The Denmark Short-term Study Abroad Program is open to students in the following areas: Graphic and Interactive Design, Creative Photography and Immersive Media, Entertainment Art and Animation, Illustration, Computer Animation, and Game Art. The program runs from May 29–June 9, 2023. Students enrolled in this program will be working with students from the University College Northland in Aalborg, Denmark.
To learn more about this program, our next Denmark meeting will be on December 16 from noon to 1 p.m. Please e-mail Professor John Drew at (jdrew@fullerton.edu) for the zoom link to these orientation meetings. Additional information can be found on the student discord channel: https://discord.gg/KPNqY6yK.
Zoom Orientation Meetings and Q&As
Noon– 1 p.m.
Visual Arts, Bldg. D-264
- December 16
- February 3
- March 10
- April 7
Aalborg, Denmark, is the third largest city in Denmark, and students will be staying at the Cabin Hotel in the historic district of town. The hotel is 100 yards away from the fiord (bay) and has many places to visit.
The first week’s program is from 9 a.m to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and the second week runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. A three-day weekend in the middle of the program is for students interested in exploring other parts of Denmark. Public transportation (trains and buses) is inexpensive and readily available.
Please see the following information regarding grant and award opportunities for the Denmark Short-Term Study Abroad Program, led by Professor John Drew (Graphic and Interactive Design): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b3QwbiI9NQNA5gc8N0zp29OBkunIHcCvg5P8XHhq_oI/edit?usp=sharing
The student activities associated with this program are as follows:
- Students will work in teams at UCN and are provided classroom space for the program.
- There will be five to seven guest lectures from UCN and professionals within the field to help students understand how to work in teams, develop better cultural sensitivity, research and generate content within a creative environment, and create and pitch ideas/concepts.
- Students will go on studio tours in and around Aalborg to help them understand the different approaches to conducting business in an environment where the ability to work in teams is coveted. (The Danish culture and educational approach within communication design are one of teamwork.)
- Also, students will travel to view and conduct observational research and visit museums related to graphic design, illustration, and fine art.
All student reflections are fully integrated into the project through teams, client, and supervisory feedback loops. Each time input is given, it is a chance for the student to reflect upon what they have done and learned in relationship to others in their team. More importantly, it is a time to reflect on how to improve and utilize skills they have been taught but have not fully recognized. Each team is expected to give a final presentation in a timed environment to the client, professors, and peers as part of the course. These presentations will be peer-panel reviewed by the other teams within the class.
Students involved in this program have developed meaningful relationships with their fellow team members and international professors. These relationships are forged by working side-by-side, day-by-day, over a two-week high-impact educational experience where communication with people that are not like them is critical to the decision-making process and requires a group effort in the project. In the past, the teams worked with each other over the day and hung out at night, fully embracing the experience and the time they had together. These friendships, and most importantly, the trust required, are forged under fire through hard work and are long-lasting and extremely helpful to a maturing professional’s contacts.