—Compared to 2020, this year’s social life at the International Summer School has been vastly more active, says ISS director Nita Kapoor.
Kaaen is a master’s student in social anthropology, and is currently travelling around Norway doing field research on environmentally engaged surfers in Lofoten and J?ren. Through digitalization, her job as activities coordinator means that she can work even as she travels. Photo: Private.
We believe that facilitating a sense of community across diversity is a crucial aspect of an international education, and we do not underestimate the importance of the informal meetings between students. Therefore we have prioritized laying the groundwork for a lively social student life at the ISS, also during times when the ISS must be virtual, says Kapoor.
Whether students are more accustomed to digital life, or the ISS were able to prepare a better virtual space, the students this year are channeling their usual ISS engagement through various platforms and through the first ever digital ISS Student Council.
Digital Activities Coordinator Mari Kirsti Kaaen has been the forefront of student life for this year’s summer school:
We use the Microsoft Teams platform which has been made available to all our students, and have several different channels for students to engage with, some created by me and the ISS staff, and others initiated entirely by active students themselves, says Kaaen.
Pandemically Active ISS Students
Nermin Al Aly from Egypt enthusiastically studies Norwegian language at the ISS, here at Jabal Musa, a mountain on the Sinai peninsula in Egypt.
The ISS Administration made certain there were the usual necessary channels, such as the front office where students can speak directly to student advisors about practical matters. There is also the library-channel, Events, Social, and Student Council.
Through posts and comments in Teams, the ISS 2021 Student Council and I can respond and create Teams channels dynamically, says Kaaen. —Because we are in different time zones it is best to do it that way, but during week 3 of the summer school, we also had a live student council meeting with very high levels of engagement.
Abd El Hamed Sheref from Egypt, who studies A Changing Arctic at the ISS, created an audioplay with his peers in other countries of the play Peer Gynt by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, which also included a poem he wrote about Norwegian trolls.
A few students who had attended previous ISS sessions in person before pandemic times had fond memories of sitting atop the roof of the dormitories at Blindern Studenterhjem. They decided to create a channel called Virtual Rooftop, where students can hang out whenever they like, says Kaaen.
Far Away and Together
—In week 3, we asked if students could send pictures of their home offices and workspaces around the world, says Kaaen. —So many students wanted to share.
Clara de Lacerda's home office. Clara is from Brazil and studies Norwegian History at the ISS.
Muhammad Shoaib Akram from Egypt is studying Norwegian language at this desk.
Zia Rehman from Pakistan studies Norwegian language at this desk.
Nermin Al Aly from Egypt studies Norwegian language.
The First Digital Student Council
Through a Student Council established digitally this year for the first time, students have organized their own committees as well, such as the Social Committee, Norwegian Language Committee, Foreign Languages Committee and Academic Committee. The representatives from each class have created different chats and groups for their peer groups and helped spread the information about all the digital events.
The Social Committee has organized events including a Meet and Greet, a virtual Friday Pub Quiz, and started a film and discussion-club. The Academic Committee works to share ideas and discuss themes of common interest. They have also created a space to share tips on internships or academic opportunities, and to forge connections across state and disciplinary divides.
Samual David O’Sullivan from Ireland is the leader of the Social Committee, and studies Norwegian History at the ISS:
I knew that studying online could be an isolating and lonely experience, says O'Sullivan. I was therefore very keen to take part in the social committee. My favorite part of these events has been the long discussions often going on until the early hours of the morning that have developed naturally after the official event has ended. I have found it fascinating to learn about other student’s lives, and I now have friends in countries as varied as Russia, Ukraine, the United States, the Basque Country (Spain), Egypt and Brazil!
Nikolay Gerov is an ISS alumn, and gives virtual guided tours to ISS students to show them Oslo and Norway.
Bonding Over Norway
—The Norway channel is very popular, says Kaaen. I post a lot about Norway and Norwegian culture in that channel, and we have organized guided virtual tours around Oslo and popular sites in Norway.
The main event for social activities might just have been Nikolay Gerov’s guided tours. As a former ISS student nearly 20 years ago, Gerov wishes to give back to the institution. Having guided ISS students before the pandemic, he knew just where to take them on Google Maps, stopping to show images of buildings and important sites in Oslo and Norway.
The good thing about virtual tours is that everyone can really follow along, even e.g. people who have walking impediments, says Gerov. —Furthermore, you can skip over longer distances, says Gerov. —For example, in “Norway Highlights” we caught glimpses from 7 different towns in 60 minutes: Eidsvold, T?nsberg, Kautokeino, Karasjok, Bergen, and Trondheim. We can also see Oslo in different seasons. We did two sessions of each tour afternoon and evening, so that students from different time zones could participate. Some have been coming to every tour. The students are very intelligent, and give me great hope for the present and future. Many are in politics and important societal positions, and those who aren’t yet will be in the future!
Tours have included an Edvard Munch tour of sites connected to his life and work, a virtual tour of Akershus festning, the large fortress in the Oslo city center, and of the famous Vigelandsparken in Oslo.
The students love him, says Kaaen. —He is so funny and knowledgeable, and we have had great responses from those who have joined. At the most, there were 40 students participating live.
Love of Norwegian Language in the Digital Community
Beyond culture, Norwegian language has always been one of the most central elements of the ISS. The Norwegian Language Committee has on behalf of all students recently created an online communal playlist with Norwegian songs in different dialects.
They want to share cultural recommendations, music, movies, series and books related to Norwegian language and culture, says Kaaen. —They have among others highlighted Sult by Knut Hamsun, Birkebeinerne, and the series Lykkeland.
Matheus Saez from Brazil studies Norwegian language at the ISS, and is the leader of the Norwegian Language Committee:
At first I wasn't sure about what was the role of the Student Council, but now I see that it is one of the most important parts in the ISS experience, says Saez. —The playlist and the cultural recommendations were the most popular. Through music we learn so much, we also discover a lot of stuff about the country and its history and culture and maybe some of us feel a bit more at home after finding some music we like that is sung in the language we're learning.
Illustrations shared on Teams by Nermin Al Aly from Egypt, who studies Norwegian at the ISS.
One creative student consistently shares Norwegian idioms with fun illustrations:
I like idioms because using them gives me the feeling that I’m integrating better with the language and community around me, says Nermin Al Aly from Egypt, who studies Norwegian language at the ISS. —Idioms help me understand the natives better and express myself exactly the way they do. I share my illustrations to encourage others to use them too. Norwegian is not an easy language, but if you love it you can learn it.
ISS Director Nita Kapoor. Photo: UiO
Language Hot Spot
The Foreign Languages Committee, not to be confused with the Norwegian Language Committee, also shares a love for Norwegian, but also other languages such as French, German, Russian, Spanish, and English. Some are also interested in learning Japanese and Mandarin. This group works to connect language buddies and opportunities to stay in touch beyond the ISS summer term to do language tandem.
We are thrilled with the active social life the students have created, says Kapoor. —The ISS has always been characterized by high levels of student engagement, and it is good to see that a pandemic summer school is no different in this regard.
