Their degree programmes are affected by the resizing: "We feel excluded"

Disclaimer: This text was translated using machine translation / AI and post-edited by Maria Nielsen Pedersen.

Students Frederik Edsberg Hansen and Astrid Sondrup are frustrated. They are both in their seventh semester at the Department of Global Studies at Arts - studying Russian Studies and Indian and South Asian Studies respectively - and their Bachelor’s degree programmes are now facing closure by the management at Arts. The management plans to shut down six language degree programmes and replace them with a new degree programme called Global Studies, which won’t have any language requirements.

The two students attend the degree programme committee meetings at Global Studies, while Frederik Edsberg Hansen is also a member of the degree programme board at Global Studies. He believes that the resizing plan - known as the holistic plan at Arts - was created without a proper understanding of the subject areas within Global Studies.

"If you read the holistic plan, it’s clear that decisions have been made based on assumptions about our studies. It doesn’t seem like there has been any discussion with either staff or students beforehand," he says.

For example, he points out that the dean of Arts, Maja Horst, explained in an interview with Omnibus on 20 September that there will be a combined Bachelor's degree programme in languages, where "you can certainly specialise in specific areas, but not in a way that guarantees separate teaching in those areas."

"That sounds like an oxymoron (a contradiction, ed.) to me. What exactly will be read in the classes, and what assignments will be set?" asks Frederik Edsberg Hansen. 

Astrid Sondrup points out that a combined language degree programme is too vague - especially for employers in the job market.

"It’s going to be even more fluffy. We already struggle when introducing ourselves, with people asking: What’s that? At least right now, it’s clear from the name, and we have the university’s authority behind us, showing that we’re qualified in that area and know the language. The other option is too abstract, and I wonder what the university hopes to achieve with such a degree programme," says Astrid Sondrup.

MAJA HORST VISITED GLOBAL STUDIES FOR A MEETING WITHOUT STUDENTS

On 8 October, dean Maja Horst visited Global Studies to hold a meeting with staff at their request. The students thought they would be able to attend the meeting, but the management at the School of Culture and Society (IKS) informed them that the meeting was for staff only. This has disappointed the students, says Frederik Edsberg Hansen. They saw it as an opportunity to voice their opinions on the resizing plan.

"That didn’t sit well with us at all. It seemed like they were afraid to hear the students' perspective and face us directly. This has only made us more dissatisfied. We don't understand the secrecy," he says.

Frederik Edsberg Hansen finds it unacceptable that management is unwilling to inform students about what is being discussed, which has left the degree programme committee feeling "completely overlooked."

Dean Maja Horst states that she was not involved in organising the meeting and simply showed up. She also emphasises that students are "very welcome to contribute their input to the process, and they will be included in the dialogue processes within the formal bodies".

Currently, the only way for staff and students to influence the process at the faculty is through an input form that must be submitted to the management at Arts by 23 October. The degree programme committee is currently working on a ten-page document on behalf of the students, explain Frederik Edsberg Hansen and Astrid Sondrup.

Head of school: Stands by the decision to begin with the staff

Marie Vejrup Nielsen, head of school at IKS, explains that it was a department meeting, which is always exclusively for staff. Although many staff members had expressed a desire for the meeting, it was her decision to invite the dean. After two debate meetings at the school with Maja Horst and Niels Lehmann (vice-dean of Arts, ed.), she felt there was a need for Global Studies to meet with them alone.  

"The purpose was for Maja Horst to meet with the staff who expressed a need for this type of meeting. At the beginning of the process, we prioritised the staff, and I stand by that decision," says Marie Vejrup Nielsen.

She sees no reason why the students shouldn't meet with the dean.

"I think there is a lot of pressure in the affected environments, and I understand it feels tough and chaotic. However, it’s not about excluding the students. If there is a strong desire among the students for a meeting with Maja Horst and Niels Lehmann, I’m sure they would be willing to meet at a later date," says Marie Vejrup Nielsen.

She considers it more relevant to involve students in phase 2 of Arts' plan for the Master’s degree reform. Phase 2 begins on 7 November, at which point the resizing for 2025 will be in place.

"There will be more structure at that stage, making it more appropriate to involve boards of studies, committees, and student representatives even more. We will continue to work on which degree programmes we want in the future. Regarding resizing, I didn’t initially think it was necessary for current students to provide input. However, all heads of departments have been informed that they can certainly raise this topic in the degree programme boards, and that the plan and process are not secret," says Marie Vejrup Nielsen.

Students: "We feel excluded from the broader discussions about changes"

According to Astrid Sondrup, this experience is just another example of how students feel everything is happening without their involvement.

"This hasn’t come out of nowhere. Our degree programmes have shrunk over the years, and we knew something like this could happen. Throughout all of this, we’ve felt excluded from the broader discussions about changes that we believe we should be a part of," says Astrid Sondrup. She points out that some Global Studies students were invited to a workshop last year by the university to discuss how to better promote the global studies.

"It seems really odd that we did that last semester, only for this semester to announce: We’re closing the degree programmes. Then why did we spend an entire day brainstorming on how to market ourselves?" asks Astrid Sondrup.

Important language programmes

At the University of Copenhagen, the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies recently posted a video on social media in which students from the university’s language programmes defend the importance of the programmes. Frederik Edsberg Hansen has noticed this and believes it contrasts with AU, which he claims shows little interest in the language programmes.

"It feels like Aarhus University isn't standing up for itself. It seems like they just listen to what the government says and go along with it. In the video from University of Copenhagen, they talk about the importance of language programmes, and that's something I've never seen from AU," says Frederik Edsberg Hansen.

However, they have both read dean Maja Horst's opinion piece in Altinget on 7 October, where she, along with UCPH dean Kirsten Busch Nielsen, acknowledges the need for "strong language and cultural experts" and calls for "sustained funding" to ensure the survival of language programmes. In her piece, she also states that the responsibility lies with the Danish Parliament, which must decide whether to make the financial support for German and French, granted in 2021, permanent. The funding is described as "the way out of the crisis."

LECTURER IN RUSSIAN STUDIES:  "Our offers must be language-based"

Lecturer Birgitte Beck Pristed teaches Russian Studies, one of the courses that will be affected if the Arts management's proposal for resizing becomes a reality. She explains that there is a consensus among staff that languages must not be eliminated from Global Studies.

"It’s crucial for us to ensure that our offers are language-based. A joint degree programme without language requirements is a bit like asking historians to develop a course without sources. It’s clear to all students and staff that this is not an option for us," she says.

At the same time, she acknowledges that maintaining the status quo is not an option either. The challenge is to make language programmes financially viable, as Birgitte Beck Pristed points out. She tries to focus on the positive aspects of the proposed holistic plan, which allows staff and students to influence the decision. Alongside the political aspect, where management is tasked with negotiating with politicians and the ministry to secure funding for the continuation of language programmes, staff also needs to work on developing proposals that "can work without compromising academic integrity."

For example, one option being considered, according to the lecturer, is to propose a Bachelor's degree programme with a broad common entry point, after which students can specialise in a specific area and language.

"This is just one of many scenarios being explored. It’s far too early to get into specifics," says Birgitte Beck Pristed.

Birgitte Beck Pristed also sees some positive signs in the proposed holistic plan.

"There’s no doubt that we’re facing a challenging financial situation. However, if I look on the bright side, I can see a certain strength in the ambition to preserve all areas of knowledge. I also see opportunities for greater collaboration across the school (IKS, ed.), and we’re keen to strengthen our partnership with IKK (the School of Communication and Culture, ed.)," says Birgitte Beck Pristed.

"MY SKILLS ARE BECOMING MORE VALUABLE"

The students themselves are not too worried about their future, as they believe their competencies will be in high demand in the job market. However, they see the current developments as critical for their fields in the long term.

"We’re optimistic because we know we have the skills. I’m not concerned about jobs disappearing in the business and industry. My concern is what will happen in a few years when there’s a need for collaboration, but suddenly there aren’t any qualified people available," says Astrid Sondrup.

She calls a potential closure of language programmes "a serious setback for our global understanding."

"In a time of climate crisis and the need for interdisciplinary solutions, it’s crucial for universities to strengthen their ability to engage in respectful international relations. Downgrading these studies undermines our capacity to understand and collaborate with countries outside of America and Europe. It’s a strange decision for a university that should ideally reflect the knowledge it produces," she says.

Frederik Edsberg Hansen adds:

"Initially, I thought: My ability to speak Russian is becoming less common, which makes my skills more valuable. But as a society, I believe we should have knowledge of other parts of the world, and there should be room to educate people in that area. It shows respect and interest if you come to a country and understand their culture and language," he says.