Every year, VU Amsterdam offers a series of Masterclasses named Pre University College for pupils of 4,5 and 6 VWO, to give them a taste of the topics and interesting programmes at the University. This spring, the John Stuart Mill College has developed its own Masterclass: ‘Understanding the Irrational’. With its interdisciplinary nature, this Masterclass is a perfect opportunity to explore what studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at VU is all about.
A number of 15 pupils have been selected for the Masterclass. The Masterclass will give an introduction to the field of Behavioral Economics. Behavioral Economics is the study of how psychological factors influence economic decision-making.
The participants will learn to apply the insights of Behavioral Economics to a wide variety of societally relevant subjects, from politics to philosophy. For instance: ‘How can we encourage positive behaviors, such as becoming an organ donor or living sustainably?’. Also they will learn to make use of research methods like Economic modelling and economic experiments. At the end of the Masterclass, the students will present their own experiments.
The Masterclass is given by dr. Katharina Brütt, Assistant Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam at the School of Business and Economics.