studies (Bachelor)

Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

Europe is a continent with a long and turbulent history of cultural, political and economic exchange. In the BA European Studies you study contemporary Europe in all its historical and cultural diversity. This international programme taught in English will provide you with an overview of the politics, economics and law of the European Union (EU), while also introducing you to Europe’s history, literature and culture. Such a broad perspective is crucial to making sense of the challenges facing Europe today, such as the euro crisis, the questions posed by multi-cultural societies, and the role of the EU in, for instance, its relations with the Ukraine and Russia. After this BA programme, you will have the knowledge and skills necessary to engage Europe’s complex present and future.

AISSR

Sociology: Gender, Sexuality and Society (MA)

Master Sociology; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

It is generally accepted that differences between rich and poor, between skin colours, or between Christians and Muslims are undeniable factors in people’s lives. Functioning as a woman or a man, with particular sexual dispositions, holds comparable significance. Gender, Sexuality and Society is devoted to enhance our understanding of the differences among groups of women and groups of men - as well as between women and men - in an era of globalisation. This programme offers a systematic attempt to address structurally embedded prescriptions concerning gender relations and sexual behaviour on a par with other analytical variables such as class, ethnicity, religion, age, or political ideology.

AISSR

Urban and Regional Planning (MA)

MSc Master of Science; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

The Urban and Regional Planning programme offers students a thorough understanding of advanced theories and methodologies of urban and regional planning, with a focus on urban and metropolitan areas. Core elements of the subject are spatial planning and policy formulation in metropolitan areas, the institutional aspects of spatial interventions and an international comparison of spatial planning traditions and metropolitan governance. Students gain knowledge of other social science disciplines and practice in geographical information systems. This programme is characterised by a close connection with the research of involved professors.

AISSR

International Development Studies (Research MSc)

MSc Master of Science; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

The Research Master’s in International Development Studies provides students with an academic training at an advanced level in international development studies and its research, methodologies and skills. It aims to prepare students for an academic career or a career in applied research. It allows students to tailor their studies to their individual interests, both thematically and regionally.

AISSR

Urban Studies (MSc)

Master of Science; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

The 21st century will be an urban century. It is expected that the largest cities and metropolitan regions of Europe, North America and Japan will keep growing, even though the population of especially Europe and Japan as a whole will decline. Contrary to the earlier ideas about the global economy becoming increasingly ‘footloose’, large cities and metropolitan areas will remain the most important economic hubs of this part of the world. In other parts of the world like China, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, cities are still growing very fast because of migration from the rural areas to the cities. Some of the largest cities of ‘the global South’ are becoming serious competitors in the global economy too. Both in the North and South, cities are more and more international and interconnected.
Type of recognition: Students of the programme in Urban Sociology receive a Master's of Science degree in Sociology (Sociologie). This programme has been accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of The Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). This means that upon successful completion of the programme in Urban Sociology students will receive a legally accredited Master's degree and the title Master of Science (MSc) in Sociology.

AISSR

Social Sciences (Research MSc)

MSc Master of Science; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

Today's modern societies require flexible social scientists who are able to generate relevant knowledge about important social and cultural concerns. The Research Master's programme in Social Sciences is a two-year programme for motivated students with excellent academic records who wish to pursue a career in social science research in an academic setting or in private or governmental research institutes.

This programme offers advanced training in current social science theory and innovative methodologies in a rigorous and multidisciplinary social science research environment. It trains students to:

* conduct research along both empirical-analytical and interpretive lines;
* approach their research from a historical perspective;
* appreciate both local detail and the global context.

Thematic specialisation
Higly motivated students can specialise in one of the following subjects:

* Contemporary Asian Studies
* Medical Anthropology and Sociology.

The programme consists of a core course, several thematic electives from specialised Master's programmes, several courses in the fields of theory and research methodology, an optional research-oriented internship with a company, government body or NGO, and an independent research project resulting in a manuscript or academic article, to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal
Type of recognition: Accreditation Organisation of The Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO)

AISSR

International Development Studies (MSc)

MSc Master of Science; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

Current globalisation processes have interconnected countries, companies and people in a completely new way, and the classic division between the developed and the developing world no longer holds true.

The Master's programme in International Development Studies (IDS) provides thorough background knowledge of contemporary theories and debates on international development, as well as more specific insights into key themes within the international development sector, such as:

* poverty and resilience
* globalisation
* health and education
* transnationalism
* (urban) governance
* sustainable development
* community-based natural resource management.

Interdisciplinary and problem-oriented training equips students with the academic skills they will need. In addition to academic skills, students also develop much-needed professional skills.

A distinctive feature of the programme are the fieldwork research projects that students undertake in developing countries. The IDS programme builds upon a tradition of policy-oriented research through its extensive network of both Southern and Northern partners-in-development. The University of Amsterdam is also home to the Amsterdam institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies (AMIDSt), a major research institute in the areas of international development studies, human geography and spatial planning and policies.

Students can enter this programme either in September or in February. The programme consists of three core courses, one elective course and an independent research/thesis project (60 ECTS credits). The written Master's thesis will be based on an independent research project undertaken in a developing country during a short period of fieldwork.
Type of recognition: Accreditation Organisation of The Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO)

AISSR

European Studies: Identity and Integration (MA)

MSc Master of Science; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

The one-year Master's programme European Studies: Identity and Integration offers insight into various aspects of the European identity and the process of European integration. Students investigate the nature of Europe and the development of the idea of Europe that ultimately led to the founding of the European Union.
Type of recognition: Accreditation Organisation of The Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO)

AISSR

Conflict Resolution and Governance (MSc)

MSc Master of Science; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

The Master's programme in Conflict Resolution and Governance provides students with a foundation which will allow them to develop a theoretically informed understanding of shifts in the character and significance of conflicts, consider possibilities for action in real-life situations, and transform conflict into a resource for democratic governance. Students are given the opportunity to develop a command of the diverse resources needed to respond to the analytic challenges presented by global, regional and local conflicts and to situate contemporary events in a historical and comparative perspective. The goal is to train students to draw on the most vexing of contemporary conflicts in order to fashion governance regimes from the fabric of local crisis.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague has made the Netherlands one of the world's most important centres for large-scale international conflict resolution. Many of the lecturers in the Master of Conflict Resolution and Governance are researchers institutes affiliated with the University, including the Amsterdam School for Social science Research (ASSR), the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (IMES) and the Amsterdam Research Institute for Global Issues and Development Studies (AGIDS).

The curriculum consists of two core courses, an elective and a research project. The choice of courses is subject to the approval of the academic adviser.
Type of recognition: Accreditation Organisation of The Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO)

AISSR

Contemporary Asian Studies (MSc)

MSc Master of Science; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)

Academic research on Asian societies is becoming increasingly important, in terms of both its political and academic relevance. How can we intelligently and independently approach the many important issues that dominate today's news, whether they be the nuclear threat of North Korea, the fight against terrorism or Tibet's struggle for independence? Contemporary Asian Studies is an innovative programme with a broad, interdisciplinary character and comparative approach. Our programme focuses on all the main regions of Asia, stressing the importance of looking at interconnections both within the vast Asian region and between Asian societies and other parts of the world, especially Europe.
It offers a range of region-oriented courses from which to choose, as well as thematic courses that focus on different perspectives on contemporary developments. In addition, the courses provide training in new approaches to the social sciences and to issues related to migration and identity.
The Asian Studies in Amsterdam (AsiA) network is a collaboration between the University of Amsterdam and the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), which promotes Asia-oriented research and outreach activities. In recent years, UvA researchers have received prestigious external grants from funding bodies including the NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) to conduct projects in Asian Studies.
Type of recognition: Accreditation Organisation of The Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO)

AISSR

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