UCG Podcasts

This episode of UCG International Politics, hosted by the seasoned moderator, Ema, dives into the pivotal role BRICS countries play in the renewable energy sector. Joined by three distinguished guests—Lorena, a Renewable Energy Expert from the European Commission; Ben, an experienced BRICS correspondent for The New York Times; and Nechama, a political editor with firsthand familiarity with BRICS nations—this discussion unravels the complexities and potentials of green energy transitions within these emerging economies.

In this enlightening 30-minute episode, our experts explore a variety of topics, from defining renewable energy and its significance to assessing each BRICS country's involvement and leadership in this sector. The conversation also tackles the economic impacts, ecological benefits, and innovative technologies that are positioning BRICS nations as potential leaders in global energy sustainability. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of how all these factors intertwine in the quest for a sustainable future.

* UCG International Politics podcast is a course assignment prepared by the students at University College Groningen. The characters assumed by the students in the episodes are entirely fictional.  

In this episode, our host Vera Belchior Ferreira da Silva engages in a captivating discussion about the book "Strange Bedfellows: An Experiment in Student-directed Interdisciplinary Research" with her guests: Ryan Wittingslow, one of the editors of the book; Ben Bewersdorf, UCG's Academic Director of Education; and Twan Tromp, one of our third-year students who contributed to this project as a student scholar. Tune in as Vera’s guests offer valuable insights into the book's themes and share their experiences with interdisciplinary research and education. 

About the book

Edited by UCG faculty members Ryan Wittingslow, Naomi de Ruiter, and Roland Chiu, this peer-reviewed volume of student scholarship explores the concept of interdisciplinarity by combining the expertise of professional researchers and educators with the experiences of students enrolled in interdisciplinary programs. It analyses the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary research and education, and provides practical case studies illustrating interdisciplinary teaching and research in action.

The subject of this episode is the non-intervention of Western and Eastern powers in Myanmar’s violations of human rights. The discussion will focus around the potential justification and underlying factors motivating external inaction, in light of the nation’s ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Rohingya Muslims in the western state of Rakhine since the coup of 2021. The aim of our podcast, ‘Pajama Politics’, is to promote a cross-generational awareness on relevant political topics. We offer three age-targeted levels of understanding (kids, teens, and adults) by asking appropriately adjusted questions, which will be answered by our guest speakers.

* UCG International Politics podcast is a course assignment prepared by the students at University College Groningen. The characters assumed by the students in the episodes are entirely fictional.  

In this episode, the UCG students discuss the Iran Nuclear Deal. The Iran Nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was a deal signed between Iran and the P5+1 countries in July 2015. The countries which included the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, and Germany. The goal of the deal was to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions on the country. On the global stage, this debate has brought up strains on non-proliferation efforts and has also had an implication on the global economy, as the lifting of sanctions could provide Iran with greater access to global markets and encourage foreign investment. However, the withdrawal of the US in 2018 has left the agreement's future in question. The deal and its future state will be analyzed from the perspectives of the Iranian regime, the EU, and the state of Israel.

* UCG International Politics podcast is a course assignment prepared by the students at University College Groningen. The characters assumed by the students in the episodes are entirely fictional.  

At the brink of a new era, the EU Green Deal is one of the frontier projects of the European Commission. The main objective is to become climate neutral by 2050. To achieve it, the Commission wants to remove combustion engines by 2035 and replace them with electric vehicles. Lithium is a key ingredient in batteries to power electric vehicles and other green technologies. The EU needs to deploy lithium at scale to hit its Green Deal goal. A group of three experts joined us on the podcast to discuss the debate around lithium, with a specific focus on lithium mining in Portugal. Our first guest was Margarida Santos, a Portuguese environmentalist who discussed the impact of lithium extraction in Portugal. Our second guest is Dominique Silva, an advisor to the Minister of Environment and Climate Action in Portugal, who gave their take on the impact and contribution of lithium extraction. Finally, our third guest, José Lopes, a representative from the EU, and Junior Advisor to Franz Timmermans shared details on the aims and purpose of the Green Deal and how the Union wants to achieve a just transition.

* UCG International Politics podcast is a course assignment prepared by the students at University College Groningen. The characters assumed by the students in the episodes are entirely fictional.  

Since the genocide, Rwanda has embarked on an ambitious justice and reconciliation process with the ultimate aim of all Rwandans once again living side by side in peace. This podcast discusses the reconciliation mainly on the terms of legal processes, since these were very important for the reconciliation. With the help of 3 specialists, we look at the reconciliation through the lenses of the Gacaca courts, the international Criminal Tribunals (ICTR) and lastly their aftermath in Rwanda.

120,000 people were detained and accused of bearing criminal responsibility for their participation in the killings. These killings were made by the Hutus against the Tutsis. Tutsis were also responsible for some of the killings. These were two ethnic groups who have a long history of tension. Rwanda is seen as one of the most severe humanitarian crises and one of the greatest failures of humanitarian intervention, as during the 100 days of the killing the international community stood by and did almost nothing.

* UCG International Politics podcast is a course assignment prepared by the students at University College Groningen. The characters assumed by the students in the episodes are entirely fictional.  

Welcome to the Middle Eastern entanglements podcast, a collaboration with the UCG International Politics Podcast. Hannah will guide you through this episode, with the aim to make the prevailing conflicts in the MENA regions more tangible and cut through the noise to find out what was and is really going on there. The Middle Eastern countries have experienced war, political tension and suffering for decades with many colliding interests. This episode we will take a closer look at the entanglements of the war in Syria which has been going on for more than 10 years now with no end in sight. Joined in this episode by Dr. Kohann Jaminski, a professor and researcher on Middle Eastern Studies, Hanne Jerreman, a journalist committed to the coverage of the stories of Syrians, and Dr. Wouisa Lind, a UN affairs and conflict mediation expert. Together they will cover topics such as the role of religion in the conflict, the major interest groups involved, resolution attempts and much more.

* UCG International Politics podcast is a course assignment prepared by the students at University College Groningen. The characters assumed by the students in the episodes are entirely fictional.  

In this episode, Sybe and Aaron talk with Eva, a current Caerus board member, about UCG's study association CAERUS. We give you an overview of the possibilities within Caerus and we share our experiences! Want to know more about Caerus and how to join? Here is their website: https://www.caerus-ucg.com/association/home

This week Tilman and Aaron talk with Zacharia, a third-year student at UCG about his endeavors within several NGO's. He shares his insight and challenges, both from the past and for the future. 

In this episode, Aaron talks with Chris May (Ph.D.). about meditation, his research, and various perspectives that help us understand an interdisciplinary picture of Meditation. They share and discuss their experience with meditation and mindfulness.