Monday 1 June 2026
Forty years of Dutch Studies: ‘Everyone here is incredibly kind’
For forty years now, internationals who want to study the Dutch language and culture have been able to do so through the bachelor’s in Dutch Studies. Three alumni explain why they opted for this programme. ‘I can cycle really well now – without a helmet.’
Monday 1 June 2026
Israel deserves to be a pariah state, says genocide expert (and former IDF soldier) Omer Bartov
Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, argues Holocaust expert and former IDF soldier Omer Bartov, who is giving a lecture at the Lipsius building on Thursday. His views have not gone down well in his native country. ‘Zionism is Jewish supremacism; racist, violent and genocidal.’
Thursday 23 April 2026
Breaking up with the treasurer? Prepare to be hounded out
Relations within the International Studies study association have become so disrupted that members are being slandered, excluded and even falsely accused of attempted arson. This is the conclusion drawn by the ombudsperson in a confidential report obtained by Mare. ‘The wrong people are being targeted. This makes absolutely no sense to me.’
Monday 20 April 2026
The fraudster is hiding in your pocket: how should the university deal with AI? (part 1)
How should the university deal with AI? In this two-part series, Mare sets out to find the answer. In part one: while policy lags behind, both students and lecturers struggle with the limits of acceptable use. ‘With numbers like these, detecting fraud is simply infeasible.’
Wednesday 1 April 2026
Facts about migration are being ignored, says Marlou Schrover. ‘I will keep pushing back’
‘Politicians can’t keep duping people’, says migration expert Marlou Schrover. The professor of economic and social history has been awarded emeritus status and will be honoured with a symposium on Friday. ‘You have to look at problems honestly and based on facts, but that doesn’t happen in politics or the media.’
Friday 13 March 2026
Mixed feelings about the war in Iran: ‘After the first attack, my cousin texted me heart emojis’
Iranian students and researchers in Leiden are deeply worried about family members who say they are actually pleased about the bombings. ‘If the regime doesn’t fall, my cousin will probably get the death penalty.’
Thursday 12 March 2026
Luc Sels doesn’t want to be chief, but first among equals: ‘Low trust in the Board is a major concern’
New Board president Luc Sels has made the switch from Leuven to Leiden. He stresses the value of the humanities and social sciences and calls for academic ‘pride’. ‘People here speak about the university with far too little pride.’
Wednesday 4 March 2026
At the knitting cinema, the clicking of needles pauses only during sex scenes
More and more students are taking up knitting, crocheting and embroidery, as became apparent during the first edition of the Leiden Knitting Cinema. ‘I practised for this film.’
Wednesday 4 March 2026
It is not women who need to change, but the system
Stop treating the symptoms: assertiveness training will not eliminate inequality between men and women in academia, argues Julia Wąsala.
Thursday 19 February 2026
Tobias hopped on the Flixbus to Kyiv and filmed students taking shelter, firing weapons and making bombs
Student Tobias de Saint Laurent made a documentary about how Ukrainian students his age divide their time between attending lectures and helping the army. ‘I don’t just want to observe – I want to make the world a better place.’
Wednesday 11 February 2026
Everything must change because of AI: ‘It’s very difficult to detect’
How do you test students’ knowledge now that they are increasingly using AI? Lecturers from the Faculty of Humanities discussed this topic during a symposium. ‘I’ve had students in my tutorials who don’t even know where the library is.’
Wednesday 11 February 2026
‘Time to start taxing the super-rich more’, says French economist Gabriel Zucman
The wealthiest people pay significantly less tax than the rest of the population, including in the Netherlands. That needs to change, according to French economist Gabriel Zucman, who recently gave a lecture in The Hague. ‘They are gaining more and more power to influence ideology.’