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@leidenissa
Changed Website
Hi everyone,
We have changed our web address. You can now find our active website at www.issaleiden.wordpress.com. Thank you, The ISSA Team.
MAIR Fall 2015
Welcome to Leiden University’s MAIR program to all the incoming students. Summer has come to a close and the student association is ready to take on the fall semester of 2015 together with you. This post will give you an overview of what we have planned and what is to come this semester.
The two best ways to keep track of what is offered to students is to join the Facebook Group for your respective study, or sign up for our email updates here.
International Studies FB Group European Union Studies FB Group
1. The MAIR student association has three board member positions to fill. We would like to fill the positions soon, thus the deadline is 12 September. Each position must be filled for the coming two semesters. Interested? Read more here. This is open to all MAIR students.
2. Our first opportunity to meet will be on 4 September, at 4pm after the introduction lectures. We will be meeting for a “borrel” at the Grote Beer Cafe (Rembrandtstraat 27, 2311 VV Leiden).
3. We are offering chances to attend short day trips to visit international institutions in the Hague, in order to bridge the classroom with the practical. Check out our events page to discover our schedule of events we are organizing and participating in.
Our trip to the International Criminal Court on November 11th, requires two month advance sign up. Please send an email to Iva at [email protected] before September 10th, with your full name, nationality, passport or ID number and date of birth
4. The MAIR program has been invited to participate in a series of events by The Hague Talks. The first event, the Costs of War, will take place on Thursday 10 September, 3:30-5pm at Leiden University’s Campus the Hague. We are looking for four students to participate in session with set up and registration. You’ll be offered the opportunity to interact with the panel members and network. Please contact Bo at [email protected] if interested.
5. As part of our mission, we wish to get students to interact with professionals in the field. As such, the student association has organized an Career Event on the evening of 29 October. The event will consist of panels on what professionals are looking for in an MA Thesis and opportunities to network. Sign up here!
6. An opportunity for a study trip at the end of the semester is available given student interest. To facilitate such a trip, study trip committee will be formed. If interested, send us an email by 12 September to [email protected]
We’re on Summer Break!
That doesn’t mean we aren’t working hard to create a top notch Fall Semester for you though! In September, the International Studies Student Association will be going into it’s second full year as an association. We’ve learned from the founding members of ISSA, and we look forward to carrying on the torch going into fall semester.
On our calendar page you’ll find the activities and visits that we are planning for the fall semester. When you get to Leiden for the first time, you’ll notice that the students of the MAIS program come from all over the globe. This is an opportunity to expand you’re horizons and learn not just inside the classroom but also from your fellow students. Take advantage of this!
Until September, you may have questions about the program, or about the student association. If you can’t find the info you’re looking for online in the links below, we’ll be watching our inbox to answer your questions. Just shoot an email to [email protected].
- Give us a like, International Studies Student Association FB Page - Give the program FB Page love too: MAIS Leiden - Introduction to Masters in Leiden, International Studies - MA International Relations, within Humanities website. - Study Guide, All Courses for the Semester.
During the summer, three of us are working at preparing the upcoming semester for you. We are: - Bo-Peter Laanen, President - Niels Rottier, Treasurer - Iva Škrabalová, Institutional Visits Board Member When the semester starts, we will be look for three more board members to make the ISSA Board complete. As the semester gets closer, we will continue updating the website and post information more often. Until then, enjoy your summer, and we look forward to meeting you!
Call for Board Members and Committee Members
The International Studies Student Association is a platform for MAIS students which facilitates opportunities for students to get together outside of class, and aims at complimenting the academic program by letting students get acquainted with the practice of international relations through visits to institutions, workshops, and facilitating career opportunities etc.
The board consists of six students, and two positions are open at the moment. Holding a position means that you have a specific responsibility, but tasks can be divided according to people’s specific interests and availability – in the end, we all just help each other get stuff done and enjoy what we’re doing.
Below you will find a short description of the specific responsibilities of each position. We are looking for a treasurer and a general board member (institutional visits).
President: responsibility for designing and implementing strategy of each semester, chairing board meetings, supporting the rest of the board when necessary. (Bo-Peter Laanen)
Vice-president: primarily responsible for communications (newsletters, social media, taking care of the ISSA email inbox, etc.), and replacing the president when absent (position filled in September).
Treasurer: responsible for the finances of the association (declaring expenses, financial overview at General Assembly’s, fundraising, etc.) (Position to be filled now).
General board member (institutional visits): responsible for visits to institutions outside the university (embassies, think tanks, parliament (Position to be filled now).
General board member (social activities): responsible for social activities. (Movie nights, drinks, any other opportunities for just coming together, having fun & making it ‘gezellig’) (position filled in September).
General board member (Institutional Partners): building sustainable relations with partner institutions in order to organize events on ISSA’s behalf. Will work together with institutional visits board member (i.e. theme weeks, lectures, career events)) (position filled in September).
During the semester, the board meets weekly – depending a bit on the projects we’re working on – to discuss the progress of the ISSA, brainstorm for new activities, and divide tasks. Hours spent per week on meetings and activities vary on the schedule of the week between 4-12 hours.
In preparation for the September Semester, the three members of the board will meet with the previous board members, MAIS Faculty and Staff, and institutional partners to lay the groundwork for full semester program and welcoming the September intake students. Though it will not be required that you are in the Netherlands this summer, it would be very useful.
Application procedure:
Application deadline: Midnight, May 24, 2015.
Informal interviews with candidates: Ad hoc, will be finished by first week of June
Decisions and Committee forming: June 10, 2015
If you are interested in becoming an ISSA board member, please let us know by sending a (short) email to [email protected]. We would like to hear about 1) your former experiences which may be relevant (CV or short summary of experiences will suffice) 2) your preferred position 3) your motivation to join the board.
In additition to the above positions, we will have committees who will organize specific events such as the theme week and study trip, and outward activities such as public relations (running our Facebook Page, website and newsletter). If you’re interested in this, please let us know.
If you have any questions at all, we will be happy to answer. Send emails to [email protected]
Bring food and drinks along with you for one last hoorah. Once you’ve turned in your last Core Course assignment, there’s no better place to be than to celebrate the end of term with your fellow students.
Once the picnic is finished, we plan to go out to the Hague for some additional fun. We’ll have a camera with us to save all those memories.
End of Term Study trip to Luxembourg
The International Studies Student Association is for the first time offering a study trip for the students of the MAIS program. As it is the first trip, the Trip Committee has done their upmost to keep costs low for the highest quality. Luxembourg offers an international perspective relative to our study, while proximity allows for short travel time. This is the perfect way to close your time at Leiden and begin the summer!
When: Wednesday June 3rd to Friday June 5th, 2015
Institutional Visits:
A tour of the European Investment Bank
A visit to the residence of the Dutch Ambassador to Luxembourg
A tour of the European Court of Auditors
Leisure Activities:
Historic district walking tour
17th century underground tunnel tour
Bar Crawl
Additional activities TBA
Travel: Travelling by train from Leiden to Luxembourg
Price: €112 per person, Includes round trip travel from Leiden to Luxembourg and 2 nights stay in the hostel.
The full amount in cash must be provided upon signup
Where to sign up: 12 May 2015 @ Lipsius (ground floor) after Core Course lecture
Participants: Maximum 20 participants
Required information from participants (Signup Form):
Name as indicated on Passport:
Birthdate:
OV chip card? Week vrij? 40% Korting?
Email Address:
Phone number:
Home address:
ISSA visit to the Finnish Ambassadorial Residency
ISSA is pleased to invite you for another visit. Anne Bergshoeff has kindly arranged a meeting with the Finnish Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands on Wednesday April 29, from 10.00 until 12.00-ish o’clock.
Ambassador Liisa Talonpoika will host us in the ambassadorial residence (a grand mansion next to a beautiful pond and park), where we have the opportunity to discuss with her the life of a diplomat. How does a diplomat’s day-to-day reality look like? How flexible is the mandate given by the foreign ministry — what kind of decisions can you make? What makes for a good international negotiator? How does the corpse diplomatique influence (Finnish) foreign policy? And more broadly, what are the challenges diplomats face in an era of globalization, shifting power balances, and rapid changes in information technology? In short, plenty of interesting things to discuss.
The visit comes at a politically tumultuous time for Finland. Its next door neighbour Russia is under international pressure for what many perceive as its bellicose rhetoric and behaviour in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, which has contributed to a rekindling of the political debate on a Finnish accession to NATO — possibly together with its other neighbour, Sweden. Finland is also in the run-up to parliamentary elections, with many analysts speculating on the amount of votes the right-wing populist Finns Party are going to win (they became the third-largest party and largest opposition party at the previous elections). This gives us ample context for the discussion of Finnish diplomacy.
In order to confirm your participation in the visit to the Ambassador, please send an e-mail with your legal name as it is shown on your passport or identification card before Wednesday 22 April to [email protected].
The final details of the visit will be communicated to the participants after registration.
ISSA visit to Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The International Studies Student Association will visit the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, 31st of March.
At the Ministry, we are invited to take part in two sessions, in which Dutch foreign policy makers present a brief outline of particular dimensions of Dutch international affairs.
The first session focuses on the current state of affairs in Dutch international relations within Asia. The second session considers the Dutch bid for non-permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council. In both sessions there will be ample opportunity for engagement and discussion, and we encourage you to do so.
In order to secure your participation in the visit to the ministry, please send an e-mail with your legal name as it is shown on your passport or identification card, which you must bring. Additionally, the Ministry would like to know your academic background prior to the MAIS. There is limited availability, thus the deadline to secure a spot is March 22nd, 11:59pm.
Send this information to [email protected] Once again, please bring a valid passport or identification card to the visit.
Where: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Bezuidenhoutseweg 67, The Hague
When: 31 March 2015 (09.45-12.00)
Program:
09.45-10.00: Check in at Ministry of Foreign Affairs 10.00-10.50: Presentation: Dutch foreign policy and Asia 11.00-11.50: Presentation: Dutch bid for UNSC membership 11.50-12.00: Departure
Ladies and Gentlemen of the MAIS program, you are invited to meet and socialize with your fellow students on next week's St. Patrick's Day (A special day for one of our lecturers!). On Tuesday, March 17th, join your classmates to celebrate this Irish holiday at North End Pub (Noordeinde 55) after finishing your Core Course 2 Seminars. See you there!
From Conflicting Narratives to Peace and Reconciliation in Israel/Palestine
Prof. Motti Golani and Dr. Adel Manna
Ambassador Nikola Dimitrov, Distinguished Fellow at The Hague Institute, provides introduction of the panel.
“In order to achieve peace that is favourable to both sides, it is important to forget” (M. Golani, 2015)
On Wednesday March 4th, Professor Motti Golani and Doctor Adel Manna, authors of “Two sides of the coin: Independence and Nakba 1948” took part in a panel discussion on ‘Conflicting Narratives in Israel and Palestine’ and whether and how these narratives could be brought closer together. The event was hosted at The Hague Institute for Global Justice in coordination with Leiden University and The Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation.
Drawing heavily from their personal experience, as a native Palestinian (Dr. Manna) and as an Israeli Jew (prof. Golani) in present-day Israel, both panel members succeeded in providing captive descriptions of their family’s experiences during the period 1947-1948.
Prof. Golani makes his opening remarks
The story of Dr. Manna was especially intriguing. Born in the Galilee in October 1947, in what was then Palestine, he and his family were expelled from their village and were forced to live in a refugee camp in Lebanon for two and a half years. Upon returning to their village they found themselves to be inhabitants of the Israeli state and received Israeli citizenship. When trying to discuss these events with Israeli Jews, many years later, they would tell him that no such event had taken place and that he – or his family – must be lying.
This provides a good example of the resistance Israeli and Palestine people feel when listening to the ‘other’ narrative.
Two sides of the coin: Independence and Nakba 1948
In addition to their personal experiences, attention was paid to the book they co-authored. Half of the book had been principally written by Dr. Manna and the other half by Prof. Golani, after finishing their respective chapters they would exchange them and add ‘their’ narrative to the chapter. The authors further explained that both their narratives had intentionally been intertwined, to expose their readers to both narratives, without being able to tell which part belonged to which narrative.
Dr. Manna offers his remarks on the Narrative between Israel/Palestine
Despite these initiatives, it became all the clearer towards the closing of the session that today still two distinct narratives exist, that almost completely disregard the ‘other’ or ‘opposing’ narrative. On the dialogue between the Israeli and Palestinians both Prof. Golani and Dr. Manna noted that:
“[It is a] dialogue of the deaf; people talk, but they don’t listen, they only listen to themselves”
Although a rapprochement between the Palestinian and Israeli sides seems a long shot at present, I hope it is possible for both Israelis and Palestinians to listen to people on the ‘other’ side in the same fashion as prof. Golani listened to Dr. Manna. That is, to listen three times:
To the ‘other’ narrative
Yourself →how does the ‘other’ story make you feel
The interplay between you and the ‘other’
Time will tell whether people are able to do this.
This post was written by Eline Sijbesma, MAIS Candidate at Leiden University. For more events in coordination with Leiden International Studies Student Association, please see our Calendar page.
On behalf of The Hague Institute for Global Justice, The Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation and Leiden University, we have the pleasure of inviting you to attend the Panel Discussion From Conflicting Narratives to Peace and Reconciliation in Israel/Palestine, to be held at The Hague Institute on Wednesday 4 March from 16:00 to 17:30.
In the Israel and Palestine conflict, history is only rarely used for its potentially transformative role in the peace process. To strengthen the potentially powerful role the study of historical narratives may play in conflict resolution, and to reflect on the contribution played by professional historians and educators the organizers have selected two eminent scholars to discuss their research on the 1948 War, a crucial historical moment for Palestinians and Israelis. During the event, Professor Motti Golani, chair of the International Israel Studies Program of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Adel Manna, Senior Research Fellow of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute will present their joint IHJR-publication Two Sides of the Coin: Independence and Nakba 1948 – Two Narratives of the 1948 and its Outcome. Professor André Gerrits, chair of the International Studies Program at Leiden University will moderate the debate. Ambassador Nikola Dimitrov, Distinguished Fellow at The Hague Institute, will provide an introduction.
Find out more about our program: MA International Studies!