Social Sciences Courses
Under the heading Social Sciences, Utrecht Summer School offers courses in the fields of Migration Studies, Communication, Psychology, Linguistics and Geosciences. Our offer also includes a large selection of Data Science courses, covering subjects such as Survey Research, Multilevel Analysis and Qualitative Statistics.
51 course(s) found
Eye Tracking Research Toolbox
Eye tracking is a powerful method to study the human mind and behaviour. This course will allow you to explore key concepts in eye tracking research and help you integrate it in your study. The course is divided into two components: (1) a conceptual framework to help you make better decisions when planning and executing a study, allowing you to turn eye tracking data into valuable insights; (2) a practical introduction to the challenges and…
Introduction to R
This workshop will introduce participants to the R statistical programming language. R is a completely free and open-source programming language and environment for statistical analysis. In this workshop, participants will learn what R is and how it differs from other statistical software packages and programming languages. They will learn the basics of data I/O, manipulation, and visualization in R. Workshop participants will practice what they…
Regression in R
Linear regression is one of the most ubiquitous statistical methods. Most statistical techniques can be viewed as either special cases of linear regression (e.g., t-tests, ANOVA) or generalizations of linear regression (e.g., multilevel modeling, SEM, neural networks, GLM, survival analysis). In this workshop, participants will learn how to apply linear regression techniques in R. We will cover (multiple) linear regression, categorical predictor…
Missing Data in R
Missing data are ubiquitous in nearly every data analytic enterprise. Simple ad-hoc techniques for dealing with missing values such as deleting incomplete cases or replacing missing values with the item mean can cause a host of (hidden) problems. In this workshop, we will discuss principled methods for treating missing data and how to apply these methods in R. We will cover some basic missing data theory and two principled methods for treating…
Introduction to Python (online course)
If you are looking for a powerful programming language, you should learn Python, a language with a simple syntax and a powerful set of libraries. It is easy for beginners to learn Python and it is widely used in many scientific fields for data exploration. This online workshop is an introduction to the Python programming language and, in particular, is geared toward people who are new to the language and who have relatively little experience …
Introduction to (Bayesian) Hypothesis Evaluation
In this one-day course, participants will be introduced to informative hypotheses, which are alternatives for the traditional null and alternative hypotheses, and to the AIC-type criterion GORIC and the Bayes factor, which are alternatives for the p-value. This course is applied, hands-on, and build around concepts and not formulas.
Text Analysis with Python (online course)
This online course introduces the basic concepts of text analysis in Python. In this course, participants will learn how to apply text mining methods on text data and analyse them in a pipeline with machine learning and natural language processing algorithms. The course has a strongly practical hands-on focus, and participants will gain experience in using text mining on real data.
Introduction to Network Inference and Network Learning in R: Markov random Fields and Bayesian Networks
Unlock the Power of Network Inference Methods in the Real World, All in One Exciting Day! In this introductory course, I will provide a brief overview of the two types of graphical models: undirected (Markov random fields) and directed (Bayesian networks). I will explain how these models can be applied in the real world and how to estimate (and interpret) the dependencies between variables of interest (in the form of a network) using various…
Modelling the Dynamics of Intensive Longitudinal Data (online course)
This online course covers how time series models can be used to model the dynamics of intensive longitudinal data (ILD). We focus on ILD from the behavioural sciences, typically collected using questionnaires with ambulatory assessments (AA), the experience sampling method (ESM), ecological momentary assessments (EMA), or daily diaries. We explain the basics of simple and more advanced modelling approaches, the philosophies behind them, and…
Walk To Understanding: Boost your 21st Century Skills and Master Global Citizenship - while Walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain
This course will take you to Spain - where you will train yourself in compassionate leadership, communicating and collaborating, while walking the Camino de Santiago -- the iconic pilgrimage, steeped in medieval charm. This is not just a course. It is not just a walk. It is an odyssey of the spirit - an eight-day voyage towards mastering the 21st-century skills for global citizenship.
The course is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, bringing you…
Structural Equation Modeling in R using lavaan (E-Learning Course)
Online course
In this e-learning course, we will cover the basics of structural equation modeling (SEM) using the R package lavaan. Participants will learn how to interact with the lavaan software and how to run common types of structural equation models (e.g. path models, confirmatory factor analyses, latent regression models, multiple group models) using lavaan. No prior knowledge of lavaan is necessary, but some experience with R (although not strictly…
The Science of Fulfillment
Online course
Explore the psychology of happiness and engage in self-discovery to uncover your true purpose to enrich your life’s journey. Craft a mission statement and create a personal blueprint for lasting fulfillment. This unique experience combines scientific knowledge with introspection and fosters a deep connection with nature, enabling you to align your passions not only with your academic pursuits but also with other aspects of your life. It's the…
Sense making of GPS Data in a GIS environment
This course focuses on the application of GIS Tools to analyse outdoor movements of people or animals. The objective is to provide students with an insight into the principles of sense making of GPS Data in a GIS environment. Collection of travel/movement data is nowadays made easy through the use of GPS-loggers and Smartphones. Students will learn how to collect, clean and enrich these datasets with GIS by combining locational data with…
The Transition to a Circular Economy: a Business Model Perspective
Governmental agencies have a social responsibility to reduce environmental impact to a minimum. In order to reach the European goal of 57% reduction in CO2- equivalents in 2030 and move towards a more circular economy, the European Union is implementing new laws and regulations to hold large organizations accountable for their emissions and broader impact. In this course you will learn how to interpret the new EU Corporate Sustainability…
Law and Sustainability
Achieving sustainability is a key goal of modern societies and will remain a priority challenge for future generations. Only through sustainable societies will humanity be able to continue developing socially and economically, while protecting our shared environment. Law can buttress sustainability transition and achievement, but it can also create obstacles to the realisation of sustainability objectives. The 2024 Summer School on Law and…
Data Science: Multiple Imputation in Practice (Hybrid)
Online course
This four-day hybrid course by the MICE developers teaches you the basics in solving your own missing data problems appropriately. Participants will learn how to form imputation models, how to combine data sets, how to model non-response, how to use diagnostics to inspect the imputed values, how to obtain valid inference on incomplete data and how to avoid many of the pitfalls associated with real-life missing data problems. While there will be…
European Encounters: Diversity and Integration from West to East
This track is a joint programme on European integration offered by the summer schools of Utrecht University and the University of Latvia. The aim of the track is to introduce the diversity and unity of European identities, the European Union, (shared) foreign policy, security dilemmas and new challenges. The track delves into the different and diverse political and economic perspectives that can be found in Europe, and provides an insight into…
Data Science: Statistical Programming with R
This course offers an elaborate introduction to statistical programming with R. Students learn to operate R, data manipulation and data visualisation, work with the (generalized) linear models, conduct simulation studies (e.g. bootstrap) and present results of data analyses in publication ready tables. We will work with the RStudio environment and Quarto. The focus will be on the tidyverse package.
Rhetoric Recrafted: Unleashing Your Superpower for the Modern Age
Online course
Are you surprised by your neighbour Karen's political support for the corrupted politician? Do you think Chad, your childhood friend, would really be happier if we all stuck to two genders, had no vaccines for children and only consumed cow milk?
In this rapidly evolving landscape, individuals equipped with critical thinking, empathetic insight, public speaking skills and flexibility will distinguish themselves, safeguarding democratic…
Data Science: Programming with Python
Python has become the dominant programming language used in data science. This course offers an introduction into computational thinking about data-related problems and the implementation of data analysis programmes with Python. It starts at the very basics and is explicitly intended for students who have no or only little programming experience.
Migration, Integration and Ethnic Relations
Migration has made European countries ethnically and culturally more diverse. While migrants try to find their way in a new and sometimes hostile environment, host populations also have to adapt to migrants and the new religious and cultural diversity they bring with them. Migrants and host populations face the challenge of acceptance and adaptation in spite of initial resistance, possible social exclusion and explicit political rejection by…
An introduction to Qualitative Research Methods
This summer course will introduce you to qualitative research methods. We will discuss the philosophical foundations of qualitative research and indicate how to assess its quality. You will receive an interview training, conduct field observations to collect data, and write a vignette – a form of writing common to ethnography. We will provide an overview of data analysis methods and you will practice with inductive coding, following a Grounded…
Introduction to Multilevel Analysis
This course will teach you the theoretical basics of multilevel modelling and some important methodological and statistical issues. You will also learn how to analyse multilevel data sets with the R and R Studio programmes, to interpret the output and to report the results. The benefits of multilevel analysis are discussed both in theory as with empirical examples. This course restricts to a quantitative (i.e. continuous) outcome variable.…
Advanced Multilevel Analysis
This three-day course will teach you advanced topics in multilevel modelling. It builds upon the contents of the other summer course 'Introduction to multilevel analysis'. It consists of three days with lectures in the morning and computer labs in the afternoon. During the computer labs, the R and R studio programmes will be used. After taking this course, you should be able to analyse more complex multilevel models and interpret and report the…
Fundamentals of Coaching: Theory and Practice in Experiential learning
"Ever thought about entering into the world of coaching? This course focuses on the basics of coaching - perfect for those eager to kickstart their learning journey as coach! Whether you're a newbie or just curious, this course is designed for you. Dive into the coaching essentials, learn hands-on, and set off on the path to becoming a certified coach. No prior experience needed just bring your enthusiasm! Throughout the course, discover the…
Meaningful Leadership for a Better World
Do you have a passion for making a positive impact in the world? Do you wish to learn how to lead with purpose, values, and ethics? Do you want to develop your skills in sustainability and social innovation? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are ready to join the Meaningful Leadership for a Better World course at Utrecht Summer School. This course will help you discover what meaningful leadership means and how to apply it…
Global Health Ethics & Equity
This summer course focuses on urgent topics in global health ethics and equity. With an enthusiastic team of experts from all over the world, the current major challenges to health equity in the world as well as potential solutions are discussed.
Data Science: Data Analysis
The course Data science: Data Analysis offers a range of techniques and algorithms from statistics, machine learning and data mining to make predictions about future events and to uncover hidden structures in data. The course has a strong practical focus: participants actively learn how to apply these techniques to real data and how to interpret their results. The course covers both classical and modern topics in data analysis, such as…
Unlock Your Dream Career
Online course
Drawing inspiration from the renowned Japanese Ikigai philosophy, you'll learn how to harmonize your passions with purposeful academic pursuits to craft a profoundly satisfying career trajectory. Through dynamic self-exploration, you'll translate newfound awareness into actionable steps, unlocking the door to a career that resonates with your true self and brings lasting fulfillment. This journey promises to set you on the path to a purpose-…
Data Science: Network Science
How can networks help us understand and predict social systems? How to find important individuals and communities? How to predict unobserved connections between genes? How to learn the dependencies between interrelated entities? How can we stop disease or information spreading in networks? In this course, we provide participants with the conceptual and practical skills necessary to use network science tools to answer social, economic and…
Data Science: Applied Text Mining
This course introduces the basic and advanced concepts and ideas in text mining and natural language processing. In this course, students will learn how to apply text mining methods on text data and analyse them in a pipeline with machine learning and deep learning algorithms. The course has a strongly practical hands-on focus, and students will gain experience in using text mining on real data from social sciences, humanities, and healthcare,…
The Regenerative City
Regeneration is quickly becoming a trend in farming, finance, ecology, urban development and social change. For cities and living (eco)systems to thrive they require the capacity to regenerate, and adapt to change. But how do we ‘do’ regeneration at the scale of landscapes, place, communities and systems? This course brings together pioneers of this way of working and offers expertise on supporting disciplines in ecology, finance, governance,…
Thrive in a Shifting World: Mastering Self-Leadership
Online course
Authentic self-leadership is indispensable in today's rapidly evolving world, where personal integrity and effective decision-making are paramount. In this course, you will delve into personal agency and self-awareness, crafting your unique ethos and honing your ethical leadership skills. You will cultivate resilience and conquer self-imposed obstacles, equipping you with essential life skills to thrive in our complex, interconnected world while…
Introduction to Causal Inference and Causal Data Science
How can we learn about causal relations when randomized experiments are unethical, impossible or impractical to conduct? In this one-week in-person course, participants will learn about the latest methods in causal inference with observational data, including: potential outcomes; DAGs and causal graphs; target trial emulation; causal structure learning; quasi-experimental methods; and a variety of methods for handling confounding. You will learn…
Transformational coaching - mastering personal and professional development
Transformational coaching is about supporting others to live their full potential. This course is for students and professionals that want to develop their coaching skills. It is also for individuals that want to reflect deeply on who they are and what matters most to them. And it is for leaders that want to reinforce their coaching skills in order to strengthen their leadership. In every session you will learn and practice with powerful…
Introduction to Generative Syntax - ILS
In this course, students will be introduced to the basics of generative linguistics, the theoretical framework evolved from and based on Noam Chomsky’s work. The formal tools of generative linguistics enable linguists to explore the complex and fascinating system underlying sentence structure and sentence meaning. The theory accounts for the creativity of human language and other characteristics that make it unlike the communication system of…
Applied Multivariate Analysis
The summer course 'Applied Multivariate Analysis' offers hands-on experience using SPSS for the most frequently encountered multivariate statistical techniques in the social and behavioural sciences. The emphasis is on applying multivariate techniques using the computer programme SPSS, and on how to interpret the SPSS output in substantive terms.
Psycholinguistics - ILS
This elementary to intermediate level course will provide the student with a basic knowledge of psycholinguistics, a research domain on the intersection of linguistics, psychology and neuroscience. Three major research topics in psycholinguistics will be presented: language comprehension, language production and (first) language acquisition. In addition, we will discuss language disorders, both acquired (aphasia) and innate (developmental…
Advanced Communication Skills: Between Persuasion and Empathy
Effective communication is key for high performing professionals. If you want to bring your communication skills to the next level and work on your personal development, then this course is here for you! Two experienced professionals teach you the most valuable skills they have learned themselves over the past 20 years. This course takes you beyond the ‘basics’. You will, amongst other things, learn the highlights from principle-based…
A gentle introduction to Bayesian Estimation
This course introduces all the essential ingredients needed to start Bayesian estimation and inference. We discuss specifying priors, obtaining the posterior, prior/posterior predictive checking, sensitivity analyses, and the usefulness of a specific class of priors called shrinkage priors. We propose strategies for reproducibility and reporting standards, outlining the WAMBS-checklist (when to Worry and how to Avoid the Misuse of Bayesian…
Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling using Mplus
We offer a five-day course on how to perform basic SEM analyses using Mplus. The main objective of this course is to learn how to analyse several models with Mplus (e.g., path models, multiple group models, mediation and moderation, confirmatory factor analysis, and longitudinal models). No previous knowledge of Mplus is assumed, but prior knowledge of SEM, although not mandatory, will make this course more useful.
Data Science: Text Mining with R
Applications of text mining are everywhere: social media, web search, advertising, emails, customer service, healthcare, marketing, etc. In this course, students will learn how to apply text mining methods on text data and analyse them in a pipeline with statistical learning algorithms. The course has a strongly practical hands-on focus, and students will gain experience in using and interpreting text mining on data examples from humanities,…
Survey Research: Statistical Analysis and Estimation
The course is based on a total survey error perspective and discusses the major sources of survey error. Participants will be presented with tools for detection and adjustment of such errors. Analysis methods are introduced using R statistical software. Knowledge of R is beneficial but not required if you have worked with SPSS, Stata, SAS or other statistical software already. Topics include coverage errors, complex sampling, nonresponse…
Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology - ILS
In this course we will investigate sound in language from five different perspectives: alphabet (units), acoustics, articulation, prosody and learning. These complementary perspectives together show how language uses a relatively narrow range of sounds (although this range is broader than you might think!) but does so in a very intricate way. In addition, languages’ sound systems are intimately linked to other aspects of the linguistic system:…
Beyond null-hypothesis testing: Transparent and informative methods in three statistical frameworks
This tree-day course teaches skills for informative and transparent evaluation of theory-based hypotheses using p-values, information criteria, and Bayes factors. Participants will learn to apply open-science principles and cutting-edge statistical techniques that ensure maximally informative analyses. Contemporary issues - such as publication bias, questionable research practices, the statistical evaluation of (non-null) hypotheses, and methods…
Research design for Experimental Linguists - ILS
This course is essential for experimental linguists. In this course you will learn about important aspects of a quantitative study design (research methodology), the basics of statistical (hypothesis) testing, and how methodology and statistics relate to each other. This discussion-based course will teach you to make funded decisions throughout the research process, and consequently conduct better research with valid and reliable outcomes.
Advanced longitudinal modeling in Mplus
This is a five-day course on structural equation modeling (SEM) using Mplus. In this course, SEM experts will teach you about the fundamentals of SEM and various types of longitudinal data analysis techniques, such as growth curves analysis, cross-lagged panel models, and dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM). The course consists of in-depth lectures and computer lab meeting on the fundamentals of Mplus and on advanced longitudinal models.
Early Childhood Research - an update of the state of the art knowledge and methods
The course is offered by the Early Childhood community of the strategic theme Dynamics of Youth. Dynamics of Youth is a multidisciplinary platform that spans all departments of the university. Dynamics of Youth facilitates all researchers in the field of child development. The Early Childhood community specifically focuses on development from conception to six years of age.
AI-Aided Systematic Reviewing (online course)
Online course
More and more researchers rely upon Systematic Reviews: attempts to synthesize the state of the art in a particular scientific field. However, the scientific output of the world doubles every nine years. In this tsunami of new knowledge, there is not enough time to read everything – resulting in costly, abandoned, or error-prone work. Using the latest methods from the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), you can reduce the number of papers to…
ECTMIH Academy presents George Downward - An interactive introduction to Exposome Science
Our health is shaped by environmental factors that we humans are exposed to on a daily basis: what we eat, the air we breathe, our social interactions and lifestyle choices such as smoking and exercising. It explains an estimated 70% of the chronic disease burden. Since most aspects of our environment are modifiable, this provides a huge potential for disease prevention. Leading scientist have formalised the sum of all these environmental…
ECTMIH Academy presents Karijn Kakebeeke - Technical Workshop Photovoice
Photovoice is a qualitative research method used in community-based participatory research that gathers participant-taken photographs and narratives to translate experience into actionable knowledge. Photovoice is commonly used in the fields of community development, international development, public health, and education. In a photovoice study, participants are asked to express their points of view or represent their communities by…