New course - Global Justice Investigations Lab - Open for applications!

Do you want to develop digital inquiry skills and help shape a better tomorrow? Sign up for the Digital Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab. After a very successful pilot last year, this elective UU-wide interdisciplinary course on digital open-source investigation will take place for a second time in study periods 2 and 3, 2024-2025. Space is limited, so make sure apply by July 26, 23:59 CET.

Fighting misinformation: Why this course is crucial right now 

Despite extensive international efforts, human rights and environmental protection treaties are violated daily. While news agencies and independent reporters try to inform us about such violations, contemporary digital technologies have upped the production and distribution of mis- and disinformation. It is critical that we develop and learn digital inquiry skills so that we can assess and uncover information related to contemporary global conflicts and environmental crimes and catastrophes. 

What can you expect? 

In this course you will learn how to identify, collect, document, verify, analyse, and evaluate open-source material such as news reports, social media posts, and satellite images. The aim is to aid societal partners in their efforts to protect human rights across the globe. This course features UU experts, international guest speakers, and renowned open-source investigators from, amongst others, Bellingcat, Airwars, and Friends of the Earth, all willing to teach you fundamental skills and help you with intellectual and technological challenges. During the course you will work collaboratively with fellow students and a societal partner to investigate a pressing social issue and publicly report on your findings.

Course details

  • Open to BA and MA students from all faculties
  • Taught in study periods 2 and 3, for a total of 7.5 EC
  • Workload is 10 hours per week, allowing you to combine course activities with those of regular courses in your BA/MA programme
  • Course meetings tentatively scheduled on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings (to be confirmed)
  • Space is limited: we invite you to apply if you are fascinated by open-source techniques for global justice, have a GPA of 7.5 or higher, are interested to work with societal partners, and are proficient in English

For more details, including how to apply, please visit the Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab website.