Featured Custom Programs

DIS has successfully partnered with a wide range of universities to deliver unique and customized programs. Read through the following examples to gather inspiration for your own program.

Program Examples: Co-teaching, Faculty-led, and DIS-taught courses

  • Brandeis University: A five-week summer program involving co-teaching between DIS faculty and Brandeis faculty in Economics. The Program included activities using Copenhagen as a classroom, as well as a Danish language and culture introduction, and a three-day Study Tour to Western Denmark
  • Kenyon College: A semester-length program designed for entering First-year students. Kenyon faculty teach core subject areas while DIS faculty teach an array of customized courses.
  • Spelman College: A summer course taught by DIS with a focus on Cross-cultural Communication with an emphasis on immigrant and refugee communities in Copenhagen.
  • University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA): Using Danish author Hans Christian Andersen as inspiration, UCLA spent four weeks in Copenhagen exploring the literary culture in Denmark. In conjunction with standard class time, the curriculum is enhanced by DIS-arranged guest lectures, site visits, and Field Studies to bring the different authors’ writing to life
  • University of Virginia (UVA): From the UVA McIntire School of Commerce, UVA worked with DIS on a two-week program in Copenhagen focusing on sustainable practices in Scandinavia, highlighting topics such as green energy,   security, and sustainable transportation practices. The program included a three-day Study Tour to the island of Samsø, a leader in sustainable communities
  • Wake Forest University: A year-long First-year program involving Wake Forest faculty and DIS faculty taught courses. The program follows the regular DIS calendar and includes Field Studies, Core Course Week, Study Tours, etc. with a dedicated community advisor involved in student well-being.
  • Washington & Lee University: Sent two different programs highlighting CSR (a two-week, first-year seminar and a four-week, third-year practicum). DIS and Washington & Lee University collaborated on-site visits to a variety of Copenhagen-based companies which were integrated into the curriculum as case studies

Custom Programs During the Pandemic

DIS has collaborated on custom programs with Carleton College and Wellesley College to enable students to study abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working closely together, DIS and these institutions built a term abroad that matched the academic calendar at home, offered courses to meet the needs of particular student communities, and set program parameters according to local public health guidance and home university policy.

  • Carleton College: Specialized fall and winter programs, both in Copenhagen, offered students courses across disciplines. Students either lived with local students in a Kollegium or in a Homestay
  • Wellesley College: A specialized seven-week program during T2 to students interested in studying abroad in Copenhagen. Students took a total of two courses and lived together with students from their Wellesley cohort in a Residential Community.

“We have been consistently impressed by the quality of collaborations Carleton has developed with DIS over that last three decades. From the regular DIS semesters in Copenhagen and Stockholm to the custom program partnerships that have thrived even during the pandemic, DIS has struck a perfect balance between providing an innovative academic curriculum and demonstrating the concern and commitment to student health, safety, and well-being.”

– Helena Kaufman, Director, Off-Campus Studies & Global Engagement Programs