WELCOME TO THE COURSE
Welcome to the course "Architecture and the City - Towards another future" at Umeå School of Architecture, Umeå University. My name is James Brown and I am the course responsible teacher. On this page you will find important information that will be useful, so please read through it carefully. If you have any questions, you can use the contact form below. We wish you a warm welcome and hope that you will enjoy your period of studies here in Umeå.
Have you been admitted to a course or programme, but do not wish to keep your place? Then you should decline your offer by logging in to your account at Universityadmissions.se. In doing so, you free up your place to someone who is on the waiting list.
If you are in need of special support due to disability, you should apply for that in good time before you start your studies. Find more information about support for studying with disabilities.
CloseYou need to be registered for the courses in the study documentation system to be able to follow the courses and to get your results recorded during the course. Online registration via Ladok is open between August 21st and August 28th. If you do not register by August 28th at the latest, you risk losing your place (seat) at the course.
Please note! To be able to sign in to Ladok and register online, you must first have activated your Umu-id account.
If you have problems creating your Umu ID or have forgotten your login details, you must contact IT support as soon as possible.
CloseCourse start
Course materials will be published on Canvas on Monday 28 August. Students should familiarize themselves with the materials and schedule, and write a short introduction to themselves. The first live session with all students will take place online 13.00-16.00 Friday 1 September.
Friday 1 September between 13.00-15.00 there will be an introduction meeting on Zoom (a digital tool for online teaching). It is important to attend this meeting, see zoom link below. You will find more information before the meeting in Canvas.
Zoom-link to introduction meeting
Are you unable to attend?
If you are unable to attend the meeting on Friday 1 September, please notify us by sending an e-mail to info@arch.umu.se
Learning platform Canvas
The course does not have any mandatory meetings on campus, you will find everything you need regarding the course in the learning platform Canvas. You can also discuss things with your instructor and classmates there.
The course site in Canvas will be published a few days before the course starts. Please note that you must activate your umu ID before you can log in to Canvas.
Schedule
A schedule for the first weeks of the term is available on the student web one month before the course starts.
This course is delivered entirely online. No presence in Umeå is required.
This course offers the interested outsider a chance to sample some of the research-informed teaching that takes place at Umeå School of Architecture (UMA).
Taught in three sequential parts by three different members of UMA faculty, you will get the chance to sample the wide variety of intellectual and methodological outlooks that inform our five-year programme.
Weekly lectures, seminars or workshops will take place on Friday afternoons on Zoom. Lectures will normally be recorded for catch-up later, but attendance 13.00-16.00 on Fridays is generally required.
Through these sessions, exemplary buildings, environments and architectural ideas will be critically examined. The course aims to inspire you to understand the relationship between the form of the built environment and the social relations that activate it. The concepts and materiality of architecture will be examined as fundamental components of society.
During the sessions, you will be invited to be participate via small group activities and discussions or individual contributions.
At the end of the course, you will be assessed on an individual assignment.
CloseWe are pleased that you have decided to study at Umeå School of Architecture (UMA). We hope that you will find that you have made the right choice to gain skills for your future life. We also hope that you will enjoy your time and studies here at Umeå University!
The school is characterised by a vision to work on both local and global contexts. We are located in the north of Sweden, in a rural and relatively sparsely populated region, in a time of extensive globalisation. Our teachers come from within the region as well as from other parts of the world, something that open possibilities for a broad and diverse perspective.
Our aim is to educate future architects that can work for social change, towards a sustainable society, departing from an ethical approach to the profession. We want to educate architects that in their profession are characterized by a social responsibility towards the world they operate in.
Umeå School of Architecture was founded in 2009 and presently has about 300 students in first and second-cycle courses. We are a part of Umeå Arts Campus, a creative environment for research, education and events within architecture, art and design.
CloseIf you have any questions regarding the content of the course, please contact the course responsible teacher James Brown.
If you have questions regarding the administrative parts (for example about your admission or online registration), please contact our study administration at info@arch.umu.se
CloseChecklist for admitted students
Follow this simple list of things to complete your enrolment at Umeå University. It includes: how to secure housing, getting a residence permit (for citizens from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland), tuition payment (if applicable), travel directions and more.
To the checklist for admitted Students
CloseThe Student web
The website for current students has all sorts of information about services, support, legal and practical matters at Umeå University. You can sign in to the learning platforms, see your schedule and course overview, get a study certificate, apply for a degree or sign up for an examination.
CloseRecommended arrival times
International students are recommended to arrive at least a few days before the start of the regular semester, preferably prior to the Orientation. If you fail to arrive on time, you have to contact the study counselor as soon as possible, but no later than one week ahead of the course start, or you may not be able to register for the programme or course.
If you will have student housing through the Housing Office at Umeå University you will receive information about your arrival in your offer of housing.
Don't forget - Umeå has cold winters, so pack accordingly with a warm jacket, warm shoes, gloves and hat.
CloseOrientation
Moving to a new country with an unfamiliar language, culture and customs can be a challenge. We would like to help you and ease that challenge so that you can focus on your studies. Therefore, we would like to offer you the possibility to take part in our Orientation, which begins a few days before the start of the semester (Autumn) or the same day as the semester starts (Spring).
More about the Orientation this semester.
CloseWelcome Fair
Are you a new student at Umeå University? Visit the Welcome Fair – a perfect opportunity to learn what our university and Umeå can offer. The fair normally takes place in the beginning of each semester.
CloseActivate your user account
As a new student, you need to activate your user account approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester in order to, for instance:
If you are a new student, you will automatically receive a user account when you are admitted, but you will need to activate it for it to function properly. You will not be able to activate it until approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester.
I want to learn more about my user account (Umu-id)
For exchange students and tuition fee paying students
If you are an exchange student or tuition fee paying student, you will receive an email with instructions on how to activate your account.
Help! It's not working
If you are having problems activating your account or logging in, please contact our Servicedesk. You will find answers to common questions, and can submit enquiries.
Get your UmU card
When you are on Campus Umeå, Umeå Arts Campus or Campus Örnsköldsvik, you will need a UmU card. The card has the following functions:
To get the card, you need to apply for it. Here’s how to apply for the UmU card.
CloseJoin a student union
There are three student unions at Umeå University:
They are actively involved so that fellow students have a high quality of education, good working environment, and fun leisure time.
Become a member of a student union!
CloseAccess to Microsoft Office 365
Students at Umeå University have free access to the programmes of Microsoft Office 365. This means that you have access to Teams, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Whiteboard Forms, your student email and other services which can facilitate your studies and your collaboration with other students. To access Office 365 you need to activate your UmU-id.
Learn more about Office 365 and how to install it on your computer
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