
Prof. Richard Griffiths
Testimonial Prof. Richard Griffiths
“I am proud that we have managed to attract many people from the 'real world' to higher education. People with valuable hands-on experience.”
“When teaching my specialist subject, the History of European Integration, I take my students back to the roots of the present day. The interdisciplinary character of the Master's in European Studies is very exciting: it is fascinating to communicate historical concepts and methods to non-historians. I also find it interesting to integrate history into societal discussions about the EU...
This programme is unique in the Netherlands. We first put together an interdisciplinary curriculum and then went looking for lecturers, rather than the other way round, as is often the case. I am also proud that we have managed to attract many people from the 'real world' to higher education, people with valuable hands-on experience. In the second semester the entire body of staff comes from outside the university. There are staff from the WRR (The Scientific Council for Government Policy), the SER (The Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands) and the House of Commons, including the Euro¬pean spokesmen from the CDA and PvdA, and a former Minister of Defence. These people are delivering complete courses. In addition, we also have an impressive list of guest lecturers. Of course, Leiden benefits from having both a physical and a personal close relation¬ship with the Hague. Close proximity to a centre of government is a great advantage for a course of this kind. The EU is occupying an increasing role in our lives. There is a growing demand in the Netherlands and elsewhere for high quality knowledge about the EU.”
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