Obtaining an Academic Degree
It was not possible to take an academic exam in a modern language at the university until 1921, although the English Department …
Standardizing Teacher Training
The university was not the only place to master the English language. From 1921 until 1987, many studied at home to gain …
Making the Book of Bleak House
Charles Dickens became one of Britain’s most famous authors thanks to his good business sense as well as his talent for writing. …
Learning the Language
The English and the Dutch waged a number of wars in the latter half of the seventeenth century, usually over trading disputes. …
All is Fair in Love and War
In 1673 the playwright John Dryden wrote his account of the 1623 massacre of English soldiers in Amboyna (Maluku, Indonesia), by the …
The Dangerous Work of a Translator
A milestone in the development of the English language, the Tyndale Bible is one of the more exquisite artifacts housed in the …
Appointed by the Mayor and City Council Members
Until 1961, the University of Amsterdam really was the University OF Amsterdam: staff were appointed by both the City Council Member for …
The Harting Programme Scholarship
Pieter Harting (1892-1970) was professor of English Language and Literature from 1937 to 1962. The Harting Programme is part of his …
Professor Swaen, A Pioneer
Professor Adriaan Ernst Hugo Swaen (1863-1947) was the first professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Amsterdam, appointed in …
World War II
Meta de Vries began her study of English at the University of Amsterdam in 1938. In January 1941, she completed her …
Records of Student Life
Few of the earliest records of the English Department have survived. One remaining student administration book, spanning the 1920s to the 1950s, …