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Department of Public Administration Rijks Universiteit Leiden Box 9555 2300 RB Leiden The Netherlands Tel:31-71-5273784/5273846 Fax:31-71-5273979 Institutional and Administrative Co-ordinator Dr Ben Hoetjes Department of Public Administration Hoetjes@rulfsw.leidenuniv.nl |
Contents
General Description
Leiden University
Founded in 1575 under the initialtive of William of Orange,
Leiden University
in the oldest university in the Netherlands. Although its Faculty
of Social Science dates only from 1964, the Department
of Public Administration and its sister department, Political
Science are well established. Both offer a wide range of courses
in European politics and public policy, and a number of
courses, including a year-long Public Administration programme,
are taught in English. Leiden has been extremely
active in exchange programmes and is the 'spider' in a Socrates
network which includes Limerick, Aberdeen and Uppsala.
Leiden also has a long-standing ties with Indiana University
and has a strong infrastructure for international exchange.
Areas of particular interest with regard to the proposed project
are public policy, EU-Canada relations, comparative
regional policy, centre- periphery relations, and the EU as a
multi-tiered system of policy- making. Although Leiden
has no formal ties with Canadian universities, Ben Hoetjes has
long-standing interests in both European Integration and Canadian
politics and Steven Wolinetz, of Memorial University has
long-standing informal ties with both the Departments
of Political Science and Public Administration at Leiden.
The Department of Public Administration
The study programme for public administration is a collective effort of the faculties of social sciences at the Leiden University and at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Public administration is a social science which studies the structure and function of public administration and the question of how these can be immproved. The study of public administration aims to provide a scientific training with regard to knowledge and understanding of the organization and functioning of public transport, major management mechanisms and techniques, policy and decision-maing processes. Moreover, techniques and social skills are also taught, which are necessary for the higher policy and management funcitons in the public sector. Public administration demands social expertise and skills.
The department maintinas a large number of international contacts.
There is an exchange programme for staff and students with the
School of Public and Environmental affairs in Bloomington Indiana,
USA and a European network which has been established within
the framework of the ERASMUS Programme.
Leiden
Leiden has a population of around 140,000. This includes some 10,000 students, of whom the majority live in the centuries old heart of the town inhabiting innumerbale student houses, alms-houses, and flat buildings. This means that Leiden has virtually all of the characteristics of a typical student town. Importantly it is a safe town, during the day and night. Leiden is located in the centre of the economic and cultural heart of the Netherlands. The lively capital of Amsterdam, The Hague (the seat of government), and Rotterdam (the world's largest sea-port) lie only a few dozen kilometers distant from each other. The easiest way to get from one place to another is by public transport: Dutch trains are fast reliable, and inexpensive. It takes no more than a glance at a map to show that The Netherlands is an ideal home-base for making trips in north-western Europe: Paris, London, Berlin and Brussels can be reached in a day or less by train, boat, or car. Flying can cut travel time even further: Schipol, the national airport, is twenty minutes by tain from Leiden and the trains leave every quater of an hour.
You can view a MAP of the Netherlands.
(Note: this map is quite large. Be patient)
If you were to draw a straight line from The Hague to Amsterdam,
Leiden would be on this line considerably closer to the former
than the latter as you can see in the closer view below:
Here is a detailed MAP of Leiden
You can go here to find out more information about Leiden.
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Facilities and Services on Campus
Sports and Recreation
The university sports centre offers a wide choice of sports
facilities. Student memberships fees are 75 guilders for a year
or 40 guiders for a half-year. Members may opt to play basketball,
table tennis, outdoor tennis, volleyball, football (soccer),
softball, and hockey. Furthermore, courses in physical training,
ju-jitsu, karate, fencing, and gymnastics are offered. The town
of Leiden also boasts a skating rink and a number of swimming
pools. Beside the university sports centre there are various
student sporting clubs. For a low fee, students can participate
in rowing, wid surfing, sailing, canoeing and horseback riding.
Culture
In the past, Leiden enjoyed a "golden age" of culture. Famous Dutch painters who lived and worked here include Rembrant, Jan Steen, Lucas van Leyden, jan van Goyen and Gerard Dou. Their work may still be admired at the Municipal Museum the Lakenthal. Leiden also houses the National Museum of Ancient History, the National Museum of Ethnology and many more.
The University Arts Centre offers a broad variety of courses
ranging from tap-dancing to acting, photography and voice lessons.
There are a number of theatres and cinemas. Numerous exhibitions
and concerts are organized each year.
Student Clubs
There are many student clubs in Leiden. Each organizes its own activities, and most have dining and recreational facilities. Members are usually welcome six days a week for drinks, dinner, parties or cultural events. Several clubs have made special arrangements for international students who are only staying in Leiden for a couple of months. Membership of the Leiden International Student's Club is open to both international and Dutch students.
The European Parliament AEGEE has an "antennea" in Leiden. Its members organize lectures on subjects related to European integration, and help international students find their feet in Leiden.
The Leiden International Centre welcomes foreign staff and students.
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Accommodation
Leiden University Housing has reserved a number of rooms for
foreign students. Most of these rooms are conveniently located
in houses in the centre of town. The monthly rent for a
room in such a house is between fl 350 and fl 650 a month. Most
rooms are on average about fl 450 per month. The rooms
are completely furnished and students share cooking and bathroom
facilities. Some of the houses have washing machines and
dryers. Applications for a room in any one of these houses is
limited.
Your institutional co-ordinator will provide you with the necessary
forms for application.
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Academic Programme
Both at undergraduate and graduate level most courses have a small-group, seminar format. Specific requirements vary for course. Grading schemes are according to European and/or North American system.
Academic Calendar
| 2-5 September | Introduction |
| 8 September - 17 October | Classes |
| 20-24 October | Fall Break |
| 27 October - 5 December | Classes |
| 8-18 December | Exams |
| January - May | Classes |
| April- May 1998 | Spring break: |
Course Selection
There are a large number of courses in English open to international
students. The following is a list of these courses in the Department
of Political Science and the Department of Public Administration
(these are for 96/97). There are many more than you can take
as electives, however. Your institutional co-ordinator will provide
you with a book containing all of them, and descriptions of each.
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Cost of Living
A visiting student will need a minimus of 1,300 guilders a month for rent, rood, books, etc. An adequate heath insurace is required to obtain a residence permit in the Netherlands.
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