Bachelor Exchange Report Sweden Uppsala part A Pieter Jan Tavenier (s )

Transcription

1 Bachelor Exchange Report Sweden Uppsala part A Pieter Jan Tavenier (s ) In enjoyed my bachelor exchange in Uppsala, Sweden and I can tell you that within Europe this is definitely one of the best student cities you can go to for your bachelor exchange. I arrived in the third week of August, returned in the Christmas holiday to visit my family and friends, and then started travelling in January. Overall, I had already completed my courses before the Christmas break, but strictly seen the exchange was until the 18 th of January. In my second year of studies I decided I definitely wanted to go abroad in my third year of studies, so I applied for some RUG contracts in New-Zealand and in Canada, which is always a bit of a gamble, but unfortunately I didn t get selected. Continuing my search I found Copenhagen very interesting, as well as Vienna and Uppsala. This time I was the lucky one together with two other Economics students from the FEB and I was going to Sweden! Contact with the university Sweden is a highly developed country, so you can be sure that the contact with the university is completely fine. Before going abroad, I attended some meetings about studying abroad and talked to some other students of the master IFM who already studied in Uppsala for a semester. Please be aware that the application deadlines in Sweden are extremely early compared to other European countries, which caused me a lot of trouble in arranging my courses/learning Agreement. (LA) Besides Sweden is a very bureaucratic and strict country when it comes to deadlines and since the faculty of economics and business is exploding in Uppsala, the exchange coordinators try as hard as they can for you to get you selected for your preferred courses, but don t expect to receive any exceptions. My problem was that the deadline was so early that I had to come up with my preferred courses in Uppsala, without having the opportunity to let these courses get approved by your study coordinator in Groningen who has to sign a Learning Agreement. Of course, I looked at the criteria as set up by the study coordinator in Groningen for your study exchange programme, but after I got selected for the courses in Uppsala he didn t approve my programme so I had to get into some courses in Uppsala which was really tough, because of strictness, bureaucracy and the competitiveness amongst students in Uppsala as already said before. In the end, I succeeded in arranging my LA, but I had to follow courses, which were not my preferred ones. The exchange coordinator try as hard as possible for you to get selected for the courses you want, but they are also bounded by rules so their power is limited. However, finally arriving in Uppsala everything (housing, schedules, etc.) was perfectly managed from the moment you touchdown in Sweden! Residence abroad I would highly recommend everyone to stay in Flogsta, because this is where the magic happens. Although my corridor, shared with 11 other people, was quite dirty compared to other corridor who were very clean, I had some nice corridor mates. The room was more than fine, but mostly the student environment is amazing in Flogsta. If you want to, there is always

2 a corridor party going on somewhere and during the first two weeks this absolutely the place to be to meet new friends, both Swedish and internationals. The introduction week is something you cannot miss when going abroad to Uppsala. Within 2 hours of arrival you have met new friends and this open environment makes it the best half a year of your life. I joined two nations called Södermanlands-Nerikes and Stockholms Nation, where I partied a lot, played soccer and sang in a choir, although I can assure you that I m not going to win The Voice of Sweden. So makes sure you join a nation in the introduction week to have the best time of your life! Furthermore, everyone speaks English and for Dutch or German students Swedish is quite easy to understand. During my stay I also travelled with fellow students to Norway, Finland, Estonia, Denmark and of course within Sweden. Since you re not having a job, although it is possible to work at one of the thirteen nations, or doing any committees you have plenty of time to travel. Grant I received the highest study grant possible of 250 euros a month, which was not enough to cover all my expenses, but is helps of course. Don t choose Sweden if you have a very tight budget, because once you re abroad you want to experience as much as possible. Study in general In Uppsala I followed two Business courses, one Government course, one Economic History course and a general Swedish language course. As said, on the one hand I would have chosen different courses if I d had the opportunity. And Uppsala Universitet does not offer a very interesting range of courses. But on the other hand, once you are on exchange your studies are not the main reason you re there, at least not in my case. Exchange Report Sweden Uppsala part B Development, Democracy and Governance (7.5 ects) This course at the Department of Government contained a few lectures a week and 3 tutorials in which you have discussions about the literature. These tutorials were very instructive and you had to come up with discussion statements and to present your personal literature review. Overall, we had to read three books and make a 4-hour essay exam. This course endures 4-5 weeks in total. Study load Compared to Groningen the workload is relatively low, since the concepts were not very difficult, but the amount of readings were significantly higher than Groningen. Prior knowledge other than an academic mindset is not a necessity for this course. Below you can find some more general information about this course. The aim of this course is to introduce the students to basic concepts, facts, arguments, and causal theories about development. The purpose is also to study and discuss the role of aid, globally and in Sweden. A part of the course focuses on and departs from recent research on sustainable development.

3 The course has three themes: Introduction to the development discourse, aid and conditionality, and development in practice. In the first theme the well-known book "Development as Freedom" by Amartya Sen and several articles will introduce you to some of the most important problems and discussions about development. The relationship between development and democracy will be particularly studied. In theme two, development and democracy will be analysed in connection with aid based on William Easterly's book "The White Man's Burden and a number of articles. Within this theme there is a focus on aid policies and on the concept democracy promotion. The last theme is development in practice; a section planned to study development through specific regional cases that allow us to understand some of the problems and possibilities it faces. It includes specific initiatives aimed to deal with the most pressing problems in the field while discussing the ways in which such challenges and programs can be further analysed and theorized. Learning outcomes After the course, the students are expected to be able to: - Understand basic concepts, facts, discussions and theories on development; - Analyse and discuss the role of aid and conditionality; - Have gained an increased understanding regarding the relationship between democracy, governance and development; - Account for specific development problems and causes in different regions of the world; - Understand and discuss some of the current research problems on development Students are examined through a written exam. Active participation in seminars, which include written assignments, gives credit when doing the written exam. Grades are awarded according the scale failed, "pass" or "pass with distinction". For students from Groningen, they grade you with letters, which can be easily transmitted to the Dutch system. Sweden s Economic and Social Development in the 19 th and 20 th Centuries. (7.5 ects) This course has the same set-up as the Development, Democracy and Governance course as presented above. This course, however, is at the Department of Economic History and some prior knowledge of economics is not required, but it will definitely help you passing this course. This course endures 4-5 weeks. Again, the workload is relatively low, since the concepts were not very difficult, but the amount of readings was significantly higher than Groningen. Although for this courses, the slides proved to be very handy when studying for the exam. This course deals in some depth with the extensive structural and economic changes, which have characterized Sweden since the mid 18th century. This takes the form of a chronological analysis of the rapid transition from a typical poor agrarian society to an industrial welfare state. Which were the driving forces behind the development? Why did they occur so late? Which were the production factors so favourable to Sweden? These are some of the questions activated in the course. The background and substance of the concept of The Swedish Model is also dealt with.

4 Learning outcomes Upon completion of the course, the student should: - Be able to describe the general development of the Swedish economy c present; - Be able to describe the content and importance of concepts such as "the agrarian revolution", "industrialisation", and "the welfare state" within the Swedish context; - Be able to discuss the importance of social, economic and political factors for economic change. The assessment is a written examination using a essay format. The exam takes 4 hours. Marketing, Consumers & Companies Intermediate Course (7.5 ects) + Organisational Behaviour Intermediate Course (7.5 ects) These two courses cannot be chosen separately and endure 8 weeks in total. Marketing, Consumers & Companies Intermediate Course (7.5 ects) This course is given together with Organisational Behaviour although the courses are only formally integrated, because of the schedules of the teachers, but do not integrate in any other way. The lectures of this course are not very interesting and neither is the teacher for the lectures, but the research project you have to do is valuable. The workload for the research project is comparable to the workload of research projects in Groningen, but the lectures and the exam was quite easy. The course is about marketing and has dual goals: one, it extends the students understanding of marketing with clear focus on consumer behaviour; two, it address the structure and process in business-to-business marketing. In doing so the course will direct attention to compare and contrast the structure and functioning of consumer behaviour and business-tobusiness behaviour. Furthermore, the course will address the issue of marketing as exchanges with uncertainty, information and knowledge as ingredients for both consumers and companies. We explore through discussions how companies handle business on B2B and B2C markets. We also discuss consumer behaviour from both the perspectives of individuals and how companies could find directions and help from their behaviour patterns in various marketing activities. Learning Outcomes The aim of the course is to generate understanding of consumer marketing and business-tobusiness activities. After participating in the course the student will get an understanding about and learn to: Explain the main concepts of consumer behaviour and relate to how companies could understand and translate them in their marketing action; Explain the buying process in companies; Explain how distribution works in B2B markets; Analyse various marketing problems in B2B and B2C markets; Research, present, and discuss various marketing issues; Understand, evaluate and support colleagues in the research and discussion activities.

5 Course examination includes written and oral assignments as well as a research paper. Examination includes both individual and team work elements. The course consists of compulsory parts. The final grade of the course is determined after taking into consideration the different parts of the examination. Grading criteria are presented in the study guide provided at the start of the course. Grades will be given in accordance with the Swedish grading system. The following grades will be used: VG (pass with distinction), G (pass), and U (fail). Assignments and exams handed in late will not be graded. Required supplemental work, if any, must be completed and handed in in accordance with the time-limit set in the study guide, otherwise the entire course (all assignments included) must be redone the next time the course is given, provided there is space in the course. Organisation Behaviour Intermediate Course (7.5 ects) This course is given together with Marketing, Consumers and Companies although the courses are only formally integrated, because of the schedules of the teachers, but do not integrate in any other way. In this course active participation is a must, because in 8 seminars each subgroup has to present their reflection of the chapter and the papers that the subgroup was assigned to. In total you present 7 seminars chapters and papers as your subgroup to the other subgroups, and the subgroup is the chair team for one seminar. This new format of teaching was new to me, but it forces you to read everything and be active during class discussions. The teacher is basically only listening to the students who are explaining the chapters and papers for each seminar. The workload for this course is comparable to the workload in Groningen, since you have to read a significant amount of books and papers. Thereby you have to prepare presentations and discussion questions for each seminar. The course opens with discussing questions at an individual level, and continues by relating these questions to higher levels of analysis, such as groups and organizations as a whole. The seminar series starts by a discussion about the individual s role in organizations, motivation, and decision-making. Then questions about groups and teams, decision-making, power and politics will be debated. Organizational structure, culture, change and leadership are important course themes, and these topics will be brought forward in seminars. In several seminars the subject will also be addressed from a gender theoretical perspective. Learning outcomes The course aims to give a critical review of the most important perspectives and schools in the field of organisational behaviour, as well as discuss the practical applications of these within the area of business studies. The course objective is also to give an introduction to the research methods used in the field. After participating in the course the student will be able to:

6 Describe and analyse how different individual, group or organisational aspects affect the possibilities to reach the organisation s goals; Apply basic knowledge of aspects affecting the behaviour of individuals in organisations in order to analyse processes and situations in business practice; Reflect on and critically examine the different models presented in the course literature; Relate the knowledge gained in this course to previous knowledge on organizing acquired earlier on the basic level; Summarise complex information and present it orally; Evaluate other students analyses and solutions to organisational problems The final grade is determined based on an assessment of all the parts of the examination. Grading criteria are presented in the study guide provided at the start of the course. Grades will be given in accordance with the Swedish grading system. The following grades will be used: VG (pass with distinction), G (pass), and U (fail). Course examination includes a written exam and seminar assignments. In addition, any remaining assignments or supplements must be completed and handed in by the deadline specified in the study guide. Otherwise the test in question will receive a grade of U. The entire course (all assignments included) will then have to be redone the next time the course is given, provided there is space in the course. Basic Swedish One, level A1 (7.5 ects) Every week you had two tutorials for 3 months in which the teacher explained the grammar and you practiced with the study materials. Note that for E&BE- students only 5 ects in languages is allowed for you programme. Besides, it is really fun to learn Swedish together with fellow exchange students. For Dutch and German students Swedish is the easiest foreign language you can learn I d say. Thus, the workload was very low. Systematic reading and practising of basic grammatical structures and principles of Pronunciation, reading of textbooks. exercises in pronunciation, exercises in listening comprehension. Basic exercises in oral and written communication. Introduction to Swedish university and study environments. Part 1. Reading Comprehension and Writing Proficiency 4.5 credits Part 2. Listening Comprehension and Oral Proficiency 3.0 credits Learning outcomes Upon completing the course, students with foreign education backgrounds and native languages other than the Scandinavian languages and Finnish will have acquired basic skills in the Swedish language and some knowledge about Swedish society. Part 1. Reading Comprehension and Writing Proficiency (4,5 credits) After completing the course, students will:

7 - Be able to demonstrate knowledge of the basics of Swedish language structure have a basic vocabulary of everyday words and phrases; - Be able to read and comprehend simple texts; - Be able to write short, simple texts about themselves and their everyday life. Part 2. Listening Comprehension and Oral Proficiency (3 credits) After completing the course, students will: - Be able to talk about themselves and their everyday life; - Be able to verbally communicate at a very simple level in Swedish; - Be able to passably understand when they are addressed concerning topics that concern themselves and their daily life; - Be able to generally understand short conversations about familiar topics. will be carried out continuously throughout the course. In addition, Part 1 will be examined through a written exam, and Part 2 will be examined through an oral comprehension exam, both at the end of the course. A two-grade scale (Pass, Fail) will be used. Students must have completed required course assignments and final exams to pass the course. There will be a re-test arranged (within a reasonable time after the original exam) for students who fail the final exams.