The University of Bergen Offers an Extraordinary Course On-board the Norwegian Sailing Vessel Statsraad Lemkuhl

The University of Bergen (UiB) has developed the interdisciplinary course Ocean-climate-society (SDG200), which is open to all Arqus students. The course will be taught on-board the sailing ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl in the period from 1 May to 25 August 2022, while sailing across the Pacific from Valparaíso in Chile to Palau. The course is open for students from all academic backgrounds, as solving sustainability challenges demands extensive collaboration across fields.

The main topics of the course are focused on ocean and how we can conserve and use it for sustainable development as described in Agenda2030, and particularly in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, Life below water, and how the SDGs interconnect with and affect each other.

Another topic is climate and understanding of the underlying physical processes that affect climate variation, consequences of climate change on society, and the solutions to SDG 13 Climate action. One more subject of the course is society and sustainability challenges in a social, cultural, and legal context. The students will be trained in collaborative work as sailing trainees across the Pacific and through solving interdisciplinary tasks and working together across different backgrounds and disciplines.

The course is open for all students regardless of academic background. The students need to be enrolled at the local university at least until and including the autumn semester 2022. Students applying must have completed at least 60 ECTS at the university level. Applicants must submit a CV and a letter of motivation, and shortlisted students may be invited to an interview. UiB aspires to assemble an interdisciplinary student group. Applicants must also document the good physical shape and submit a seaman’s health certificate before boarding.

The major costs of the SDG200 course will be covered by UiB and include the lease of the vessel, development of the course, teaching resources and participation. Unfortunately, The University of Bergen cannot cover travel expenses for the round-trip Valparaíso - Palau or room and board expenses (NOK 250 per day) for participants. Note that all costs are preliminary estimates and that extraordinary costs may occur. The purpose is to cover some of these costs through external funding to keep the student costs as low as possible.

Students must apply directly to UiB in autumn 2021 with an application deadline of 1 October.
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