The Nordic Summer University (NSU) is a
Nordic research network funded through the
Nordic Council of Ministers
The Nordic Council of Ministers is an intergovernmental forum established after the Helsinki Treaty. The purpose of the Nordic Council of Ministers is to complement the Nordic Council and promote Nordic cooperation.
Structure
The governme ...
, organizing study circles in the social and human sciences, mainly for PhD students or post-doctoral scholars from the Nordic countries. The activity is organized in a maximum of ten study circles. Separate winter seminars are held for each study circle, and a more extensive summer conference is organised for all the study circles, in a different location within the Nordic countries each year.
The
interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...
groups in the circles meet twice a year in order to discuss a wide range of topics, primarily within the
humanistic
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humani ...
and the
social sciences
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...
. During the main summer event, all circles join for a week of academic discussion. The activities are sponsored by the Nordic Council, with financial oversight performed by
Foreningerne NORDENs Forbund (FNF). One of the NSU sponsorship items is funding to 140-150 scholars each year in order to offset the costs associated with their participation in the joint sessions.
The study circles have been conducted for more than 60 years and have in the past involved debates between several leading intellectuals, politicians, and scholars of the Nordic countries, including
Niels Bohr,
Johan Fjord Jensen,
Mauno Koivisto
Mauno Henrik Koivisto (; 25 November 1923 – 12 May 2017) was a Finnish politician who served as the ninth president of Finland from 1982 to 1994. He also served as the country's prime minister twice, from 1968 to 1970 and again from 1979 to 19 ...
,
Johan Galtung
Johan Vincent Galtung (born 24 October 1930) is a Norwegian sociologist who is the principal founder of the discipline of peace and conflict studies. He was the main founder of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) in 1959 and served as its ...
,
Jostein Gripsrud
Jostein Gripsrud (born 1952) is a Norwegian media scholar, and is Professor in Media Studies at the University of Bergen.
Life and work
Gripsrud completed his MA exam at the University of Bergen, Norway, in 1979 and started as lecturer in Norw ...
, and
Horace Engdahl
Horace Oscar Axel Engdahl (born 30 December 1948) is a Swedish literary historian and critic, and has been a member of the Swedish Academy since 1997. He was the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy from 1999 to June 2009, when he was succee ...
. The focus of the research network is interdisciplinary and multicultural. In its statutes, NSU states that it is committed to introducing foreign ideas and influences that not yet have a foothold in the region's universities.
NSU has a publishing house, NSU Press, with distribution secured through
Ã…rhus University
Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Gr ...
Press.
References
{{reflist
External links
The Nordic Summer University's websiteÃ…rhus University Press
FNF Foreningerne NORDENs Forbund(Swedish)
Nordic organizations
Educational projects