During six weeks you will be introduced to central privacy theories and challenging current dilemmas within six central disciplines. The lectures will be given by top scientists from various faculties of the University of Amsterdam and other universities. The following disciplines will be featured:

Ethics
This class  addresses the value and necessity of privacy for the individual, in relation to his/her autonomy and freedom, as well as the social value of privacy. Classical philosophical views on privacy will be discussed.

Law
Privacy is a fundamental right and as such enshrined in many constitutions and international treaties. The exceptional growth and economic relevance of personal data creates new complex challenges for policy makers, regulators and courts. We will explore these challenges by looking into one of more case-studies.

Anthropology
The lecture will reflect on forms of privacy that were encountered during fieldwork in Ghana and experience in The Netherlands. Students will learn about confidentiality in fieldwork and publishing, the role of gossip, and privacy aspects of housing, medical care and intimacy.

Healthcare
Focusing on the idea of privacy in a socio-technical context, this lecture offers perspective on the ethical questions that are raised by new information technologies used in healthcare.

Informatics
This lecture will give an overview of the effects of recent technological developments on privacy, addressing the question whether new technology is part of the solution, or actually making the problem worse.

Economy
New companies have based their business model entirely on the processing of personal data. An important question is whether people are aware of the high value of their personal data for these companies.

You can continue the Open UvA lecture Privacy 1 with Privacy 2: Privacy in Public, Big Data, Self Tracking, Social Networks, which will begin on 6 November.

Time, location and price

• 9 September - 14 October 2025
• Tuesday from 18:00-21:00 
• Oudemanhuispoort, C0.17
• Costs: € 165 (€ 148 AUV members)

Important to know

• Registration deadline: 18 August 2025
• You can only audit an OUC, which means that you may only attend lectures and cannot attend seminars, take part in the examination, or obtain ECTS credits.
• The location of the lectures may change during the semester. For the current study schedule, please consult the UvA timetable website. 

Public programme Humanities

This Open UvA Course is part of the Faculty of Humanities' public programme. Beside Open UvA Courses, the public programme also comprises special lectures and series of courses. The public programme is intended for alumni, employees looking for extra training, and all others who are interested in art, culture, philosophy, language and literature, history and religion.