WASS Courses overview

Below you'll see an overview of our courses and sessions in various categories per title. 

1. WASS PhD courses

• Assessing Economic Policies Using the Real Options Methodology - 3 ECTS
  This course will address the issue of irreversibility from an economic point of view.
• Machine Learning for socio-economic time series and panel data using Python - 4 ECTS
  A new methodological wave in the form of Machine Learning tools currently freshens up empirical research in social science
• WASS Introduction course 2026 - 1 ECTS
  The objective of the WASS Introduction Course is to make new PhD candidates more familiar with the WASS organisation and to prepare them for the PhD process.
• Planetary Political Ecologies: Environm. disasters, conflicts and possibilities in&beyond capitalism
  This year’s political ecology spring school focuses on planetary political ecologies.
• Academic Publication and Presentation in the Social Sciences - 4 ECTS
  This course offers advanced instruction in the skills needed to successfully write and present an academic research paper, as well as in professionalization for an academic career more generally.
• Summer School in the Food Commons
  This five day intensive summer school introduces students to inspiring case studies of actually existing food commons through field visits and lectures, while testing the relevance of different theoretical and methodological approaches.
• Risk Analysis, Risk Management and Resilience in Agriculture - 3 ECTS
  Learn about and apply the major theories concerning risk analysis, risk coping strategies and resilience, and be supported in developing your own research in topics related to risk in agriculture.

2. WASS Graduate Programme courses

• Advanced Qualitative Research Design and Data Collection (HSO-40806)
  This course deals with qualitative social science research design and data collection. Students learn about and practice key qualitative methods while gaining exposure to how diverse theoretical lenses make use of these methods.
• Systems Thinking (INF-37806)
  This course offers an introduction to modeling complex systems. It highlights different modeling approaches and several examples to study.
• Qualitative Data Analysis Methods (MAT-40306)
  This advanced course is for students in any program who will analyze qualitative data either to prepare more structured data collection methods or to draw conclusions directly.
• Intersectional Feminist Approaches (GEO-38806)
  This interactive course exposes students to diverse concepts and approaches that are useful for understanding intersecting processes.

3. WASS Interdisciplinary Windows

• Institutions and Societal Transformation (CPT-41302)
  This course engages students with an integrative debate on the entanglement of institutional rigidity and societal transformation
• Applying business theories in your research (BEC-40302)
  This course discusses fundamental theories underlying business decisions and their translation into research questions and empirical applications
• Visual Research Methods (CPT-40802)
  This course focuses on the potential and the qualities of visual data collection in research and will start with a review of the diversity of research strategies that incorporate visual data.
• Water Policy and Politics (PAP-40302)
  This hybrid course is aimed at graduate programme and PhD candidates who want to deepen their knowledge about policy and governance theories in relation to water issues.

4. Recurrence courses

• Systematic Approaches to Reviewing Literature - 4 ECTS
  This course takes the principles of systematic review, as created for evidence in clinical medicine, and guides participants as they adapt them for application in their own often inter-disciplinary review.
• From topic to proposal: Getting started - 2 ECTS
  This course targets recently started PhD candidates in the Social/Environmental Sciences working on their research proposal.
• Research Methodology: From research question to research proposal - 4 ECTS
  This course offers you an overview of the entire research cycle, with an emphasis on the technical design.
• Critical Perspectives of Social Theory
  This course gives participants an opportunity to intensively engage with some of the major foundational movements in critical social theory.