Member of Parliament Tielen (VVD) visits the Faculty of Humanities
Asia, Asia, Asia. That was what the working visit of VVD Member of Parliament Judith Tielen - at her request - was all about. In a two hour long programme, she and her personal assistant were immersed in education, research, social impact and they took a look at some of the masterpieces from the University Library's collection.
About the programme
The programme covered, among other things, the risk of spying Chinese students, and how robots provide a solution to labour shortages in the hotel and catering industry in the Netherlands and Japan. About internationally acclaimed research, intensive language acquisition and the almost inexhaustible possibilities to connect disciplines here. Of course, attention was paid to the Asian Library, and a number of special masterpieces were shown, including unique botanical manuscripts and war maps of days long past.
In conversation with students
Animated discussions with enthusiastic bachelor and master students about the character of Leiden's education about Asia took place. When Tielen asked what message the students would like to send her or politics in general, one of the answers was: 'Asia is more than just China!'
Call to the media
An indirect call to the media: 'Ask experts to explain news about this region, because reading a few books or taking a trip to the East won't get you there'. Involving Alumni from the Humanities Faculty can be very useful when it comes to clarifying news and background stories.
