18 EC
Semester 2, period 4, 5, 6
54042CB18Y
| Owner | Master Complex Systems and Policy |
| Coordinator | dr. Mary Nicolaou |
| Part of | Master Complex Systems and Policy, year 1 |
| Links | Visible Learning Trajectories |
In the Challenge-based courses I and II you work with real-world challenges provided by our partners from practice.
In semester 1 we focused on the macro forces that drive food and health. In semester 2 we narrow the focus to the local setting of Amsterdam and the Netherlands.
The tools and frameworks taught in semester 1 can be used and new tools will be presented, the timing of which is designed to align with the phases of the partner project.
In week one we start the semester by grounding ourselves in the local context. In the weeks that follow lessons and assignments will be structured according to the Transition Cycle.
Lecture: We will provide lectures as input in the beginning of each week. This sets the stage and provides a framing for the week's tasks.
Seminar: You will organise seminar/feedback sessions with project partners. In addition we encourage you to attend relevant seminars organised by other departments/studies at the UvA.
Fieldwork/excursion: at the start of the semester you will undertake a mapping exercise of the Amsterdam Food Environment as part of the phase "transition from the Global to Local context".
Self-study: We provide literature and other course materials that contribute to addressing the tasks provided each week.
Presentation/symposium: You will participate in a journal club activity that is scheduled during most weeks of the semester. This activity is designed to help you familiarise yourself with seminal literature on the topics being addressed and to stimulate discussion of the presented material and its relevance to your own projects. You are also encouraged to seek additional information, literature and datasets and to share these with your peers. You also provide feedback to each other to practice giving critical feedback during regular presentations.
Working independently: As in Semester one, you will work in groups and on your own to investigate their tasks and case studies. This is meant to stimulate discovery and synthesize information provided during the lectures and through the reading materials and data.
Practical training sessions will provide tools and exercises for deepening knowledge and understanding, and to provide you with the skills for designing and executing your research projects.
Supervision/feedback: Each module has one or more sessions in which you present what you have learned and found as part of your research process. Teachers provide feedback during these sessions to help you reflect on what you have learned and how to improve/proceed with your own projects.
Activity | Hours | |
Hoorcollege | 18 | |
Presentatie | 4 | |
Project | 62 | |
Werkcollege | 16 | |
Self study | 404 | |
Total | 504 | (18 EC x 28 uur) |
Additional requirements for this course:
Students may be absent for a total of three sessions. Absence must be communicated to the course coordinators as well as to the teacher of the specific module before the start of the session that is going to be missed.
| Item and weight | Details |
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Final grade | |
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15% Imagine Product | Must be ≥ 5.5 |
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15% Connect Product | Must be ≥ 5.5 |
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15% Act Product | Must be ≥ 5.5 |
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15% Assess Product | Must be ≥ 5.5 |
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20% Final Report | Must be ≥ 5.5 |
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10% Manifesto | Must be ≥ 5.5 |
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10% Final Presentation | Must be ≥ 5.5 |
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Imagine |
Connect |
Act |
Assess |
Final Product |
Final Presentation |
Manifesto |
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Weighting |
15% |
15% |
15% |
15% |
20% |
5% |
10% |
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Students are able to review and adapt/expand causal loop models. |
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Students are able to evaluate different frameworks that value the impact and dependencies of the challenge. |
x |
x |
X |
X |
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Students are able to formulate policy interventions to scale up a project [taking into account the regulatory and other conditions]. |
X |
X |
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Students are able to compare contrasting perspectives to analyze a complex societal challenge [using analytical frameworks]. |
X |
X |
X |
X |
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Students are able to develop and use various communication outputs for scientific and non-scientific audiences [including audio-visual outputs, story-telling, and policy briefs]. |
X |
X |
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Students are able to design and conduct a small-scale intervention or field experiment with an inclusive perspective. |
X |
X |
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Students are able to engage a team in ways that facilitate everyone's contributions. |
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X |
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Students are able to acknowledge own thoughts, feelings, and desires. |
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X |
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Students are able to assess and integrate a variety of sources of information [including scientific articles, governmental and non-governmental reports, and media outlets]. |
x |
x |
X |
X |
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Assignments during the semester are building-blocks that together form the final report.
These building-blocks are aligned to the Transition cycle: IMAGINE, CONNECT, ACT, ASSESS.
The building-blocks IMAGINE, CONNECT, ACT are graded during the semester and contribute each to 15% of the final grade. You receive feedback from teachers and, where relevant, project partners along the way.
The final report is a compilation of these building-blocks. You are expected to address comments from the interim products in the relevant sections of the final report. For example, feedback from the grading of the IMAGINE building-block should be used to refine that section in the final report.
The ASSESS building-block is the exception. This component does not have its own separate deadline but will be incorporated into the final report. Nonetheless, this topic contributes, as do the other building-blocks, to 15% of the final grade. You will still receive specific feedback/input from teachers, in line with the other building-blocks.
The final report grading (20% of the total grade) will evaluate how you integrated the building-blocks, refined the individual sections based on the input received along the way and the coherence of the overall line anc conclusion of your report. The Final report will thus consist of two grading components 15% for the ASSESS module and 20% for the overall integration and coherence of the report.
Final Presentation: As in semester one, you will be graded on your presentation to partners.
The building-blocks, final report and presentation will receive a group-level grade.
Manifesto: This semester you will develop an individual written manifesto. This is the only assignment this semester that will be graded individually.
The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl
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In order to provide students some insight how we use the feedback of student feedback to enhance the quality of education, we decided to include the table below in all course guides.
| Course Name (#EC) | N | |
| Strengths | Notes for improvement |
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| Response lecturer: |
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