“erasmus+ халқаро кредит мобиллик: таълим ва илмий

 
Qualitative objectives 
The project qualitive objectives involved teaching and supervision of MA and PhD 
students at both universities. The Leiden MA students profited from the expertise in 
history, literature, epigraphy and historiography of the incoming Uzbek staff members: 
Prof. Bakhtiyar Babadjanov, Prof. Shukhrat Yovkochev, Prof. Shamsiddin Kamoliddin 
and Prof. Ulpatkhon Mukhibova. Uzbek academic staff members delivered a block of 
guest lectures and masterclasses incorporated in the regular MA seminars on the history 
and material culture of Central Asia (2016-2017; 2017-2018 academic year) as part of the 
programmes MA Asian Studies, MA Middle Eastern Studies and MA Eurasian Studies at 
Leiden University. The lectures were also open to interested academic staff members and 
attracted lots of attention. 
 
The lectures of the Leiden staff members Dr Elena Paskaleva, Dr Peter Webb and 
Dr Gabrielle van den Berg in Uzbekistan were open to larger audiences in Tashkent that 
involved MA, PhD students and scholars at different stages of their academic careers. 
The masterclasses given in Tashkent focused on methodology and thus contributed to the 
improving of the teaching standards at the Tashkent Institute of Oriental Studies. 
The original qualitative objectives were met. Since the teaching activities were 
related to literature, arts and culture of Central Asia, the lectures and masterclasses were 

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conducted in English and upon request by the Uzbek partners partially in Arabic and 
Persian. In this way, the academic community in Uzbekistan could profit not only from 
the field expertise of the outgoing Dutch experts but also improve their language skills 
and in-depth knowledge.
Additional contacts were created with Uzbek PhD students and the outgoing staff 
members have stayed in contact with them providing advice related to their research 
activities.
One of the biggest problems was the language competence of the incoming staff 
members. In Uzbekistan English language training is widely spread and available. 
However, it was difficult to select university staff members who not only speak English 
fluently but could also teach in English at MA level at Leiden University.