English

This course defines and interrogates African Dance histories and their transitions in the 21st century. The problematic term ‘African Dance’ is engaged both theoretically and practically to explore questions of appropriation and appreciation of African indigenous dances. The course offers an understanding of African Contemporary Dance in South Africa and the sociocultural factors that have shaped it. It considers the local and global influences of Modernity on Traditional dances in South Africa.

This course studies how the internal structure of operating systems is designed and implemented for management of resources and provision of services. Topics include process and thread creation and management; communication in processes and threads; process synchronization and deadlocks; memory-management strategies; and protection and security. 

This course consists of a series of interactive workshops that provide an opportunity to design, practice, and deliver academic presentations in the student’s field of study. It covers the preparation stage of effective and memorable presentations, how to structure thoughts, and how to hone presentation skills to persuade in lectures, oral exams, master theses defenses, conferences, and public speaking in general. Topics include designing, preparing, and structuring informative and persuasive presentations; creating supporting slides; using correct academic and domain specific language; speaking confidently with appropriate rate, projection, pitch, and tone; implementing nonverbal communication such as facial expression, eye contact, moving with the slides; using vocal variety and pauses to spellbind the audience; switching on the charisma button; applying “logos, ethos, and pathos”; expanding one’s comfort zone in front of an audience and delivering with confidence; analyzing and critiquing presentations in a detailed and diplomatic way; and dealing with fear when speaking in front of an audience. 

This course aims to highlight the importance of communication with stakeholders and an understanding of public relations methods. The course utilizes various media to acquire basic knowledge of effective public relations.

Communication is the key to any organization’s success. With the diversification of societal needs and business environment, it is crucial for companies to implement an effective public relations strategy as part of their management strategy and to build a trust-based relationship with stakeholders. For effective public relations/corporate communications, companies need to understand mass media and social media, with the latter receiving considerable attention from the business world as a direct and fast-acting communication channel with their high-priority stakeholders.

 

This course covers practical leadership and negotiation techniques to maximize effectiveness and contribution in the workplace setting. It emphasizes strategic management skills to effectively manage teams, team-working capacity, and problem-solving abilities. The course also covers different types of negotiations, basic bargaining skills, and strategies for mutual gain.

This course explores different aspects and contexts of Chinese communication. The various contexts of Chinese communication include advertising, business, the press, social communication, regional usages, pop culture, translations, meaning of Chinese names, codeswitching and the use of Chinese dialects. 

The course gives an introduction to the Nordic context and an overview of how the concept and implementation of gender equality has developed and is currently practiced in the Nordic countries. The main focus is on the period after the 1970s, and themes that are taught relate gender equality to: gender equality as a concept; the women's movement and state feminism; work-life balance and gender equality ideals; access to work and politics; Nordic gender equality in an intersectional perspective; men and masculinities: change and continuity; gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights; gender-based violence; gender, climate, and indigenous rights. Moreover, dilemmas and paradoxes concerning gender equality in the Nordic countries are a central theme, as well as the attempt to answer questions as: How can we understand changing gender norms in the Nordic countries, and to what extent is it possible to identify a Nordic model of gender equality?

The brain develops rapidly during the fetal and early postnatal period. While some aspects of development are genetically guided, others are activity-dependent. This means that special patterns of spontaneous electrical activity are required to correctly wire up the brain. This partly explains why fetal and neonatal brain injury can result in life-long negative consequences. Brain injury can result in either suppressed electrical activity or excessive electrical activity in the form of seizures. As a result, fragile early brain networks do not receive the carefully balanced patterns of electrical activity which they need to develop correctly. In this course students learn about this critical foundation of normal brain development, and how it can go wrong. 

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to a basic knowledge of the nature and workings of modern capitalist economies (welfare states), particularly in the West European and Anglo-Saxon countries.  The course focuses on government policy and its effects on countries’ economic performance, as measured by economic efficiency and growth; employment (or unemployment); income inequality, and poverty. The course seeks to answer the questions: What kind of policies do governments employ to promote economic performance? Are government policies effective in achieving positive economic outcomes? Is it possible to achieve economic growth and income equality simultaneously? If the answer is yes, what policy mix is instrumental? If the answer is no, why?

Glaciers in the world are responding fast to climate change, they are therefore important indicators for assessing changes, but have also impact on the climate system through for example albedo feedback and sea level rise. In this course glaciers are studied, their distribution in the world, how glacier ice is formed from snow, how they move and respond to climate change. Focus is on Icelandic glaciers, their energy and mass balance, interaction of geothermal activity and glaciers in Iceland and reoccurring floods, jökulhlaups, from the main ice cap. During the course students learn terminology and concepts that equip them to understand and contribute to discussions of climate change and the role of glaciers in the climate system.  Background in high school physics and math is useful, as numerical  problems concerning temperature, energy budget, mass balance and flow of glaciers are solved in groups. Glacier measurement techniques are introduced, and at the end of the course ablation stakes are installed in Sólheimajökull on the south coast of Iceland in a two-day field excursion. Participation in the field trip is mandatory.