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Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies

Honoursmodules

Course Listing Term 1 - 2025-2026

The IIS offers a range of interdisciplinary Honours modules for students who want to get more out of their degree programme. These modules are open to students from the UvA, the Amsterdam University College (AUC) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). Below you can find all Honours modules taught in the first semester of the academic year 2025-2026.
  • AI made picture of classroom of the future

    AIducation - The Future of Education? (6 EC)

    How will the introduction of generative AI affect our vision on education? By addressing multiple questions together, we aim to inspire a well-wrought transformation from education to AIducation. [September - November]

  • Community Journalism: Telling Global Stories in Local Contexts (6 EC)

    How does the news media operate today? And what is the role of the free press in a democratic society? [September - November]

  • Connect! Storytelling as a Social Intervention (6 EC)

    To what extent is it possible to reverse the dynamic of polarisation by inviting people to share their stories with each other? Are there interventions to be developed to reduce and counter it? [September - November]

  • Ethics and the Environment (6 EC)

    How can we morally evaluate human-environmental interactions? And what do we owe to non-human animals and non-human nature? [September - November]

  • Fictions of Youth in English Literature (6 EC)

    This course is designed for students with a keen interest in Anglophone literature. If your English is good and you enjoy reading and engaging with literature, this is the right course for you. [September - November]
  • Female chemist in special protective suit holding flask with blue solution and thinking on green surface

    Forever Chemicals - Scientific and Societal Challenges of PFAS (6EC)

    PFAS form a diverse and large group of chemicals that have received increasing attention in recent years. This course touches on the many aspects that play a role in overcoming these challenges. [September - December]

  • From Fact-checking to Argument-checking (6 EC)

    How can we detect, analyse, identify, and assess arguments in given contexts? What are the ethical challenges and opportunities posed by digital communication tools? [September - December]

  • Looted Art and Restitution (6 EC)

    What do we consider 'looted art'? what rules exist in this field; and how can we make sure that an antiquity on the market was not illicitly trafficked? [September - December]

  • Medieval Modernity: Dante and the Divine Comedy (6EC)

    What are Dante's ideas about literature, music and the visual arts? How were artists, writers, intellectuals, scholars and scientists inspired and influenced by Dante’s poetry? [September - November]

  • Migration at IDFA (6 EC)

    How can documentaries offer an alternative perspective and deepen our understanding of the complexities of migration, displacement and exile in ways that differ from mainstream journalism? [October - January]

  • Reimagining Hope in Times of Crisis (6EC)

    This interdisciplinary honors seminar explores the historical and theoretical dimensions of progress, considering its potential and limitations for emancipation. [September - November]

  • Our Systemic Relation to Nature – Tackling Societal Issues (6EC)

    In this course, we explore the foundations of our relationship with nature—how it is defined, its consequences, and possible alternatives. [September - November]

  • Sharing a Planet with AI (6EC)

    In this course we will explore how we share a planet with AI by focusing on how we live, work and create with the technology. [September - November]

  • Social Entrepreneurship (9 EC)

    How to conceive ideas for social enterprises and how to write a business plan to address the social needs of the underprivileged in helping themselves through social entrepreneurship? [October - December]

  • The Data Science of Everyday Music Listening (6EC)

    The average person today spends as many hours listening to music as the top 10% of all music listeners a decade ago. ‘Everyday music listening’ has grown into a research field in its own right. [October - December]

  • The Future of Marketing (6 ECTS)

    Who is responsible for shifting (consumer) behavior? What is greenwashing? And what are the possible consequences of consumption on our personal well-being, but also for society? [October-January]

  • Thinking through Mythology (6EC)

    Somehow, ancient myths still work as powerful symbols in contemporary society, culture, and politics. [October - January]

  • Towards an AI society: Challenges and Chances (6 EC)

    What are the advantages the widespread use of AI is expected to yield? How can we examine the profound social and ethical challenges an AI society must overcome? [September - November]

  • Travel Writing in Our Globalized World (6EC)

    This interdisciplinary writing course exposes students to the general characteristics of travel writing and discusses its fundamental topics and issues. [September - November]

  • Underground (6 EC)

    During this course we will engage with the underground from an inter- and multidisciplinary perspective. [September - December]

  • Understanding Celebrity Culture (6EC)

    This course invites you to explore the intricate dynamics of celebrity culture from an interdisciplinary perspective. [September - November]

  • World Power – from Below? Non-State Actors from a Global Perspective (6EC)

    This honours module is for students who are interested in discussions about the role of non-state actors (NSAs) operating beyond the boundaries of states. [September - November]