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

Why young people use chemical substances
All over the world, chemical products such as stimulants, but also beauty products, (energy) drinks, vitamins and food supplements have become an integral part of young people's daily lives. Many of these products can be potentially harmful. The University of Amsterdam studied why young people use these products and how they deal with the risks. There appears to be a surprisingly high level of joint self-regulation and a worryingly strong link with work objectives.

Rowan Arundel and Richard Ronald join Centre of Research Excellence on Healthy Housing
Rowan Arundel and Richard Ronald from the Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development joined the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Healthy Housing.

New Book Series: The Routledge Series on the Belt and Road Initiative
Dr. Mehdi P. Amineh is pleased to announce that Routledge has commissioned the creation of a peer-reviewed book series titled The Routledge Series on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The series covers the institutional aspects of the BRI, its impact on International Relations, Global Political Economy and on Global Governance. Mehdi Amineh is invited as Editor-in-Chief of the series.

From danger to uncertainty: young families coping with Covid-19 threats and restrictions
On the basis of an ongoing and long-running ethnographic panel study of parents with young children which is part of Sarphati Amsterdam, a team of sociologists of the University of Amsterdam explored how these families reacted to Covid-19 threats and policy measures. Their findings are now drafted in a paper that has been published Open Access.

In memoriam Lodewijk Brunt (1942-2020)
Emeritus hoogleraar stadssociologie en ex-decaan van de toenmalige Faculteit der Politieke en Sociaal-Culturele Wetenschappen (PSCW) Lodewijk N.J. Brunt (1942) is op 17 oktober 2020 overleden.

Annette Freyberg-Inan appointed professor of International Relations Theory
Dr Annette Freyberg-Inan has been appointed professor of International Relations Theory at the Faculty of Social and Behavourial Sciences at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).

Veni grants for 25 UvA and Amsterdam UMC researchers
No fewer than 25 researchers from the UvA and Amsterdam UMC have been awarded Veni grants from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The grants amount to a maximum of 250,000 euros per project. The recipients can use this to further develop their research idea for the next three years.

Latest Publications

Opinion: Why We Need Small Fish

2020/10 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Author(s): Universiteit van Amsterdam
AISSR

Opinion: Violence Against Journalists and Other Information Carriers

2020/10 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR)
AISSR

Hot Politics? Affective Responses to Political Rhetoric

2020/09 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); American Political Science Review; Author(s): Bert N. Bakker, Gijs Schumacher, Matthijs Rooduijn
AISSR

Signaling Expertise Through the Media? Measuring the Appearance of Corporations in Political News Through a Complexity Lens

2020/07 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Journal of European Public Policy; Author(s): Ellis Aizenberg; Moritz Müller
AISSR

Contentious Governance Around Climate Change Measures in the Netherlands

2020/07 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Environmental Politics; Author(s): Imrat Verhoeven
AISSR

Opinion: Institutional Racism and Academia

2020/06 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Author(s): Aissr
AISSR

Distributed Energy Systems as Common Goods: Socio-Political Acceptance of Renewables in Intelligent Microgrids

2020/07 – Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews; Author(s): Maarten Wolsink
AISSR

Is Labour Productivity Higher in Transit Oriented Development Areas? A Study of Beijing

2020/05 – Journal of Economic and Social Geography; Author(s): Guowei Lyu, Luca Bertolini, Karin Pfeffer
AISSR

Suicidal Ideation and Behavior Among Congolese Refugees in Rwanda: Contributing Factors, Consequences, and Support Mechanisms in the Context of Culture

2020/04 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Frontiers in Psychiatry; Author(s): Chantal Marie Ingabier and Annemiek Richters
AISSR

Flattening the International: Producing Financial Intelligence Through a Platform

2020/05 – Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR); Critical Studies on Security; Author(s): Pieter Lagerwaard
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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