Norwegian 101: Media College
Heidi Håvan Grosch
Sparbu, Norway
There is no doubt (det er ingen tvil) that today we live in a media world (vi bor i en medieverden) and many say (og mange sier) that the jobs children of today (dagens barn) will have in the future (vil ha i fremtiden) haven’t even been invented yet (ikke er oppfunnet ennå). It is therefore logical (logisk) that there are university programs (programmer på universitet) that specialize in media studies (som spesialiserer seg i medieundervisning). Nord University’s Steinkjer campus boasts one of the up-and-coming (opp og kommende) media programs in Scandinavia. I asked Greg, one of the program’s instructors, how their program differed (var forskjellig) from similar programs (fra lignende programmer) in the rest of the world. Although (selv om) most have, for example, hands-on filmmaking (filmproduksjon); “NORD has a more integrated program (mer integrert program), encompassing Film/TV, 3D animation and Visual Effects, and Game Design.”
Greg is an American teaching at a university with an international staff, “broadening the perspectives available to students (utvide perspektivene for studenter).” Courses are often taught in English. This can actually benefit the students (er faktisk en fordel) because so many terms (så mange begreper) then do not need translation (oversettelse). Students are, according to Greg, open to learning (åpen for læring) but can be shy (kan være sjenert) and less motivated (mindre motivert) when it comes to looking at the long-term picture (for å se på det lansiktige bildet).
I asked Greg what he thought the most important piece of technology (det viktigste stykke teknologi) over the last 5-10 years was, and he answered without hesitation, “the smartphone.” He believes (han mener) media’s role in education will become more and more important (mer og mer viktig) as technology becomes cheaper (billigere) and easier to use (enklere å bruke), and the role of social media becomes even more widespread (blir enda mer bredere).
Interested in learning more (interessert i å lære mer) about the Bachelor in Media Technology at Nord University? Check out (se) this three-year program on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/nordmediastudies or their website (hjemmeside): mediastudent.no/media. International students (internasjonale studenter) are welcome to apply (er velkomne til å søke): mediastudent.no/media/apply/international-students.
This article originally appeared in the July 1, 2016, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
