Hej Malin Isaksson

Malin Isaksson, associate professor in French, did an exchange at Sorbonne University in Paris, France.

Where did you go?
To Sorbonne University in Paris.

Why did you go there?
Because the Department of Germanic and Nordic Studies and my own Department of Language Studies have a lot in common. A colleague from the Sorbonne did an exchange with us last year and taught French, including French society and culture. She insisted that I should come to Paris so that the exchange would become more than just a one-way street.

What did you do during your exchange?
I gave a couple of research presentations, including at the Nordic Library in Paris, as part of a series of seminars titled Vice and Virtue in the Nordic Countries. I taught students studying Swedish and also mixed Scandinavian languages. This included language skills, as well as lectures in French on societal phenomena. They were curious to find out more about the Sámi language in Sweden, so I read up on it and gave a lesson about it. My favourite lessons were the ones on Norrland Swedish, in which I taught all the students how to say "sjooo" ("jo" while breathing in) and to sing along to a couple of songs by the Lapland reggae band Glesbygd'n.

What did you get out of your exchange?
It's very stimulating to see behind the scenes of a university in another country: their organisation, how they teach, and so on. Sometimes it challenges your own way of thinking, and that's always a good thing. I also learnt a lot, because I had to study in order to do the teaching the Sorbonne wanted me to do. Finally, I expanded and deepened my contacts with colleagues in Paris. Hopefully one of them will come to Umeå next semester.

Why would you recommend doing a staff exchange abroad?
Because it's like a vitamin injection when you take a break from the norm and go away on something that's more than just a visit – it's participating in the everyday life of another higher education institution. Don't worry that it will be particularly complicated – the International Office provides excellent assistance with the paperwork.

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