Meet Your Tutorial Lecturers of International Studies
International Studies has quite some new tutorial lecturers for this year! We’re very happy to welcome them in our team. Want to find out who they are and what they are looking forward to in the year to come?
Natalia Volodina
My name is Natalia Volodina and I come from Russia. I graduated from the faculty of history at Moscow State University and did my PhD thesis on Russian history. My area of expertise is Russia and Eurasia, Cultural studies, Baltic states.
Since 2014, I have taught History and Social sciences at university. I also created a historical movie club. I am interested in the peripheral territories of the Russian Empire, particularly in the North Caucasus and the Baltic states. As well, for many years I have been involved in genealogy and can call it my passion. There are many nations in my family; for 15 years I have been studying my own family tree, and now I am completing a book on family history.
I am going to teach World History and Economics of Russia and Eurasia. It is my first year teaching at a European university. I look forward to getting new experience and I hope to meet inspired and enthusiastic students.
Aleksandra Plazinić
My name is Aleksandra Plazinić. I am Serbian and a true expat as the Netherlands is my 5th country where I lived so far.
My educational background is multidisciplinary; I hold a Ph.D. in Strategic Communications with two master's degrees in Advanced European Studies and International Relations and another one in International marketing and management with a bachelor's degree in Economics
I have been working within international companies and organizations such as the United Nations and the European Commission with my fields of expertise in communications.
I will teach Sociolinguistics and Communications across Cultures this semester within International studies.
I am excited to meet new students and share my knowledge and experiences with them to contribute to their education and growth.
Josephine Collard
My name is Josephine Collard, I am Dutch and French.
I am an International Studies alumni and graduated in 2021 with a specialisation in the Middle East, I have done an Advanced Master of Science in International Relations and Diplomacy at Leiden University in co-operation with the Clingendael institute following my bachelor.
My field of expertise is in the MENA and Sahel region, Violent extremist groups and International Relations.
In the upcoming semester I will be teaching sociolinguistics and Academic Reading and Writing. I look forward to interacting with students and sharing ideas.
Francisco Alonso
My name is Francisco Alonso, and I am both Mexican and Dutch.
I completed a BA in Political Science and International Relations at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE); a joint MA in International Affairs, Conflict Resolution and Civil Society Development at the American University of Paris (AUP) and the Catholic University of Paris (ICP) and a PhD in Social and Political Sciences at the European University Institute (EUI).
My research interests are migration, democratization, voting systems and criminal and political violence, among others.
This semester I am teaching World History and Introduction to International Studies. I am looking forward to see the dedication, passion and creativity of the students to solve problems at Leiden University.
Carol Kerolos
My name is Carol Kerolos. I am from Egypt. I recently joined International Studies as a tutorial lecturer.
Similar to IS students, I pursued an interdisciplinary bachelor's degree in international law, politics, and international relations at Maastricht University. I followed it with a Master's in public international law at the University of Amsterdam.
My focus lies in international human rights and criminal law. My latest research experience/interests is investigating whether and how different actors are ignored in the development of international law and in scholarly work that narrates that development. Thus, I often combine law with politics and history. My regional expertise and experience are in Africa and the Middle East.
This semester, I am teaching World History and Communication Across Cultures. I am excited to witness student discussions and growth in the classroom and beyond. I am sure you have a lot to teach me.
Mengdi Zhu
I am Mengdi Zhu, and I will be your tutor for the course Principles of Economics this semester and Foundations of Political Economy in the second semester.
While majoring in Economics during my bachelor's degree, I discovered my passion for journalism and media studies. I did my master's in digital media studies in London and focused on players, digital games and their educational potential.
I am currently working on a project on the playfulness of social media platforms in China, in which I will combine my research interests and expertise in political economy, platform studies, China studies, and game and play studies.
I enjoy working in the highly diverse and international environment at the International Studies programme. I find it very meaningful to create a safe and supportive classroom for students from different backgrounds to exchange their experiences, and jointly cultivate a non-dichotomous understanding of issues of global significance.
Dimitris Kastritis
My name is Dimitris Kastritis and I’m from Greece.
I have studied Political Science at the University of Crete and, after my graduation, I moved to the Netherlands to do an MA in Philosophical Perspectives on Politics and the Economy at Leiden University. Upon the completion of my courses of the MA programme I moved back to Greece for a brief stint in an NGO, while after, having obtained my MA diploma, I was employed as policy consultant for a project led by the Greek Ministry of Culture.
As of 2021-2022 I am a PhD student at Leiden University and my research interests include political theory and intellectual history as well as politics and culture while in the International Studies programme I will be teaching seminars for the course “Introduction to International Studies”.
I hope that in the programme I will further develop as academic as I will be exposed to interdisciplinary approaches while the interaction with students of different backgrounds and cultures is definitely something I look forward to.