Our Summer School experience started in the town of Ås and we ended on the Norwegian west coast in beautiful Sogn and Fjordane. PUBLICATION 2011 Comparative Perspectives on Rural Development and Policy Challenges in Sogn og Fjordane, by John Bryden, Karen Refsgaard, Kjersti Nordskog, Sjur Baardsen, Katja Strøm Cappelen, Helene Lie, Arezoo Soltani (eds.), 108 s. The publication made by faculty and participations at the 8th icrps summer institute 2011 can be downloaded at NILFs homepage: http://nilf.no/publikasjoner/Rapporter/2011/rapporter_utgitt_i_2011-innhold or at the main icrps webpage: http://www.icrps.org/index.php?pageid=5
Ås lies about 30 minutes south of Oslo close to the Oslo Fjord, in a pleasant rural landscape rather typical of southern Norway and parts of Sweden. We will stay at The University of Life Sciences (UMB). Ås has a population of about 16,400 and agriculture is an important source of income in the municipality. The University is located in a beautiful landscape, consisting of historic buidings and a large park area. This area is characterized farmland, forests and only it is only 20 minutes by bus to Drøbak, a charming seaside small-town.
UMB
Photo:
The University of Life Sciences, UMB For the second part of the summer institute we will be going to Sogn og Fjordane County in West Norway. We will go to Sogndal in Sogn og Fjordane by bus, and the ride will be approx 7 hours (about 480 km long), crossing mountains and the heart of Norway. Don’t worry, we’ll make stops along the way!
As Norway is famous for its fjords, we will make sure to show you some of the most spectacular, beautiful parts of the country. Sogn has the longest and one of the most dramatic Fjords in Norway. It also has lively and prosperous rural communities, with good examples of nature tourism, small scale farming, rural infrastructure development, renewable energy, and the local government system at work. In Sogn og Fjordane there is also significant tourism research institutions. We will spend one week in Sogn og Fjordane, staying at Sogndal Folk High School. (A folk high school is a unique Nordic concept – you can rad more about it here).
Field visits, lectures and seminar sessions will take place in both Ås and Sogn og Fjordane. The detailed program is not ready just yet – but we are working very hard go give you exciting and relevant lectures and field visits with lots of participation. Also, this year we are planning some separate activities for our 2nd year students! The program wil be published on this web site when it is ready. Come back for the latest updates.
Norwegians are 'outdoorsy' kind of people – and we plan for a outdoorsy touch on the Summer School! This is why we are preparing for bonfires, hiking and bicycling. We hope you are up for it too!
When in Sogndal there are multiple possibilities for tourism, mountain hiking, climbing and glacier experiences near by. If you want to spend some extra time in Norway while you are already here, there are plenty of exciting possibilities in the western part of Norway.
Institute Fee The insitute fee, $2000 for Master and Ph. D. students from the partner institutions and $4000 for Professionals and students from non-partner institutions. The fee includes lodging at UMB and Sogndal Folk High School, most meals, field trip expenses and internal transportation by bus.
