Previous Summer and Winter Schools

Anthropocene. How humans shaped the earth

How significant is our impact on the earth? How did our interaction with other species evolve to today’s reliance on industrial agriculture? Understanding how the Anthropocene emerged, evolved, and how its many facets manifest themselves in ‘natural’ and ‘social’ phenomena is critical to dealing with our current global challenges. During this Summer School, participants learn how archaeologists, geographers, and ecologists study our impact on landscapes and oceans, and how legal and political scientists, psychologists and anthropologists implement the Anthropocene knowledge to improve environmental policies and behavior. By the end of the week, participants have a toolkit to apply these theories within their own discipline.

Cascading Disasters, Institutions and Organizations (CAINO)

How can we build disaster-proof societies for future generations? How do political institutions shape resilience to the cascading effects of disasters? What are the challenges that organizational networks face when coordinating during multiple disasters? This summer school intends to shed new light on such questions by providing advanced knowledge and skills in the field of social sciences and disaster management. Participants are trained in an inter- and transdisciplinary learning environment combining theory, methods and practice into group projects.

Creating a Climate for Change

The program is designed for lecturers and policy makers in higher and vocational training who want to tackle challenges in sustainable education. At the end of the three-day summer school, participants will leave with a concrete plan and knowledge on how to lead in sustainable education. Among the different topics, the Summer School addresses the following: Defining and measuring sustainable education, Incorporating sustainability as a central element of a course, Creating multi- inter- transdisciplinary education on a program level.

Designing Sustainable Landscapes Within Regional Food Systems

With this Summer School, participants learn all about designing sustainable regional food systems and agroecological landscapes for the north of The Netherlands. The north of The Netherlands is a region that has the potential to become an example and lead the way towards sustainable food production, playing a key role at national and international levels. During this Summer School, participants have the opportunity to study this region by, for example, visiting farms, conducting interviews with various stakeholders (farmer organizations, advisors, food industry, retailers, local government, academia, etc.) and attending lectures by specialists from various disciplines (agriculture, ecology, geography, economics, nutrition, political and social sciences).

Finding Your Way in the Education-Work Transition

The transition from education to work raises diverse uncertainties worldwide. Young people grapple with questions about livelihoods, career aspirations, necessary education, and gaining meaningful experiences. In Uganda, youth often turn to entrepreneurship, with some becoming social entrepreneurs supporting themselves, families, and communities, despite the lingering impact of past conflicts in Gulu city. The Summer School at Gulu University integrates fieldwork exploring youth entrepreneurship and resilience, blending interactive lectures, interdisciplinary group work, and presentations to foster educational innovations informed by UNESCO Chair expertise.

Interdisciplinary Perspective on Micro- and Nano-plastics

Microplastic problem is getting more and more attention: from alarming news articles to Doctor Who episodes. But what do we know about microplastics' causes? How can we solve the problem? Complex global challenges such as microplastics need an interdisciplinary approach.

With this Summer School participants gain insights into causes and solutions on the microplastic issue from various disciplines including medicine, environmental sciences, social sciences, political sciences, philosophy, waste engineering, and the creative industry. The programme is designed to balance theory, practice and fun: participants attend a week of lectures, group works, workshops, hands-on activities, excursions and social events.

Heritage, Identity and Inclusivity

The Leeuwarden Summer School on Cultural & Linguistic Diversity is a five-day interdisciplinary program for graduate students, PhD students, and professionals interested in diversity management and social justice.

Hermes Summer School

Cultural narratives shape behaviors, worldviews, and societal practices. The Hermes Summer School will explore narratives of degrowth and sustainability, examining their potential to inspire new ways of thinking about social and economic structures. Key topics include the framing of economic growth in relation to social and ecological well-being, the contradictions within sustainability narratives, and their intersections with posthuman and decolonial theories. By analyzing literature and other cultural products, the program aims to develop alternative economic and social organizations that prioritize ecological sustainability, social justice, and human well-being over economic growth.

Polarisation

Around the world, societies are suffering from an increasingly polarised public sphere. This polarisation of the public sphere diminishes the space for constructive and collaborative processes, and thereby undermines democracy, as well as our ability to collectively address the enormous challenges of our time, such as the climate crisis and societal inequality. During this summer school students will learn about and engage with current debates and emerging scientific insights which address and analyse our polarised times, and will work together in mixed groups (both in terms of discipline and country of study) on developing an intervention to mitigate against processes of polarisation in a specific context, brought in as a challenge by external societal partners.

The Next STEP - Summer School on Theories in Environmental Psychology

The Next STEP will help PhD students to bridge the gap between environmental psychology theory and practical applications. Through a series of workshops, group exercises and guest lectures by prominent experts in the field, participants will acquire knowledge and tools needed to effectively address pressing environmental issues in practice. Sponsoring organizations will provide the PhD students to solve under the supervision of senior researchers. The Summer School is open to PhD students in environmental psychology and related fields.

Winter School: Our connection with a fast-changing Arctic

Global warming is most prominent in the Arctic with visible changes in ice and snow and enormous challenges for ecosystems and people to adapt to the new situation. Sustainable solutions require multidimensional knowledge and a prudent approach when coming from outside the Arctic, as new business opportunities should take account of the sensitivities of the natural environment and local and indigenous people.This Winter School is aimed at (inter-) national civil servants and policy makers, politicians, managers, financial experts, (young) academics and PhD students who are looking for a comprehensive understanding of the Arctic region. Participants are introduced to various topics related to the Arctic and its inhabitants.