PEDAGODICAL STUDIES AND CERTIFICATES

06/2023 Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs (BKO), Leiden University
01/2022 University Pedagogy (10 ECTS credits), Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki. (In English)
03/2015 University Pedagogy (10 ECTS credits), Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki. (In Finnish)

SUPERVISION AND EXAMINATION
2022-2023 Co-supervior of an external PhD candidate, Leiden University
2022 Member of the reading committee and an opponent at the defense on a PhD candidate, Leiden University.
2022-2023 Supervisor of 8 MA thesis in MA Arts and Culture program, Leiden University.
2022-2023 Examiner (second reader) for 5 MA thesis in MA Arts and Culture program, Leiden University.
2022-2023 Examiner (second reader) for 5 BA thesis in BA Arts, Media and Society, Leiden University.
2020 onward A supervisor in the Doctoral Programme in Gender, Culture, and Society (SKY), University of Helsinki.
2017-2019 Co-supervisor of postdocs and research assistants, Asian Urbanisms cluster, ARI, National University of Singapore.
2016   One of the instructors in the Doctoral Summer School at the Doctoral Programme in History and Cultural Heritage, University of Helsinki.
2010-2019   Supervision of thirteen MA thesis and external evaluation for three MA thesis at the Universities of Helsinki and Jyväskylä in the fields of Art History, Asian Studies and Political Science.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
My teaching philosophy is grounded in a holistic human development, critical pedagogy, and sociocultural learning. Justice, equality, and validity are the key values underlying the ethical principles that I strive for in my teaching. The cornerstone of my pedagogical approach is the perception of learning as a continuous, gradually deepening analytical process aimed at comprehending multiple perspectives within and in-between different worldviews. The interactive construction of knowledge is ensured through the use of multiple study methods (e.g. discursive, visual, and textual methods in team, pair, and individual work).

TEACHING
2023 MA Interculturality II: Global Imaginations. (10 ECTS). With Dr. Gerlov van Engelenhoven. International Relations: Culture and Politics. Leiden University.
2023 BA2: (Re-)Imaginations of the Rural. (5 ECTS). Art History: Art, Media and Society. Leiden University.
2022 MA Alternative Representations and Engagements: On the Agency and Political Power of Contemporary Arts. (10 ECTS) Leiden University. MA Arts and Culture: Art History.
2022 MA Museums of the Future: Ethics, Responsibilities and Practices. MA Arts and Culture: Museum Studies. With University Lecturer Anna Tummers. Leiden University.
2022 BA2: Art and Animals. (5 ECTS). Art History: Arts, Media and Society. Leiden University.
2022 BA2: (Re-)Imaginations of the the Rural. (5 ECTS). Art History: Arst, Media and Society. Leiden University.
2022 MA Interculturality II: Global Imaginations. (10 ECTS). With Dr. Gerlov van Engelenhoven. International Relations: Culture and Politics. Leiden University.
2021 Urban Encounters: Arts, creativity and public space course (5 ECTS). Taught both in the autumn and spring semester. Art History, University of Helsinki.
2021 Black Lives Matter: liikkeen visuaalisuus ja estetiikka [Black Lives Matter movement’s visuality and aesthetics] With PhD candidate Essi Lamberg. (5 ECTS). Art History, University of Helsinki.
2020 Environmental Art in Global Context course (5 ECTS). Art history, University of Helsinki.
2007 – 2016    Lecturer both in Art History, Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies and in Asian Studies, Department of World Cultures, University of Helsinki, Finland. Ten courses with interdisciplinary approach on East Asian cultural history, visual culture, aesthetics, visual arts, and contemporary art open to BA and MA students from both disciplines.
2007 – 2016    Ca. 25-30 guest lectures on East Asian culture, arts and aesthetics Asian studies, Urban Studies and Art Studies in University of Helsinki and 6 different universities in Oulu, Tampere, Turku, Helsinki and Espoo (Finland).

STUDENT FEEDBACK

“The professor is OUTSTANDING. Really. Not only she is extremely organized, her way of addressing people is extremely kind, respectful, and it provokes us, students, to reflect critically on the contents being discussed. Yet, the strongest point of the course is her domain on the topic and how culturally relative every definition is. It is the first time I see a professor this aware of colonialism, and applying decoloniality in every word she says. After all, decolonialism should not be a class topic, as it has been addressed so far, but a tool to think critically about the knowledge we build every day as students and professors of a renown university.”

“ Dr. Valjakka was a wonderful lecturer. She explained everything well and kept us interested. I enjoyed that every course had an interactive part, like discussions and group projects, which kept everyone involved. The feedback we received was constructive and she always helped us to deepen our insights.”

“Minna creates a very welcoming environment and really encourages us to understand the material deeply but to also develop how we personally relate to the topics discussed: to really think very critically about it. The course is broad and a tad bit inconsistent by design; because the rural is just such an abstract term. We navigated this great plane of rural-ness together as a group. Not only did it help me discover what the rural means for me, but also how to approach and navigate grand concepts like this is the future.”

“Prof. Valjakka made sure to provide a safe learning environment. I really liked the way we learned how to talk about art between each other. Furthermore, I enjoyed the "Non-Western" perspectives. Having a small homework in addition to the readings was very helpful to understand the texts.”

“Rather than giving clearcut definitions, Minna gave us the tools needed for an inquiry of our own. This meant we are not handed clarity, but rather end the course with a plethora of different sides and interpretations. It does justice to the complexity of art history.”