Target group/Course level

International degree students of the Faculty. The course is obligatory for bachelor’s degree students of the Faculty. Master’s degree students are strongly encouraged to join the course.

Objectives

The aim of the course is to familiarize international degree students of the Faculty with Finnish labour market. Students will learn what kind of careers graduates of the Faculty have followed. The course will also offer practical advice for job hunting in Finland. The ultimate objective of the course is to help the students in the planning of their own studies and career.

Content

First session: Wednesday 24.1. (16-18)

Speakers: Labour Market Contact Person Antti Kosonen, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leena Itkonen, Planning Officer, Career Services, University of Helsinki, Alumni speaker (to be confirmed later)

Issues to be covered:

• Introduction to the course.
• Special features of the Finnish labour market.
• Experiences of an international graduate of the Faculty

Second session: Friday 26.1. (10-12)

Speaker: Leena Itkonen, Planning Officer, Career Services, University of Helsinki

Issues to be covered:

• Practical tips on how to land a job in Finland: contact with employers, job seeker’s documents
• Preparing a Curriculum Vitae

Third session: Wednesday 31.1. (16-18)

Speakers: Labour Market Contact Person Antti Kosonen, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kristina Tilev, Faculty of Social Sciences

Issues to be covered:

• Career placement surveys
• Traineeship

Fourth session: Friday 2.2. (10-12)

Speaker: Leena Itkonen, Planning Officer, Career Services, University of Helsinki

Issues to be covered:

• Job seeker’s documents
• Career planning

Please note that the course information is only preliminary. Changes to the content and schedule may occur.

Target group/Course level

Course level: 1 Basic studies

Content

FINNISH SOCIETY AND CULTURE Finnish Economy

Prof. Conchita García-Iglesias University of Helsinki Spring 2007

Course Description

The main purpose of this course is to emphasize different aspects of the Finnish economy from the nineteenth century until today. The main economic topics are the following: the historical pattern of Finnish economic and social development since the mid 1800s, its structure, and evolution; Finland’s natural resources, population, and labor force; Finnish investment patterns, consumption expenditure, prices, wages, and income policies; Finnish fiscal and monetary policies together with banking; Finnish public finances, insurance schemes, and regional development and policies; and Finland and the EU

Course work and forms of study

There is a required reading for this course “The Road to Prosperity: An Economic History of Finland”, eds. J. Ojala, J. Eloranta and J. Jalava (2006). This book can be bought from any university bookstore in town. However, students will get a 10% discount if buying it from the publisher. More information can be found on their website: (http://www.finlit.fi/yhteys/kartta.htm). Students are responsible of getting the book and prepare the required chapters for the final exam. Readings are complements to lectures and should be done beforehand to participate in class discussions. Moreover, attendance is mandatory as the exam will include questions from the material explained during lectures. Participation, attendance, and final exam will constitute the final grade of the course.

Required Readings

From the mentioned book, questions from the following chapters will be included in the final exam,

1. On the Road to Prosperity: Introduction (p. 15)

2. Economic Growth and Structural Change-A Century and a Half of Catching Up (p. 33)

3. Feeding Economic Growth: Agriculture (p. 65)

4. The Labor Market, 1850-2000 (p. 165)

5. Monetary Aspects of a Changing Economy (p. 187)

6. Productivity Growth: The Role of Human Capital and Technology (p. 263)

Grading

Normal scaling, 1(lowest pass) - 5 (excellent)

Course results and retake

Will be discussed during the lectures

Content

The main purpose of the course is to understand Finnish educational tradition and development of Finnish school system from 1809 until today. Historical analysis of education can provide some answers to current issues: mentality of Finnish people, national identity and e.g. PISA-success. Also these issues will be discussed during the course.

More information is available on the webpages of the department of Applied Sciences Education (Faculty of Behavioral Sciences).

Course work and forms of study

Literature: 1. Kuikka, M.T. (1997). A History of Finnish Education. Helsinki: Otava. 2. One up-to-date journal article about educational policy.

Target group/Course level

The course is especially meant for exchange students.

Content

The course will introduce the students to the history, development and the present directions of Finnish media. The themes are: newspapers, radio, tv, media convergence, information society.

Course work and forms of study

Weekly assignments, discussions in Moodle-environment, an essay (about 6 pages).

Target group/Course level

Basic studies

Content

This course is a part of the Finnish Society and Culture programme (http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/kv/fsc/fcsc.htm), and is arranged by the Sibelius Academy. For further information, please see http://www.siba.fi/eng/ or send an email to Heidi Salomäki, heidi.salomaki@siba.fi.

Target group/Course level

Basic studies

Content

An introduction to Finnish politics. Topics to be covered include Finnish nationalism, the origins of the constitution, conflicts and cleavages, civil society, elections and political parties, the role of the parliament, the office of the president, the formation and functioning of coalition governments, the executive and local self-government, and domestic and foreign policy-making.

Course work and forms of study

Dialogue/exam.

Target group/Course level

An Introductory Course for Foreign Students

Content

• Wednesday 11th of April 16.15-18.00 Museum of Finnish Architecture (MFA) Kasarmikatu 24 Lecture: Main characteristics of historical Finnish architecture. Vernacular building. Periods and monuments –1809
• Monday 16th of April 16.15-18.00 (MFA) Lecture: The Finnish wooden town. Finnish 19th century architecture. Helsinki from the 17th to 20th century
• Wednesday 18th of April 16.15-18.00 (MFA) Lecture: Finnish architecture from around 1900 to 1940´s. National Romanticism, the Classicism of the 1920´s, Finnish Functionalism
• Friday 20th of April 9.15-11.00 Meeting place: Senate Square, below the monumental stairs of the Cathedral. Walking tour in central historical Helsinki: The Senate Square and the most important Neoclassical and Neo- Renaissance interiors around it
• Monday 23rd of April 16.15-18.00 (MFA) Lecture: Finnish architecture after World War II. The Golden Age of the 1950´s, the Boom of the 1960´s; tendencies by the turn of the Century
• Friday 27th of April 9.15-15.00 Meeting place: Museum of Finnish Architecture, Kasarmikatu 24 Excursion by bus: Examples of Modernist and new architecture in and around Helsinki, including Alvar Aalto´s works. Central Helsinki; Vallila, Käpylä, Pakila Church. Vantaa: Myyrmäki church. Espoo; Tapiola and Otaniemi: Helsinki University of Technology and Dipoli

Course work and forms of study

Literature:

• Nils Erik Wickberg, Finnish Architecture. Helsinki 1959
• Vilhelm Helander, Architecture, pp. 35-62 in Päivi Molarius (ed.), From Folklore to Applied Arts. Aspects of Finnish Culture. Lahti 1993
• Riitta Nikula, Architecture and Landscape: the Building of Finland. Helsinki 1993

Prerequisites

Level: Intermediate

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of ecology, botany and zoology

Content

The lectures will deal with the taiga biome both from the point of view of plants and animals. Main themes dealt with are: (1) a general overview of the physiography and bioclimatic regions of Fennoscandia; (2) invasion of plants and animals to Fennoscandia in the postglacial period; (3) major terrestrial ecosystems and their vegetation ecology, especially forests and mires; (4) regional features in biogeography, floral and faunal elements; and (5) human impact and recent changes.

Course work and forms of study

To pass the course, each student writes an essay on a selected topic dealing with Fennoscandian or European biogeography; the essay will be assessed.

Target group/Course level

Basic studies

Content

The course is an overview of the literature of Finland, basically divided into the following sections:

• Finnish Folk Poetry,
• Literature of Finland Under the Swedish Rule,
• Nineteenth Century Literature I (Romanticism),
• Nineteenth Century II (Realism),
• Turn-of-the-19th-and-20th- Century and the Beginning-of-the-twentieth-Century Literature,
• Literature between the wars, Post-War Literature, and Contemporary Literature).

Teaching is mainly in lecture form, texts are distributed for examination in class and reading at home. Short video clips of film versions of Finnish literary works are shown in class.

Course work and forms of study

The course requirements are regular attendance and the submission of an essay.

Additional Information: violacapkova@hotmail.com

Compensations

Basic studies.

Target group/Course level

This course is intended for exchange students at the Faculty of Law and at other faculties. Since the level is elementary, graduate students (LL.M., LL.Lic., LL.D.) may attend the course if they wish to but they cannot use the credits towards completion of their programmes.

Content

The course consists of introductory lectures to different aspects in the Finnish legal system as well as set literature. The course consists of lectures and an exam with additional literature. Lectures by Hupli and Yenkong Hodu Ngangjoh: sources of Finnish law, reasoning underlining judicial decisions, forms of court procedure and leave to appeal system, insolvency law, fundamental rights, contract law. Additional literature: An Introduction to Finnish Law, Finnish Lawyers' Publishing, Helsinki 2002 (Juha Pöyhönen, ed.)

Course work and forms of study

This course can be completed by attending to the lectures and taking the exam; it is not possible to have credits by only attending the lectures or by only taking the exam. The exam is based on the lectures and the additional literature.

Target group/Course level

Basic studies

Content

Some excursions will be made during the course. Information about the excursions will be given at the start of the course.

Content

The course aims

1) to introduce Finnish society and religious communities

2) to increase students´ knowledge about different religious and cultural communities

3) to increase students’ ability to cooperate with different religions and cultures

4) to introduce Finnish models of teaching and practice in education of RE and ethics

For updated information on the course schedules please see the webpages of the department of Applied Education.

Compensations

Basic studies

Content

Culture shock: how to survive in Finland? Background and main features of the Finnish ways of life: cultural, social, economic, environmental, political and defence aspects.

Course work and forms of study

Dialogue/exam.

Target group/Course level

Basic studies

Content

Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. Approximately 6 % of the Finnish population has Swedish as mother tongue. Compared to other national and linguistic minority groups in Europe, the Swedish-speaking Finns have a special status. They are well integrated, resourceful and have a strong group identity. There are, however, different challenges to the well-being of the group.

The purpose of the course is to give insights into the special situation of the Swedish-speaking Finns in a European context through the lenses of scientific theories. The course will discuss issues like the administrative consequences of the two official languages, the statutory rights of the Swedish-speaking group, language and especially matters related to bilingualism, the Swedish-speaking identity, and the extraordinarily rich media landscape.

Course work and forms of study

Examination: Course participants are examined on the basis of lecture diaries and essays (5-8 pages) (4 credit points). Students who want to reach 6 credit points must write a longer essay (15 pages).

Objectives

The concept of cross-cultural context will be analyzed broadly from various angles: national cultures, work organizations, gender, age and individuals. An introduction to theories on work motivation will be presented. Cross-cultural studies of work organizations will be analyzed using Geert Hofstede's studies as a starting point. Diversity management, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and managing across cultures will be discussed while visiting Finnish companies.

Content

The course will consist of lectures, group work and discussions, visits to Finnish companies and composing an essay based on the suggested book.

Resource book: When cultures collide by Richard D. Lewis. Nicholas Brealey Publishing London 2002.

Target group/Course level

The course is relevant for foreign students in the fields of social science history, history and environmental history studies, environmental policy studies, environmental sociology, and possibly also in other related studies. In addition, a number of foreign students of natural sciences or even environmental technology studies (HUT) may be interested in the course. The course may be integrated with Finnish Culture and Society studies as well.

Content

This course is organised by the department of Social Science History. For detailed information please see http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/opas2006/yhis/Laakkonen06.3/index-en.html

Content

Part I:

• theorizing consuming countryside
• diversified rural economy
• the role of ICT
• regulating the consuming countryside
• developers and protectionists

Part II:

• the history of vacationing
• sociological theories of travelling and tourism

Literature:

Part I:

1. T. Marsden, The Consuming Countryside and its Regulations. Sociologia Ruralis vol. 39, no 4, pp. 501–526.

2. Urry, J., & Sheller, M. (eds.), Tourism mobilities places to play, places in play. London 2004. 240 p.

Part II

1. Löfgren, O., On Holiday. Berkeley 1999. 320 p.

2. Meethan, K., Tourism in Global Society, Place, Culture, Consumption. New York 2001. 176 p.

Course work and forms of study

Examination: Course participants are examined on the basis of essays and an examination on course literature.

Prerequisites

Some basic knowledge in Social Psychology is highly recommended, but not a prerequisite for participation.

Objectives

The aim of the lecture course is to give an overview of the social psychology of intergroup relations, acculturation and the development of ethnic identity.

Content

The course is organised by the dept. of Social Psychology. For detailed information please see http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/opas2006/spsy/Liebkind07/index-en.html

Target group/Course level

This course is primarily for those students who plan or prepare a Master’s thesis on African issues. The course will be offered in co-operation with the department of Development Studies and the Institute for Asian and African Studies.

Content

For detailed information, please see http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/opas2006/kmi/K990086/index-en.html

Course work and forms of study

For detailed information, please see http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/opas2006/kmi/K990086/index-en.html

Target group/Course level

The course is meant for advanced students, who have basic knowledge of the region.

Objectives

Objective of the course is to contextualize the political, economic and cultural issues of development by delving into the state and society of the countries in South Asia, i.e. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The course would provide a comprehensive knowledge of the state and society of the countries in the region by addressing the appropriate local, national and regional actors and structure of the basic developmental issues of these countries.

Content

The course will focus on the issues e.g. the historical and intellectual antecedents of the state and nation formation; the socio-political inequalities/injustice in terms of ethnic, religious and gender division of the societies; violent conflicts; national developmental policies; environmental and ecological impacts of the modernization projects; developmental initiatives of the non-governmental organization.

Course work and forms of study

The course will consist of ten lectures and a seminar. After the lecture series students will sit for an examination based on the lectures and a reading list. In the seminar students will write a seminar paper with the help of the course conductor to accumulate further knowledge on a particular developmental issue of the countries in South Asia.