The colorful walls of Copenhagen

Author: Ethan Mitchell | Majors: Criminology and Sociology | Semester: Summer 2023

Hi, my name is Ethan Mitchell! I am a Criminology and Sociology major from Fulbright College, and I recently returned from a 7-week-long trip studying abroad in Scandinavia! Through DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia, I spent part of my summer studying in Denmark and Sweden along with week-long “study tours” in Germany and Hungary. Thanks to the widely varied course offerings of the DIS Summer program, I was able to pick two courses to take this summer that were not only related to my academic interests but would also allow me to expand my knowledge while utilizing Europe itself as my classroom.

My first course of the summer, called “Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism from a European Perspective,” was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, where I resided for two weeks separated by a one-week-long study tour in Munich, Germany. For this course, our professor was a member of the Danish military named Steen Kjærgaard who had experience working in intelligence and national security. Through learning about his first-hand experience and by taking field trips to various relevant locations like the site of the terrorist hostage-taking from the 1972 Olympic Village in Munich, I was able to broaden my understanding of issues like radicalization and terrorism by viewing them through a different lens than the American-focused one I have always looked through. These new perspectives and the knowledge I gained while in Europe will be very beneficial for me as I begin work on my Honors thesis with Dr. Gruenewald and the Terrorism Research Center here on campus this fall.

Once these three weeks were done, I took a bus from Denmark to Stockholm, Sweden, to begin my second course of the summer. This course, called “Political Extremism and Threats to Democracy,” was taught by Dr. Steve Turner, an American who has been living and teaching in Sweden for several decades. Dr. Turner loves talking about all sorts of political issues that are spanning all over the globe, but for our course, we focused on the rise of populism in many democratic countries recently, including in the U.S. and in Hungary, which we visited for a week to learn about their current government. After having learned about radicalization in my first course of the summer, it was fascinating to see how this issue evolved when it was directly related to politics and democratic institutions. As someone who has not taken many courses related to political science, this course helped me gain a new appreciation for politics and a better understanding of how it may relate to my future research and my future career as well.

When I chose to study abroad, I knew I would be exiting my comfort zone, as I had never been out of the United States before. However, as someone who is from a very small town in Arkansas, I was not well-prepared for how different it felt to be in big cities like Copenhagen, Stockholm, Munich, and Budapest. From the vast swathes of people to the stores and restaurants run by people from all over the world, I felt quite out-of-my-element. As someone who has never really used public transportation in the States, I found myself having to navigate buses and subway systems that were all in different languages. In fact, two days after arriving in Europe, I left my second class and hopped on a bus, only to realize 45 minutes later that I had been traveling in the wrong direction! By the time I got the hang of the Copenhagen buses, it was time for me to move to Stockholm, where I then had to take a nearly hour-long trip to class every day on a commuter train. Needless to say, never again will I take the ability to simply drive my truck where I need to go for granted! However, the art, architecture, and food in each city I visited had a distinct feeling that helped me ground myself in the uniqueness of the cities themselves, which was helpful to give myself some peace of mind and something to look back on aside from the stress of public transportation.

I would definitely recommend the DIS program to other students; while I obviously cannot speak for all the professors in the program, the two courses I took were very fun and very interesting, and I learned a great deal while being able to meet students from all over the United States and Canada. One thing I would recommend is downloading the app “Citymapper,” especially if someone is going to Copenhagen or Stockholm. This app helped me navigate both of these cities quite easily, as I found that it was often less confusing than Google Maps when using public transportation. I would also be prepared for the fact that most cities in Scandinavia are quite expensive compared to here. Lastly, it is smart to look into what you may need while you will be in Europe, but do not overpack! I brought almost double the amount of clothes that I actually needed, and this made transporting my luggage quite stressful!

I will always remember my time in Europe, and I made a lot of new friends while there, but I would also advise that it is important to consider how long you will be there. For the first few weeks, I handled the culture shock quite well, but by the last couple weeks of my seven-week trip, I was feeling exhausted and simply ready to be home. If it is not your first time out of the country, I’m sure it is an easier transition, but just know that it can be stressful and try not to wear yourself out in the first couple weeks. Overall, while I did have my fair share of small mishaps while in Europe, I expected those to happen since it was my first trip abroad, and thankfully I am now back in the United States where I can look back on these mishaps with laughter. Plus, they make for great stories to tell my friends and family!