Curious about how studies in Lund are being carried out this year? Jan-Niklas Heintze, MESPOM student (batch 15) from Germany, told us about his student experience in Lund at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) so far…
We started our classes in Lund on the 31st of August. Differently to most other European countries we are very lucky to have on-site classes. I am personally extremely happy about this, after an entire semester online, it is just so nice to be back in a classroom which makes teaching and learning so much better!
The Institute has set up specific rules regarding COVID-19 allowing max. 20 people in a classroom. Hybrid teachings, smaller groups seminars, clean environments, IIIEE is really doing a lot to make us feel safe.
Currently, lectures focus mainly on implementation of environmental goals within the corporate sector through strategies, processes, regulations or certifications. Right now, we are taking part in our second unit and I would say that so far, the entire experience in Lund has been very interesting. We are learning a lot of hands on practices and advices on how businesses can become sustainable and about the policies that can be implemented to shift their behaviour.
From November onwards a new phase of the programme will begin, preparing us for our master thesis. Methodology courses, such as applied research, will be extremely helpful for the research and writing processes that will take place from February onwards.
Some of us originally planned to work on their thesis research in a different country, but the current situation doesn’t allow us to make any definite plan. Luckily, there is the possibility to work on our thesis project remotely, if the supervisor agrees to those terms, which gives us still a lot of flexibility in picking our preferred research topic.
Life in Lund, and more in general in Sweden, is still very normal as the Swedish policy approach to COVID-19 is far less restrictive than in other Europeans countries. That means that it is not mandatory to wear face masks, all shops, restaurants or sports facilities are open, and we can travel around Sweden to discover its beautiful natural landscapes. We are therefore still on the “hunt” for a moose (of course only with a camera) as they can be spotted in Sweden quite regularly.