Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of Leiden University

Raise your hand if you're obsessed with the new classrooms and study spaces below ground at PdlC! 🙋‍♂️ Swipe for some cute views of our students making full use of the new, squeaky clean spaces 📚

Now that's one half of the building is new and improved, the second half is close to follow. As you may have noticed, some wonderful construction workers have been awfully busy the last few weeks and months on the B side of the building. Can you guess what's coming in there? Comment below ⬇️

Comment below if you have ever visited the 🦕🦖 if the beautiful exterior hasn’t convinced you yet, we’re sure what’s inside will 👀

Did you know that the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre is not only a museum for natural history, but also an active research centre that dedicates itself to topics such as biodiversity and sustainability? 🌱

Best of all, it’s only a short walk from the faculty, so it makes for a perfect after-class activity with your friends 🤝 PS. Students get a discount 🤫 so bring your student ID!

Hi, I’m Mijke and I’m the Student Ambassador of the programme Academische Pabo (Primary Teacher Education Programme, ACPA) .

📚 As a third-year ACPA student, I love how this programme combines theory and practice! Two days a week, we’re at university, diving into learning theories - like how to support children going through tough times at home. At the university of applied sciences , we learn the practical side of teaching - like how to give lessons in Dutch, math, and music 🇳🇱➗🎶. And once a week, everything comes together during my internship, where I actually get to teach! Tomorrow, for example, I’ll be leading the class all morning 👩‍🏫.

💡 One of the things I love about ACPA is how we can apply theory directly in the classroom. Last year, for example, we learned about gifted children, and I had a student in my class who was gifted. Thanks to what I learned, I knew how to support them better!🏡.

🏒 In my free time, I love playing hockey and I work at the event bar 🍻. The principal of my school wants to get married there next year, so I might be working that event💍! On Mondays, I meet up with my group of friends from my student association . On Tuesdays, I have house nights🕺 at my student house, where I live with 15 other students.

🎓 The ACPA is a great option for students who are looking for more of a challenge! But if you plan your time well, there’s plenty of free time too: it’s one study with two degrees; you only need 60 ECTs a year, not 120!📅 For now, I’m focused on my studies and student ambassadorship, but next year, who knows? I might take a gap year to travel ✈️🌏

: Hi, I'm Elaine and I'm doing a Master's in Psychology with a specialisation in Applied Cognitive Psychology🧐 As I'm a fan of numbers, and statistics is only a small part of this degree, I'm also doing a second Master's in Statistics & Data Science at 📊 I've found that this combination is particularly useful for psychological research 🔍

My thesis research, for instance, is about improving the user experience of Virtual Reality and thus putting this technology to better use in society 🤖 We do our experiments at the SSH labs! In this field, you work with A LOT of data, and often very complex data too 💾 That's why I opted for the second Master's - to learn how to best navigate these data sets, and use them to test our hypotheses & strengthen our research 💪

My cousins sometimes tease me, and say that I'm a nerd🤓 But I love what I do - so if that makes me a nerd, I'm proud of it💘 In the future, I'd love to keep researching this topic by perhaps doing a PhD🎓 I do, however, want to stay grounded and work closely with companies to help them apply and improve the use of VR technologies in society 🤝 Get the best of both worlds!

New year, new semester & a big, fat WELCOME BACK to the faculty🫂 🎉 We hope that the last few weeks posed a moment of rest and relaxation, so you can come back to the classroom refreshed and ready to tackle the year ahead 🥶 We sure missed you, and are happy to have our halls buzzing with students again 💜

Want to take charge of your academic pathway, make an impact with your studies, and get ready for the job market? Then the Honour's College 'Science, Society & Self' is just the thing for you ✨

🗓️ Application deadline: 9 February
ℹ️ Info sessions:
- Monday, 3 February at 17:15 – PdlC, room 1B01.
- Tuesday, 4 February at 17:15 – Wijnhaven, location tba.

Check the link for more details, and to sign up for the information sessions: https://www.student.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2025/02/honours-college-information-session-leiden?cf=social-and-behavioural-sciences

Have you already marvelled at our faculty Xmas tree in the central hall?😍 Hopefully, it'll put you in a festive mood while attending your last lectures of the year and preparing for exams 🎁🎄 Since last year, we've also added several, yummy new ornaments to adorn the tree - which one is your favourite?🍭⬇️

That’s a wrap on 2024 at FSW 😮‍💨🤌🤌 comment your best academia-core, AI generated music evolution playlist name below🎶🦋🦄🎓🍏✨⬇️

p.s. all facts and figures in this post were completely made up… or were they?👀

Where's your favourite spot in the city to observe the beautiful changing colours of fall foliage?🍂 Be sure not to miss these views with all the studying you've been doing for midterms! A little walk in the sun will do wonders for your productivity and health ☀️ Have a nice weekend 🧡

Bringing back with the lovely Mila from the Institute of Psychology ❣️ Swipe to get to know her better, and learn more about her plans after graduating this fall 🎓 🎉

It was wonderful to see the city, our staff and our students come together for the LGBTQIA+ community last Saturday for the second edition of Leiden Canal Pride❣️ 🌈 ✨ Swipe for the cutest supporter of the q***r community 🐶 ➡️

This year's theme 'Make Leiden University a Space to Be Trans*' allowed us to both celebrate trans communities, and simultaneously create a stepping stone to engage in discussion about continuing societal resistance to the respect of trans community facilities, such as all-gender toilets, and forms of address. As such, students and staff on the boat also proudly held up signs with a more serious tone and message, to express solidarity with trans communities 🩵 💗 🤍

Dean Sarah de Rijcke sums it up perfectly: 'This was fun AND important,' she says. 'It should be more than just giggles, as this is also a symbol of our commitment to a safer university for all. We continue to challenge ourselves to do better for our q***r community so that we can create a truly inclusive environment. Simply, because we love everyone for who they are.' 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

📸: Monique Shaw

"Hi, I'm Paul and I'm one of the receptionists at Pieter de la Court! 👋

As a receptionist there's always a lot of things to do, but I like to see my job as enabling students and staff to feel at home on campus; whether that is by answering their questions, getting them where they need to go within the building, or making sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes 🤝

I've been working here for just over a year, and am really enjoying it so far. Before working here I used to be a truck driver 🚚 It could get a little lonely at times, so what I like about working here is the people. What I particularly like about the Faculty of Social Sciences is that people are more open; they make eye contact, greet me, or start a conversation, whereas at other university buildings I've experienced the opposite 👀

In my free time I like to edit videos of my family, vacations, or a friend's wedding day 📹 I could spend days on end finding the right music to score a certain scene 🎶

I like to have conversations with everyone at the faculty, to understand who I'm doing this for, whether it's students, researchers or other support staff. It gives me energy, and I'm always open for a chat 👐 Whether it's feedback or just about the weather, don't be scared to come and talk to me!"