Boards, Committees and Co-participation

Departmental Board

Each (research) master’s programme has a Departmental Board. The Departmental Board is responsible for the relevant teaching programme, i.e. for designing and implementing the teaching programme. The Board comprises a member of the academic staff as departmental chairman (bachelor’s) or programme coordinator (master’s), generally a professor, and a student from the department in question. The members of the Departmental Board of the Research Master Area Studies are Prof. Dr. J.A. Silk (programme coordinator), Prof. Dr. P.M. Sijpesteijn, Prof. Dr. I.B. Smits and Inmaculada Macias Alonso (student member).
 
The Departmental Boards for bachelor’s programmes are responsible to the vice-dean,  the portfolio-manager for teaching within the Faculty Board. The tasks carried out by the Boards of the master’s programmes fall ultimately within the responsibility of the dean of the Graduate School. This dean is also the dean of the Faculty, and chairman of the Faculty Board.

Departmental Teaching Committee

The faculties have developed a quality assessment system for the purpose of safeguarding the quality of the teaching programmes. The main body involved in this system is the Departmental Teaching Committee (OLC). Each department has its own OLC. You are always free to approach the Departmental Teaching Committee with questions or complaints relating to teaching. You can also play a role yourself by becoming a member of the OLC. As a student member of the OLC, you can exercise influence on all possible aspects of teaching which apply within your department.  

The Departmental Teaching Committee is statutorily responsible for the following tasks:

  • advising on the department’s teaching and examination regulation (OER)
  • the annual assessment of the method of implementation of the OER
  • providing advice – either on request or on its own initiative – to the Board of the department and the Faculty Board regarding all aspects of the department’s teaching  


The Departmental Teaching Committee is comprised half of students and half of lecturers from the department. With regard to the student element, any student who is enrolled with the department can be elected annually for membership of the OLC.  Students who are enrolled in a particular department elect the student member of the OLC from their midst; the appointment of the lecturer members of these committees is effected by the Departmental Boards.   

The OLC carries out regular evaluations in order to assess the teaching carried out within its department. The methodology of these evaluations is set out in a faculty evaluation protocol. Each year the OLC assesses a number of courses from each study year, and also carries out a programme evaluation for each study year.  Each evaluation is followed by a written report, on the basis of which the OLC advises the Departmental Teaching Committee on any action to be taken.

During the academic year  2010-2011 the Departmental Teaching Committee consists of: Prof. Dr. Bas ter Haar Romeny (Chair), Dr. Jan Schmidt, Dr. Peter Verhagen, Ms. Shereena Honary (student), Ms. Alexandra Plesa (student), Jurre Knoest (student/secretary). Mail for the Departmental Teaching Committee can be send to the secretariat at Matthias de Vrieshof 4, room 112 (or, Secretariat Vrieshof 4, P.O. Box 9515, 2300RA Leiden). You can also send an email. (Eduboard.ResMa.AreaStudies@gmail.com).


Board of Examiners

Each department has a Board of Examiners, the members of which are appointed by the Faculty Board. The members of the Board of Examiners of the Research Master Area Studies are Prof. Dr. B.J. ter Haar (chair), Dr. J.T. Lindblad (secretary), Prof. Dr. L.P.H.M. Buskens and Dr. G.R. van den Berg. The Board of Examiners of your department is responsible for the effective organisation of the tests and examinations. In the larger departments, in particular, the Board itself does not carry out these activities, but designates the teaching staff as examiners. According to the statutory regulations, only lecturers are eligible for membership of a Board of Examiners.  If you have any questions or problems, you can approach the Departmental Teaching Committee, or the student member of the Faculty Board (Assesor).

in 2011-2012 the Board will convene on the following dates:

Monday, December 5, 2011

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Documents for a particular meeting of the Board of Examiners can be handed in until noon on the previous day.


Board of Admissions

Decisions regarding admission are made by the Faculty Board. The Board of Admissions has the task of applying the admissions criteria incorporated in the course and examination regulations of the master's programme in question and evaluating which applicants will be admitted to this master's programme. The board presents its conclusions as recommendations to the faculty board. The Board of Admissions prepares an annual report of its activities including a review of the recommendations it made during the programmes of that year.

The members of the Board of Admissions are appointed from among the members of staff charged with teaching the master's programme. Membership of the Board of Admissions cannot be combined with membership of the Board of Examiners of the master's programme.

The members of the Board of Admissions of the Research Master Area Studies are Prof. Dr. J.A. Silk (programme coordinator), Prof. Dr. P.M. Sijpesteijn, and Prof. Dr. I.B. Smits.

Board of Faculty

The Faculty Board comprises a dean (responsible for the master’s programmes), a vice-dean (responsible for the bachelor’s programmes and teaching in general), a portfolio-manager (or director) for operational management and a student member (also known as ‘assessor’). 

The Board is responsible for the general operational management of the faculty in the field of teaching, research and organisation/operational management. The assessor, a student member, represents the interests of the students within the faculty.  

The student member can be found in room 201-C of the Lipsius Building, telephone  071-527 2299 or 527 2318 (faculty office).  E-mail: assessor@hum.leidenuniv.nl

The Faculty Board is supported by the faculty office, which is responsible for preparing and implementing faculty policies. The secretariat of the faculty office is located on the third floor of the Lipsius Building, room 303, telephone  071 527 2318.  

Teaching and Student Affairs provides support for students and teaching staff. TSA combines several services: The Student Information Desk, facilities such as Careers Service and the Study Abroad coordinator, all student advisors, and the teaching administration.

Faculty Council

The Faculty Council has approval and advisory rights on a range of faculty matters, including teaching. It operates as the representative of the students and of the scientific and administrative staff with regard to significant decisions. The Faculty Council comprises nine staff members and nine student members, from different parties. More information about the Faculty Council and the issues which are discussed within this body can be found at: hum.leidenuniv.nl/organisatie/faculteitsraad (Dutch).

Advisory Committee on Teaching

The permanent Advisory Committee on Teaching (Dutch) advises the Faculty Board and the Faculty Council on all matters relating to teaching (across departments).  This independent committee comprises six staff members (at least one study advisor) and five student members.

Area Studies Web Editor
Last Modified: 30-03-2012