International Summer School Notodden – Cultural Heritage

Programme

Each year about students gather together at Campus Notodden for an intensive, one-week blended intensive programme to study cultural heritage. Students work closely with professors in USN’s friendly and stimulating campus environment.

The core programme runs from 4 August to 8 August, with two online sessions taking place on 28 August and 4 September.

During the program of the summer school, we will use diverse learning and teaching methods to explore cultural heritage. We start on Tuesday 4 August by exploring the overarching themes, theories and perspectives related to Cultural Heritage and its use which we will relate to in the summer school. The activities on this day will help shape our enquiry and work the rest of the week. The summer school will explore cultural heritage and its uses through a thematic approach drawing on local and global examples of material and immaterial heritage. By using a place-based and enquiry based approach in this summer school we aim to be exploring issues related to cultural heritage, identity, education and tourism. We will use the local heritage site of Heddal Stave Church, and the UNESCHO site of Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage as points of departure for the course. We will visit these sites and explore how identity, education, tourism and concerns for the future shape these sites and our relationships with them. The Summer school will conclude with two online sessions on the 28 August and 4 September, as well as an exam to be submitted later on.

Application deadline for members of the EDUC-alliance

Please note that the application deadline for students from universities part of the EDUC Alliance is 15 March.

Housing and training center

Students are able to book housing near Campus Notodden with USNs Student Welfare Organisation. All rooms are single, furnished rooms with private bathrooms located on in modern and fully equipped dormitories near campus. All cooking and food preparation are done in either a shared or a private kitchen depending on the site chosen. Kitchen equipment, duvet and pillow is provided, bed linens can be bought from the Student Welfare Organisation. More information about housing is available at our Student Welfare Organisations webpage.

Funding and cost of the course

Although there are no tuition fees for this summer school. Students are expected to cover the cost of travel, housing, and food.

Students who are travelling from institutions taking part in Erasmus+ can apply for scholarships from their home institution. The course is structured according to the requirements of an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Course. Such courses can be awarded funding from Erasmus+. Students need to talk to their home institution to ascertain if they are eligible for funding and how to apply. Students from institutions that are a part of the EDUC Alliance, can enquire with their local alliance coordinators about additional/alternative funding opportunities.

The estimated cost of the course may vary depending on travel, food, housing, and so forth. We estimate that student housing costs approximately 2000NOK for the week, with an additional 300NOK for bedding (duvet cover, pillow case, bedsheets and towel). The cost of accommodation on the private market may be different. Food costs may vary depending on diet, but a safe estimate could be between 500 and 1500 NOK for the week. Travel costs to and from the summer school will also differ depending on where you are travelling from. This also applies within Norway. But as an example, transport to Notodden from Oslo Airport, and return may cost approximately 1000-1500NOK depending on the route taken. Student discounts are available on public transport.

Within Notodden: the student accommodation is within walking distance from the campus as well as grocery stores. The university will provide transport to all excursions part of the course.

Social and cultural activities

While academic content is a priority, USN also promotes intercultural learning through:

• Social gatherings
  The programme offers social gatherings in the evenings. Social activities include among other things a hike to the local mountain Eikeskar, and time to socialise.
• Local attractions
  Notodden is a peaceful and safe city (pop. 12,600) located in the midst of spectacular, Norwegian scenery. The city is part of the Rjukan-Notodden Unesco World Heritage site. The Heddal Stave Church nearby is the largest surviving stave church in the world.

About USN

USN was established on May 4, 2018, as Norway’s newest and second largest university with 18,000 students attending classes on eight campuses located in the municipalities of Kongsberg, Drammen, Bø, Ringerike, Notodden, Porsgrunn, Rauland and Vestfold. The campuses provide USN with a foundation in some of Norway’s most dynamic regions.

The university’s four faculties, Faculty of Humanities, Sports and Educational Science, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, and the USN School of Business offer range of bachelor, master, and PhD degrees as well as continuing education programmes. The Faculty of Humanities, Sports, and Educational Science (Hiu) has a broad program portfolio operating on virtually every college campus. We offer both studies in major professional education as a teacher and kindergarten teacher as well as studies in disciplines such as art, culture, folk music, and sports.

Getting here

keyboard_backspace How to get to campus Notodden

Courses

The objective of this programme is to provide students tools, knowledge and skills concerning cultural heritage, which can be applied in a comprehensive and reflexive way in future studies or professional work.

Learning activities move beyond traditional classroom lectures to engage students with issues related to cultural heritage locally and globally. USN arranges guest lecturers, excursions, and visits to local cultural heritage sites and interactions with local stakeholders to provide students with insight into different perspectives on cultural heritage.

The course content will focus on cultural heritage, including its definitions, manifestations, and use. The course will particularly discuss cultural heritage in relation to four key topics:

• General and cross cutting issues concerning cultural heritage,
• The relationship between cultural heritage and identity/national identity,
• The relationship between cultural heritage and cultural tourism/destination development, and
• The relationship between cultural heritage and education.

The Summer School is offered to students both on Bachelor and Masters level. This means we welcome applicants from both levels. The content of the summer school will differ a little bit between the two levels, but most key learning activities will be shared between both groups.

Course plans

• Course plan for Cultural Heritage: Issues of national identity, cultural tourism and education 1 (2026)
• Course plan for Cultural Heritage: Issues of national identity, cultural tourism and education 2 (2026)