Vrije University - Summer graduate programs
Summer Course in The Moral OrganisationOnline 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
This interactive course on (im)moral behavior in organizations will help students understand why (people in) organizations often have good intentions to act in a societally responsible way but are frequently unable to act upon them.
Scandals in public and private organizations are an everyday occurrence. Money laundering by banks, sexual abuse by employees of NGOs, and the marketing of unsafe products, are just a few of the reoccurring events that harm society. At the same time, many organizations are undertaking corporate social responsibility activities, with the clear intention to contribute positively to society. It is important for both scientists and the general public to better understand why organizations often want to act morally, yet fail to do so, and why others could be regarded as exemplary organizations.
We will discuss insights from moral psychology, grounded in Social Identity Theory (SIT), to explain (im)moral behavior in and by organizations. SIT argues that individuals derive their identity from (ideally positive) group memberships and that their behavior usually follows from their self-definition as group members. For most people, the organization they work for is a very important 'group', with which they can identify, and which contributes to their self-image.
Our students will learn that many issues regarding (im)moral behavior in and 'by' organizations stem from high levels of identification with the organization, leading to a disregard for societal outcomes, sometimes even leading to negative outcomes for their own organization. They will also learn to understand how organizations may change - or can be helped to change - to avoid such detrimental outcomes and become a moral organization
Our interactive course teaches students the latest insights into moral behavior in and by organizations, through interactive lectures, video clips, short cases, discussion sessions, and in-class team assignments. Guest lectures by experts from organizations that have a special interest in moral behavior or visits to an organization may also be part of the program.
Course Overview
- Course level: Master's/PhD.
- Lecturers: Dr. Dick de Gilder
- Forms of tuition: Interactive lectures, work groups, and discussion sessions.
- Forms of assessment: essay and video presentation
- Read more about the course curriculum
- Contact hours: 20
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.
Curriculum
A selection of course topics will be discussed, some extensively, others more briefly
- Morality and social identity
- Moral leadership
- Motivating moral choices
- Diversity and inclusion
- Whistleblowing
- The human factor in organizational change
- Relating to stakeholders
- Power of Ethical Climates
Program Outcome
By the end of the course, students will be able to
- Understand the intricacies of moral behavior in organizations;
- Discuss ways to deal with moral issues in organizations;
- Contribute to finding ways to support well-intentioned organizations in becoming exemplary organizations.