The Founder of the Feast

Bikes, bikes, and more bikes. Nearly half a million people commute to work by bicycle each day in Copenhagen. 

It seems only fitting to write a little something-or-other about class, given that that's why and how we're here. I've put a Herculean amount of effort into the enterprise (although hopefully with a little more sense than that mortal man of muscle was known for...), and fortunately, present environs and outcomes have mostly legitimized the strain.  :)

To cut right to it: class is going well. We're here through the Danish Institute for Study Abroad, which ordinarily does all of its own programming with its own faculty—but this summer has invited a few folks to bring their own groups via a new "faculty-led" option. On Monday morning, all summer students and faculty met in an historic stone building in central Copenhagen for opening ceremonies. There were several orientation-type talks interspersed with the most beautiful music by a string quartet from the Royal School of Music here. As I sat—eyes closed—in that acoustically magnificent hall, with "Morning" from the Peer Gynt suite shimmering all around and through me, I couldn't imagine anywhere I would rather have been.

Opening ceremony

The class itself began that afternoon. I've titled it Child Development in Cultural Context (syllabus). It's been a new prep, a proposition guaranteed to put ice in the veins. But it's been so worth it, and not just for the excuse to be here! Developing this course has been a much-needed impetus to engage myself with a side of my field that I've just not been able to carve out the time to explore previously. It's changing the way I see developmental psychology, exposing many of the (arguably) flawed assumptions that have underpinned the discipline for much of the last century.

I have 10 students here, and they're super. Here's the group on Thursday at the start of class, which we held in the courtyard of our class building seeing as DIS didn't think to tell the non-Danish faculty that it was a national holiday and the entire place would be shuttered and locked!

One of the fun parts about being here for a course like this is just how differently the Danes view childhood. I've arranged several special speakers and excursions so we can use it as a lens for many of our discussions. Below is a picture of some of the students observing at a playground the other day. Danish playgrounds tend to be elaborate and incredibly thoughtfully designed. What's more, many are staffed full-time. And not just staffed, but by people who are university-educated in child development and learning!

Clearly we blended in seamlessly...

Most of the time I'm leaving the students to their own devices to sightsee, feed, and take care of themselves. (Mothering my own two is job enough in itself!!) But we arranged a group canal tour this week and took in several of the main sights of Copenhagen by water. Jesse and the boys came too. It was beautiful.

Copenhagen Opera House