 
UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN, DENMARK SOCIAL SCIENCE
EXCHANGE PROGRAM
The Department of Sociology offers an undergraduate student exchange program
with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The University of
Copenhagen is the largest, most prestigious and oldest (est. 1479) university
in Denmark and among the best universities in Europe. It offers a variety
of social science courses in English—many designed specifically for students
from North American and other European universities. Students may choose
courses in sociology, anthropology, government, psychology, and economics.
This is Dartmouth’s only off-campus program in any Scandinavian
country. It allows students to benefit from the experience of a large,
urban university in a country with social, political and economic systems that
are much different from those in the United States. Students will be able
to take courses that often focus on these systems. In particular, the
Scandinavian countries are noted for having the most egalitarian economic
systems in the world, social democratic governments, generous welfare states,
and in most cases very liberal cultural traditions. The program will
enable students to become fully affiliated members of the University of
Copenhagen with complete access to libraries, lectures, seminars and, of
course, the beautiful city of Copenhagen, and surrounding environs!
Marketplace
Program: Dartmouth students go to Copenhagen
only during the fall term. They select from a variety of courses in the
social sciences. Students will be expected to take the normal course load
of a full-time student. Because the University of Copenhagen is on a
semester system, Dartmouth students will take three or four courses, depending
on the number of credits granted per course at Copenhagen. Students
choose social science courses from the University of Copenhagen’s course
offerings that are taught in English. These are courses in sociology,
anthropology, political science, psychology, and economics.
This is an exchange program—not an FSP or LSA—and is best suited for
students who are looking for a truly independent experience.
That is, the exchange is for students who want to be immersed in the local
culture and with the local people rather than segregated largely with fellow
Dartmouth travelers. No Dartmouth faculty will accompany students on the
exchange. Hence, when problems arise students will have to solve them as
best they can on their own. Of course, the University of Copenhagen,
primarily through its International Office, will assist students in any way it
can, but it is a large bureaucratic university and does not have the sorts of
support for students, that Dartmouth has, such as through the Dartmouth Dean of
Student’s Office. Moreover, students participating on the exchange should
not expect the amenities that they have at Dartmouth (i.e., high-speed internet
in dorms and class rooms, wireless computing, free long-distance telephone,
easily accessible and inexpensive/free photocopying, free access to gymnasium
facilities, open stacks in the libraries, university cafeterias and dining
halls, etc.). The Danish university system is different from
Dartmouth’s. Nevertheless, the opportunity to live and study in a country
like Denmark is extraordinary.
Language: Most Danes speak English
fluently. For this reason and because the program’s courses are taught in
English, Dartmouth students will not require language training in Danish.
Indeed, Copenhagen is a very easy city to manage for English speaking
travelers.
Students at the University of Copenhagen
Academic Calendar: The University of
Copenhagen is on a semester system, which starts the beginning of September and
runs through mid-January. Classes are generally finished by mid-December
with final exams in late December or early January. Dartmouth students
make arrangements early in the term with their Danish professors to take final
exams (or an appropriate substitute). Often courses require a major term
paper (20-25 pages) rather than a final exam, so the possibility for scheduling
conflicts between Copenhagen and Dartmouth is minimized.
Tuition, Fees, Housing, and Other
Costs: Students pay Dartmouth tuition to Dartmouth
for the term. Housing costs are separate and are paid to either the
University of Copenhagen or a landlord. Students typically do their own
food shopping and cooking so, depending on your culinary skills and tastes, the
costs of food vary. However, it is important to remember that exchange
rates fluctuate. This means that the cost in U.S. dollars for housing,
food, public transportation, and other things may vary. Copenhagen is an
expensive place to live when the value of the dollar is weak against
the Danish kroner, as it has been recently. As of early 2008, the
University of Copenhagen estimates the following monthly costs: Housing (3,000
Danish kroner/400 Euro); food and necessities (1,500DKK/200EUR); phone
(200DKK/30EUR); books (200DKK/30EUR); transportation (250DKK/35EUR); pocket
money (1,000DKK/140EUR). Hence, total estimated monthly expenses are
6,150DKK/835EUR, or about $1,230 per month.
Financial Aid: All those presently receiving
Dartmouth financial aid are also eligible for this aid in the Copenhagen
exchange program.
Ships in the harbor
Application Procedure: Applications are available
on-line. Students apply for the program via the Off-Campus Program web
site (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ocp/).
To apply, click on “Programs” located above the “Announcements” block.
The exchange can then be found either by using the search engine, or listing
all of the programs on the menu of options and then scrolling down to the
“University of Copenhagen” and selecting the program. Once at the
University of Copenhagen section, begin the application process by selecting
“Apply Now.” Applications must be submitted with two letters of
recommendation by February 1.
The program is open to all social science majors. Students who apply
are required to have an overall grade point average of at least 3.0. At
the discretion of the selection committee, there may be an interview by the
committee in the winter term. If you will not be at Dartmouth
during the winter term, your interview would need to be in fall term
unless you make other arrangements. Selection is based upon the strength
of the application, two letters of recommendation, and the number of spaces
available in the program (which varies from one year to the next).
Recommendation letters must be from Dartmouth faculty members who have taught
you in class, a class dean, or both. Acceptance letters will be mailed by
early March.
In the past, a few students have registered as foreign students at the
University of Copenhagen independently of the Dartmouth-Copenhagen exchange
program. Now, however, under Danish law, the University of Copenhagen is
not permitted to allow foreign students to register outside the bounds of a
formal exchange agreement if such an agreement exits between the University of
Copenhagen and the student’s home school. Hence, it is now illegal for
Dartmouth students to enroll at the University of Copenhagen other than through
the Dartmouth-Copenhagen exchange program.
Housing: All Dartmouth students will be
provided by the University of Copenhagen with housing in flats, family homes,
student apartments, or converted dorms. Because housing in Copenhagen is
in short supply, it is likely that students will be notified about the
specifics of their housing situation only 2-4 weeks before their departure to
Denmark. Students should apply to the University of Copenhagen for
housing as soon as possible after being accepted into the program. The
University of Copenhagen has only a very few dormitories and no dining
halls. As noted above, students should not expect the same level of
amenities that Dartmouth offers its students in the dorms (e.g., high-speed
internet access, free long distance telephone, etc.). Nor should students
assume that they will necessarily be living with other Dartmouth students.
Danish Parliament
Course Load: A course load for
Copenhagen students is usually three courses, depending on the number of
credits per course. Dartmouth students will carry a similar course
load. Some departments may not allow you to take courses unless you have
already had a course in their field prior to arriving in Copenhagen. For
example, if you never took a sociology course before, the Department of
Sociology at the University of Copenhagen may not let you register for their
courses.
Transfer Credits: Students can receive up to
three credits at Dartmouth for work completed successfully at Copenhagen.
You will receive 1 credit at Dartmouth for every 10 ECTS worth of credits at
Copenhagen. There are a couple of ways you can do this. (1) Take 3
classes each worth 10 ECTS or (2) take 2 classes each worth 10 ECTS and two
classes each worth 5 ECTS. (ECTS is the way Danes count credits for
courses.) If you take less than 30 ECTS, then you will not receive 3
transfer credits at Dartmouth. For instance, if you only take 25 ECTS
then you will only receive 2 transfer credits at Dartmouth.
Obtaining Transfer Credit Approval: Dartmouth
requires students to obtain written approval of courses they wish to take at
other universities in order for them to receive transfer credit for these
courses. This includes the Dartmouth-Copenhagen exchange program. This
must be done before the course is taken. Do not wait
until the last minute to do this. It involves obtaining the appropriate
transfer credit forms from the Registrar’s Office, and seeking permission for
transfer credit from the relevant department. Sociology courses are
approved by the Sociology Department; government courses by the Government
Department; and so on. At the department’s discretion, students must
often provide a copy of the course syllabus from Denmark and share it with the
department from which transfer credit approval is being sought. This may
take weeks to do so do not wait until the last minute. Grades received at
Copenhagen are not recorded on the Dartmouth transcript. Instead,
Dartmouth only records transfer credits as TR. Courses taken TR can be
used for distributive credit at Dartmouth, if approved by the relevant
department.
Grades: In order for a course credit at
Copenhagen to be transferred for credit at Dartmouth you must receive no less
than a grade of 4. A grade of 4 is equivalent to a C at Dartmouth.
The Danish system of grading uses a 7 point scale with 12 being the highest
grade. The Danish system is as follows: 12/A = outstanding; 10/B =
excellent performance; 7/C = good performance; 4/D = average performance; 02/E
= passable performance; 00/Fx = inadequate performance; -3/F = unacceptable
performance. Grading is generally tougher in Denmark than at
Dartmouth. Rarely do students receive a 12 in their courses.
Student Health Services: All
participating students will be required to carry adequate health insurance and
to provide proof to the host institution that this insurance will cover the
costs of health care for the full period of the exchange.
Tivoli Garden
Student Visa/Residence Permit: Students are
required by Danish law to obtain a student resident permit. The
International Office at the University of Copenhagen will assist students in
obtaining this permit. Application for a permit must be made at
least two months prior to the student’s departure for Denmark. In
fact, students accepted to the program should begin immediately to
arrange for their visas. You will be required to submit your U.S.
passport to the Danish authorities as part of the visa application process, so
if you wait until the last minute to apply for a visa you run the risk of
having neither a visa nor a passport when it is time for you to go to
Copenhagen! Please note that in the past students who have failed to get
a student visa have been denied access to the libraries and
experienced other difficulties. For more information about obtaining a
student resident permit, contact any Danish consulate in the United States,
such as the Royal Danish Consulate General in New York (tel. 212-223-4545 ext.
5) or see their web site at www.denmark.org.
On the web: Further information about the
program can be found on the web at http://www.samf.ku.dk (the University of
Copenhagen social science programs web site) and http://international.ku.dk (the
University of Copenhagen International Office web site). These sites
include a tremendous amount of information about the University of Copenhagen,
the city of Copenhagen, course offerings, semester calendar, exams and exam
scheduling, computing facilities, photocopying facilities, faculty, visas,
health insurance, different academic departments offering courses in English,
housing, costs of living, grading, and many other things.
Further Information: Professor John Campbell,
Department of Sociology, 123 Silsby Hall.
2/2008
|
