Vrije University - Summer graduate programs
Summer Course in International Development: Global Trends via Local Case PerspectivesOnline Netherlands
DURATION
1 Weeks
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
15 May 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Jul 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 1,035 / per course *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Students, PhD candidates and employees of VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC or an Aurora Network Partner €545 Students and PhD candidates at partner universities of VU Amsterdam €705 Students and PhD candidates at non-partner universities of VU Amsterdam €
Key Summary
Introduction
Upon completing this course, participants will have a comprehensive understanding of international development in various development domains. As the world changes and becomes more interconnected, there is an increasing need for experts who know how to tackle global challenges. In this course we focus on the Global South, i.e. the economically disadvantaged regions, and how people can empower themselves to improve their well-being and tackle the inequalities and global challenges we are facing. From a global perspective, we will discuss the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Students will emerge with new knowledge and skills for critical reflection and analysis within the field of international and global development practices.
The traditional North-South divide in international development is losing relevance as global challenges such as resource scarcity, newly emerged inequalities, food security threats, global warming, migration issues, and armed conflicts now affect both developed and developing regions.
Furthermore, globalization has given rise to complex societal issues that require collaboration among diverse actors, leading to multi-stakeholder cooperation. However, this approach assumes that assembling the right stakeholders will automatically yield solutions, neglecting power imbalances and diverse interests that can lead to the exclusion or domination of less powerful actors. Despite increasing collaboration, many development actors still view social change as a linear, controllable process. Organizations are now assessed based on their performance and value for money rather than good intentions. However, the intricate and unpredictable nature of development challenges calls for new and innovative ways to understand, manage, and evaluate development processes and outcomes.
We will zoom in on cross-cutting phenomena like migration, conflicts, digitalization, and newly emerging inequalities as key challenges that shape the current state and present the situation through local cases of Kenya, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Ukraine, Indonesia, etc.
The Centre for International Cooperation at VU Amsterdam emphasizes an integrated, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approach to global challenges, collaborating closely with VU faculties and international partners since 1955. It draws on the expertise of various experts engaged in coordinating and executing capacity-building, education, research, and outreach programs with partners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Course Overview
- Course level: Bachelor's
- Coordinating lecturer: Dr. Oleksandr Khyzhniak and Jorn Dormans MSc
- Contact hours: 46 hours
- Self-study hours: 38
Ideal Students
Beginner and advanced Bachelor in arts and humanities, social sciences, journalism and information, business, administration, and law. Basic knowledge of international relations, world history, economics, and the basis of law are desirable. Also, applicable to junior staff and working professionals. We welcome participants through Nuffic individual scholarship programs and/or Erasmus+ Mobility.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Equal Access Scholarship
Application Procedure
Application for the Equal Access Scholarship will open in Febraury
Great that you are interested in applying for the Equal Access Scholarship. You can apply to the scholarship between 12 February and 1 April. Please be aware that it is only possible to select one course.
The results of the scholarship selection will be announced in May. Since we have a limited number of scholarships available for a large number of applicants, we suggest - if possible! - to complete your payment at the time of your course application to guarantee your place in the course. However, if you are not able to come without the scholarship, you can just wait until the announcement. If you would like to come, regardless of whether you will be granted the scholarship, it is best to secure your place in the course by completing your payment via our regular application form. If the scholarship is granted to you, the tuition and accommodation fees will be reimbursed.
Deadline to submit your Equal Access Scholarship application: 31 March (23:59 CET).
Requirements
When you apply via the Equal Access Scholarship application form you will be requested to upload the following documents:
- Curriculum Vitae/Résumé (CV) stating your educational background.
- Professional Letter of Reference Including:
- His/her/their experience working with you (either in an academic, professional, or volunteer setting)
- His/her/their motivation for recommending you for the scholarship
- Complete contact information
- His/her/their experience working with you (either in an academic, professional, or volunteer setting)
- His/her/their motivation for recommending you for the scholarship
- Complete contact information
- When filling out the scholarship form, we will ask the following questions*:
- Why are you interested in joining VU Amsterdam Summer School?
- What’s your motivation for selecting this course?
- How you will use the information you learn to make a positive impact in the future for both you and your community?
- Why do you deserve this scholarship?
- Why are you interested in joining VU Amsterdam Summer School?
- What’s your motivation for selecting this course?
- How you will use the information you learn to make a positive impact in the future for both you and your community?
- Why do you deserve this scholarship?
Please stick to a maximum of 150 words per question.
Green Travel Grant
At VU Amsterdam Summer School we are also committed to VU's sustainability goals and we aim to reduce the environmental impact of mobility, and specifically, student travel. Therefore, we are thrilled to offer Green Travel Grants to encourage sustainable travel for students attending our summer school.
Where can I apply?
Once the courses have been confirmed to run in mid-May or June, we will send out a newsletter to our participants with a link where they can apply for either funding for train travel or funding for bus travel.
The application period will last two weeks, and we will select the winners via a lottery system. More information on the specific deadlines can be found in the newsletter we send out in May.
How does it work?
For students to receive the economic compensation they will need to submit their purchased travel tickets via email within two weeks after being selected as winners of the grant. Once the deadline to submit their tickets has passed, the students will receive the reimbursement.
Program Outcome
At the end of the course:
- Participants understand the complexities and key trends and debates that have historically shaped the sector of international development cooperation;
- Participants can recognize and critically reflect upon the concept of development and debate their position in international and global development practices;
- Participants are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the SDGs;
- Participants can identify different forms of power and describe how power relates to inequality and shapes processes of exclusion and inclusion;
- Participants understand the importance and can apply insights of local perspectives in thinking about international development;
- Participants can understand how to select and critically review the literature, extract key messages from different learning materials (lecturers, literature), and share their insights via a blog with their peers.
Furthermore, participants will learn and sharpen their skills regarding:
- Writing blogs;
- Debating;
- Public speaking;
- Teamwork;
- Literature review/contextualizing.