As we wrap up the semester and prepare for a well deserved break, it is that time of the year again when we exchange recommendations to read, watch and listen our way through the dark days. Do not forget to support your local bookstore, such as De Kler, Kooyker, Paagman or the equivalent in whatever town you will be spending the holidays. Or borrow your books form the library.

With only a couple of weeks to go until the end of the semester, we would like to provide a brief insight regarding the outcomes of the mid-term evaluations and of course we would like to send out a a big thank you to all who have filled out the evaluations!

The etymological origins of the word January derive from Januarius, which comes from Latin and denotes the month of Janus, the Roman god of gates, doors and new beginnings. Indeed, our first month of the new year is a time of new beginnings; Making a fresh start with good resolutions to change our life style, taking up new hobbies or eating healthier food.

Our Chair, Dr Joost Augusteijn, reflects on the importance of creating a safe and respectful teaching environment within our programme. In this piece, he considers the challenges of addressing inappropriate behaviour, the need for trust and openness, and the shared responsibility of building a supportive academic community.

Hello alumni! What’s new? We hope that you are doing well no matter the part of the world you may find yourself in now. We have been busy building our social media channels, connecting alumni locally in the cities they live in now, and organizing both virtual and in-person events. Keep on reading to find out what we have been up to in the past year and how to join us if you want to contribute!

Finding solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the not-inconsiderable task of the new Peace Academy in The Hague. Professor Maurits Berger and twelve students from different conflict zones are starting a creative thinking process that aims to discover the basic conditions for peace in the Middle East.

Let’s start with a quiz; what do Johan Sebastian Bach, Vincent van Gogh and Jackie Chan have in common? Can you guess the answer?

This time of year, when the sun rises increasingly later and sets always too early, when it is cold and often wet outside, and when we struggle to stay warm, snuggling up at home is very tempting.

What’s new, BAIS alumni? This summer, the BAIS Alumni Association hosted the yearly alumni reunion, organized in virtual format for the second time after the previous reunion also took place online in 2020. Feeling the need to compensate for the lack of in-person interaction, the Alumni Association prepared different activities to mark the occasion in an original way.

In complex times like the ones we are currently living in, one might wonder whether writing about the mid-term evaluations outcome is still an essential topic for the Newsletter of our Programme. A short answer to that is yes, it is.