Meet the Team
Our Dutch Studies community consists of undergraduate and postgraduate students, Language Coaches, Taalunie Teaching Assistant and our academic staff.
Get to know our Dutch Studies academic staff and find out how you can get in touch with them. If you are an Erasmus student from the Netherlands or Flanders, check out our Taalunie Language assistants' opportunities and get in touch.
- Dr Filip De Ceuster
What’s your name?
Filip De Ceuster, but you can call me Filip or Fip.What’s your role within Dutch Studies at Sheffield?
I teach Low Countries History and Culture, and Dutch Language across all levels. I am specialised in Interwar Literature, but I also teach a module on ecocriticism in contemporary Dutch and Flemish children’s literature.Favourite spot in Sheffield?
Definitely my colleague Yeti’s lovely garden, where at the end of the academic year all students of Dutch gather for the Gezellige Nederlandse Zomerborrel! Bunting, bubbles, bites and bulbs!Favourite spot in the Low Countries?
That’s a difficult one...
Outside: the quays of the river Scheldt (Schelde) in the city of Antwerp. Watching the ships and seagulls on long summer evenings, cracked cobbles with dandelions… It was one of my favourite reading spots when I was a student.
Inside: the magnificent Printing Museum of Plantin-Moretus (also in Antwerp), which has a unique book collection and the oldest printing presses in the world!Favourite word or expression in Dutch?
So many! But here’s a good one: “Als de vos de passie preekt, boer, let op uw kippen!”. Literally: if the fox preaches the passion, farmer, watch your chickens!A tip for incoming SLC students?
Get out of your comfort zone, try new things and keep a journal. (I do realise that that is more than one tip.) And take up Dutch! (that’s four now).- Dr Henriette Louwerse
What’s your name?
Henriette Louwerse. In Dutch, Henriette is shortened to Jet, which you pronounce as /yet/. That is why I am also called Yeti (Jet in Dutch)What’s your role within Dutch Studies at Sheffield?
I am the Director of Studies and I teach Dutch for Beginners and one semester of our Dutch Advanced course. I also offer a course on (post)colonial history and society and on the representation and ideology of the family in Dutch and Flemish literature and film. And finally I am interested in translation.Favourite spot in Sheffield?
I have many favourite spots. I like Crookes with all its charity shops, Weston Park because it is so green and timeless, but my top spot is the Western Bank Library. Go in, smell the books and you’ll feel learned! Or at least inspired to read and study. And the staff are very helpful.Favourite spot in the Low Countries?
I will go for anywhere in Friesland; I love the northern provinces a lot but it is where I grew up. I am also very fond of the beaches in Zeeland. And Groningen is my favourite city.Favourite word or expression in Dutch?
I love the ‘oe’ sound in Dutch which is close to English ‘oo’ but a little bit shorter. The word smoesje is one of my favourite words because it is sweet and short and (quite) harmless and it means excuse, little white lie.A tip for incoming SLC students?
Give as much as you take; engage from the start; and if you are unsure about something, just get in touch. We are here for you.
- Megan Strutt
What’s your name and where are you from?
My name’s Megan and if you’re thinking that doesn’t sound very Dutch, you’d be right. That’s because I come from a small village in the Peak District!What do you do?
I’m a teaching assistant in Dutch and German at the University.Favourite spot in the Low Countries?
Probably the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht. From the outside, the building looks like some sort of spaceship-windmill hybrid (very Dutch science fiction if you ask me). Inside, at the top of the building is a room nestled under the domed roof, with beanbags on the floor and intricate patterns painted in black and white on the ceiling. The perfect spot to sit and contemplate life after having a nosey at some art.Favourite word or expression in Dutch?
I’m a big fan of ‘jeetje mineetje!’ which has a meaning a bit similar to the good classic ‘tsjonge, jonge, jonge!What’s currently your favourite Dutch song?
I’ve racked my brain for ages but can’t think of one - sorry!!A Dutch or Flemish film you want to recommend to our students? And why?
Two very different suggestions here - first of all, not a film, but the series ‘Amsterdam Vice’ on Netflix is a bingeable police action series set in the 80s. It’s super stylish and worth watching just for the flares and 80s cars to be honest… My second suggestion is indeed a film: het afscheid, a grainy black and white film from the 1960s, set in the Antwerp docks. If you want something plot-heavy, maybe give this one a miss, but if you’re like me and love a good atmospheric film that doesn’t really go anywhere, but lets you escape into another world for a little while, this one’s perfect.
- Lizzie Loeff
What’s your name and where are you from?
Hi! My name is Lizzie and I am from Nijmegen, a city in The Netherlands very close to the German border.
What do you study?
I am studying Interdisciplinary Social Sciences in Utrecht. It’s a broad programme that combines different perspectives on society, people and human behaviour.
Favourite spot in the Low Countries?
My favorite spot in the Low Countries is Vlieland, one of the Wadden Islands in the north of the Netherlands. It’s only about a one-and-a-half-hour ferry ride from the mainland, yet it feels like you’re a world away. I love the peaceful atmosphere, the beaches and the fact that you can get almost everywhere by bike.
Favourite word or expression in Dutch?
Gezellig! There isn’t really a perfect English translation, but it can mean something like cosy, sociable, fun or convivial. Dutch and Flemish people use gezellig for all kinds of things: a cosy café, a fun evening with friends, a nice atmosphere or a person. Basically, if something feels warm, pleasant and enjoyable, it’s probably gezellig!
What’s currently your favourite Dutch song?
My favourite Dutch music comes from the album New Wave, which was released in 2015, with my favourite song being Investeren in de liefde. The album features a group of different Dutch hip-hop artists who came together for this album.
A Dutch or Flemish book or film you want to recommend to our students? And why?
One of my favorite Dutch films is the comedy New Kids Turbo. The humour is very over-the-top, crude and typically Dutch.- Emma Kole
What’s your name and where are you from?
Hi everyone, my name is Emma and I’m from Hilversum in the Netherlands.What do you study?
I study history at Utrecht University and now do my specialisation in political history.Favourite spot in the Low Countries?
In the Netherlands I’m a marathon ice speedskater so actually my favourite place is the ice rink in Utrecht! A few years ago we could skate on the Loosdrecht lakes nearby Hilversum, and I also love it there in the summer.Favourite word or expression in Dutch?
I like the word lekker because it is multifunctional. For example, in Dutch we use it to talk about food, the weather, and how we feel.What’s currently your favourite Dutch song?
I like a lot of Dutch songs but the first one I thought of is Pak Maar M’n Hand by Nick & Simon. It’s old but a classic to me.A Dutch or Flemish book or film you want to recommend to our students? And why?
I would definitely recommend Dutch comedy and romcoms. A few that I like are Soof, Alles op Tafel en De Tatta’s.
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