This course lays out the conceptual and theoretical groundwork for engaging with key debates on global challenges to justice. You will examine how (in)justices are understood, produced and contested, drawing on critical perspectives from the Social Sciences and Humanities. Bringing these perspectives together, the course connects local problems with debates about globalization, the Global South and Global North, East-West relations and decolonisation.

You will take one course with students from all of the tracks of the Master's in History.

The Faculty of Humanities offers an annually changing selection of elective courses. It is recommended that you choose an elective in line with the theme of your thesis research project. This will help you to write your research proposal and to prepare for the fieldwork period in semester 2.

This course introduces you to the concept of research-in-society—doing research with society rather than just about it—by exploring how knowledge is co-produced both across academic disciplines (interdisciplinarity) and in collaboration with non-academic actors such as communities, NGOs, policymakers, cultural institutions and social movements (transdisciplinarity). We also look at how different groups in society frame, discuss and respond to injustice. Together, we will critically analyse these responses and discuss what they mean for real-world social change and your own role as a (future) researcher and professional. You will also gain practical methodological tools that help you design and carry out this kind of collaborative, real-world research, preparing you to engage critically and constructively with societal challenges in your future academic or professional work. In close contact with your supervisor, and in collaboration with a societal actor (for example an NGO, community group, public institution or private business), you will formulate a clear research problem and research question, develop an appropriate theoretical and conceptual framework, and design a coherent methodological strategy to guide your research.

You will put research-in-society into practice by carrying out your research project in a real-world context either in the Netherlands or abroad. Under the guidance of your supervisor, you will work directly with societal actors relevant to your topic by applying research methods, organising and managing your data, making informed decisions about your research, and reflecting on your role and positionality as a researcher.

The Master's in Global Justice and Social Transformation offers a special elective on the making of a societal product. In this elective, you will co-produce a concrete “social product” with a societal actor connected to your research. This could be, for example, an event, podcast, exhibition, video, policy brief, or another format that best fits your project and the needs of your societal partner. You can, however, also choose a different elective offered by the Faculty of Humanities.

The next phase of your research is data analysis and thesis writing. You will work on bringing together your empirical data with theoretical perspectives, possible solutions, and the eventual dilemmas that may arise between these two perspectives. Throughout this process, you will be supported by your supervisor and your peers in tutorial groups, where you can discuss your findings, test ideas, and get feedback on your work.