AUC Who's in Town Lecture Series

1 March: Rhetoric: A classical method for successful learning in the humanities and social sciences

What is rhetoric? How can it help undergraduates acquire some of the basic academic reasoning and speaking skills needed for success in their choice of major? And how can it make students generally more principled and responsible future citizens? These are the three main questions that will be discussed during this presentation on that arguably most misunderstood of academic disciplines: rhetoric.

8 March: The idea of Common Pool Resource Management: promises and limitations

During the past decades, theories about Common Pool Resource (CPR) management have developed into a distinctive school of thought. CPR’s are either natural or social resources for which it is deemed necessary or desirable to govern and manage them by collective action. Fishing grounds, forests, and meadows are often found to be governed 'in common', but the concept has also been extended to encompass knowledge and culture. After discussing the wide variety of resources that might be eligible for CPR management, I turn to some of the major problems and promises of working with CPR’s, like the ‘free rider’ problem, the problem of monitoring, and the ‘local’ rootedness. Using the concept of ‘property regimes’ developed by Elinor Ostrom, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics 2009, I will present a way of analyzing these problems. Next, I will turn to the limitations of the CPR approach, especially its inherent conservatism and romanticism about ‘local communities’, and will consider some potential alternatives: the state, markets (and within this field especially the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility), and a recently popular approach (and partly an offshoot of CPR theory): ‘resilience thinking’. This lecture will give an introduction to the commons as a broad framework that can be applied to issues in environmental resource management, political economy, economics, and the humanities.

31 January: Big impact from small size: applications of nanotechnology in society

New nanofabrication technologies have enabled the construction of complex nanoparticles and opened possibilities for precise particle and fluid transport and manipulation on micro- and nanoscale. Miocro- and nanofluidics can be considered as disruptive technology with great similarity to microelectronics. After a brief introduction of Nanomedicine and the concept of “Lab on a Chip” a variety of applications of these topics will be presented. Nanoparticles are of great importance for modern medical imaging and targeted drug delivery. A disposable point-of-care lithium chip, capable of measuring lithium concentrations in blood for manic depressive patients will be treated as well as a fertility chip to measure the sperm motility and concentration in semen. Using precise, pulsed electrical fields, individual cells can be transfected with DNA creating new cell properties. Finally a radically new idea to make a nanopill that can detect cancerous DNA in the intestines using nanowires will be discussed.

12 January: Is it art yet? Street Art in Amsterdam

Street art is an art form developed in “the streets”, where artists challenge the traditional art context. Through the esthetic value of this type of art, street artists communicate with everyday people about socially relevant themes and invite them to question their existing environment. While the motivations of street artists are as diverse as the artists themselves, street art is a powerful tool to reach the public and raise awareness of social and political issues. However, some street artists merely want to tap into an untouched format for their artwork, while others enjoy the thrill and challenge of installing illicit artwork in public places. Regardless of the motivation, street artists attempt to reach a broader audience than traditional artwork and galleries usually allow.

The Amsterdam Street Art Foundation (ASA) provides street art with a boost to better the image of street artists in Amsterdam and to raise awareness among a wider audience. Nicole Blommers and Jarno Gnirrep one, members of ASA, will thus discuss the various types, past and present, of Street Art in Amsterdam and will share her passion for a type of art that is often neglected in a University setting.

29 November: Can I, a scientific student, believe?

One young lady, when asked what she believed, answered, 'I don't believe, I'm a biologist.' She gives voice to the widely held opinion that Christian belief is not compatible with scientific reason. In this lecture Daan van Schalkwijk will challenge this opinion. He will illustrate the key components of the debate using a story about an AUC student, who asks himself: 'Can I believe, and be reconciled with my Jewish family?' Using this story, he will explore the key 'conflict' area of Genesis and evolution, as well as the mystery of ‘life’. But most importantly, he will indicate a path for those who seek a convincing answer to this life-changing question.

24 November: Re-thinking ethics: engineering compassion in an apathetic universe

We are living in an unprecedented, uniquely critical sliver of time in the Earth’s existence, possibly even in that of the universe. Technology is accelerating at an explosive rate, yet intense suffering persists while serious existential threats have emerged. Ethics has never been more important than it is today. But our old paradigms for thinking about it are out-of-date and insufficient for dealing with our current challenges. In this lecture, Jonathan Leighton, a former research scientist and author of the recently published The Battle for Compassion, talks about the meaning of ethics and the kinds of multi-disciplinary thinking that will be needed if we are to shape a more compassionate future for our planet.

24 November: Same-sex relationships in Europe: trends toward tolerance?

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the legalisation of gay marriage in the Netherlands. However, the legal recognition of same-sex relationships continues to be a complex legislative knot across Europe.

We are proud to invite Dr. Ian Curry-Sumner, Senior Lecturer at the University of Utrecht and an acclaimed and captivating speaker, elected Lecturer of the Year in 2008. He will speak on the recognition of same-sex relationships in Europe from a legal perspective, cunningly illustrating the absurd web of loopholes where divorce, marriage, civil union, surrogacy and adoption intersect.

14 November: The Corporate Perspective: Risk Management in the European Debt Crisis

What is risk? How does it relate to the European Sovereign Debt Crisis? We read a lot about these questions from a political perspective. But what are the answers from a corporate viewpoint? For example, private lenders will have to accept significant losses on their sovereign debt holdings. How do they go about this? How do the corporate playersdeal with risk during the Sovereign Debt Crisis?

Detmer Koekoek, Head of Investment Risk Management at ING Insurance will to talk about the role of risk management addressing both global trends and the current European Debt Crisis as well as the challenges he faces at ING Insurance & Investment Management.

8 November: Covering Discoveries: Traps of Science Journalism

 Why is science in the media so often pointless, simplistic, boring, or just plain wrong?... In their choice of stories, and the way they cover them, the media create a parody of science... (Ben Goldacre, Bad Science, The Guardian, September 8, 2005)

A panel of scientists and (science) journalists will explore ways to write about science in a colorful yet comprehensive way that makes the discoveries accessible and attractive to the public while keeping them trustworthy and accurate.

Confirmed speakers: Sander Bais (Physicist, author and UvA Lecturer of the Year 2010), Martijn van Calmthout (Volkskrant), Margriet van der Heijden (NRC), Lennard Bonapart (Medical journalist), Govert Schilling (Astronomy correspondent), Jaap Seidell (Nutrition and Health expert), Jeroen van Dongen (Philosophy of Science lecturer) and Stefan Vandoren(Superstring Theory expert).

26 October: The role of Artis Zoo in Contemporary Society

Artis, the Amsterdam Royal Zoo, represents a complex history of both material and immaterial culture. Founded in 1838 as Natura Artis Magistra, Nature is the Teacher of Art and Science, its founders formulated broad objectives: bringing together a living collection of animals in a park, creating museums and collections and founding a library for study and research. Zoology, botany, nature, natural history, art, geography and ethnography all became the focus of interest. What is the significance of this venture for contemporary society? How may we revive its coherent goals in a period that demands new liaisons between nature and culture?

26 September: No escape from the past? China – backwards and forwards in a period of disavowal.

Does it matter what and how we remember our childhoods, and if our own children and grand-children know anything about our past? What goes missing when memories are lost, discarded or suppressed? And, what role might the visual arts play in creating a repository of shared recollection?

In this illustrated talk, Stephi Hemelryk Donald considers Chinese artists and film-makers whose work refers us back to the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). She debates the representational strategies employed by creative practitioners whose work insists that the past is relevant to the present.

She concludes that our childhoods are crucial points of reference for our humanity, and that in art, as in all other aspects of lived experience, respect for the child’s perspective can only be of benefit to us all.

15 September: Drugs in Art: Instant Inspiration or Placebo?

Many drugs have (had) a reputation for stimulating creativity, but when put to the test of science, the results have been amazingly contradictory. Despite dozens of guinea pigs in experimental 'before-and-after' set-ups, some researchers concluded that drugs were nothing but detrimental to art, while others claimed the exact opposite. Whence these differences? Placebos were needed to ultimately confirm what one of the instigators of the drugs-in-art tradition, Thomas de Quincey, stated in his 1821 Confessions of an English Opium-Eater: 'If a man "whose talk is of oxen" should become an opium-eater, the probability is that (if he is not too dull to dream at all) he will dream about oxen.'

10 May: 20 Years after Apartheid - the future of the Kalahari Desert

During Apartheid over 1.5 million South-Africans were displaced to designated rural areas, constituting only 14% of South African land. Today, 30,000 displaced South- Africans continue to suffer from the racial segregation policies imposed in the past. Since the beginnings of Apartheid, Sir Ambrose Kelly has been devoted to improving living conditions for the inhabitants of the Moshanweng Valley in the Kalahari Desert. What factors continue to stand in the way of progress and which present the biggest challenges almost 20 years after the end of Apartheid?

26 April: Working for multinationals - behind the scenes

What do multinationals such as Shell look for? What will you get in return once you join Shell? Susan Cooke (Senior Recruiter) will share her personal stories and will elaborate on the skills required to be successful in a global, dynamic and diverse company like Shell.

Susan Cooke studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Twente. After an additional master programme in France (Ecole du Pétrole et des Moteurs), she joined Shell in 2000 as a technical graduate. Two years ago, she joined Recruitment.

18 April: Is doping in sports inevitable?

Performance enhancing drugs are mostly used to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance enhancing drugs. Since 1999 the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), an independent international body, is responsible for coordination and monitoring of the global fight against doping. It is best known for its "List of prohibited Substances and Methods", updated yearly, and the "World Anti- Doping Code" for harmonisation of policies, rules and regulations. In the presentation an overview of possibilities to enhance performance, with examples of their use, will be given and the ethics of doping will be discussed.

11 April: Clash over a currency: the euro debate

The recent euro crisis has evoked another debate on the common European currency. Two economists, both teachers at AUC, will discuss the benefits and characteristics of the euro. Prof. Klamer, a critic of the euro, does not predict a long-lasting future partly because of political instability. By evaluating the sovereign debt crisis, both professors will present their views and assess the implications for the euro and its future.

4 April: Signals & Signposts - ‘Zone of Uncertainty’ Ahead

Shell has recently updated its Energy Scenarios 2050. ‘Signals & Signposts’ offers a deeper understanding of global developments and the world’s energy supply, use and needs. We believe that the world is entering an era of volatile transitions and intensified economic cycles.

The scenarios help us to make crucial choices in uncertain times as we grappel with tough energy and environmental issues. In a seminar-style meeting (with a short presentation of 15-20 minutes) Prof. Dr. Ewald Breunesse would like to discuss the scenarios with  students. A summary of ‘Signals and Signposts’ is available below and the entire document at www.shell.com/scenarios.

1 April: Identity Equipment: Technology, Memory, Narrative

John Eakin examines the dynamics of the stories we tell about our lives in bits and pieces every day. He argues that we do so not just because we take pleasure in talking about ourselves, but because we have been trained from an early age to participate in a systematic, rule-governed exchange of identity stories. Even though autonomy may seem to be built into the very act of selfrepresentation—” I say who I am, I say what I’ve done”— others police our performance, and it is also true that we do this policing ourselves.

In his talk, Eakin focuses on the resources we use to perform this identity work: technology, memory, and narrative. Our identities, he concludes, are not given to us but made by us, using physical and social equipment that both enables and limits the persons we claim to be.

24 March: The Science Behind the Disaster: the Japanese Crisis

All of us have followed the news in Japan with horror; a tsunami followed by a nuclear disaster threatening an entire  country. The media mainly focuses on the effects; the HOW and WHAT are not explained in scientific depth, a gap this lecture will try to fill. Dr. Lankreijer will explain the geographic aspects of this quake and tsunami. Prof. Griessen will talk  about the nuclear disaster. There will be also be room for discussion and questions at the end of the lecture.

22 March: Sustainable globalisation - a world to be won

What can the Netherlands do for globalisation and what can globalisation do for the Netherlands? These are, in broad terms, the issues to be discussed during the lecture “Sustainable globalisation: a World to be won”, by Alexander Rinnooy Kan, chairman of the Social and Economic Council.

In the Netherlands there is still nervousness regarding the effects of globalisation. Mr. Rinnooy Kan will emphasise that even in a globalised world, governments have and will have a wide array of policy options, on a national as well as on a supranational (European) level.

Globalisation offers the Netherlands the opportunity to provide maximum benefit to the sustainable balance between the interests of companies, people and the environment (people, planet, profit).

21 March: Moral Dilemmas in Medical Practice

Medical practice is characterised by moral dilemmas. What should professionals do when a patient does not want to know information about risks and side effects of a burdensome treatment? Should the healthcare team respect the right not to know, or insist that the patient has to know what might happen in order to make a well-considered decision about undergoing the treatment?

In a pilot course on medical ethics, four methods were examined which can be used to analyse such moral problems:

• case-analysis using models of the physicians-patient relationship
• case-analysis in terms of relationships and responsibilities
• case-analysis in terms of perspectives, values and norms (moral case deliberation)
• narrative analysis

In this presentation, these methods will be applied to a concrete case by groups of students of the course.

21 March: Head-On (Gegen die Wand, 2004) with Katherine Pratt Ewing

Head-On (Gegen die Wand, 2004), by Turkish-German director Fatih Akin, was the first German film in many years to win the Golden Bear of the Berlin Film Festival. The film is a bravura depiction of love, sex, transnational lives, and vulnerable ethnic identities. After the screening, a discussion will be held with anthropologist Katherine Pratt Ewing (University of Wisconsin- Madison), whose recent book, Stolen Honor: Stigmatizing Muslim Men in Berlin (Stanford, 2008), includes an analysis of Head-On. Professor Ewing’s previous work has been on Islam in Pakistan, state-church relations in Europe, “anthropological atheism,”and Muslim diasporic cinema.

10 March: Genes, behaviour and crime

Crime and criminal behaviour has long been understood as a social phenomenon. But nowadays it seems that we are witnessing a biological turn. Behavioural genetics, clinical neuroscience and brain research are receiving more attention (and money). The hope is that diagnostic techniques for anti-social behaviour and tools to prevent criminal behaviour will be developed in these fields. It is vital to take the biology of criminal behaviour into account, but also to think critically about the social effects of the biologization and medicalization of criminal behaviour. How are the efforts and promises of behavioural genetics and the neurosciences changing the law, policy and practice of diagnosis and prevention? What are the effects for societies, for specific groups and at risk (‘suspect’) individuals?

1 March: Why we cannot make life

“The origin of life on earth” is one of the most intriguing scientific topics, while the wish to create life in a laboratory is amongst its most difficult challenges. Progress in science and technology over the past decades has provided many deep insights into the composition and functioning of living systems. Today, on the one hand, we can clone sheep, grow organs from stem cells, while cells, plants, animals and bacteria have been genetically modified. On the other hand, the synthesis of small and large molecules has become so sophisticated that almost every molecule that exists on earth can now also be made in a laboratory, including long strands of DNA, proteins and complex drugs that can cure diseases. These insights also show the complexity of the molecular biology of living cells. As a result, the astonishment about how life could ever have originated has further increased.

This lecture will illustrate the challenges that are encountered while seeking to understand the origin of life, including an explanation of why it will take a very long time before a living cell can be made in a laboratory out of its individual components. Special attention will be paid to the self-organisation of complex supra-molecular systems as a critical step in the building process.

21 February: Amsterdam and New York: photography in the era of globalisation

This lecture will examine the impact of globalisation on the urban imaginary in relation to a recent art exhibition, commissioned by the Dutch government in 2009. A group of contemporary New York artists were invited to photograph Amsterdam to mark the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of Manhattan. Selected artists sought to produce work capable of defamiliarising established images of Amsterdam.

Seeing Amsterdam through the lens of New York photographers enabled new and surprising perspectives on four key aspects of the city: the street, the night, the water, and the outskirts. Interrogating this claim, the lecture will analyse individual artworks, the marketing and staging strategies of the exhibition, and – most importantly – the role that transnational exchange can play in both resisting and reinforcing dominant, globalised images of contemporary city spaces.

16 February 2011: Dutch Citizenship and Politics

In countries like France and the United States citizenship means being active in politics, even to the point of starting a revolution. That is not the case in the Netherlands. What has citizenship meant here, and how has it changed over time? And how do current populist currents affect the way Dutch citizens think and act on politics?

14 February: Challenges to Women’s Rights

Throughout the world, women’s rights are still neglected and severely challenged; this not only happens in non-Western countries, also in Europe and the US these difficulties are faced. What are the most pressing women’s rights issues today? How can policy changes in the EU give more meaning to women’s rights? How have changes in the US immigration system affected the position of women living there, and how does this differ from the current situation in the EU? These issues will be addressed by two prominent researchers from Human Rights Watch.

8 February: Corporate Governance in a Globalised Context

Shareholders in listed companies seem to be the most trustful people in the world. They have no contractual relationship with the companies whose shares they hold. To recoup their money they have to find another investor willing to buy the shares. Nonetheless zillions of savings are invested in listed equities all over the world. But how do shareholders get managers to return some of the profits to them? How do they make sure that managers do not steal the capital or invest in bad projects? How do shareholders control managers? That is what corporate governance is about.

31 January: Energy, Climate Change and the Limits of Planet Earth

In the first decade of this century, we are confronted with the limits of planet earth with an intensity reminiscent of the 1970's. Now as then the question is: will exponential growth hit the wall, or will new technology once again save the day. This broad topic will be explored starting from the Shell Energy Scenarios, and adding analysis by the author on the pace of technological change.

20 January: Feeding the world: the importance of sustainability

Sustainability is about reducing damage to mother Earth, developing an economy where everybody can participate now and in the future. We have to feed nine billion people in a sustainable manner by 2050. How can we accomplish this challenging task?

In this lecture, Berry Marttin will give some insights into this challenge we all face. Why is a sustainable supply chain important? What role can a bank play in the Food & Agri value chain in order to match demand and supply of food in a sustainable manner?

Understanding Scientific Understanding

Achieving understanding of nature is a central aim of science. But what exactly is scientific understanding and how is it achieved? Although these are clearly philosophical questions, they have long been neglected by philosophers of science because of the assumption that understanding is purely subjective and therefore irrelevant to a philosophical account of science.

Dr. Henk de Regt will argue against this view. After presenting two examples from the history of science, he will offer an analysis of the nature of scientific understanding that accords with scientific practice and accommodates the historical diversity of conceptions of understanding. Its core idea is a general criterion for the intelligibility of scientific theories that is essentially contextual: which theories conform to this criterion depends on contextual factors, and can change in the course of time. His analysis provides a general account of how understanding is provided by scientific explanations of diverse types.

Evolution of the human mind

Evolutionary psychologists assume that the human mind evolved just like body parts such as the heart, the liver and the kidneys. If most scientists are Darwinists, why is this a controversial point of view? How do we design experiments to test this assumption?

We will discuss research on the evolution of social exchange, language, and sex differences in cognition, and design a future research program for psychology based on insights from evolutionary theory.

Ethics at the end of life

In the past decades, patients have gained influence on decisions in health care. If a competent patient refuses treatment, this should be respected by the physician. In the Netherlands, physicians are legally allowed to help a patient who asks for active termination of life if the patient suffers unbearably. Recently, an initiative was launched to enable people over 70 who feel that life has become meaningless and want to die, to get assistance from professionals in terminating their life. What are we to think of this? Can medical ethics help to find answers to difficult issues surrounding the end of life?

Yoseph Mulugeta and Human Rights Watch

Despite a worsening human rights record, Ethiopia receives more than 3 billion dollars in foreign aid every year-a third of its national budget. The Ethiopian government uses this aid to consolidate control by the ruling party. Yoseph Mulugeta, former secretary-general of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council and recently honoured with the prestigious Alison des Forges Award for his work, and Leslie Lefkow, Senior Researcher at Human Rights Watch, will give a talk and discussion on development aid, human rights and the case of Ethiopia.

For more information on Human Rights Watch and Yoseph Mulugeta, please see the link below.

Evolutionary Psychology and the Human Workplace

Both the animal zoo and human organisations are artificial environments in which organisms function. In the zoo we've learned that the way we design this artificial environment will affect the animal profoundly. Animals will do a lot better when their zoo environment matches their natural environment. This lesson works the same way for human organisations. People will perform better, feel better and will be more motivated when the design of a human organisation matches human nature. Just as the animal zoo evolved from brick and steel cages to complex ecosystems, human organisations will have to evolve to human ecosystems. In this lecture, Max Wildschut will explain how evolutionary psychology will help organizations to take the next step into the future.

Captured Death: The Boundaries of Photojournalism

Programme

• 18.00 Introduction

Introduction by Willem Diepraam, recipient of the BNO Piet Zwart Prize, the Dutch Design Awards lifetime achievement award, on the history, mission, and principles of war reporting.

• 18.20 Panel debate

Jan Banning is an award-winning photojournalist who has covered, among others, the legacy of Agent Orange in Vietnam, the survivors of the Burma and Sumatra railways built with forced labour during WWII, and family portraits depicting the hardships of everyday life in Malawi.

Prof. Dr. Johannes Houwink ten Cate is Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Amsterdam. He is also currently an academic advisor to the plaintiffs in a trial case against the alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk.

Zoriah Miller is an award-winning photojournalist who "specializes in documenting human crises in developing countries". He has been embedded with the US Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan and has covered life in Gaza, Iraqi refugees, famine in Kenya, and the Lebanon 34 Day War, among many other stories.

Jeroen Oerlemans is a photojournalist who has covered numerous conflicts from Sudan to Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Palestine to Iran and Iraq. He was awarded an honourable mention from World Press Photo in 2006.

Dr. Mariëtte Willemsen teaches courses in philosophy and aesthetics at the VU University Amsterdam, with a focus on emotion, fiction, and action.

• 19.20 Q&A with the audience

International students as temporary migrants

Cosmopolitan assets? Dangerous invaders? Or quasi-citizens? Around the world there are 3.3 million international students and in the last decade numbers have grown by 11 % a year. Officially, nations like the Netherlands say they value international students. But do they? In most countries the status of international students is marginal and ambiguous. They fall between two national citizenship regimes. Having left behind the protections, rights and entitlements of their homeland, in the country of education they become outsiders with few rights, weakening their integration with local students and communities. Prof. Marginson argues for a re-norming of international education, consistent with the growing global movement of people, in which international students are treated as quasi-citizens for the duration of their stay.  

Two travel writers sharing one passion: Darwin

Widely known as the founding father of evolutionary theory, the human side of Darwin is far less known. What drove him to postpone publication of his life work for almost 20 years? What made him change his mind? How did his many illnesses interfere with his life as a scientist? How was he able to transgress the Victorian worldview in his theory of sexual selection?

Redmond O'Hanlon is a well-known travel writer; on top of that, he is a Darwin specialist. Celebrating the bicentennial of Darwin's birthday, he re-enacted Darwin's voyage on the Beagle which was broadly covered by the media. Dutch travel writer Alexander Reeuwijk will interview O'Hanlon on travelling, writing about travelling, and what O'Hanlon's voyage of the Beagle taught him about Darwin.

If you would like to attend this lecture, please register by following the link below.

Jazz improvisation approach to entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is the process of discovering, evaluating and exploiting opportunities for innovative products, services or technologies. Entrepreneurship is driven by ideas, which are in infinite supply; no scarcity theory applies to ideas. There is no generally accepted theory of entrepreneurship and the speaker will use jazz improvisation, the creative process of composing on the spot and coming up with melodies off the top of one's head, as a metaphor for understanding the ‘DNA' of entrepreneurship. Questions that will be discussed throughout the session will include: Why and how some ventures are successful while many fail? Why and how Google, Apple and the like grew to become leading global players? Should entrepreneurship be part of academic curriculum?

Book Launch Doe Normaal (Act Normal)

On Monday 18 October, Andree van Es, the City of Amsterdam's Alderwoman for diversity and participation, will visit Amsterdam University College. She will be presented with a copy of the new book "Doe Normaal" written by AUC student Thiandi Grooff.  Grooff's book explores, on a personal level, the common views on "normality" and "disability" and the essential need to belong and be different at the same time.

In honour of this presentation Alderwoman Van Es will speak about her policy on diversity and participation in the city of Amsterdam.  Alderwoman Van Es, a former member of parliament, acted as member of the board for the international art exhibition Not Normal in Amsterdam  2009-2010. 

AUC Dean Professor Marijk van der Wende will comment on diversity within educational systems and the result of such policies on society and the individual.

Student and author Thiandi Grooff has, as she writes herself: "a good mind in a strange body".

Due to brain damage she has severe difficulty in coordinating her muscles. She is unable to speak, but is still vocal. She could not communicate until she was 14 and was considered severely intellectually disabled until she was able to show, by her writing, that this was not the case. Her book is an account of her emotions and struggles in her daily life in London (where she lived because Dutch schools refused to accept her at the time) and the Netherlands before she entered AUC as a student. That she is accepted as a student and valued for her contribution to AUC is of great importance in her life.

Philosophical Prophecy and the Origins of Liberalism: Hobbes and Spinoza on Salvation

Philosophic prophecy is a genre of philosophic writing which aims to provide an account, often historical or mythical, that is intended to promote a desirable and possible future. While philosophic prophecy is not always self-fulfilling, its existence is presupposed for a possible future. That is to say, our present, once unforeseen, actions can be the intended outcome of past design. Presupposing that Spinoza and Hobbes were practitioners of this genre, how do their political theories re-interpret the nature of salvation?

Probability and statistics in court: the roles of the expert and the judge

Should the judge become a statistician? In recent years we have witnessed several legal cases where it became clear that judges and other legal representatives had difficulties understanding probabilistic reasoning, which led to serious mistakes. In this lecture, Prof. Dr. Meester first explains why legal representatives should have some knowledge of statics and probability and then discusses what the role of the statistical expert should be.

Islamic Art: Definition, concept and impact on Western Culture

What is the significance of Islamic art for the identity of Muslims and how has it influenced western culture as we know it? Drs. Michal Shabtay, media artist, filmmaker and curator draws on her knowledge of historical cultural traditions to show that the recognition of the mutual exchange of culture and knowledge, throughout history, can stimulate respect and a better cooperation between cultures.

UN, Now U!: Make, do and mend

Should the efficiency of the United Nations be improved? Does the UN fail to deal with international security issues adequately? Can our generation someday make the UN function more effectively? Amsterdam International Model United Nations will host an evening on the topic of the UN. AIMUN will present itself and its plans to bring MUN to AUC and will proudly host a panel discussion with a variety of experts in the field of the UN.

Development Aid: The effects and consequences of the economic crisis

Does development aid hurt or help the countries that receive it? What effects has the economic crisis had on development aid? Drs. Bert Koenders, former Minister for Development Cooperation in the Netherlands, will discuss the positive and negative effects of development aid as well as the repercussions of the economic crisis on development aid.

No Elegies for Gutenberg: The Culture of Print and Our Digital Future

Does the advent of the Internet spell demise for the print media? Professor David Thorburn, an expert in the area of film and media and cultural studies, suggests that this view is premature. He discusses why print media will survive the creation of the Internet, just as radio survived the dawn of television.

Comparing Democracies

Boris Dittrich , a resident of the United States and Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch, will compare the transparency of Dutch democracy with that of the USA. Which system gives more power to the people? And is that a wise thing to do?

Civil War and Terrorism in Sri Lanka

The civil war in Sri Lanka ended after 25 years in a cruel final battle in May 2009. The conflict however, remains unresolved. Thérèse Onderdenwijngaard, an expert in the field, will give an overview of the history of Sri Lanka and its recent conflict and describe today's situation.

Climate after Copenhagen

The EU did not achieve its objectives at the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December 2009. Prof. Dr. Berkhout, who was part of the Dutch scientific delegation in Copenhagen outlines the main results of Copenhagen and what this will mean for the future of European climate policy.  The event gives an opportunity to discuss whether and how it is possible to prevent a dangerous climate change with a well-known expert in the field.

Climate for Science

As part of the Who's in Town lecture series, AUC offers a special sequence of seminars under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Ir. Louise Fresco, Professor at the UvA, focused on foundation of sustainable development in an international perspective and Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)  and Prof. Dr. Robbert Dijkgraaf, Professor of Mathematical Physics at the UvA and President of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).

The seminar series "Climate for Science" aims to focus on a series of subjects that are at the interface between Science and Society. A typical Liberal Arts and Science approach is chosen in order to tackle relevant ‘real world problems'. This may require an interdisciplinary approach, bridging the borders between academic disciplines.

The first two seminars in June 2010 dealt with the uncertainties in Science related to Climate Change. It addressed how different groups of people in different parts of the world deal with the uncertainities associated with Climate Change. 

Twenty-five students were selected to take part in the first seminar and they prepared lectures and discussions in advance in order to actively participate in the lectures. The students were divided into the five groups (policymakers, civil society, scientists, the media and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), each representing a part of society that deals with the uncertainties related to Climate Change. Students then conducted research on their own group (policymakers, scientists, media etc.) in order to prepare the second lecture, where they engaged in a role-play, in which each student represented his or her group.

Additional seminars in the "Climate for Science" series will take place in June 2011 and January 2012. These seminars will continue to apply an interdisciplinary approach to tackle the problem of Climate Change.