Many students see themselves working at an NGO in Brussels after graduation. Alumnus Calum Thomson (26) is doing just that. In 2021 Calum started working at the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF): a platform aimed at promoting European integration, facilitating reforms and democratic transformations in the six Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Countries whose international relations are currently very much in the news. What is it like working here, which steps led him to this point and what advice does he have for current students of International Studies?
Did you know Leiden University offers a humanities-based master’s degree in International Relations?
Leiden University has a lot of master's to offer for International Studies, for example did you know Leiden University offers a humanities-based master’s degree in International Relations?
Maxime Schut tells everything about her internship, which culminated in a podcast on Cabo Verdean Oral History, now available on Spotify.
Under this rubric, we want to report on our tutors' international and intercultural experiences. Most of our tutors at BA International have done some sort of fieldwork for their Bachelors, masters, PhDs or post-doc projects. In these articles they share their experiences and tell their funny and memorable stories when being abroad and being part of another culture. They also share their experiences and reflect on the challenges that the COVID-19 crisis is putting on their research and teaching. In this edition, our tutor Dr. Henrike Hoogenraad shares her insights on “intimate borders” and her research on transnational love and intimacy for which she conducted fieldwork in Zanzibar (Tanzania) and Adelaide (Australia).
The first semester of this academic year saw the return to a relatively normal on-campus student life. It was invigorating to meet again in person, to explore our interests, discuss issues beyond covid-19, and continue our investigation into the global challenges of today from a vantage point that was not our computer screen.
For the past few years I’ve been invited to give a couple of lectures at a diplomatic academy outside of Europe. I suspect they found me through a chance meeting between a couple of algorithms and a search engine, but I’m grateful for that. The lectures are about regional organisations, specifically ASEAN (Association for South East Asian Nations) and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation).
At the start of the second semester, a flashback of last September pops up, when everyone shared the general excitement of meeting on campus to enjoy a ‘normal’ teaching and learning environment. With more than 500 enthusiastic freshmen and a large team of devoted teaching staff, the ideal conditions were set for a successful semester.
Alumni associations are there for both recent and older alumni to exchange experiences about the field and more. We spoke to Arla Mannersuo, board member of the International Studies Alumni Association, about the benefits of membership and what happens behind the scenes.
Dear Students! It has been another crazy year, and I’d like to send you a message of hope and encouragement as you deal with your exams and turn your attention beyond the end of the semester.
