Childhood and Social Institutions trip to Malmö, Sweden
June 15, 2017
King’s welcomed eight Children, Youth and Society students from Malmö, Sweden along with faculty on May 14th, 2017. Two weeks later, on May 27th, 2017, Dr. Patrick Ryan departed with eight Childhood and Social Institutions (CSI) students to the University of Malmö, as part of an experiential learning exchange.
The Malmö exchange is a three week long summer course (CSI 3395A) designed to give students from each university the invaluable opportunity of learning from each other. The first week involved faculty and students from Sweden participating in lectures and discussion here with Dr. Ryan and the CSI students at King’s. During the second week, the Swedish students returned home and studied at the University of Malmö while King’s students continued learning on campus. Dr. Ryan and the eight King’s students then travelled to Malmö for the third and final week of the program, which ran from May 27th to June 3rd, 2017.
Similar to a typical summer school course, the students were assigned one book and four articles as readings for the three weeks. Students took part in both lectures and discussions, meeting 14 times over the three weeks, where students were marked based on their discussion answers and participation. The main topic of discussion for this course was the application of Foucauldian thought.
The greatest part of this interactive exchange program is personally matching the eight King’s students with the eight University of Malmö students. The buddies had lectures in the morning, discussions during the day and went to events in the evening with the other students they met through the exchange. Students were able to really share in their experiences and form unique bonds. “Former students have gone back to Sweden to meet up with their friends they met on this exchange for weddings and stayed with their families. Swedish students have come back to Canada as well,” says Dr. Ryan.
Over the years, faculty including Dr. Ryan and Dr. Sally MacNamee have participated in the exchange. The Childhood and Social Institutions program has operated the Malmö exchange program eight times.
“One thing I tell students in this program is that if you have the time, you can go anywhere in the world, but you can’t necessarily establish relationships with people. These types of connections are difficult to establish when you just travel but matching the students in this program allows for these relationships to be built and that makes them different,” says Dr. Ryan.
The exchange finished on June 3rd, 2017 with Dr. Ryan returning home and some of our King’s students continuing their travels in Europe on their own time. The opportunity to learn has not ended with these eager students.
You can learn more about the CSI program here as well as our scholarships and awards for International programs here.