Culture Finland (3 cr)

Objective

Learning about Finland and Finnish culture is easy. But how valuable knowledge obtained from websites is? There are facts – significant ones, but many stereotypes too. Personal touch and opinion are crucial.

This course offers you to learn about Finland with the help of websites but also see Finnish culture from the eyes of the foreigners studying or working here. They are people with different backgrounds and have come to Finland for various reasons. They will tell you what it means to live here. So, enjoy the soft encounter with the Finnish culture.

And what if you are a Finn? You can see your country and culture through the lens of outsider perception. Indeed, you will find something interesting. Probably also help to develop the course.

To sum it up - the course gives you the main characteristics of Finnish society – a brief history, way of life, economic environment and working opportunities. You will learn to identify and describe the new trends in the development of Finnish society and learn about famous Finns and their contribution to the image of Finland worldwide. Share your experience with others and learn from their experience.

Students can:
• define and identify elements in Finnish culture essential for interpersonal communication and communication in the global world
• compare and contrast one’s original cultural values, beliefs, perceptions, and communication styles with the Finnish culture
• recognise negative perceptions and avoid stereotyping
• recognise the patterns in intercultural communication when dealing with institutions and social structures in Finland.

Content

• cultural challenges and interpersonal communication tips
• a brief history of Finland – how it impacts Finnish culture
• social development of Finland, trends, economics, institutions
• studying and working in Finland – authentic views from foreigners presented in the form of podcasts, videos and short stories

Course material

All the material is in Learn, and it requires consequent completion of the tasks. The information is divided into sections and you will be able to see the titles but the content will open as soon as you have completed the present section.

Study forms and methods

Each participant in the course can complete it at their own pace. The course must be completed within 3 months after it has started. There are no additional deadlines in the course.

RDI and work-related cooperation

One of the course's objectives is to introduce you to the opportunities the Finnish society offers. The course doesn't have imminent implications for RDI cooperation.

Timing of exams and assignments

There is one ultimate deadline - the course has to be completed within 3 months after you start it.
There is a short quiz at the end, mainly to give you an idea on what you learned about Finland

Student workload

You might need between 45 and 70 hours to complete the course. It very much depends on how much time you want to spend on finding information.

Further information

If you have any questions, please, write to Slaveya - slaveya.hamalainen@xamk.fi

Evaluation scale

Approved/Failed

Assessment methods and criteria

- completion of the individual tasks in Learn - 70%
- end-term quiz - 30%

Approved: min of 70% completion.