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New faces in the classroom: meet our new tutors and tutor-lecturers!

This month, not only 520 new students have arrived in The Hague to start their International Studies adventure, we also welcome four new tutors and five new tutor-lecturers. They are joining the team of now almost 40 tutors. In this article they will quickly introduce themselves and share their expectations of teaching at International Studies.

Flor Gonzalez Correa
I worked for several years in the UK as a Teaching and Research Associate before joining International Studies. I also participated in several consultancy projects for organisations mainly based in Europe and North America. My main research interest comprises the areas of business and human rights. I am interested in discussing the creation of mechanisms that improve the transparency and accountability of multinational corporations in order to curb human rights abuses and enhance social justice. I enjoy teaching Economics because I think the concepts and theories we learn from it are very helpful to enhance our understanding not only of complex social phenomena, but also of everyday decisions. Outside work, I enjoy practising yoga, learning languages, travelling and reading novels. 

As tutor, I expect to contribute to sparking the curiosity of students to think about the challenges we face in the world and what can we do about them. I also want to learn much more about the education system in the Netherlands, to continue developing my teaching skills and to use my experience to add to the excellence of International Studies. So far, it has been very rewarding to work alongside a group of such talented and friendly people. The tutors of International Studies are really interested in the students, in delivering great teaching and in creating a very comfortable and professional atmosphere. As for the International Studies students, I think that the international diversity and the structure of the programme attract students who are curious about the world, who are open to learning about the perspectives and who are willing to debate and challenge their own views. I expect a lot of passionate debates, insightful questions and fresh perspectives.

Seger Kersbergen
I recently finished the Research Master Latin American Studies at Leiden University, during which I got the opportunity to teach some classes at International Studies. I'm very glad that I can continue doing this as a tutor.  My research is focussed on masculinity in Brazilian film and literature, but I have a broad interest in, for example, history, politics and linguistics. The most rewarding thing about teaching at International Studies will probably be working in an international environment where people share their interests and ideas. I will keep you as motivated as possible providing a fun and cooperative learning environment. If we all put in the work, International Studies will be a great experience for all of us!

David Sip 
Before joining the programme, I did a Research Master in Middle Eastern Studies at Leiden University. My expertise is Shia militancy, Iranian foreign policy and proxy warfare, furthermore the impact of World War II in the Middle East. The hopes I have for teaching at International Studies is that I will become a better teacher, be able to help my students grasp complex theories and even get a better insight into the topics I teach myself. The biggest challenge I see is in not demanding too much, but also not too little from my students, while I should not kill off the joy in learning by confronting them with impossible tasks, letting them get off with too easy tasks would also be counterproductive. The biggest reward for me will be becoming a better teacher and getting better at helping my students to grasp complex concepts.

Rosa Vieira de Almeida
Before joining International Studies, I was finishing my PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University.  I am a Sinologist and work on modern Chinese literature, particularly Sinophone and diaspora literatures. I am also interested in issues related to race, language and migration, especially in (post)colonial or diasporic contexts.

Coming from a very small department, I am excited to join a program as large as International Studies! I imagine it will be a challenge to remember all my students' names, but I anticipate that it will be rewarding to teach such a broad range of students with varying backgrounds and interests. I expect International Studies students to be curious and critical learners, who are open to be surprised by their readings, their colleagues and especially themselves. And I’m happy to join them on the journey!

Krista Murchison
Before joining International Studies as a tutor-lecturer, I worked primarily in the English Department at Leiden University. I also taught for several years at the University of Ottawa in Canada. Before that I worked as a tour guide in a museum in Canada. My area of expertise is literary studies. I’m interested, among other things, in the ways in which meaning gets created through various text-based media, including digital media, medieval manuscripts, and printed books.  

I’ve heard that International Studies offers students small tutorial groups, so I expect that teaching at International Studies enables instructors to provide students with highly individualized learning paths through the course material. In my experience this is a valuable component of effective education, so I look forward to joining the International Studies team.  

Maaike van Naerssen
Before joining International Studies, I was a lecturer at Leiden University, teaching mostly in the linguistics programmes. My research is concerned with language use in (informal) interaction, with a specific focus on cross-cultural differences. The interplay between language and culture and the question of universality in human behavioural patterns are what fascinates me most. The diversity of people involved in International Studies with a large range of different backgrounds, languages, ideas, beliefs, etc. presents a very appealing environment to work in (and a wonderful research site to study cross-cultural differences – just kidding). I look very much forward to working with you all and I expect to learn a lot myself during these next semesters.

Mo Tian
I was working as a research fellow at a German and two Chinese universities before joining International Studies. My area of expertise is social history of post-war China and Japan, and discourses of colonialism and imperialism. I am passionate about teaching because I believe in the idea of sharing knowledge and mutual intellectual growth with learners. I expect from teaching at BAIS to gain a clear vision of education in an international environment.  

Hamish Williams
I’m originally from Cape Town, South Africa, but I’ve been living in the Netherlands since 2015. You can currently find me in what most sensible people regard to be the cosmopolitan heart of Leiden (AKA Leiderdorp). My background is in literary studies—once upon a time Latin, then Greek (Homer’s Odyssey, for my PhD), now I’m working on fantasy/children’s fiction in English literature. I’m delighted to be working at BAIS this year, and I look forward to the challenge of teaching a class from multicultural backgrounds, of stimulating interesting discussions among the students, and of, hopefully, learning a few tricks along the way.

Agnieszka Wolodzko
I hold a MA in Philosophy (2008) and a MA in The Philosophy of Art History (2012). At the moment, I am finalising my PhD in the cultural disciplines at Leiden University. Since 2016, I have worked at the AKI Academy of Art and Design in Enschede teaching philosophy of art, coordinating Bio-lab and lecturing in BIOMATTERs, an artistic research program that explores how to work with living matter. I am an artistic curator within the field of bio art. Since 2017, I have been a lecturer at Leiden University teaching courses on post humanism and intersection between art, ethics and biotechnology.

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