Professors’ Testimonials
Dame Rosalyn Higgins – General Course – Summer 1991
“The Hague Academy is not only a unique experience for students: preparing and delivering lectures is an extraordinary experience for the professors, too. After all, this is the pinnacle of lecturing challenges, with so many exceptional students to interest, so many diverse backgrounds to appeal to, so many problems in having something really fresh to say. To teach at The Hague Academy is an undertaking like no other.”
Prof. Pieter Jan Kuijper – Special Course – Summer 2015
“The Peace Palace, I came here first as a Dutch student during the 1970’s, know the building very well, but still the atmosphere is special, somewhat awe inspiring. In contrast, I now know that the porcelain sculpture of a group of Polar bears in the central courtyard, donated by Denmark, is carefully packaged every winter because it cannot withstand mild Dutch winter frosts. Preparing bi-lingual power-points and showing them to a friend to have the French corrected if necessary. Talking to the interpreters and realizing once again that we all love the law and its language; its subtlety, its precision, or – sometimes – the intentional lack of it. Provoking students into asking me questions during my lectures, and succeeding …or not. Having animated discussions after each course with students from everywhere. Sitting in the garden in the sun at lunchtime and having a substantial part of your sandwich snatched away from you by a swooping sea-gull with a wingspan as large as both your arms. It’s all part of The Hague Academy experience.”
Prof. Lavanya Rajamani – Special Course – Summer 2018
“The week I spent at the Academy delivering a Special Course on International Climate Change Law is truly one of the highlights of my academic career. I very much enjoyed engaging with 300 bright, curious, and passionate international lawyers from across the world. I would like to think that my course sparked their interest in one of the defining challenges of our time, and that we will all benefit from skilled international lawyers working on climate change. The Hague Academy experience, of course, goes well beyond the delivery of the course. The Academy staff in particular, were perfect hosts – from the warmth of their welcome to the seamless and efficient organization of the courses – they helped make every moment at the Academy a cherished memory.”
Prof. Stéphanie Francq – Director of Studies – Summer 2018
“The Directed Studies have been one of my most joyful teaching experiences! Because it is truly a joy to exchange with a small group of students, already well advanced in their course of studies and in their thinking. Comfortably installed in our superb room nestled in the Peace Palace Library, we shared our questionings, each one taking his or her place, drawing from his or her own intellectual heritage, taking an increasingly personal and sharpened look at history and current events, letting thoughts unfold, ideas emerge and connections be made. It seemed to me that we were working at a level of subtlety rarely experienced in a teaching context.
The Hague also tells a story of relationships that are forged: with your “counterpart” (Dulce Lopez, who was in charge of the anglophone section, and I were made to collaborate – including on the “dancefloor”! – it was a real pleasure to discover each other), with the colleagues who deliver the courses, with the wonderful team of the Academy and with the students who are on the threshold of their careers, to which you hope to bring some bubbles of freedom. You are left feeling a little nostalgic, thinking the summer ended too soon when there was still so much to say and, above all, galvanized by the richness of the exchanges and the new bonds of friendship.”
Prof. Rüdiger Wolfrum – General Course – Winter 2020
“Teaching the General Course on Public International Law in January 2020 was a superb experience and quite a challenge. However, it was first and foremost a pleasure to get engaged in an academic discourse with so many interested and interesting students from all over the world. Their questions and comments contributed substantially to the course; I would do such a course again if that would be possible.”
