 TILBIC UNIVERSITY OFFERS GLOBAL MANAGEMENT OF SOCIAL ISSUES GMSI FOR SHORT Well, what do they do at GMSI in the GMSI program? They talk about wicked problems. For instance poverty, climate change, migration. But we want to know a little bit more about the insights of this program. So we invited three people on the table, and three people are. He is from Germany, and he is the Associate Professor of the Department of Organizational Studies and also the Educational Director of the GMSI program. So he knows a lot about it, and his field of expertise is governance and the effectiveness of networks. Second, we have Simina Perafi. She's a 21-year-old second-year GMSI student, and she was born in Romania but did her international high school in The Hague. And she's a very active student, not only a member of the association of the MU and Tilburg, but also she does the Outreaching Honors Program. And then last but not least, we have Rodrigo Reyes. He is from Peru, and well, he basically studied all over the globe. He went from Lima to Warsaw and now studying in Tilburg. But you also worked in New York and Manchester, so he's got a very international perspective on the program. Well, first question, Rodrigo, what is it like to study here in Tilburg? Because you've seen New York, which is, of course, different from Tilburg. Well, yeah, it's much, much more different. I think that, well, just comparing the size, Tilburg is much more like a village, but it's great. It's great because you can go anywhere by bike, and I don't know, it feels more familiar. So you've lived in the Netherlands longer because you did an international school in The Hague. So why did you choose for GMSI? Why did you come to Tilburg? Well, I liked the program the most, and I liked how it combined sociology and HR and organization studies together while still talking about wicked problems. So the different perspectives, let's look into that in a minute. But first, you mentioned wicked problems. You're the doctor at the table, you're the professor. What is a wicked problem? What do you guys discuss in class? Well, a wicked problem is sort of a special type of organizational policy problem, one that is characterized by a high complexity. The different parts of the problem are interconnected in a way that we usually have a hard time to understand by high uncertainty. So uncertainty about the knowledge base, what are actually the reasons of a problem, but also if we intervene what will happen. And third, by what we call value divergence. So parties or people that are connected to the problem, they differ in their values and how they perceive the problem. And examples are poverty, migration, climate change, for example. Very big problems. I guess there is more within the GMSI program than wicked problems. What are the other things that you do? Well, as Simina said before, there are basically three social science disciplines. That is sociology, human research studies and organization studies. But the students also have full courses in methods and statistics because we believe that before we can talk about solving or coping with wicked problems, we first have to understand them quite well. So data collection and analysis is important. Then we have courses on economics, on international law, on project management. And also philosophical perspectives. So the colleagues from the School of Humanities are also involved in the program. This is a very diverse program. Very different issues are being spoken about. So the GMSI program is a three-year bachelor. But how is it structured? Where do new students begin? Well, we basically have two principles in structuring the program. First, basically according to the year, so year one, year two, year three. So year one is introduction. And if you look at the program, you will find a lot of introduction courses also. Introduction to economics, introduction to sociology, the wicked problems 101. Then year two is application and deepening. And basically year three brings everything together. Also in terms of application, but also then the mobility window and the bachelor thesis, where students write a research piece on a topic they are interested in. And then we have sort of so-called learning lines. So they are subject-driven. So there's a learning line, of course, on wicked problems. Then there's a learning line on methods and statistics. And we have also a learning line on academic and research skills. And one sort of more the management and organization questions. So basically the different pillars of the GMSI program. Exactly. And we heard a couple of examples of the first-year courses. But second-year courses, see me now. What kind of courses have you got in the second year? International organizations, a lot of statistics. The questionnaires, how to structure questionnaire statistics. So to prepare yourself for the bachelor thesis. And what's your favorite second-year course? International organizations. What do you learn in international organizations? We had an insight of most international organizations, like the UN, European Union, regional organizations. And we learned how they function and how they interact. We really try to sort of have a variation of, let's say, teaching methods and conversations, group work. For example, we also have in advanced project management, which is a second-year course. We have a one-day simulation of a natural disaster in the Pacific on an island that was developed by a colleague that has worked in humanitarian interventions. Like a flooding or earthquake? It was a flooding. And so students really, they take on roles of the Red Cross or ambassadors or different administrators or other NGOs. And for a day, they have to really go through the chaos and how you first get organized and get the response going. Or Semina talked about the course of international organizations. So we went to The Hague, to the International Criminal Court and to the Peace Palace and also to Brussels, to NATO and the EU. So we try to not only sit in the classroom and have lectures and basically have sort of a one-way street, but that's also part because it creates the basis but then how the interaction and different experiences, different learning styles transcends the classroom. Exactly. You see other things as well. Rodrigo, you're also involved with the Transform Tilburg movement, if I may say so. That's an example of really doing something. How does that work? What do you do? Well, the objective of this, well, I don't think we're an organization right now but we are more of a community. We have a group of people that is trying to get different organizations that work in Tilburg or in Blomant together to work in a more cooperative way. Because we believe that, or what we are taught is also that with the problems you cannot tackle them by yourself. You are usually tackling the problems within the system and you need cooperation for that. You need to manage or you need to link different stakeholders to actually make a change. And that's really something that you can do, you know, not sit behind the desk and really change something. Exactly. I think that it is a good way of actually getting yourself to do something about it and perhaps being part of something bigger than yourself. Simina, what's your favorite course then? What attracts you most? I think international law. Before starting it, I was like, oh, I don't want to study international law. Oh my God, it would be so much work. But it was so nice. It was my favorite subject. And why? What's so interesting on international law? Well, throughout, like while studying it, but also after I realized that everything starts with law, that you can do things in the world but you also need law at the same time. GMSI, what would you say is the best characteristic of the GMSI program? Well, the best characteristic, I think, is that it combines a broad social science perspective with very pressing subjects like the Wikipedia programs and it's in an international context. So we look at this from an international perspective, but also the classroom is international. So in the first two cohorts we had about 21 different countries, each cohort. A majority of students, of course, is from Europe. We are a European university, but we also have students from North America, South America, and Africa and Asia. What's the main benefit of all these different nationalities in one classroom for you, Rodrigo? Well, you get different perspectives. I mean, you get different stories from people who have encountered these wicked problems in a different way, perhaps. So, for example, I come from a developing country and you can share thoughts about it or you can actually get different perspectives of, for example, poverty. And the different nationalities help you with all these different perspectives? Because everyone comes from a different background and I think that it's very valuable because in the classes you have people who actually say something different about the subject that is being discussed. And we talked about change, of course, and really doing something about it, the most parts that you love. But, of course, it is a scientific program. So, Simina, what do you like about statistics and mathematics? Well, statistics are my favorite, but it's okay, it's doable. You need, of course... How do you combine the scientific part of this program with the sociology part of it? Well, we always have to write papers and that's where you really see how everything comes together because, yes, you can analyze the problem and you can say that this academic, things like that, but you also need statistics to support your arguments always. So, real facts, real data to show that things work or don't work. Can you name an example of such a research thing that you've done? Well, we just did a research paper on how somebody's education level has an influence on the way they accept migrants in the country. And we did look at past papers and other theories, but we needed to also carry out research. So, we used the environmental survey system and we took questions from there and we did the SPSS and statistics. SPSS, it's everybody's favorite program, right? Well, it's not as scary as it looks. Okay, well, you learn all about SPSS once you've come here and see me just short on the honors program because you're doing the honors program. So, it means that within the GMSI program you can do some side steps. What is the honors program? Well, there are about three honors programs but I'm doing the reaching one and that's basically focused on personal development. And it's also a more of an active program where we have to have community projects and we have to start up certain organizations or groups and we have to do master classes. It's really interesting. So, the honors programs are offered by Tilburg University as a whole and students then if they fulfill certain conditions they can participate in them. So, even if you have a different program you can also participate in the honors program. But that also is interesting because you meet students from other disciplines there. So, you work together with people from the School of Economics. Okay, very nice. So, it's a very diverse program, we can say, the GMSI program and with a lot of possibilities of really doing something. Is there also something that you guys would like to improve on the program because here's the educational director and if you want to change something what would it be? What would you say you would like to change? Maybe less statistic. Less SPSS. I understand where they're coming from but I wouldn't mind if there would be less. Is it a possibility to do less statistics or is it just a necessity? That's just a necessity. I mean the program is also, it's a bachelor program so it's a broad introduction to the social sciences and we believe that if you want to become a well-trained social scientist a good package of methods and statistics is necessary also because we want our graduates to have the chance to really go on to very good international master's programs and then usually the admissions requirements where students have problems with our methods and statistics because that's not so easy to catch up on. Other courses are relatively easy maybe to take but once you have a good basis in methods and statistics it's easier to get also in good international master's programs. I can see a little bit of disappointment in your eyes. I needed the rest of my life. As an educational director is there something you seek in students or would you like to change something about the students? Well I think our expectations are I think met to a large extent so I want students that are very much aware of what's going on around them. They need to be engaged, have broadly interested. What we noticed is that many of the students also with an international background they are very strong in sort of discussing issues but they and we still have to sort of work on their writing skills but that's also what the program is for. I mean that's something that many students from around the world maybe have not been trained so much in their schools and that is something that we also add in terms of professional and academic skills. And the possibilities are there to improve for instance the writing. I see you nodding. We have an ACBA, two ACBA seminars. It's academic and writing skills. You learn how to code, you learn how to actually put your thoughts in paper because sometimes it can be problematic but we get them and we also get feedback from the professors. Nice. Is there a question you'd like to ask to the students with regard to the GMSI program? Is there something you'd like to know from them? Maybe one question is in terms of we also have a mobility window. In the third year students can choose either an internship study abroad or a minor here or in the Netherlands. So Semina is going to Milan in the fall. And what are you going to do in Milan? Study. And what are you going to study? Well, I want to do a master in policy making so I chose a lot of courses regarding policy. Policy. And Rodrigo, are you already... Do you know what you're going to do in the mobility window? Well, I don't know for sure, but I do have a plan. I want to do a minor in ethics and, well, yeah, it's... I think that, for example, in wicked problems in the first course that we get, we have a part of philosophy and epistemology. And, well, yeah, that drew me a lot. So actually, yeah, that is very appealing to me. Actually, applying reasoning to anything or applying reasoning to, for example, supports certain actions. I don't know if that's too abstract. I guess you'll learn a lot in the minor that you're going to study. It's because I would like to... I have seen the possibility of doing a master in applied ethics, for example, because I'm very concerned of, okay, what organizations do or what multinational organizations do, can sometimes be ethically disputed or it's just plain unethical. I think it's a whole new wicked problem you're putting on the table now. So let's not go into deep, but a minor you're going to do. What I basically wanted to ask. Yes, exactly. That's how we started. We have this mobility window and I, as a director, perceived this as a great opportunity for students to also build their personal profile, as Rodrigo just said. But do you perceive it like that as well or is it like an additional burden because it also asks some organizational and some thinking and a lot of decisions? I think it's the fun part because now I know toolbox by heart and now I get to explore another university, another culture, so I think that's the fun part at the end of the year. Rodrigo? Yeah, I completely agree with her. I think that it gives you great opportunity to actually do whatever you want with and prepare in yourself to either go into labor market or follow another master and you get a lot of options in what you're going to do. So in one sentence, why should viewers come to Tilburg and study the GMSI program? Yeah? Well, I think it's a unique program, not only in the Netherlands, but also internationally because we combine sociology, human research studies and organization studies. So it's basically organizing for wicked problems. So we do both. We have more a macro perspective on some of these policy issues, but then also especially on, how do you run these projects if you basically tackle the refugee crisis? I mean, what organizations do you need? How do they have to work together? How do you make a project plan? So I think that is a unique perspective and the international context that students study here. I think these are two unique characteristics that make it worth welcoming here. Unique selling points. I think if they care about the world, they should come to Tilburg and you'll be the best three years of their life, I think. The best three years of your life? Nice. Rodrigo, why should people come here? I would say because of the diversity. The fact that you get these different perspectives makes you doubt about what you hold through. But that's good because you actually engage in discussion and get all these different views from different nationalities. It's actually a very nice exercise. Very fun. Thank you. A short insight in the GMSI program Global Management of Social Issues. Thank you very much for watching. Thank you very much for your insights at the table and good luck with the studies, of course. Thank you so much. Thank you.