Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab

Course goals

After completion of the course, you will be able to:

• Students can identify and analyze ethical and conceptual issues raised by open-source investigation work in the global justice field, and express your knowledge and insights orally and in writing;

• Students can apply specific open-source investigation techniques such as geo-location and chrono-location;

• Students can demonstrate proficiency in the open-source investigation cycle where you identify, collect, document, verify, analyse, and evaluate open source material, and integrate, produce, and communicate your findings through your lab project;

• Students can appraise and reflect upon open-source investigations in the global justice field as well as your role therein, and reflect upon your own work, attitudes, and collaborations in the course.

Content

This course is an elective model where students are selected to participate. You can register for the course in Osiris and will then receive an email within information on how to apply for Lab. Or you can apply for the Lab directly via: https://forms.uu.nl/universiteitutrecht-gw/osgjil-24-25.

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Globalization and the growth of digital technology make knowledge and information spread like never before. This also inevitably means that misinformation, disinformation, and fake news are on the rise, which in turn asks society at large to develop and teach skills of critical inquiry that cross disciplinary boundaries. Through open-source intelligence (OSINT) and investigation techniques, in this course you will learn to identify, document, verify, analyse, and evaluate open-source material such as news reports, social media posts, and satellite images. Your work will contribute to reporting and advocacy which tackles  issues such as food security and deforestation as well as human rights and international justice. Working together with societal partners on real-world projects, this course combines digital innovation with new media literacy.

The course equips you with the interdisciplinary skills and ethical considerations required to learn how to conduct open-source investigations and evaluate open-source material (relevant across disciplines); and brings students, teachers, and societal partners (e.g., technology companies and civil society organisations) together to work towards addressing global challenges. The course is both about learning something new (digital knowledge and skills to become critical global citizens) and about innovative ways of learning: through an international and interdisciplinary community of students, teachers and societal partners.

The course is worth 7,5 EC, and spread over two periods rather than one. This means that you are expected to dedicate 10 hours/week to the course (rather than the usual 20 hours/week), and that you should be able to combine it with your core courses. We do our best to be flexible. If you have a conflicting course, please inform the coordinator of the Lab as soon as possible. Some conflicts may result in you not being able to follow the course. The course includes a mixture of interactive lectures/seminars, open-source investigation skills trainings, and lab work where you work on interdisciplinary project teams connected with the work of societal partners. Please note that the classes are usually scheduled on Wednesday afternoons and on Friday afternoons.



Information about the Lab can be found online here: https://www.uu.nl/en/research/institutions-for-open-societies/contesting-governance/projects/open-source-global-justice-investigations-lab. If you are enrolled in the Re-Imagining Security Minor, you will still need to apply for the course but you will be given preference. You must indicate that you are part of the minor when you apply through the website.