Sustainable Societies
How do you engage society in stopping biodiversity loss? How do you build political and public support for tackling climate change? And how can economic interests be balanced with the environmental impacts of pollution? If questions like these spark your curiosity, then this Pre-University Class is for you!
We are currently facing major changes to our climate and environment that threaten the sustainability of the natural systems on which all life, including our own, depends. Climate change is accelerating, biodiversity is declining, freshwater is becoming scarcer, and fertile land is being lost.
Addressing these complex challenges requires an interdisciplinary approach. By combining knowledge and methods from different academic disciplines, we can better understand the interactions between environmental and societal processes and develop more effective and sustainable solutions.
In this Pre-University Class, you will explore one of these complex challenges and look at pollution from both a natural science and a social science perspective, discovering how science and society must work together to address today's most pressing sustainability challenges.
You will attend interactive lectures taught by experts from fields such as ecology, environmental science, and anthropology. Together with your fellow students, you will work on a group assignment to create a factsheet and prepare for a stakeholder debate on pollution. Finally, you will take part in a field excursion to our Levend Lab, where you will collect and identify species and observe animal behavior in and around Leiden University.
You will attend lectures from teachers in various fields such as ecology, environmental sciences, and anthropology. You will also work with your fellow students on a group assignment(s) and have an excursion.
This Pre-University class is offered by the interdisciplinary BSc programme, Science for Sustainable Societies.
About the lectures
Language of Instruction
This Pre-University Class is offered in English.
Study load
12 hours
Schedule
This PRE-class has a duration of 4 weeks. Each week, a topic will be discussed in a 3-hour class (13.15-16.00 hrs), sometimes including an excursion or inspiring guest lecture. The class will be offered in Spring on 1, 8 15 en 22 April 2027.
Registration and admission
For whom?
Students from the 4th, 5th, and 6th year of high school may apply for this programme.
Where?
Lectures will be held in Leiden.
Application
By November the 18th, 14:00 hrs, fill in the registration form, and submit your motivation in English. For more information, see the application & selection page.
Contact
For practical questions, please contact Esrih Bakker. For questions regarding the content of the lectures, please contact the study advisors.