PGN Explores Scandinavian Life in Copenhagen, Denmark
In the Fall Semester of 2023, Khloe Burkum, a member of PGN at the University of Iowa, secured an opportunity through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), and was able to study abroad and explore Copenhagen, Denmark.
As Khloe immersed herself in Copenhagen, Denmark, she also took three classes to learn more about her new home; the Sociology of Scandinavian Happiness, Sustainable City Planning, and Survival Danish. These classes allowed her to learn more about the Scandinavian lifestyle and reflect on her journey as she explored unfamiliar places and built a connection to a new culture.
Read more about her experience below!
Image Source: Khloe Burkum, 2024
“I was able to take three classes while I was there, and they were all taught by professors from all over the world. The first class I took was called Sociology of Scandinavian Happiness. Individuals living in Scandinavian countries are consistently listed at the top of the global happiness index. We studied statistics on why that is the case, and what specifically about these countries makes their citizens so happy. I learned it had a lot to do with their focus on family, giving parents adequate parental leave and also vacation time to spend on their own wellbeing as well as their family’s wellbeing. They have taxpayer-funded healthcare available to all citizens. They also have adequate public transportation, and biking is encouraged for both clean transportation and health benefits (Copenhagen is the biking capital of the world!) The class was taught by Mike Weiking, the CEO and founder of the Happiness Research Institute, which is a think tank studying the science of well-being.
My second class was called Sustainable City Planning. Copenhagen is a notoriously “green” city, and has myriad programs in place to increase their clean energy and reduce their carbon footprint and pollution. We went on several field trips to various areas around Copenhagen to observe how they were sustainable. Copenhagen has worked on its water purification system, even so far as to clean the ocean-fed harbors and canals. Locals (and we participated too!) jump into the canals on hot summer days and go swimming in the harbors, thanks to years of clean-up efforts by the city. Copenhagen has clean public transportation and over 50% of its citizens use bikes as their main form of transportation – it’s energy efficient and healthy.
My third class was called Survival Danish. It was a crash course in the Danish language (I still can’t really speak the language, the accent is tough but it was beneficial when ordering food or asking for directions).“
Image Source: Khloe Burkum, 2024
“I was able to take trips on our non-school days to various parts of Denmark (like the island called Bornholm which has a fascinating history of Danish-Swedish occupation), as well as visiting Germany, Norway, and Sweden on weekend trips. I learned so much about how people from different cultures live and operate day to day, how cities can be cleaner and more energy efficient, and how individuals, particularly those in the Scandinavian business world, have the highest levels of happiness in the world..”
