{"id":34292,"date":"2026-01-02T01:15:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T01:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/?p=34292"},"modified":"2026-03-03T14:55:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T14:55:58","slug":"modern-studies-in-its-twenties-time-to-celebrate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/volume-21-no-1-2026\/other-contributions-editor-review\/modern-studies-in-its-twenties-time-to-celebrate\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern Studies in Its Twenties: Time to Celebrate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/i><\/span> <\/a>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Back in 2005, the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences (now “of Humanities and Social Sciences”) at the University of Akureyri (UNAK) graduated its first cohort in Modern Studies<\/a>, namely the one and only BA-level degree line in the Humanities (especially Philosophy and History) ever to be offered\u2014and currently still being offered\u2014in the north of Iceland, as well as the sole undergraduate programme in \u201cModern Studies\u201d (“N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i<\/a>“) proper in the country\u2014at least at the time of writing. Modelled upon analogous programmes taught at diverse educational levels in both Europe and North America, this Liberal Arts degree line had taken its very first steps in 2000 as part of the undergraduate curriculum of the Faculty of Education at UNAK, before \u2018relocating\u2019 into the newly-established Faculty of Law and Social Sciences in 2003, hence maturing into the BA programme celebrated hereby.<\/p>\n

Specifically, a wealth of testimonials is being published in this new issue of Nordicum-Mediterraneum<\/em>. The authors of these testimonials, which vary noticeably in both length and chosen language, are some of the programme\u2019s numerous alumni and of the many exchange students who, over the years 2005-2026, benefitted from the multidisciplinary and bilingual character of the programme, as well as from the work by the teachers and specialists who have been contributing more consistently to making Modern Studies the unique and well-established academic reality that it is today. The editor of this collection of testimonials endeavored to reach out to as many alumni and former exchange students as possible, and he is most grateful to all those who replied to his messages and, quite obviously, to all those who eventually contributed their hereby-published testimonials.<\/p>\n

Giorgio Baruchello<\/p>\n

PART ONE — TESTIMONIALS BY MODERN STUDIES’ ALUMNI<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anna A\u00f0alsteinsd\u00f3ttir, 2008<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00deegar \u00e9g byrja\u00f0i \u00ed N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni hausti\u00f0 2004 var \u00e9g ekki viss \u00e1 hva\u00f0 \u00e9g skr\u00e1\u00f0i mig \u00ed. \u00c9g haf\u00f0i alltaf elska\u00f0 sagnfr\u00e6\u00f0i og l\u00edka\u00f0 vel vi\u00f0 samf\u00e9lagsfr\u00e6\u00f0i greinar og \u00feess vegna f\u00f3r \u00e9g \u00ed \u00feetta n\u00e1m (langa\u00f0i ekki \u00ed sk\u00f3la annarssta\u00f0ar). \u00c9g \u00fatskrifa\u00f0ist 2008 t\u00f3k n\u00e1mi\u00f0 \u00e1 4 \u00e1rum \u00fev\u00ed \u00e9g f\u00f3r 1 \u00f6nn \u00ed skiptin\u00e1m til Noregs. N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in opna\u00f0i fyrir mig heim \u00feverfaglegs n\u00e1ms, heim nor\u00f0ursl\u00f3\u00f0anna og heimskautanna sem hefur n\u00e1mslega \u00e1tt hug minn allan s\u00ed\u00f0an \u00fe\u00e1. \u00c9g haf\u00f0i m\u00f6guleika \u00e1 a\u00f0 fara eina \u00f6nn til Bod\u00f6 \u00ed Noregi gegnum North2North skiptinema pr\u00f3grammi\u00f0. \u00dear kynntist \u00e9g fullt af f\u00f3lki fr\u00e1 \u00f6llum heimshornum \u00fear sem \u00e9g bj\u00f3 \u00e1 heimavist \u00fear sem flestir skiptinemarnir \u00ed sk\u00f3lanum bjuggu \u00e1. \u00deessi \u00f6nn var hluti af \u201eCircumpolar Studies\u201c sem er hluti af BA gr\u00e1\u00f0u fr\u00e1 UArctic, sem h\u00e6gt var a\u00f0 f\u00e1 (var alla vega \u00feannig \u00feegar \u00e9g \u00fatskrifa\u00f0ist 2007). Til a\u00f0 f\u00e1 BA gr\u00e1\u00f0u \u00ed CS \u00fe\u00e1 er n\u00fdtt hluti af \u00fev\u00ed n\u00e1mi sem \u00fe\u00fa ert \u00ed \u00ed \u00fe\u00ednum h\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00ed m\u00ednu tilfelli n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni en hinn hlutinn var fjarn\u00e1mi\u00f0 og \u00f6nnin sem \u00e9g t\u00f3k \u00ed Bod\u00f6. \u00cd gegnum \u00fea\u00f0 n\u00e1m f\u00e9kk \u00e9g a\u00f0 fara til Arkhangelsk \u00ed R\u00fasslandi \u00e1 r\u00e1\u00f0stefnu UArctic \u00fear sem \u00e9g \u00fatskrifa\u00f0ist \u00e1samt \u00f6\u00f0rum nemendum sem voru me\u00f0 m\u00e9r \u00ed Bod\u00f6 (eing\u00f6ngu R\u00fassa). Upp \u00far \u00feessum tveimur BA gr\u00e1\u00f0um f\u00f3r \u00e9g \u00ed Heimskautar\u00e9tt meistaran\u00e1m. \u00dea\u00f0 a\u00f0 upplifa n\u00e1m sem er veri\u00f0 a\u00f0 b\u00faa til fr\u00e1 grunni var reynsla sem \u00e9g b\u00fd alltaf a\u00f0 (Kl\u00e1ra\u00f0i dipl\u00f3ma). N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in og Heimskautar\u00e9tturinn gaf m\u00e9r f\u00e6ri \u00e1 a\u00f0 fer\u00f0ast um m\u00f6rg af l\u00f6ndunum 8 sem tilheyra nor\u00f0ursl\u00f3\u00f0unum me\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 fara \u00e1 r\u00e1\u00f0stefnur (UArctic \u00ed R\u00fasslandi, Polar Law Symposium \u00e1 Gr\u00e6nlandi, Finnlandi og einnig au\u00f0vita \u00cdslandi) og skiptin\u00e1mi\u00f0 \u00ed Noregi og 1 \u00e1fangi \u00ed Heimskautar\u00e9tti sem var kenndur F\u00e6reyjum. ( \u00c1 eftir a\u00f0 koma til Bandar\u00edkjanna og Kanada en ma\u00f0ur veit aldrei hva\u00f0 ver\u00f0ur \u00far seinna \u00e1 l\u00edfslei\u00f0inni. \u00c9g kynntist hins vegar f\u00f3lki fr\u00e1 \u00feeim l\u00f6ndum \u00ed heimskautar\u00e9ttinum.) Sj\u00e1lf hef \u00e9g fer\u00f0ast um Danm\u00f6rku og Sv\u00ed\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0ar sem t\u00faristi. \u00deessi reynsla sem n\u00e1mi\u00f0 f\u00e6r\u00f0i m\u00e9r hefur opna\u00f0 augu og huga minn fyrir hve allt er \u00ed raun tengt og l\u00edti\u00f0. \u00de\u00f3 vi\u00f0 b\u00faum \u00ed litlu samf\u00e9lagi \u00e1 nor\u00f0urhjara \u00fe\u00e1 erum vi\u00f0 n\u00e1tengd al\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0asamf\u00e9laginu og umheiminum.<\/p>\n

Anna Sigr\u00ed\u00f0ur \u00d3lafsd\u00f3ttir<\/span><\/span>, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c9g var b\u00e6\u00f0i fullor\u00f0in og l\u00edfsreynd \u00feegar \u00e9g h\u00f3f n\u00e1m \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri \u00e1ri\u00f0 2017. Samt haf\u00f0i \u00e9g aldrei alveg n\u00e1\u00f0 a\u00f0 finna \u00fat hva\u00f0 \u00e9g vildi ver\u00f0a \u00feegar \u00e9g yr\u00f0i st\u00f3r. \u00c9g vissi samt a\u00f0 \u00e9g vildi ver\u00f0a menntu\u00f0, hva\u00f0 sem \u00fea\u00f0 or\u00f0 f\u00f3l n\u00fa \u00ed s\u00e9r. \u00c9g vissi bara a\u00f0 \u00e9g var \u00f3-menntu\u00f0 og \u00fea\u00f0 var ekki gott.<\/p>\n

A\u00f0 hafa fengi\u00f0 t\u00e6kif\u00e6ri til a\u00f0 s\u00e6kja m\u00e9r menntun \u00e1 mi\u00f0jum aldri var ein st\u00e6rsta gj\u00f6f sem l\u00edfi\u00f0 hefur f\u00e6rt m\u00e9r. \u00c9g veit a\u00f0 \u00feetta kann a\u00f0 hlj\u00f3ma grunnhyggi\u00f0, en \u00fea\u00f0 er satt. Fyrir utan a\u00f0 hafa fengi\u00f0 pl\u00e1stur \u00e1 laska\u00f0a sj\u00e1lfsmynd m\u00edna f\u00e6r\u00f0i n\u00e1mi\u00f0 m\u00e9r getuna til a\u00f0 beita \u00ed raun og sann gagnr\u00fdninni hugsun, sem er st\u00e6rsta m\u00f3tv\u00e6gisa\u00f0ger\u00f0 m\u00edn gagnvart heimi sem hefur s\u00ed\u00f0an \u00fe\u00e1 or\u00f0i\u00f0 klikka\u00f0ri me\u00f0 hverju \u00e1rinu.<\/p>\n

Heimurinn \u00ed vestrinu hefur sennilega aldrei veri\u00f0 eins m\u00f3tsagnakenndur. \u00c1 sama t\u00edma og vi\u00f0 erum or\u00f0in gr\u00ed\u00f0arlega uppl\u00fdst um f\u00ednofna \u00fer\u00e6\u00f0i mannlegrar tilvistar og merkilega kl\u00e1r, vir\u00f0umst vi\u00f0 vera a\u00f0 hverfa aftur til t\u00edma \u00fear sem karlmenn eiga a\u00f0 vera v\u00e9lar sem skaffa og drepa og konur \u00fej\u00f3nar \u00feeirra, au\u00f0mj\u00fakir h\u00fdslar aukins vinnuafls \u00e1 f\u00f3rnaraltari\u00f0. \u00dearna nefni \u00e9g bara hin klass\u00edsku tv\u00f6 kyn, en sennilega birtist m\u00f3tsagnakenndi n\u00fat\u00edminn einna best \u00feegar umr\u00e6\u00f0an um fleiri kyn ber \u00e1 g\u00f3ma. \u00deau sem sj\u00e1 f\u00ednofna \u00fer\u00e6\u00f0ina taka breytingunum opnum \u00f6rmum, hin hafna veruleika sem ekki passar inn \u00ed gamla \u201cg\u00f3\u00f0a\u201d kassann. Hlutir sem \u00e1\u00f0ur voru n\u00faansar eru or\u00f0nir a\u00f0 flekaskilum og samsta\u00f0an raknar upp \u00e1 saumunum.<\/p>\n

\u00cd n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni l\u00e6r\u00f0i \u00e9g meira en \u00e1\u00f0ur um samhengi hlutanna. Ekkert gerist \u00ed t\u00f3mar\u00fami og n\u00fat\u00edminn er alltaf afsprengi n\u00e1l\u00e6grar e\u00f0a fjarl\u00e6grar fort\u00ed\u00f0ar. \u00c9g l\u00e6r\u00f0i l\u00edka a\u00f0 skilja a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 eru handhafar valdsins hverju sinni sem bera fyrst og fremst \u00e1byrg\u00f0 \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed hvernig m\u00e1lum er h\u00e1tta\u00f0. \u00dea\u00f0 ver\u00f0ur \u00fe\u00f3 s\u00edfellt fl\u00f3knara a\u00f0 skilja hverjir \u00fea\u00f0 eru. Vi\u00f0 lifum ekki lengur \u00e1 t\u00edmum \u00fear sem kirkjan e\u00f0a konungsd\u00e6mi fara me\u00f0 \u00f3skor\u00f0a\u00f0 vald og \u00fea\u00f0 sem verra er a\u00f0 vald kj\u00f6rinna fulltr\u00faa \u00ed l\u00fd\u00f0r\u00e6\u00f0isr\u00edkjum vir\u00f0ist stundum vera eins og eitthva\u00f0 gr\u00edn. \u00dea\u00f0 hefur gert \u00fea\u00f0 a\u00f0 verkum a\u00f0 l\u00fd\u00f0r\u00e6\u00f0i\u00f0 sem verkf\u00e6ri er fari\u00f0 a\u00f0 l\u00edta \u00fat eins og tannlaus trunta, sem er b\u00e6\u00f0i gr\u00e1tlegt og grafalvarlegt m\u00e1l.<\/p>\n

Eitt af \u00fev\u00ed sem hefur, \u00e1n tilliti til t\u00edmans, veri\u00f0 einkenni valdhafans eru peningarnir. Gervigreindin og \u00feau t\u00f3l sem h\u00fan f\u00e6rir okkur n\u00fat\u00edmaf\u00f3lkinu er um margt fr\u00e1b\u00e6r, en vi\u00f0 megum \u00fe\u00f3 ekki falla \u00ed \u00fe\u00e1 gryfju a\u00f0 halda a\u00f0 h\u00fan s\u00e9 saklaust t\u00e6ki \u00e1n nokkurs kostna\u00f0ar. T\u00e6ki er nefnilega alls ekki l\u00fdsandi or\u00f0. Gervigreindin er vera, ekki mann-vera en skapna\u00f0ur mannanna sneidd n\u00e6mni mennskunnar sem f\u00e6rir okkur skilning \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed sem er marglaga og fl\u00f3ki\u00f0.<\/p>\n

\u00dea\u00f0 reynir virkilega \u00e1 a\u00f0 gefa okkur ekki leti hugans \u00e1 vald \u00ed allri \u00f3rei\u00f0unni sem n\u00fat\u00edminn b\u00fd\u00f0ur upp \u00e1. \u00c1 sama t\u00edma og \u00e9g hef sam\u00fa\u00f0 me\u00f0 okkur mannf\u00f3lkinu og skil hvernig vi\u00f0 ver\u00f0um svo dofin a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 nennum ekki lengur a\u00f0 hugsa sj\u00e1lfst\u00e6\u00f0a hugsun ver\u00f0um vi\u00f0 sem aldrei fyrr a\u00f0 virkja sellurnar – \u00fev\u00ed vins\u00e6lasta varan \u00e1 marka\u00f0num er athygli okkar og hugsun. \u00dea\u00f0 er gjaldmi\u00f0illinn sem kn\u00fdr \u00e1fram mask\u00ednuna. Vi\u00f0 megum ekki gleyma a\u00f0 umbo\u00f0 yfir \u00feessari v\u00f6ru h\u00f6fum vi\u00f0 sj\u00e1lf.<\/p>\n

Hugv\u00edsindin fela \u00ed s\u00e9r mennsku og \u00feau fela \u00ed s\u00e9r hugsun. \u00deetta tvennt hefur sennilega aldrei veri\u00f0 eins mikilv\u00e6gt og \u00ed dag. Handhafar valdsins hafa \u00fe\u00f3 alltaf vilja\u00f0 str\u00edpa hinn almenna borgara \u00feessu og nota\u00f0 til \u00feess \u00fea\u00f0 sem virkar \u00e1 hverjum t\u00edma. Galdur vi\u00f0n\u00e1msins er f\u00f3lginn \u00ed \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 koma auga \u00e1 \u00fea\u00f0 og beygja sig ekki undir \u00fea\u00f0 – nema a\u00f0 undangenginni me\u00f0vita\u00f0ri \u00e1kv\u00f6r\u00f0un.<\/p>\n

Alla daga fagna \u00e9g mennskunni og getu minni til a\u00f0 spyrja gagnr\u00fdninna spurninga. St\u00e6rstan \u00fe\u00e1ttinn \u00ed hinu s\u00ed\u00f0arnefnda \u00e1 n\u00e1m mitt \u00e1 svi\u00f0i hugv\u00edsinda.<\/p>\n

\u00c1sd\u00eds Hreinsd\u00f3ttir, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Significance of Humanities in a Time of Cognitive Offloading and Ideological Simplification<\/em><\/p>\n

The importance of the Humanities is most apparent when their absence becomes evident. The present moment exemplifies this condition. Increasingly shaped by cognitive offloading onto artificial intelligence and by ideological simplification in the form of right-wing extremism, many societies are witnessing a gradual erosion of critical skills and a diminishing capacity for reflective engagement. What is at stake is not merely the fate of academic disciplines, but the weakening of human capacities that the Humanities have cultivated.<\/p>\n

As a graduate of the BA program in Modern Studies at the University of Akureyri, my engagement with these questions is not merely theoretical. I am proud to be among those who have completed the Modern Studies program during the twenty years it has been offered, and I am grateful for the outstanding guidance provided by the excellent professors who taught and challenged us throughout our studies. They created an academic environment grounded in rigorous inquiry in which slowing down, questioning assumptions, and justifying interpretations were not only encouraged but expected. This is a practice I continue to rely on when approaching complexity, disagreement, and uncertainty in a world that increasingly rewards speed and certainty.<\/p>\n

The Humanities cultivate a mode of thinking centered on meaning, interpretation, and judgment. For me, this way of thinking took shape particularly through sustained engagement with philosophy, a discipline I initially regarded as abstract but gradually came to understand as foundational. The Humanities are not primarily concerned with producing answers, but with cultivating interpretation. They explore how meaning emerges, how concepts are formed, and how historical and cultural contexts shape thought and expression. Such inquiries resist delegation.<\/p>\n

The growing reliance on artificial intelligence poses a particular challenge to these interpretive practices. As more and more cognitive tasks are delegated to automated systems, such as summarizing texts, generating arguments, or organizing information, the risk is not ignorance but the gradual displacement of interpretive responsibility. Artificial intelligence can reproduce patterns and simulate coherence, but it cannot assume accountability for meaning. Understanding involves more than recognizing patterns; it requires situating oneself within a framework of meaning, acknowledging alternatives, and taking responsibility for how interpretations are formed.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the resurgence of right-wing extremism exposes the consequences of weakened critical literacy. Simplified historical narratives, rigid identities, and moral absolutism flourish where ambiguity is rejected and historical depth is absent. The Humanities resist this narrowing of thought by fostering attentiveness to complexity rather than promoting competing ideologies. Through philosophy, history, and cultural analysis, students learn to examine assumptions, question origins, and recognize how language shapes reality.<\/p>\n

The Humanities are commonly situated within the broader tradition of the Liberal Arts, where education is understood as formation rather than technical training. Rather than preparing individuals for a single function, this tradition equips them to navigate uncertainty, disagreement, and change. In a world increasingly driven by speed, optimization and certainty, such capacities are neither efficient nor easily measured. Yet they remain essential if thought is to remain more than reaction.<\/p>\n

For graduates of Modern Studies, reflecting on these experiences is more than a retrospective exercise. It offers an opportunity to articulate, from lived academic experience, why the Humanities and Liberal Arts continue to matter at a time when their relevance is frequently questioned. In a world shaped by technological delegation of thought and ideological contraction, these fields preserve the conditions under which judgment, responsibility, and meaningful civic engagement remain possible.<\/p>\n

B\u00e1ra J\u00f3hannesd\u00f3ttir, 2009 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Hausti\u00f0 2006 h\u00f3f \u00e9g n\u00e1m \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri. N\u00e1mi\u00f0, sem er \u00feverfaglegs e\u00f0lis, reynist afar heppilegt fyrir einstaklinga sem eru a\u00f0 m\u00f3ta e\u00f0a endurmeta n\u00e1ms- og starfsstefnu s\u00edna. Fyrir nemendur sem ekki hafa sk\u00fdra mynd af \u00feeim fr\u00e6\u00f0asvi\u00f0um sem \u00feeir vilja leggja stund \u00e1, b\u00fd\u00f0ur n\u00e1mi\u00f0 upp \u00e1 fj\u00f6lbreyttar lei\u00f0ir til a\u00f0 kanna fr\u00e6\u00f0ileg vi\u00f0fangsefni og \u00fer\u00f3a me\u00f0 s\u00e9r \u00feekkingu og \u00e1herslur.<\/p>\n

Sem \u201eeldri\u201c n\u00e1msma\u00f0ur skipti mig s\u00e9rstaklega miklu m\u00e1li a\u00f0 f\u00e1 t\u00e6kif\u00e6ri til a\u00f0 pr\u00f3fa mig \u00e1fram \u00ed \u00f3l\u00edkum n\u00e1ms\u00fe\u00e1ttum og greina hvar raunveruleg \u00e1hugam\u00e1l m\u00edn l\u00e6gju. \u00c1 me\u00f0al \u00feeirra n\u00e1mskei\u00f0a sem h\u00f6f\u00f0u hva\u00f0 mest \u00e1hrif voru \u00feau er v\u00f6r\u00f0u\u00f0u \u00fat\u00f3p\u00edur og dyst\u00f3p\u00edur, sem og n\u00e1mskei\u00f0 um Helf\u00f6rina. \u00deessi vi\u00f0fangsefni varpa lj\u00f3si \u00e1 samf\u00e9lagsger\u00f0, mannlega heg\u00f0un og p\u00f3lit\u00edska strauma, sem eiga \u00f3tv\u00edr\u00e6\u00f0 samsv\u00f6run \u00ed samt\u00edmanum. Einnig h\u00f6f\u00f0u n\u00e1mskei\u00f0 \u00ed f\u00e9lagsfr\u00e6\u00f0i og afbrotafr\u00e6\u00f0i veruleg \u00e1hrif \u00e1 s\u00fdn m\u00edna, og m\u00f3tu\u00f0u \u00feau fr\u00e6\u00f0ilegu sj\u00f3narhorn sem \u00e9g s\u00ed\u00f0an hef nota\u00f0 til a\u00f0 skilja samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0 og mannlega heg\u00f0un. \u00dear fann \u00e9g \u00e1hugasvi\u00f0 mitt og gat haldi\u00f0 n\u00e1mi \u00e1fram me\u00f0 sk\u00fdrari f\u00f3kus.<\/p>\n

\u00deau fr\u00e6\u00f0ilegu verkf\u00e6ri og gagnr\u00fdnu a\u00f0fer\u00f0ir sem \u00e9g tileinka\u00f0i m\u00e9r \u00ed n\u00e1minu hafa reynst m\u00e9r afar d\u00fdrm\u00e6t \u00ed starfi. \u00deverfagleg n\u00e1lgun, fj\u00f6lbreytileiki \u00ed vi\u00f0fangsefnum og s\u00fa reynsla a\u00f0 b\u00faa \u00e1 Akureyri og kynnast fj\u00f6lbreyttum h\u00f3pi f\u00f3lks hafa haft dj\u00fapst\u00e6\u00f0 \u00e1hrif \u00e1 mig, b\u00e6\u00f0i pers\u00f3nulega og faglega. \u00c9g er jafnframt \u00feakkl\u00e1t fyrir \u00feau vinasamb\u00f6nd sem myndu\u00f0ust \u00e1 n\u00e1ms\u00e1runum og hafa sta\u00f0i\u00f0 m\u00e9r til stu\u00f0nings um \u00e1rabil.<\/p>\n

N\u00e1m \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri hefur veitt m\u00e9r v\u00ed\u00f0t\u00e6ka \u00feekkingu, auki\u00f0 gagnr\u00fdna hugsun og opna\u00f0 n\u00fdjar lei\u00f0ir til \u00feess a\u00f0 skilja og takast \u00e1 vi\u00f0 samf\u00e9lagsleg vi\u00f0fangsefni. \u00c9g m\u00e6li eindregi\u00f0 me\u00f0 \u00feessu n\u00e1mi fyrir alla sem vilja \u00f6\u00f0last brei\u00f0a fr\u00e6\u00f0ilega s\u00fdn og \u00fer\u00f3a me\u00f0 s\u00e9r fj\u00f6l\u00fe\u00e6tta h\u00e6fni.<\/p>\n

Takk fyrir mig, H\u00e1sk\u00f3linn \u00e1 Akureyri.<\/p>\n

Eli Freysson, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

On a personal level, to me<\/em>, the greatest value of my Modern Studies course was to help me better understand the human race, its history, and its present. Since our minds naturally tend to revolve around our own lives and our own immediate little worlds, it can be easy to overlook the big picture of the how<\/em> and why<\/em> of forces that shape our lives.<\/p>\n

Modern society is complex in a way that defies a brain that evolved to manage life as part of a small tribe of hunter-gatherers. It is a highly elaborate web of media, politics, human psychology, and the ongoing consequences of past events, which themselves are of course a part of an ongoing chain of cause and effect.<\/p>\n

The ideas, science, and functions of media, politics and psychology are in a constant state of development, as the world around us changes at an ever-increasing rate. I would argue that psychology is the most important of these: The still-young science of human thought and behavior, due to its importance in the other two disciplines. Sadly, this is a double-edged sword, as understanding how to influence public perception is all too often weaponized by bad actors.<\/p>\n

But that only underlines the importance of Modern Studies: Understanding the functions of current-day society, so that those functions are not turned against us.<\/p>\n

Social sciences are also a defense against the simplistic thinking that certain forces use as their main weapon: The people who want to boil large-scale problems down to easy answers, false blame, and an us-versus-them cultural narrative for the sake of riling up anger in the name of short-term solutions to long-term issues. The wide scope of Modern Studies really drives home that there are no simple solutions, and that the people who promise them need to be guarded against.<\/p>\n

So, on a broader level than simply my own wisdom and understanding, Modern Studies and social sciences in general are of greater importance than ever to mankind, and will continue to be so in a world battling the effects of AI, large-scale manipulation, and short-sighted extremism.<\/p>\n

Eeva Kilk, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

I completed my BA degree in Modern Studies at the University of Akureyri (UNAK) in 2013. That degree became the foundation of my academic development and has decisively shaped the direction of my work. After completing an MA in Politics and now undertaking my PhD research in civic engagement, I can clearly trace the roots of my research interests and academic approach to the education I received in the Modern Studies programme.<\/p>\n

The programme equipped me with breadth and perspective. Through sustained study of philosophy, history, literature, and sociology, I developed a wide understanding of how modern societies have taken shape. I learned to connect political and social developments to their historical foundations and to recognise how ideas evolve over time. Concepts such as democracy, freedom, secularisation, and globalisation became grounded in context rather than treated as abstract notions. This ability to situate contemporary questions within longer developments continues to guide my research.<\/p>\n

A defining strength of the programme was its interdisciplinary structure. Working across different fields developed my ability to approach problems from multiple perspectives. I learned to combine historical awareness with philosophical reflection and social analysis, integrating these approaches into coherent arguments. This capacity to think across boundaries has been invaluable in my later studies, particularly in political theory and civic research, where complex issues rarely fit neatly within a single framework.<\/p>\n

It also equipped me with strong independent working skills. Research essays and extended projects required planning, discipline, and sustained focus. I learned how to formulate precise research questions, structure arguments logically, and support them with carefully selected sources. I gained confidence in handling demanding academic texts and in presenting my own ideas clearly and systematically. These skills formed the basis for my MA in Politics and continue to support my doctoral research.<\/p>\n

Equally important was the emphasis on discussion and shared responsibility. Seminar work required thoughtful participation, careful listening, and constructive engagement with differing viewpoints. This strengthened my ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and reinforced my interest in civic participation and democratic life.<\/p>\n

Completing the Modern Studies programme at UNAK did more than prepare me for further study; it shaped my academic identity. It provided a strong intellectual foundation, practical research competence, and a broad outlook that continues to guide my work. Its impact has been lasting and decisive in shaping the scholar I have become.<\/p>\n

El\u00ednborg Sigur\u00f0ard\u00f3ttir, 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c9g \u00e1kva\u00f0 a\u00f0 skella m\u00e9r i nam hausti\u00f0 2007 og eftir miklar vangaveltur um hva\u00f0 mig langa\u00f0i a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra var\u00f0 n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i fyrir valinu. Mer fannst margir \u00e1fangar spennandi en \u00fear sem \u00e9g haf\u00f0i aldrei unni\u00f0 vi\u00f0 t\u00f6lvur \u00fe\u00e1 var\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 m\u00edn st\u00e6rsta hindrun fyrsta h\u00e1lfa \u00e1ri\u00f0 \u00ed n\u00e1minu.<\/p>\n

\u00dea\u00f0 sem er skemmtilegt vi\u00f0 n\u00e1mi\u00f0 \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i er samsetning \u00f3l\u00edkra fr\u00e6\u00f0igreina eins og\u00a0 heimspeki, fj\u00f6lmi\u00f0lafr\u00e6\u00f0i og kynjafr\u00e6\u00f0i svo eitthva\u00f0 s\u00e9 nefnt en \u00fea\u00f0 sem hefur gagnast m\u00e9r allra mest eftir n\u00e1mi\u00f0 er gagnr\u00fdn hugsun. Mikil \u00e1hersla var l\u00f6g\u00f0 \u00e1 gagnr\u00fdna hugsun \u00ed \u00f6llu n\u00e1minu og tel \u00e9g hana afar mikilv\u00e6ga \u00ed dag\u00a0 vegna aukinnar notkunar a gervigreind og falsfr\u00e9tta i samf\u00e9lagsmi\u00f0lum. \u00dea\u00f0 getur veri\u00f0 erfitt a\u00f0 \u00e1tta sig \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed hva\u00f0 er sannleikur og hva\u00f0 er uppspuni og \u00fe\u00e1 er gott a\u00f0 gr\u00edpa til \u00feess sem vi\u00f0 l\u00e6r\u00f0um \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i og vera \u00e1 var\u00f0bergi gegn hinum \u00fdmsu ford\u00f3mum og allskonar bulli.<\/p>\n

H\u00e6ttulegustu vi\u00f0horfin eru kannski neikv\u00e6\u00f0 vi\u00f0horf til \u00fatlendinga. N\u00fa hef \u00e9g upplifa\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 a\u00f0 vera sj\u00e1lf \u00fatlendingur s\u00ed\u00f0astli\u00f0in 14 \u00e1r her \u00ed Noregi og umr\u00e6\u00f0an er engu sk\u00e1rri h\u00e9r en \u00e1 \u00cdslandi . A\u00f0 vera \u00fatlendingur \u00ed \u00f6\u00f0ru landi f\u00e6r mann til a\u00f0 sj\u00e1 og upplifa ford\u00f3ma sj\u00e1lfur.<\/p>\n

N\u00e1mi\u00f0 \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i kenndi m\u00e9r a\u00f0 hafa opinn huga fyrir fj\u00f6lbreytileikanum og a\u00f0 bera vir\u00f0ingu fyrir menningu og tr\u00fa annarra. Vi\u00f0 sem erum me\u00f0 gagnr\u00fdna hugsun ver\u00f0um a\u00f0 standa upp gegn heimskulegum og jafnvel h\u00e6ttulegum sko\u00f0unum og \u00fe\u00e1 um lei\u00f0 notum vi\u00f0 n\u00e1mi\u00f0 okkar til g\u00f3\u00f0s.<\/p>\n

El\u00edsabet Katr\u00edn Fri\u00f0riksd\u00f3ttir, 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hausti\u00f0 2007 gekk \u00e9g \u00ed fyrsta sinn inn \u00ed h\u00fasn\u00e6\u00f0i HA, gj\u00f6rsamlega me\u00f0 hjarta\u00f0 \u00ed buxunum og h\u00f6fu\u00f0i\u00f0 fullt af efasemdum um eigi\u00f0 \u00e1g\u00e6ti. \u201eHva\u00f0 ert \u00fe\u00fa a\u00f0 \u00feykjast eiga erindi \u00ed h\u00e1sk\u00f3lan\u00e1m komin \u00e1 fertugsaldurinn, sk\u00f3laf\u00e9lagarnir ver\u00f0a allir n\u00fd\u00fatskrifa\u00f0ur \u00far menntask\u00f3la og vita allt en \u00e9g ekki neitt\u201c s\u00f6ng \u00ed h\u00f6f\u00f0inu \u00e1 m\u00e9r \u00ed \u00fdmsum \u00fatg\u00e1fum. N\u00fdnemadagar og kynningar \u00e1 n\u00e1mskei\u00f0unum framundan.<\/p>\n

\u00cd stuttu m\u00e1li \u00fe\u00e1 kom \u00fea\u00f0 flj\u00f3tt \u00ed lj\u00f3s a\u00f0 \u00e9g hef\u00f0i ekki \u00feurft a\u00f0 hafa neinar \u00e1hyggjur, sem betur fer. Samnemendur m\u00ednir voru f\u00e1ir en \u00e1 hinum \u00fdmsu \u00e6viskei\u00f0um og allir fr\u00e1b\u00e6rir. \u00deessi \u00ferj\u00fa \u00e1r \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni voru b\u00e6\u00f0i hugv\u00edkkandi, skemmtileg og \u00e1hugaver\u00f0. \u00dea\u00f0 sem m\u00e9r fannst fr\u00e1b\u00e6rt vi\u00f0 n\u00e1mi\u00f0 var a\u00f0 \u00ed fyrsta lagi er \u00fea\u00f0 sni\u00f0i\u00f0 a\u00f0 f\u00f3lki eins og m\u00e9r, sem gat \u00f3m\u00f6gulega \u00e1kve\u00f0i\u00f0 hva\u00f0 \u00e9g \u00e6tti a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra og \u00fear sem \u00feetta er \u00feverfaglegt n\u00e1m er h\u00e6gt a\u00f0 velja s\u00e9r \u00e1fanga af \u00f3l\u00edkum svi\u00f0um. \u00cd \u00f6\u00f0ru lagi \u00fe\u00e1 opnar \u00feetta sj\u00f3ndeildarhringinn upp \u00e1 g\u00e1tt og kennir manni gagnr\u00fdna hugsun. Einnig hef \u00e9g oft hugsa\u00f0 um \u00fea\u00f0 hversu mikils vir\u00f0i \u00fea\u00f0 var a\u00f0 hafa kennara\u00a0 af \u00f6\u00f0ru \u00fej\u00f3\u00f0erni, en \u00fea\u00f0 jafnast \u00e1 vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 hafa fari\u00f0 \u00ed sm\u00e1 skiptin\u00e1m til \u00cdtal\u00edu og \u00de\u00fdskalands a\u00f0 hafa veri\u00f0 \u00feess a\u00f0nj\u00f3tandi a\u00f0 f\u00e1 kennslu fr\u00e1 Giorgio Baruchello og Markusi Meckl. \u00deeir voru me\u00f0 \u00f3l\u00edka n\u00e1lgun \u00e1 kennsluna og ger\u00f0u meiri kr\u00f6fur, sem var gott, \u00fe\u00f3tt ma\u00f0ur hafi upplifa\u00f0 \u00feakkl\u00e6ti\u00f0 meira \u00ed baks\u00fdnisspeglinum.<\/p>\n

\u00cd n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in\u00e1minu kynntist \u00e9g heimspeki og si\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i en \u00fea\u00f0 leiddi mig svo \u00fat \u00ed frekara n\u00e1m vi\u00f0 H\u00cd \u00fear sem \u00e9g kl\u00e1ra\u00f0i M.A. gr\u00e1\u00f0u \u00ed hagn\u00fdtri si\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i, me\u00f0 \u00e1herslu \u00e1 n\u00e1tt\u00faru og umhverfissi\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i. \u00dea\u00f0 er einmitt \u00feetta sem er svo st\u00f3rkostlegt vi\u00f0 n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0ina, a\u00f0 geta n\u00fdtt n\u00e1mi\u00f0 til a\u00f0 kynnast hinum \u00fdmsu greinum \u00e1 hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsindasvi\u00f0inu og\u00a0 finna s\u00edna lei\u00f0. Reyndar er s\u00e1 h\u00e6ngur \u00e1 a\u00f0 of l\u00edtil \u00e1hersla er \u00e1 si\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i \u00ed samf\u00e9laginu, sem gerir \u00fea\u00f0 a\u00f0 verkum a\u00f0 atvinnum\u00f6guleikar eru kannski ekki jafn margir og \u00ed \u00f6\u00f0rum greinum, en \u00fea\u00f0 er \u00f6nnur saga.<\/p>\n

En \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni \u00f6rva\u00f0i \u00e9g n\u00e1msg\u00e1fur m\u00ednar, uppg\u00f6tva\u00f0i a\u00f0 \u00e9g gat leyst verkefni, gat hugsa\u00f0 sj\u00e1lfst\u00e6tt og gert kr\u00f6fur \u00e1 a\u00f0ra \u00ed kringum mig. \u00deetta hefur a\u00f0 \u00e9g hygg aldrei veri\u00f0 mikilv\u00e6gara en einmitt n\u00fana, \u00feegar vi\u00f0 lifum \u00e1 t\u00edma t\u00e6knialdar og vi\u00f0 erum h\u00e1rsbreidd fr\u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 forheimskast \u00ed heimi t\u00f6lvu og t\u00e6kni. \u00cd dag \u00fearf enginn a\u00f0 hugsa, enginn a\u00f0 r\u00e6\u00f0a m\u00e1lin, enginn a\u00f0 koma me\u00f0 hugmyndir, enginn a\u00f0 setja saman kennsluefni e\u00f0a fyrirlestur, \u00fea\u00f0 er bara \u00f6llu d\u00e6lt \u00ed gervigreindina og h\u00fan svarar \u00e1 kurteislegan og \u00fej\u00f3nandi h\u00e1tt.\u00a0 Hvar er gagnr\u00fdnin hugsun?<\/p>\n

\u00c9g tel a\u00f0 sta\u00f0a n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0innar s\u00e9 sterk, \u00fear sem h\u00fan byggir \u00e1 traustum og g\u00f3\u00f0um grunni. \u00dea\u00f0 v\u00e6ri gaman a\u00f0 sj\u00e1 \u00feetta n\u00e1m vaxa og dafna enn frekar og a\u00f0 bo\u00f0i\u00f0 v\u00e6ri upp \u00e1 framhaldsn\u00e1m \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i. \u00deegar \u00e9g \u00fatskrifa\u00f0ist vori\u00f0 2010, \u00fe\u00e1 hef\u00f0i \u00e9g gjarnan vilja\u00f0 geta haldi\u00f0 \u00e1fram \u00ed HA og teki\u00f0 mitt meistaran\u00e1m \u00fear. \u00dea\u00f0 er alltaf s\u00fa h\u00e6tta (ef h\u00e6ttu skyldi kalla) a\u00f0 nemendur sem flytjast til Reykjav\u00edkur til a\u00f0 s\u00e6kja s\u00e9r framhaldsmenntun, \u00edlengist \u00fear \u00ed lengri e\u00f0a skemmri t\u00edma, sem er alltaf bagalegt fyrir b\u00e6jarf\u00e9lagi\u00f0 \u00ed heild sinni.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g get fullyrt \u00fea\u00f0 a\u00f0 n\u00e1mi\u00f0 \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri, breytti l\u00edfi m\u00ednu \u00e1 j\u00e1kv\u00e6\u00f0an h\u00e1tt. \u00c9g f\u00e9kk meiri tr\u00fa \u00e1 sj\u00e1lfri m\u00e9r og s\u00e1 \u00ed lei\u00f0inni samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0 og \u00ed raun heiminn allan \u00ed n\u00fdju lj\u00f3si. Strax eftir fyrstu \u00f6nnina \u00ed sk\u00f3lanum, \u00fe\u00e1 fannst m\u00e9r a\u00f0 \u00feetta \u00feyrftu allir a\u00f0 upplifa! Kannski \u00f3raunh\u00e6ft, en hugsunin \u00e1 bak vi\u00f0 \u00feessa \u00f3ra, var s\u00fa a\u00f0 \u00feetta n\u00e1m getur for\u00f0a\u00f0 manni fr\u00e1 hjar\u00f0heg\u00f0un og hjar\u00f0hugsun sem er svo mikilv\u00e6gt a\u00f0 for\u00f0ast. Gagnr\u00fdnin hugsun er eitt \u00fea\u00f0 besta hj\u00e1lpart\u00e6ki sem h\u00e6gt er a\u00f0 senda ungt f\u00f3lk me\u00f0 \u00fat \u00ed l\u00edfi\u00f0 og aldrei of seint a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra a\u00f0 beita gagnr\u00fdnni hugsun.<\/p>\n

Ef \u00e9g man r\u00e9tt, \u00fe\u00e1 var samf\u00e9lagsmi\u00f0illinn Facebook a\u00f0 fara af sta\u00f0 um svipa\u00f0 leyti og \u00e9g var \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in\u00e1minu. \u00de\u00e1 var \u00feetta frekar einfaldur mi\u00f0ill; \u00fear setti ma\u00f0ur inn fr\u00f3\u00f0legar f\u00e6rslur um g\u00f6ngut\u00fara dagsins e\u00f0a matseld og uppl\u00fdsti st\u00f6ku sinnum um helstu afrek af skemmtanal\u00edfinu \u00ed formi \u201e\u00feynnkup\u00f3sta\u201c. \u00de\u00e1 var \u00feetta fremur saklaus mi\u00f0ill, en s\u00ed\u00f0an \u00fe\u00e1 hefur \u00feetta breyst \u00ed einn helsta drullupoll hatursor\u00f0r\u00e6\u00f0u og yfirl\u00fdsinga\u00f3gle\u00f0i. \u00dearna for\u00f0ast f\u00f3lk r\u00f6kr\u00e6\u00f0ur eins og heitan eldinn, en s\u00e1 h\u00e1ttur er helst haf\u00f0ur \u00e1 a\u00f0 f\u00f3lk segir hva\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed finnst og fyrr fr\u00fds \u00ed helv\u00edti en a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 skipti um sko\u00f0un. \u00deessu yr\u00f0i au\u00f0breytt ef allir myndu l\u00e6ra n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i, \u00e1samt heimspeki og si\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i.<\/p>\n

J\u00e1 \u00fea\u00f0 er svo margt sem betur m\u00e1 fara og hvort sem ma\u00f0ur f\u00e6r t\u00e6kif\u00e6ri \u00e1 a\u00f0 koma a\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 reyna a\u00f0 breyta \u00fev\u00ed e\u00f0ur ei, \u00fe\u00e1 er ma\u00f0ur \u00ed \u00fea\u00f0 minnsta alltaf betur \u00ed stakk b\u00fainn til a\u00f0 f\u00e1st vi\u00f0 hva\u00f0 sem er eftir \u00feetta n\u00e1m. \u00c9g \u00feakka H\u00e1sk\u00f3lanum \u00e1 Akureyri og \u00f6llum \u00feeim sem komu a\u00f0 kennslu vi\u00f0 n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i, \u00feegar \u00e9g var \u00fear vi\u00f0 n\u00e1m, k\u00e6rlega fyrir, \u00fei\u00f0 au\u00f0gu\u00f0u\u00f0 l\u00edf mitt \u00e1 margan og misjafnan h\u00e1tt. Takk fyrir mig!<\/p>\n

Gu\u00f0finna \u00c1rnad\u00f3ttir, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c9g byrja\u00f0i a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i \u00e1ri\u00f0 2011, \u00fe\u00e1 25 \u00e1ra. \u00c9g haf\u00f0i \u00e1huga \u00e1 m\u00f6rgu og \u00fea\u00f0 var ein af \u00e1st\u00e6\u00f0unum fyrir \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 \u00e9g haf\u00f0i ekki vali\u00f0 m\u00e9r n\u00e1mslei\u00f0 fyrr og l\u00e1ti\u00f0 ver\u00f0a a\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 skr\u00e1 mig \u00ed n\u00e1m. \u00c1 \u00feeim t\u00edma var \u00e9g tveggja barna m\u00f3\u00f0ir og \u00feurfti a\u00f0 taka n\u00e1msl\u00e1n ef \u00e9g \u00e6tla\u00f0i \u00ed n\u00e1m og \u00feess vegna vanda\u00f0i \u00e9g mig s\u00e9rstaklega vi\u00f0 vali\u00f0. En \u00fea\u00f0 kom a\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 \u00e9g f\u00f3r \u00e1 kynningu \u00e1 n\u00e1msbrautunum \u00ed H\u00e1sk\u00f3lanum \u00e1 Akureyri en \u00fea\u00f0 var stutt heims\u00f3kn, \u00e1kv\u00f6r\u00f0unin var tekin \u00e1 sta\u00f0num og \u00e9g vissi a\u00f0 n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i v\u00e6ri n\u00e1mi\u00f0 fyrir mig. N\u00e1mi\u00f0 var fj\u00f6lbreytt og \u00fea\u00f0 besta var a\u00f0 \u00e9g gat a\u00f0laga\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 a\u00f0 m\u00ednu \u00e1hugasvi\u00f0i. N\u00e1mslei\u00f0in i heild sinni var vel \u00edgrundu\u00f0, skipul\u00f6g\u00f0 og \u00fea\u00f0 var rau\u00f0ur \u00fer\u00e1\u00f0ur i allri n\u00e1mslei\u00f0inni. N\u00e1mi\u00f0 opna\u00f0i fyrir gagnr\u00fdna hugsun, aukin skilning \u00e1 fj\u00f6lm\u00f6rgu og \u00e9g var\u00f0 \u00e1hugasamari um a\u00f0 skilja umhverfi\u00f0 mitt betur, b\u00e6\u00f0i n\u00e6rumhverfi\u00f0 og heiminn allan. N\u00e1mi\u00f0 kenndi m\u00e9r mikilv\u00e6gi \u00feess a\u00f0 skilja s\u00f6guna okkar og einnig a\u00f0 h\u00fan hefur \u00e1hrif \u00e1 heg\u00f0un og val f\u00f3lks, sem t.d. speglar sig \u00ed n\u00e6stu kynsl\u00f3\u00f0unum.<\/p>\n

Eftir \u00fatskrift, gekk ekki vel \u00ed byrjun a\u00f0 f\u00e1 vinnu sem m\u00e9r fannst \u00e9g geta n\u00fdtt n\u00e1mi\u00f0 mitt \u00ed. \u00c9g f\u00e9kk s\u00ed\u00f0ar \u00fea\u00f0 verkefni a\u00f0 “finna” ungt virknilaust f\u00f3lk og a\u00f0sto\u00f0a \u00feau vi\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 a\u00f0 komast i virkni og veita r\u00e1\u00f0gj\u00f6f. \u00dea\u00f0 v\u00e6ru breyttir t\u00edmar og ungt f\u00f3lk, jafnvel undir 18 \u00e1ra voru sum ekki \u00ed n\u00e1mi og haf\u00f0i ekkert fyrir stafni, jafnvel datt inn \u00ed heim t\u00e6kja t.d. t\u00f6lvuleikja og aukna einangrun. \u00dea\u00f0 vanta\u00f0i \u00fe\u00f3 t\u00f6lfr\u00e6\u00f0i um \u00fea\u00f0 hversu margir \u00feetta v\u00e6ru, \u00fev\u00ed einstaklingarnir voru hvergi skr\u00e1\u00f0ir og var \u00feetta \u00fev\u00ed \u00e1kve\u00f0i\u00f0 \u00far fr\u00e1 tilfinningu a\u00f0 einhverju leyti. \u00de\u00f3 var \u00e1kve\u00f0i\u00f0 a\u00f0 ey\u00f0a fj\u00e1rmagni \u00ed \u00feetta verkefni t\u00edmabundi\u00f0. Einnig \u00ed \u00feessum h\u00f3pi var ungt atvinnulaust f\u00f3lk og f\u00f3lk sem f\u00e9kk fj\u00e1rhagsa\u00f0sto\u00f0 fr\u00e1 sveitarf\u00e9laginu. \u00c9g var\u00f0 s\u00ed\u00f0ar partur af \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 sj\u00e1 um lengra n\u00e1m fyrir h\u00f3p sem var skemmtilegt og gefandi verkefni. \u00cd \u00feeim h\u00f3p var mikilv\u00e6gt a\u00f0 allir fengu tilfinningu fyrir \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 tilheyra samf\u00e9lagi, h\u00f3p og fyndu fyrir tilgangi. N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in\u00e1mi\u00f0 n\u00fdttist miki\u00f0 \u00ed \u00feessu starfi, b\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 kynningar, a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra a\u00f0 skilja f\u00f3lk, vita hva\u00f0 n\u00e6r til \u00feeirra, hva\u00f0 virkar, skilja hva\u00f0 ger\u00f0ist sem orsaka\u00f0i a\u00f0st\u00e6\u00f0ur \u00feeirra og svo framvegis.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g s\u00f3tti s\u00ed\u00f0ar um starf s\u00e9rfr\u00e6\u00f0ings hj\u00e1 Skattinum \u00e1 Akureyri og hef n\u00fa veri\u00f0 \u00fear a\u00f0 ver\u00f0a um 9 \u00e1r. \u00dea\u00f0 var stefna hj\u00e1 emb\u00e6tti R\u00edkisskattstj\u00f3ra \u00e1 \u00feeim t\u00edma, a\u00f0 r\u00e1\u00f0a f\u00f3lk me\u00f0 fj\u00f6lbreytta menntun. \u00dear voru n\u00fa \u00feegar margir l\u00f6gfr\u00e6\u00f0ingar, kennarar, fj\u00f6lmi\u00f0lafr\u00e6\u00f0ingur, vi\u00f0skiptafr\u00e6\u00f0ingar og fleira, en svo var \u00e9g r\u00e1\u00f0in og n\u00fa h\u00f6f\u00f0u \u00feau n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0ing. N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in\u00e1mi\u00f0 n\u00fdttist m\u00e9r ekki s\u00ed\u00f0ur \u00e1 \u00feessu svi\u00f0i. Starfi\u00f0 kraf\u00f0ist ekki s\u00e9rstakar menntunar beint, anna\u00f0 en h\u00e1sk\u00f3lan\u00e1ms. \u00c9g s\u00e1 flj\u00f3tt a\u00f0 st\u00e6r\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i, l\u00f6gfr\u00e6\u00f0i og anna\u00f0 var ekki eitthva\u00f0 sem \u00feurfti a\u00f0 vera m\u00edn sterka grein til a\u00f0 geta sinnt starfinu m\u00ednu vel, heldur \u00fea\u00f0 a\u00f0 skilja f\u00f3lk og heg\u00f0un \u00feeirra. Skilja hva\u00f0 f\u00f3lk meinti, s\u00fdna skilning og \u00fatsk\u00fdra a mannlegan h\u00e1tt en svara hnitmi\u00f0a\u00f0 og sk\u00fdrt, r\u00fdna \u00ed g\u00f6gn, finna hva\u00f0 virkar og hva\u00f0 ekki. \u00c9g \u00feurfti a\u00f0 setja mig \u00ed mannlegar stellingar og skilja a\u00f0 eftir t.d. efnahagshruni\u00f0, Covid, hamfarirnar \u00ed Grindarv\u00edk og fleiri vi\u00f0bur\u00f0i, \u00fe\u00e1 bj\u00f3 f\u00f3lk vi\u00f0 a\u00f0rar og erfi\u00f0ar a\u00f0st\u00e6\u00f0ur.<\/p>\n

Emb\u00e6tti\u00f0 sem \u00e9g starfa\u00f0i hj\u00e1 haf\u00f0i \u00fear mikilv\u00e6gt hlutverk \u00ed samf\u00e9laginu og h\u00e9lt utan um mikilv\u00e6g \u00farr\u00e6\u00f0i og ums\u00f3knir sem almenningur n\u00fdtti s\u00e9r. \u00darr\u00e6\u00f0in \u00feurfti a\u00f0 m\u00f3ta og t\u00falka eftir l\u00f6gum en einnig gera a\u00f0gengileg og \u00fatsk\u00fdra a mannlegan h\u00e1tt og g\u00e6ta \u00feess a\u00f0 uppl\u00fdsingarefni Skattsins v\u00e6ri sk\u00edrt, a\u00f0gangur f\u00f3lks a\u00f0 emb\u00e6ttinu v\u00e6ri g\u00f3\u00f0ur og andlega \u00feurfti a\u00f0 m\u00e6ta f\u00f3lki \u00e1 \u00feeirra sta\u00f0 og \u00feeirra a\u00f0st\u00e6\u00f0um en jafnframt \u00e1 sama t\u00edma vera st\u00e6rsti innheimtuma\u00f0ur r\u00edkissj\u00f3\u00f0s og \u00feurfum vissulega a\u00f0 fara eftir l\u00f6gum og skyldum. Emb\u00e6tti\u00f0 var or\u00f0i\u00f0 \u00fej\u00f3nustufyrirt\u00e6ki og breytt a\u00f0 m\u00f6rgu leyti. \u00c9g s\u00e9 alltaf betur og betur a\u00f0 n\u00e1mi\u00f0 skilur eftir sig haf af fr\u00f3\u00f0leik. M\u00e9r finnst \u00fea\u00f0 \u00e1n efa hafa undirb\u00fai\u00f0 mig i hva\u00f0a starf sem er og treysti m\u00e9r i fj\u00f6lbreytt verkefni eftir n\u00e1mi\u00f0. \u00deakkl\u00e1t a\u00f0 hafa fundi\u00f0 og l\u00e6rt n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i.<\/p>\n

Hildur Fri\u00f0riksd\u00f3ttir, 2013 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Besta lei\u00f0in til \u00feess a\u00f0 skilja samt\u00edmann er a\u00f0 setja hann \u00ed s\u00f6gulegt samhengi. A\u00f0 geta r\u00fdnt \u00ed \u00feau \u00f6fl sem hafa m\u00f3tandi \u00e1hrif \u00e1 hugmyndir okkar og menningu og me\u00f0 hva\u00f0a h\u00e6tti \u00feau kn\u00fdja fram samf\u00e9lagsbreytingar. Allt er \u00feetta \u00feekking sem \u00e9g f\u00e9kk \u00fat \u00far n\u00e1minu \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i og ekki er verra a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 veitti einnig \u00f3teljandi t\u00e6kif\u00e6ri til \u00feess a\u00f0 velta v\u00f6ngum, spyrja spurninga og efast.<\/p>\n

Getan til a\u00f0 setja hluti \u00ed samhengi skiptir ekki s\u00edst m\u00e1li \u00e1 t\u00edmum \u00fear sem sameiginleg vi\u00f0mi\u00f0 vir\u00f0ast vera a\u00f0 gli\u00f0na \u00ed sundur og einfaldar e\u00f0a \u00f6fgakenndar sk\u00fdringar f\u00e1 auki\u00f0 r\u00fdmi. Vi\u00f0 lifum \u00e1 t\u00edmum \u00fear sem t\u00e6knin getur, \u00fer\u00e1tt fyrir alla s\u00edna kosti, dregi\u00f0 \u00far gagnr\u00fdninni hugsun og \u00fdtt undir of einfaldar \u2013 og jafnvel h\u00e6ttulegar \u2013 lausnir. \u00cd sl\u00edku umhverfi er vegi\u00f0 s\u00e9 a\u00f0 mannr\u00e9ttindum, l\u00fd\u00f0r\u00e6\u00f0islegar stofnanir vir\u00f0ast veikjast og mannleg reisn v\u00edkur fyrir \u00f3tta e\u00f0a valdi. \u00deess vegna tel \u00e9g gagnr\u00fdna hugsun vera or\u00f0na eina af mikilv\u00e6gustu h\u00e6fni samt\u00edmans: a\u00f0 kunna a\u00f0 spyrja, draga \u00ed efa og setja hluti \u00ed r\u00e9tt samhengi.<\/p>\n

N\u00fa \u00ferett\u00e1n \u00e1rum eftir \u00fatskrift, geri \u00e9g m\u00e9r betur grein fyrir \u00fev\u00ed hva\u00f0 n\u00e1mi\u00f0 gaf m\u00e9r \u00ed raun og veru. Ekki bara fr\u00e6\u00f0ilega \u00feekkingu, heldur l\u00edka h\u00e6fni til a\u00f0 l\u00edta \u00e1 heiminn me\u00f0 gagnr\u00fdnu hugarfari og me\u00f0vita\u00f0ri tilfinningu fyrir \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 ekkert er sj\u00e1lfgefi\u00f0. Og ef eitthva\u00f0 stendur upp \u00far eftir allan \u00feennan t\u00edma, \u00fe\u00e1 er \u00fea\u00f0 \u00feetta: a\u00f0 halda \u00e1fram a\u00f0 spyrja, halda \u00e1fram a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra og halda \u00e1fram a\u00f0 reyna a\u00f0 skilja heiminn sem vi\u00f0 erum st\u00f6\u00f0ugt a\u00f0 m\u00f3ta – saman.<\/p>\n

Hj\u00e1lmar Stef\u00e1n Brynj\u00f3lfsson, 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c9g h\u00f3f n\u00e1m \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i veturinn 2001-2002. N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i var \u00fe\u00e1 einungis kennd sem aukagrein (30 einingar \u00ed \u00fe\u00e1verandi kerfi). \u00deetta var \u00ed anna\u00f0 skipti sem n\u00e1msgreinin var kennd vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri. Vi\u00f0 vorum 15-20 nemendur \u00feann vetur, nokku\u00f0 fleiri en \u00e1ri\u00f0 \u00e1\u00f0ur. \u00dea\u00f0 er samt \u00f3h\u00e6tt a\u00f0 segja a\u00f0 \u00feennan vetur hafi yfirgn\u00e6fandi meirihluti nemenda veri\u00f0 konur, \u00fe\u00f3tt sumir \u00e1fanganna hafi reyndar veri\u00f0 kenndir saman me\u00f0 st\u00e6rri h\u00f3pum. \u00cd n\u00e1minu voru almennir k\u00farsar \u00ed a\u00f0fer\u00f0afr\u00e6\u00f0i og \u00fev\u00ed sem jafna m\u00e1 til heimspekilegra forspjallsv\u00edsinda, en einnig f\u00f6g me\u00f0 \u00e1herslu \u00e1 n\u00fat\u00edmann. \u00deau f\u00f6g skilja mest eftir sig \u00ed endurminningunni, b\u00e6\u00f0i vegna \u00feess a\u00f0 \u00feau kj\u00f6rnu\u00f0u hva\u00f0 n\u00fat\u00edminn felur \u00ed s\u00e9r sem sagnfr\u00e6\u00f0ilegt t\u00edmabil, en einnig var \u00ed \u00feeim fjalla\u00f0 um helstu stefnur og strauma \u00ed b\u00f3kmenntum, heimspeki og s\u00e1lfr\u00e6\u00f0i fr\u00e1 1800 og fram til okkar daga.<\/p>\n

Fyrir mig, sem var n\u00fdskri\u00f0inn \u00far framhaldssk\u00f3la, var til mikils a\u00f0 skilja b\u00e6\u00f0i samf\u00e9lags- og menningarlegar breytingar \u00e1 \u00cdslandi fr\u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed eftir seinni heimsstyrj\u00f6ld. M\u00e9r fannst eins og \u00ed sk\u00f3lakerfinu hef\u00f0um vi\u00f0 varla n\u00e1\u00f0 a\u00f0 fjalla um 20. \u00f6ldina, l\u00edklega af \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 h\u00fan var enn a\u00f0 renna sitt skei\u00f0 \u00e1 sama t\u00edma og \u00e9g var \u00ed n\u00e1mi. \u00c9g n\u00e1\u00f0i \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 ver\u00f0a hluti af 20. \u00f6ldinni og kl\u00e1ra hana, en var vi\u00f0 upphaf 21. aldarinnar litlu n\u00e6r um allt \u00fea\u00f0 sem \u00fe\u00e1 var or\u00f0inn hluti af \u00fev\u00ed li\u00f0na. Og ef sk\u00f3linn \u00e1tti ekki a\u00f0 mi\u00f0la \u00feessum uppl\u00fdsingum til manns, hver \u00e1tti \u00fe\u00e1 a\u00f0 sinna \u00fev\u00ed?<\/p>\n

\u00cd endurminningunni var Akureyri enn su\u00f0upunktur breytinga \u00e1ri\u00f0 2001, nokku\u00f0 sem au\u00f0veldlega \u00e6tti a\u00f0 vera h\u00e6gt a\u00f0 sta\u00f0festa: Gler\u00e1rtorg var \u00fe\u00e1 tilt\u00f6lulega n\u00fdlega risi\u00f0 og ni\u00f0urrif Sambandsverksmi\u00f0janna s\u00f6mulei\u00f0is n\u00fdlega fr\u00e1. Ekki var enn li\u00f0inn \u00e1ratugur fr\u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed Listagili\u00f0 haf\u00f0i teki\u00f0 til starfa. H\u00e1sk\u00f3linn \u00e1 Akureyri var \u00e1 \u00feessum \u00e1rum \u00ed fyrsta sinn a\u00f0 vinna \u00far \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 nemendur voru or\u00f0nir meira en 1000 manns. Samhli\u00f0a \u00feessu voru miklar breytingar \u00e1 KEA og fyrirt\u00e6kjum \u00ed eigu \u00feess \u00e1 umr\u00e6ddum \u00e1rum og einkafyrirt\u00e6ki t\u00f3ku vi\u00f0 sem bur\u00f0ar\u00e1sar fyrir samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0. A\u00f0 ekki s\u00e9 minnst \u00e1 a\u00f0rar samf\u00e9lagslegar umbyltingar sem \u00fe\u00e1 voru enn \u00ed farvatninu: Stafr\u00e6na byltingin \u00e1tti \u00fe\u00e1 enn eftir a\u00f0 snerta vi\u00f0 hverju einasta atri\u00f0i \u00ed l\u00edfi f\u00f3lks. Einkav\u00e6\u00f0ing bankanna var \u00fe\u00e1 enn \u00f3kl\u00e1ru\u00f0, en langfyrirfer\u00f0amesta m\u00e1li\u00f0 \u00ed stj\u00f3rnm\u00e1lunum \u00feessi \u00e1r voru fyrirhuga\u00f0ar framkv\u00e6mdir austanlands: Fyrst sneru spj\u00f3tin a\u00f0 Eyjab\u00f6kkum, eftir \u00fea\u00f0 var umr\u00e6\u00f0an \u00f6ll um K\u00e1rahnj\u00faka. Eftir \u00feennan vetur, h\u00e9lt \u00e9g \u00ed n\u00e1m til Reykjav\u00edkur til a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra a\u00f0algrein \u00e1 m\u00f3ti einingunum 30 \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i.<\/p>\n

Til a\u00f0 gera langdregna s\u00f6gu stutta lauk \u00e9g B.A. pr\u00f3fi \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i 2010 eftir talsver\u00f0a leit, jafnvel ey\u00f0imerkurg\u00f6ngu. \u00de\u00e1 s\u00f6gu \u00e6tla \u00e9g ekki a\u00f0 rekja h\u00e9r, a\u00f0eins a\u00f0 l\u00e1ta \u00feess geti\u00f0 a\u00f0 \u00e1 \u00feessum fyrsta \u00e1ratugi 21. aldarinnar h\u00f6f\u00f0u or\u00f0i\u00f0 miklar breytingar \u00e1 n\u00e1msframbo\u00f0i\u00f0 vi\u00f0 HA. N\u00fd deild haf\u00f0i veri\u00f0 stofnu\u00f0 sem me\u00f0al annars haf\u00f0i \u00ed f\u00f6r me\u00f0 s\u00e9r grundvallarbreytingar \u00e1 n\u00e1mi \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i og vi\u00f0 lok \u00e1ratugarins var h\u00fan kennd sem a\u00f0algrein vi\u00f0 HA. \u00c1ri\u00f0 eftir, 2011, lauk \u00e9g n\u00e1mi \u00ed l\u00f6gfr\u00e6\u00f0i og haf\u00f0i \u00fe\u00e1 loki\u00f0 b\u00e6\u00f0i BA og ML gr\u00e1\u00f0um \u00ed l\u00f6gfr\u00e6\u00f0i samhli\u00f0a n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g \u00e1 margar g\u00f3\u00f0ar minningar \u00far n\u00e1minu \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i, hvort heldur sem er \u00ed t\u00edmum \u00fear sem veri\u00f0 var a\u00f0 r\u00f6kr\u00e6\u00f0a afst\u00f6\u00f0u til heimspekilegra texta e\u00f0a b\u00f3kmenntaverka. \u00de\u00f3 leitar sterkast \u00e1 mig n\u00fana, \u00feegar veri\u00f0 er a\u00f0 fagna \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 20 \u00e1r eru s\u00ed\u00f0an fyrstu BA nemendurnir voru \u00fatskrifa\u00f0ir \u00far n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i sem a\u00f0algrein, a\u00f0 rifja upp yfirfer\u00f0 yfir ritger\u00f0 Kants: Hva\u00f0 er uppl\u00fdsing? og r\u00fdni\/gagnr\u00fdni Foucaults \u00e1 ritger\u00f0ina. Hugmyndin um n\u00fat\u00edmann sem t\u00edmabil \u00fear sem einstaklingurinn skapar sj\u00e1lfan sig, \u00fear sem gagnr\u00fdnin afsta\u00f0a til l\u00edfsins og ver\u00f0andinnar felur \u00ed s\u00e9r k\u00f6nnun \u00e1 b\u00e6\u00f0i \u00feekkingu okkar, sj\u00e1lfr\u00e6\u00f0i og – umfram allt – m\u00f6rkum. \u00dea\u00f0 er ekki \u00e1st\u00e6\u00f0a til a\u00f0 endursegja grein Foucaults um n\u00fat\u00edmann h\u00e9r. Vil einungis rifja \u00feau upp, \u00fev\u00ed \u00feau h\u00f6f\u00f0u eftir \u00e1 a\u00f0 hyggja m\u00f3tandi \u00e1hrif og opnu\u00f0u augu manns. Kannski gera \u00feau \u00fea\u00f0 einnig fyrir a\u00f0ra. \u00deakka samhli\u00f0a \u00fev\u00ed fyrir mig og fyrir \u00e1rin \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni.<\/p>\n

Hj\u00f6rtur \u00c1g\u00fastsson, 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learning to Think Together: Notes from a Modern Studies Graduate in 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

I graduated with a BA in Modern Studies from the University of Akureyri in the autumn of 2009. Writing these lines in early 2026, I find myself returning to the same questions that first drew me to the Humanities and Liberal Arts: How do we learn to think together? How do we cultivate judgement, solidarity and responsibility in a world that keeps accelerating?<\/p>\n

Modern Studies sent me across three continents. A summer at the University of Hyderabad introduced me to a democracy larger and noisier than anything I had known, where debate spills into the street and philosophy meets everyday life. A semester in Monterrey at Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey brought a different kind of energy, entrepreneurial, inventive, generous. Iceland, India and Mexico did not give me a single \u201cworldview\u201d. They gave me habits of mind, curiosity about difference, humility before complexity, and the courage to act with incomplete information. Those habits proved far more durable than any particular theory I learned.<\/p>\n

For the past decade and a half I have worked at the intersection of international cooperation, education and youth work, most of it within European programmes. The day-to-day reality is prosaic: drafting proposals, aligning budgets, organising exchanges, and making sure that good intentions survive contact with timetables. Yet the purpose is anything but prosaic. When teachers, school leaders and youth workers meet across borders, they practise the democratic arts: listening, negotiating meaning, making promises and keeping them. I have watched vulnerable teenagers from Iceland and Norway find common connection through extreme sports and special teachers from Croatia get inspired by colleagues from Reykjavik to improve the lives of disabled children in their own communities. That is the Humanities at work, not as a subject silo, but as a way of being with others and learning from others.<\/p>\n

We are, however, living through a sobering moment. The international order that Europe built, backed by American power for much of the past eighty years, can no longer be treated as a constant. Trust cannot be outsourced. If Europe is to remain open, fair and secure, it must strengthen its internal cohesion and take greater responsibility for its external security. That security cannot be defined only by the machinery of war. It must include the integrity of the data and digital systems upon which our societies now depend.<\/p>\n

Here the Humanities and Liberal Arts are not a luxury, they are strategic infrastructure. We need European public digital goods, communication platforms, payment systems and, yes, artificial intelligence, designed around democratic values, linguistic diversity and the rights of the child. Building them will require engineers and lawyers, economists and educators. But it will also require historians who remember why certain safeguards exist, philosophers who can argue about ends as well as means, and writers who can keep the language of the public realm human. Critical thinking is not a slogan. It is the slow discipline of asking better questions, naming trade-offs, and distinguishing between what can be automated and what must remain human.<\/p>\n

I work daily with AI in education. Used well, it can widen access, personalise support and reduce drudgery for teachers. Used lazily, it can narrow curricula, reward shortcuts, and turn learning into a set of clickable transactions. The Humanities help us hold this tension. They remind us that technology is never neutral and that \u201cefficiency\u201d is not the highest educational good. The purpose of schooling is not simply to optimise performance but to form persons, citizens capable of deliberation, empathy and responsible action.<\/p>\n

Despite the present turbulence, I am optimistic. I have seen how deeply European children and young people wish to cooperate and how ready teachers are to share craft knowledge. In classrooms from Reykjav\u00edk to Rijeka I have witnessed the quiet courage of educators who insist that every child belongs. That commitment is the best antidote to xenophobia and the politics of fear. It is also the best foundation for a Europe that relies on itself, not in the sense of closing in, but of standing up.<\/p>\n

If the Humanities taught me anything, it is that democracy is a verb. It is something we keep doing together, reading critically, arguing honestly, changing our minds, and showing up for one another. Twenty years after the first BA in Modern Studies at UNAK, I am grateful that my education did not give me a final answer. It gave me a practice. And in a world of powerful tools and fragile truths, that practice may be our most practical asset.<\/p>\n

Ing\u00f3lfur Stef\u00e1nsson, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00dea\u00f0 var \u00e1n\u00e6gjulegt a\u00f0 f\u00e1 verkefni fr\u00e1 Giorgio \u00e1 n\u00fd eftir \u00f6ll \u00feessi \u00e1r. \u00c9g \u00e1kva\u00f0 a\u00f0 b\u00ed\u00f0a me\u00f0 \u00feennan texta fram \u00e1 s\u00ed\u00f0asta dag bara til \u00feess a\u00f0 hafa \u00feetta eins l\u00edkt t\u00edma m\u00ednum \u00ed N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri og m\u00f6gulegt v\u00e6ri, bara \u00fat af \u00fev\u00ed, \u00e9g lofa, \u00e9g vildi bara hafa \u00feetta eins.<\/p>\n

N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i kom \u00f3v\u00e6nt inn \u00ed l\u00edf mitt \u00e1 t\u00edmapunkti \u00f3vissu. \u00cd menntask\u00f3la vakna\u00f0i \u00e1hugi \u00e1 heimspeki sem var\u00f0 a\u00f0 lokum svo mikill a\u00f0 \u00feegar kom a\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 velja h\u00e1sk\u00f3lan\u00e1m kom ekkert anna\u00f0 til greina. \u00c9g f\u00f3r \u00ed Heimspeki vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands. \u00c9g h\u00e9lt a\u00f0 \u00e9g v\u00e6ri g\u00e1fa\u00f0ri en \u00e9g var eftir a\u00f0 hafa skauta\u00f0 tilt\u00f6lulega l\u00e9tt \u00ed gegnum l\u00edfi\u00f0 \u00e1 Akureyri. \u00der\u00e1tt fyrir a\u00f0 hafa aldrei veri\u00f0 s\u00e1 sem var n\u00e1l\u00e6gt \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 vera me\u00f0 h\u00e6stu einkunnirnar, e\u00f0a haft nokkurn \u00e1huga \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed yfir h\u00f6fu\u00f0, n\u00e1\u00f0i \u00e9g a\u00f0 kl\u00e1ra Menntask\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri, og var \u00fear me\u00f0 \u00f3st\u00f6\u00f0vandi. M\u00e9r var kippt sn\u00f6ggt ni\u00f0ur \u00e1 j\u00f6r\u00f0ina nokkra m\u00e1nu\u00f0i inn \u00ed heimspekin\u00e1mi\u00f0 sem a\u00f0 n\u00e1\u00f0i ekki bara a\u00f0 ey\u00f0ileggja \u00e1huga minn \u00e1 heimspeki heldur einnig alla tr\u00fa m\u00edna \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 \u00e9g g\u00e6ti nokkurn t\u00edmann \u00e1orka\u00f0 einhverju innan akadem\u00edu. \u00c9g vildi bara lesa og l\u00e6ra, \u00e9g nennti ekki a\u00f0 ey\u00f0a \u00f6llum m\u00ednum t\u00edma \u00ed a\u00f0 skrifa heimildir n\u00e1kv\u00e6mlega eins og Arist\u00f3teles ger\u00f0i \u00e1 s\u00ednum t\u00edma, e\u00f0a einhver af \u00feeim, \u00e9g man ekki, \u00e9g kl\u00e1ra\u00f0i aldrei n\u00e1mi\u00f0.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g flutti heim til Akureyrar og byrja\u00f0i a\u00f0 vinna \u00e1 leiksk\u00f3la, \u00fea\u00f0 henta\u00f0i m\u00e9r ekki heldur. \u00c9g vissi ekkert hva\u00f0 \u00e9g vildi. G\u00f3\u00f0ur vinur minn P\u00e9tur Karl var \u00e1 \u00feessum t\u00edma a\u00f0 kl\u00e1ra N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri, \u00e9g vissi ekkert hva\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 var en hann m\u00e6ldi me\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed fyrir mig og \u00fea\u00f0 sanna\u00f0i sig a\u00f0 hann \u00feekkti mig nokku\u00f0 vel. N\u00e1mi\u00f0 henta\u00f0i m\u00e9r, \u00fea\u00f0 var opi\u00f0 og m\u00f6guleikar \u00e1 a\u00f0 sn\u00ed\u00f0a \u00fea\u00f0 eftir m\u00ednum \u00fe\u00f6rfum. \u00c1hugi minn \u00e1 heimspeki vakna\u00f0i \u00e1 n\u00fd og \u00e1 sama t\u00edma \u00e1hugi \u00e1 samf\u00e9lags m\u00e1lefnum n\u00fat\u00edmans, N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i, \u00e9g fatta\u00f0i hva\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 var.<\/p>\n

N\u00e1mi\u00f0 var krefjandi en st\u00f3ri munurinn var s\u00e1 a\u00f0 \u00e9g haf\u00f0i \u00e1huga \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed sem \u00e9g var a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra. Umhverfi\u00f0 var pers\u00f3nulegra en \u00e1\u00f0ur og \u00e9g fann a\u00f0 \u00e9g gat sta\u00f0i\u00f0 mig \u00e1g\u00e6tlega. \u00c9g ger\u00f0i \u00feetta \u00e1 m\u00ednum forsendum og \u00e9g f\u00e9kk r\u00fdmi til a\u00f0 gera \u00fea\u00f0, og \u00e9g l\u00e6r\u00f0i a\u00f0 hugsa, gagnr\u00fdna, f\u00e6ra r\u00f6k og eitthva\u00f0 meira \u00f6rugglega, \u00fea\u00f0 er langt s\u00ed\u00f0an.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g haf\u00f0i \u00e1kve\u00f0na ford\u00f3ma fyrir H\u00e1sk\u00f3lanum \u00e1 Akureyri \u00e1 \u00feessum t\u00edma, \u00fea\u00f0 var meira alv\u00f6ru a\u00f0 fara \u00ed n\u00e1m \u00ed Reykjav\u00edk e\u00f0a \u00ed \u00fatl\u00f6ndum \u00ed m\u00ednum huga, en \u00e9g haf\u00f0i rangt fyrir m\u00e9r. \u00c9g hef stunda\u00f0 n\u00e1m vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands, Konunglega t\u00e6knih\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00ed Stokkh\u00f3lmi og einhvern h\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00ed Hollandi sem \u00e9g man ekki hva\u00f0 heitir, en N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in \u00ed HA kenndi m\u00e9r mest og haf\u00f0i mest \u00e1hrif \u00e1 mig pers\u00f3nulega. \u00c9g er ekkert s\u00e9rstakur \u00ed \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 skrifa g\u00f3\u00f0ar ritger\u00f0ir e\u00f0a halda fyrirlestra og mun aldrei ver\u00f0a, akadem\u00edskar reglur henta m\u00e9r illa og \u00e9g er of latur til \u00feess a\u00f0 gera hlutina almennilega, \u00feetta er ekki \u00e1fellingard\u00f3mur \u00e1 HA sem \u00fatskrifa\u00f0i mig \u00fer\u00e1tt fyrir \u00feetta allt, \u00e9g f\u00e9kk betri einkunn \u00ed Mastersn\u00e1mi \u00ed konunglega sk\u00f3lanum \u00ed Sv\u00ed\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0. Munurinn er s\u00e1 a\u00f0 \u00fear l\u00e6r\u00f0i \u00e9g vo\u00f0a l\u00edti\u00f0, og \u00e9g hef \u00e1tta\u00f0 mig \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 einkunnir e\u00f0a sta\u00f0a skipta vo\u00f0a litlu m\u00e1li, \u00fea\u00f0 sem skiptir m\u00e1li er hva\u00f0 ma\u00f0ur l\u00e6rir og tekur me\u00f0 s\u00e9r \u00fat \u00ed l\u00edfi\u00f0.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g vildi a\u00f0 fleiri myndu l\u00e6ra N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i, si\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i, r\u00f6khugsun, s\u00f6gu, og f\u00e1 a\u00f0 p\u00e6la \u00ed \u00fev\u00ed, hugsa a\u00f0eins. \u00dev\u00ed var kannski s\u00f3a\u00f0 \u00e1 mig. \u00c9g veit a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 er miki\u00f0 \u00ed gangi sem er vo\u00f0alega h\u00e6ttulegt, samf\u00e9lagsmi\u00f0lar, Trump og allt \u00feetta sem \u00fei\u00f0 hafi\u00f0 heyrt \u00fe\u00fasund sinnum og einhver annar n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0ingur skrifar \u00f6rugglega h\u00e9r g\u00f3\u00f0a og r\u00f6kstudda grein um, me\u00f0 tilv\u00edsanir \u00far n\u00e1minu. Eins og fyrirm\u00e6lin s\u00f6g\u00f0u til um. J\u00e1 \u00feessu var kannski s\u00f3a\u00f0 \u00e1 mig og \u00e9g sp\u00e1i stundum \u00ed \u00fev\u00ed hvort \u00fea\u00f0 hef\u00f0i veri\u00f0 betra a\u00f0 halda \u00e1fram \u00e1 leiksk\u00f3lanum, s\u00f3tt um vinnu hj\u00e1 Samherja til a\u00f0 gr\u00e6\u00f0a meiri pening, l\u00e1ta Snorra M\u00e1sson mynda sko\u00f0anir m\u00ednar me\u00f0 40 sek\u00fandna myndbandsb\u00fatum \u00e1 Facebook, \u00fei\u00f0 viti\u00f0.<\/p>\n

\u00de\u00e1 \u00e6tti \u00e9g kannski meiri pening v\u00e6ri \u00e9g kannski ekki svona hrokafullur og bitur og \u00fei\u00f0 v\u00e6ru\u00f0 a\u00f0 lesa texta fr\u00e1 einhverjum sem g\u00e6ti sagt ykkur meira um hva\u00f0 vandam\u00e1li\u00f0 er. En \u00e9g held a\u00f0 \u00e9g haldi mig vi\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 a\u00f0 vera \u00feakkl\u00e1tur fyrir \u00fea\u00f0 sem N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in kenndi m\u00e9r, a\u00f0 hugsa, sp\u00e1, taka hlutum me\u00f0 fyrirvara og vilja \u00fea\u00f0 besta fyrir samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0 og \u00f6ll sem \u00fea\u00f0 mynda\u2026 og a\u00f0 geta vitna\u00f0 \u00ed Descartes og Tocquevilles \u00e1 \u00feri\u00f0ja bj\u00f3r.<\/p>\n

Til hamingju me\u00f0 afm\u00e6li\u00f0 N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i!<\/p>\n

\u00cdvar Ingimarsson, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aftengdur heimur: Vi\u00f0 erum meira tengd en h\u00f6fum a\u00f0 sama skapi aldrei veri\u00f0 eins fjarl\u00e6g\u00f0 hvort \u00f6\u00f0ru. Samskipti \u00ed gengum neti\u00f0 koma ekki \u00ed sta\u00f0 raunverulegra samskipta af holdi og bl\u00f3\u00f0i. \u00dea\u00f0 a\u00f0 sj\u00e1st \u00fej\u00e1st \u00e1 samf\u00e9lagsmi\u00f0lum er ekki \u00fea\u00f0 sama og vera vi\u00f0 hli\u00f0 vi\u00f0komandi og finna \u00fej\u00e1ningar hans.<\/p>\n

\u00d3hamingja, misskipting, aftenging b\u00fdr til \u00f3\u00e1n\u00e6gju sem au\u00f0velt er a\u00f0 virkja. Vi\u00f0 f\u00f6rum a\u00f0 kenna \u00feeim um sem s\u00edst skildi, \u00fatlendingum, innflytjendum, samkynhneig\u00f0um. Vi\u00f0 viljum gamla heiminn okkar aftur, \u00e1n \u00feess \u00fe\u00f3 a\u00f0 vita hvernig hann var. Einf\u00f6ld or\u00f0 fara a\u00f0 hlj\u00f3ma skynsamlega: \u201cGerum \u00cdsland fr\u00e1b\u00e6rt aftur\u201d.<\/p>\n

Samf\u00e9lagsmi\u00f0lar magna upp \u00fea\u00f0 versta \u00ed okkur. Sl\u00e6mar fr\u00e9ttir fer\u00f0ast hra\u00f0ar en \u00fe\u00e6r g\u00f3\u00f0u og upphr\u00f3panir og skandalar b\u00faa til fyrirsagnir. Uppl\u00fdsinga\u00f3rei\u00f0a r\u00e6\u00f0ur r\u00edkjum og sannleikurinn t\u00fdnist \u00ed bulli. Lukkuriddarar f\u00e6ra okkur einfaldar lausnir \u00e1 fl\u00f3knum m\u00e1lefnum. Einmitt \u00fe\u00e1 er aldrei mikilv\u00e6gara en a\u00f0 einstaklingar geti meti\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 sem \u00feeir sj\u00e1 og heyra og kunni a\u00f0 leita s\u00e9r uppl\u00fdsingar hj\u00e1 traustum vi\u00f0urkenndum a\u00f0ilum.<\/p>\n

Al\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0av\u00e6\u00f0ing vi\u00f0skiptanna hefur b\u00fai\u00f0 til \u00f3tr\u00falegan au\u00f0 og vels\u00e6ld s\u00e9rstaklega \u00feeirra r\u00edkustu en l\u00edka \u00f3pers\u00f3nulegan, misskiptan heim. A\u00f0 segja starfsmanni upp b\u00faandi vi\u00f0 hi\u00f0 hans er ekki \u00fea\u00f0 sama segja honum upp fr\u00e1 \u00f6\u00f0ru landi. Hans s\u00e1rsauki ver\u00f0ur ekki \u00feinn heldur ver\u00f0ur tap hans fleiri fr\u00ed og\u00a0kokteilar\u00a0fyrir hluthafana.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Vi\u00f0 \u00feurfum a\u00f0 hafa t\u00edma til a\u00f0 hugsa<\/em>.<\/p>\n

F\u00f3lk er a\u00f0\u00ferengt \u00ed kapphlaupi um a\u00f0 borga af h\u00fasn\u00e6\u00f0isl\u00e1num, n\u00fdja b\u00edlnum e\u00f0a betra sumarfr\u00ed.\u00a0Vi\u00f0 h\u00f6fum ekki t\u00edma og gervigreindin\u00a0hugsar fyrir okkur. H\u00fan er kl\u00e1rari en vi\u00f0 en h\u00fan veit ekki hversu l\u00edfi\u00f0 er d\u00fdrm\u00e6tt ekki frekar en\u00a0gu\u00f0irnir\u00a0sem lifa a\u00f0 eil\u00edfu og \u00f6funda mennina \u00feess vegna. \u00dea\u00f0 \u00fearf bara einn g\u00f3\u00f0hjarta\u00f0an mann til a\u00f0 pr\u00f3gramma\u00a0gervigreindina\u00a0og bi\u00f0ja hana um a\u00f0 finna lei\u00f0 til a\u00f0 bjarga j\u00f6r\u00f0inni. \u00dea\u00f0 g\u00e6ti or\u00f0i\u00f0 endirinn af mannkyninu.<\/p>\n

Heimur \u00fear sem allir lj\u00faga og hinir sterkustu taka \u00fea\u00f0 sem \u00feeir vilja gengur ekki upp. Fj\u00f6lmi\u00f0lar eru fullir af fr\u00e9ttum og falsfr\u00e9ttum. Traust f\u00f3lks \u00e1 fj\u00f6lmi\u00f0lum og stofnunum minnkar. \u00deeir sem n\u00e6rast \u00e1 ringulrei\u00f0 \u00fdta undir \u00fea\u00f0 \u00e1stand. Umr\u00e6\u00f0an ver\u00f0ur \u00f6fgakennd,\u00a0p\u00f3larnir\u00a0r\u00edfast og st\u00f3ri meirihlutinn \u00ed mi\u00f0junni h\u00e6ttir a\u00f0 l\u00e1ta sig m\u00e1lin var\u00f0a e\u00f0a \u00fear til a\u00f0 \u00e1standi\u00f0 fer a\u00f0 hafa bein \u00e1hrif \u00e1 hann.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g tr\u00fai \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 bo\u00f0or\u00f0in 10 hafi veri\u00f0 lei\u00f0 manna til a\u00f0 koma reglu \u00e1 samskipti s\u00edn svo \u00feeir g\u00e6tu lifa\u00f0 saman, en ekki veri\u00f0 bo\u00f0 af ofan. \u00c9g tr\u00fai \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 sta\u00f0an sem er komin upp muni \u00ed auknu m\u00e6li minna okkur \u00e1 mikilv\u00e6gi \u00feess a\u00f0 vir\u00f0a leikreglur og al\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0al\u00f6g (bo\u00f0or\u00f0 n\u00fat\u00edmans<\/em>). \u00c9g tr\u00fai \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 \u00ed auknu m\u00e6li muni f\u00f3lk h\u00e6tta a\u00f0 nota samf\u00e9lagsmi\u00f0la til a\u00f0 s\u00e6kja s\u00e9r\u00a0uppl\u00fdsingar\u00a0\u00fev\u00ed \u00fea\u00f0 er \u00fereytandi a\u00f0 vita ekki hvort eitthva\u00f0 s\u00e9 satt e\u00f0a\u00a0lygi, og\u00a0muni \u00ed auknu m\u00e6li leita \u00ed traustari\u00a0\u00e1rei\u00f0anlegri\u00a0mi\u00f0la sem eru vi\u00f0urkenndir sem sl\u00edkir.<\/p>\n

Vandam\u00e1l n\u00fat\u00edmans<\/em> ver\u00f0a ekki leyst me\u00f0 einf\u00f6ldum lausnum e\u00f0a t\u00e6knin\u00fdjungum sem h\u00e6gt er a\u00f0 n\u00fdta b\u00e6\u00f0i til g\u00f3\u00f0s og ills. Heldur me\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 b\u00faa til samf\u00e9l\u00f6g sem b\u00faa til gott f\u00f3lk. Samf\u00e9l\u00f6g sem hafa t\u00edmi til a\u00f0 hl\u00faa af einstaklingnum og kenna honum a\u00f0 vir\u00f0a samf\u00e9lag sitt. Samf\u00e9l\u00f6g sem byggja upp sameiginlega innvi\u00f0i og hl\u00faa af \u00fe\u00f6rfum f\u00f3lks til a\u00f0 lifa g\u00f3\u00f0u l\u00edfi. \u00deannig samf\u00e9lag tr\u00fai \u00e9g a\u00f0 b\u00fai til meira af g\u00f3\u00f0u f\u00f3lki sem \u00fe\u00fa myndir leita til \u00e1 \u00fe\u00ednum verstu og bestu stundum, f\u00f3lki sem \u00fe\u00fa myndir vilja eiga fyrir vin og myndir treysta fyrir \u00fe\u00ednu d\u00fdrm\u00e6tasta, f\u00f3lkinu \u00fe\u00ednu.<\/p>\n

Til a\u00f0 b\u00faa til \u00feannig samf\u00e9lag \u00feurfum vi\u00f0 einstaklingarnir, og s\u00e9rstaklega \u00feeir sem eru afl\u00f6guf\u00e6rir a\u00f0 hugsa a\u00f0eins meira um hva\u00f0 \u00e9g get gert fyrir samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0 mitt \u00ed sta\u00f0 \u00feess a\u00f0 hugsa hva\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 geti gert fyrir mig.<\/p>\n

J\u00f3hann \u00c1smundsson, 2007<\/strong><\/p>\n

I submitted my BA thesis in Modern Studies in 2007, almost twenty years ago. I had enrolled in the university few years earlier. I had been stuck in a dead-end job on an assembly line. Even though I had been feeling the need to obtain further education, both for personal reasons and for carrier advancement, I did not know which direction I should go. I attended an open house at the University of Iceland to see what was there for me. There I met a teacher from the university of Akureyri, Sigur\u00f0ur Kristinsson. He told me about a line of study for people just like me \u2013 people who did not know what to study! \u2013 namely Modern Studies.<\/p>\n

As I acquired my education through Modern Studies, I was introduced to, and encouraged to observe closely, underlying ideas and values behind the norm. We would seek answers to questions like:\u00a0 How does art and architecture reflect the spirit of the time? How and why do cities grow?\u00a0 Why do we have certain institutions and why do they function the way they do? What is the official function and formal policy? And what is the informal policy, and its almost invisible effects on people and society? From where arises the sense of self? And on that note, how can I personally lead a meaningful life and invent my own role, in order to shape myself and my community.<\/p>\n

What one sees as a societal norm is not necessarily questioned or challenged. In a way, this was liberating to me on two grounds. Firstly, I was born into sets of norms reaching far back, and well outside of my control and responsibility. Secondly, it forced me to take a stance in relation to these underlying values and ideas. So, on the one hand, it freed me from, at times, the lunacy of the current affairs: the spirit of the time. But, on the other hand, it forced a sense of responsibility upon me, in the sense that I lived in the norm; I led a normal life. Even now, as far as my existence is interwoven with the norm and the spirit of the time, I am responsible.<\/p>\n

The controversy being, then, that the only way for me to get to understand and influence the present is to research the past. I must be rooted in the past to bear fruit in the present. During my studies, I discovered that I had to learn to change my attitudes, and I had to change my opinions. I was literally forced to give up certain opinions and beliefs for the sake of wisdom and truth. For me, that is the essence of education.<\/p>\n

I felt that I was taking a very important step when I enrolled in the University of Akureyri. I thought of myself as stepping out from the assembly line, moving from the mundane to the extraordinary. My first year in the university coincided with my daughter\u2019s first year in school: her first step in the lifelong journey of learning. Now, twenty years later, she is doing much better than I do, but that is another story! As I was helping her with her homework, I realized that I was also basically learning to read and write. Nothing extraordinary. I realized that there was a difference, not in degree but in nature, between her first grade and my first year at the university. However, in an oddly analogous way, learning to read and write with the guidance and direction of my instructors in Modern Studies, helped me to further my understanding of the world around me and build on my own life. Like my daughter, I was acquiring new tools, and I had to put them to good use.<\/p>\n

The process of education changed me, it changed my life, my perceptions, my values and my ethical stance. One is not born with fixed morals or certain ethics. One must learn and experience, and one must seek knowledge and education. Modern Studies gave me a new sense of self. Even though all of us need education, education is not merely acquired by those who need it; education is acquired by those who want<\/em> it. I have met people who did not really want education, they simply needed a degree. In that sense, education was actually in the way of them reaching their goal. Why is it, that for so many, education can be perceived as bothersome? Could it be for the very reason that is a catalyst for change? It pushes you in the direction of change, which is perhaps the thing that scares us the most\u2014even though, ironically, change is the one thing that is most certain in our life. We, as individuals, are bound to change, and the society we live in is bound to change. Will the change in our life be led and fixed by others, or are we able to define and redefine our role, as individual human beings?<\/p>\n

I wonder in this day and age if education is sometimes merely seen as a methodology. A method to rationalize outcomes and decisions that otherwise would raise moral questions or uncanny feelings. Is it merely a method to sway away from our true responsibilities, responsibilities that can only be recognised from within our individual selves? Responsibilities that arise from the same place within us as the one where mere opinions are replaced by wisdom. The only responsibilities that we can truly hold are the responsibilities towards ourselves. My individual responsibility is therefore to respond and to act from knowledge, drawing from collective wisdom. It takes courage to criticise any authority, and to argue and reason against the misuse of power. Modern Studies have made me more courageous.<\/p>\n

The way I see it, education is something that transcends my physical being and my socio-economic circumstances. It brings with it the deep certainty that, if I stick to it, cherish it and practice it, it is where I can root my sanity in an insane world. I can rest in the thoughts and insights of no one single man or one single time, but in the triumphs of the collective human spirit. It is something that allows me and enables me to arise above the mundane. But I must want it, I must seek it, I must put it into practice. By doing so, I also feel empowered to seek and find my own way and define my own role in this so-called \u201clife.\u201d I am not just a blunt tool in the assembly line anymore.<\/p>\n

J\u00f3hann Ingi Bjarnason, 2012 <\/strong><\/p>\n

When I graduated from Modern Studies at the University of Akureyri in 2012, I did not realize how deeply the program would shape the way I view the world and acquire new skills. My BA thesis, History of Martial Arts in Iceland and their Image in Icelandic Media<\/em>, began as an exploration of gl\u00edma, boxing, judo, karate, taekwondo, and MMA. But under the guidance of Markus Meckl, the project became something more, an investigation into my culture as an Icelander.<\/p>\n

Modern Studies taught me to gather and digest information; think about the information I am getting and where it comes from. Something that has been very helpful in recent years with fake news and misinformation overflowing our digital spaces and right\u2011wing extremism that has been spread through oversimplified narratives of important problems the world faces.<\/p>\n

In the years since my graduation, the world has changed rapidly. Artificial Intelligence now performs many of the cognitive tasks that modern people once handled themselves. It is kind of astonishing how people lack the incentive to tackle problems they face and turn to AI for salvation, and the next moment they worry that AI might replace them.<\/p>\n

As my career moved into technical fields like ERP development and data migration, the habits I formed in Modern Studies remained relevant. Complex data systems require interpretation. Data structure requires context. Don\u2019t get me wrong, AI can be a good worker and should be used for mundane tasks, but it is not able to understand what a real user in a system will think or behave, not yet at least.<\/p>\n

Twenty years after the first BA in Modern Studies was awarded, I feel that the need for academic studies that sharpen then mind, and encourage logic and originality, is exactly what our society needs.<\/p>\n

Karen D\u00faa Kristj\u00e1nsd\u00f3ttir, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c9g er alltaf stolt og \u00e1n\u00e6g\u00f0 me\u00f0 a\u00f0 hafa BA gr\u00e1\u00f0u \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i, \u00f6\u00f0ruv\u00edsi gr\u00e1\u00f0a sem erfitt er a\u00f0 \u00fatsk\u00fdra fyrir \u00f6\u00f0rum en au\u00f0velt a\u00f0 tengja vi\u00f0. Hefur hj\u00e1lpa\u00f0 m\u00e9r og n\u00fdst t.d. s\u00e9rlega vel \u00feegar \u00e9g las til MA gr\u00e1\u00f0u \u00ed Visual (cultural) Studies fyrir nokkrum \u00e1rum<\/p>\n

Kolbeinn Gauti Fri\u00f0riksson, 2020 <\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s now been almost six years since I finished my Modern Studies at the University of Akureyri. As I sit and reflect on that time, there is a lot to unravel. When I first entered the program, I did not quite know what to expect. I had a young child and was working fulltime as a glacier guide, and was just going through the motions trying to head towards somewhere concrete with my studies: a place I did not know what would be. But as I progressed in my studies, each course started to allow me to go a bit deeper. I started to realize that this path was a place where my scattered worldview, based on Stanley Kubrick\u2019s Dr. Strangelove<\/em>, Adam Curtis\u2019 documentaries, and Aldous Huxley\u2019s novels, could actually be to my benefit. I started getting deeper into writing papers about Italian lemon thieves and creating a video made out of wartime footage set to Marvin Gaye\u2019s What\u2019s going on<\/em> (my attempt at becoming Adam Curtis). Sometimes I would take it too far. For example, I wrote an essay stating that drugs should be legalized and soccer banned (the teacher tore that essay down, to put it mildly). The studies also allowed me to travel abroad and spend a year in Lisbon, Portugal, studying, which is a time that I will forever hold dearly. What the Modern Studies offer, in my humble opinion, is a chance to let people realize that what they think and feel about the state of things is perhaps not too absurd. It gives you tools and opportunities to organize your thoughts and feelings about the state of affairs, so that they may be more than scattered thoughts that you disperse among your closest ones, over a pint. As the world continues to evolve and become more and more absurd, these tools and opportunities, in my opinion, become more and more valuable. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities and tools that I was afforded in my Modern Studies. And the teachers that make up the core faculty of this program.<\/p>\n

Kristj\u00e1n Birnir \u00cdvansson, 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00deegar enn eitt \u00e1ri\u00f0 er li\u00f0i\u00f0 \u00ed aldanna skaut kemur upp \u00ed hugann \u00feegar hugsa\u00f0 er til baka a\u00f0 \u00e1ri\u00f0 2026, eru li\u00f0inn einn 15 \u00e1r s\u00ed\u00f0an undirrita\u00f0ur \u00fatskrifa\u00f0ist me\u00f0 BA gr\u00e1\u00f0u fr\u00e1 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lanum \u00e1 Akureyri. Margt hefur breyst \u00e1 \u00feeim \u00e1rum en \u00ed lj\u00f3s hefur komi\u00f0 a\u00f0 N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i hefur reynst \u00f6flugt t\u00e6ki til a\u00f0 takast \u00e1 vi\u00f0 allar \u00feessar breytingar.\u00a0 \u00deegar heims m\u00e1linn eru \u00ed fr\u00e9ttum kemur oft upp \u00ed hugann hversu gott er a\u00f0 hafa fari\u00f0 \u00ed n\u00e1mi\u00f0 \u00e1 s\u00ednum t\u00edma og hafa afla\u00f0 s\u00e9r skilning \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 hver s\u00e9 a\u00f0 m\u00f6rgu leiti undir r\u00f3t \u00feessara breytinga svo sem arab\u00edska vori\u00f0, uppgangur pop\u00falisma b\u00e6\u00f0i \u00ed Bandar\u00edkjunum og \u00ed Evr\u00f3pu, heimsfaraldur Covid og \u00fe\u00e6r a\u00f0ger\u00f0ir sem r\u00e1\u00f0ist var \u00ed kj\u00f6lfari\u00f0, innr\u00e1s R\u00fassa \u00ed \u00dakra\u00ednu og breytt samsetning fj\u00f6lmi\u00f0la og samf\u00e9lagsmi\u00f0la f\u00e1tt eitt s\u00e9 nefnt. \u00deetta er ekki t\u00e6mandi listi svo \u00fea\u00f0 s\u00e9 teki\u00f0 fram.<\/p>\n

\u00deegar oft t\u00ed\u00f0um \u00feegar \u00feessa atbur\u00f0i hefur bori\u00f0 \u00e1 g\u00f3ma \u00fe\u00e1 hef \u00e9g oft hugsa\u00f0 hvernig n\u00e1mi\u00f0 \u00ed N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni hefur n\u00fdst m\u00e9r til \u00feess a\u00f0 anna\u00f0 hvort skilja e\u00f0a takast \u00e1 vi\u00f0 \u00feessa atbur\u00f0i. N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni l\u00e6r\u00f0ist m\u00e9r \u00fea\u00f0 tvennt s\u00e9 mikilv\u00e6gast a\u00f0 geta skili\u00f0 orsaka samhengi hlutana og a\u00f0 geta beitt gagnr\u00fdnni hugsun til \u00feess a\u00f0 geta tekist \u00e1 vi\u00f0 atbur\u00f0i l\u00fd\u00f0andi stundar.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g held a\u00f0 eftirminnilegast s\u00e9 a\u00f0 Efnahagskreppan og bankahruni\u00f0 \u00e1 \u00cdslandi voru \u00ed fullum gangi \u00e1 \u00feeim t\u00edma sem \u00e9g var n\u00e1minu. \u00deannig a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 gaf manni raunveruleg d\u00e6mi um \u00fea\u00f0 hvernig m\u00e6tti skilja orsaka samhengi\u00f0 \u00ed \u00feeim atbur\u00f0um sem voru a\u00f0 raungerast \u00fe\u00e1 og hvernig m\u00f6gulega ma\u00f0ur \u00e6tti a\u00f0 breg\u00f0ast vi\u00f0 \u00feegar hlutirnir sn\u00faa a\u00f0 manni sj\u00e1lfum t.d. kosningarnar um ICESAVE reikningana.<\/p>\n

\u00deegar \u00e9g lit til baka \u00fe\u00e1 er n\u00e1mi\u00f0 mitt \u00ed N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni me\u00f0 \u00feeim h\u00e6tti a\u00f0 er \u00fea\u00f0 n\u00e1m sem \u00e9g hef fari\u00f0 \u00ed sem m\u00e9r hefur fundist vera \u00fea\u00f0 mikilv\u00e6gasta sem \u00e9g hef lagt stund \u00e1. Anna\u00f0 n\u00e1m sem \u00e9g hef fari\u00f0 \u00ed e\u00f0a pr\u00f3fa\u00f0 hefur m\u00e9r ekki fundist geta s\u00fdnt fram \u00e1 tilgang sinn ef mi\u00f0ast vi\u00f0 eitthva\u00f0 \u00fer\u00f6ngt afmarka\u00f0 svi\u00f0 og gangast manni a\u00f0 litlu e\u00f0a takm\u00f6rku\u00f0u leiti vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 takast \u00e1 vi\u00f0 \u00fe\u00e6r hr\u00f6\u00f0u samf\u00e9lagsbreytingar sem hafa \u00e1tt s\u00e9r sta\u00f0 s\u00ed\u00f0astli\u00f0inn \u00e1r og \u00e1 komandi \u00e1rum.<\/p>\n

\u00c1 me\u00f0an N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in getur veri\u00f0 svo margt einhverskonar hla\u00f0bor\u00f0 \u00ed hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsindum. \u00deannig a\u00f0 ma\u00f0ur gat vali\u00f0 mismunandi \u00e1fanga eftir \u00fev\u00ed hva\u00f0 var \u00ed bo\u00f0i og hva\u00f0 h\u00f6f\u00f0a\u00f0i til manns hverjum t\u00edma. Eins og samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0 er \u00ed heild \u00fe\u00e1 \u00fer\u00f3ast N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in og m\u00e1 lei\u00f0a a\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed l\u00edkum a\u00f0 n\u00e1mi\u00f0 hafi sennilega teki\u00f0 einhverjum breytingum s\u00ed\u00f0an 2008 til 2011 fr\u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 \u00e9g var skr\u00e1\u00f0ur \u00ed n\u00e1mi\u00f0 \u00e1 s\u00ednum t\u00edma. Gera m\u00e1 r\u00e1\u00f0 fyrir a\u00f0 inn hafa komi\u00f0 skildu \u00e1fangar sem ekki voru kenndir \u00e1 s\u00ednum t\u00edma og a\u00f0rir feldir \u00fat \u00ed sta\u00f0inn e\u00f0a ger\u00f0ir a\u00f0 valf\u00f6gum. Eftir minnilegust \u00e1fangarnir sem \u00e9g t\u00f3k i n\u00e1minu voru IBH-I\u00f0nbylting og hnattv\u00e6\u00f0ing og AFB-Hugmyndafr\u00e6\u00f0i og saga n\u00fat\u00edmans (sem \u00fe\u00e1 h\u00e9t Afbygging 20. aldar). A\u00f0rir eftir minnilegir \u00e1fangar voru t.d. STJ-Stj\u00f3rnm\u00e1lafr\u00e6\u00f0ileg greining og STJ-Al\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0astj\u00f3rnm\u00e1l\/Al\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0asamskipti enda voru \u00feeir \u00e1fangar teknir sem valf\u00f6g.<\/p>\n

\u00dea\u00f0 sem var magna\u00f0 vi\u00f0 \u00feessa \u00e1fanga a\u00f0 allir saman mynda \u00feeir eina heild og d\u00fdpka skilninginn \u00e1 atbur\u00f0um l\u00ed\u00f0andi stundar. Hver \u00e1 sinn h\u00e1tt. \u00cd Afbyggingu 20. aldar er m\u00e9r \u00fe\u00f3 minnist\u00e6\u00f0ast sennilega \u00feegar var fjalla\u00f0 um \u00fea\u00f0 hverjir eru sendir \u00e1 v\u00edgv\u00f6llinn \u00fea\u00f0 eru ekki st\u00f3refnamenn og fj\u00f6lskyldur heldur \u00f6reigarnir og alm\u00faginn. \u00dea\u00f0 hvernig alm\u00faganum er bl\u00e1sinn bar\u00e1ttu andi \u00ed brj\u00f3st og hann hvattur til d\u00e1\u00f0a og hvernig vi\u00f0 \u00feurfum a\u00f0 n\u00e1 \u00feessum markmi\u00f0um okkar en svo \u00feegar kemur a\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 berjast \u00fe\u00e1 eru \u00fea\u00f0 \u00fei\u00f0 alm\u00faginn. Me\u00f0an vi\u00f0 sem stj\u00f3rnum sitjum og b\u00ed\u00f0um. Vi\u00f0 horfum en \u00fe\u00e1 upp \u00e1 \u00feetta \u00ed dag til d\u00e6mis \u00ed str\u00ed\u00f0i \u00dakra\u00ednumanna og R\u00fassa.<\/p>\n

\u00c1 me\u00f0an \u00e1fanganum um I\u00f0nbyltingunna og hnattv\u00e6\u00f0inguna var \u00e1huga vert a\u00f0 \u00e1tta sig \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 megin undirsta\u00f0a vestr\u00e6nna samf\u00e9laga eins og vi\u00f0 \u00feekkjum \u00feau \u00ed dag m\u00e1 rekja til Fr\u00f6nsku byltingarinnar og uppreisn 13 n\u00fdlenda \u00ed Amer\u00edku gagnvart Bresku Kr\u00fanunni.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g nefni b\u00e1\u00f0a stj\u00f3rnm\u00e1lafr\u00e6\u00f0i \u00e1fangana \u00fear sem \u00feeir mynda g\u00f3\u00f0a samfellu \u00feegar kemur a\u00f0 d\u00fdpka skilning \u00e1 stj\u00f3rnm\u00e1lum l\u00ed\u00f0andi stundar. B\u00e6\u00f0i h\u00e9r heima og erlendis. M\u00e9r \u00fe\u00f3 minnist\u00e6\u00f0ast umr\u00e6\u00f0ur um tengsl bankanna og efnahagsl\u00edfsinns vi\u00f0 stj\u00f3rnm\u00e1linn enda eins og \u00e1\u00f0ur sag\u00f0i voru eftirm\u00e1lar bankahrunsins \u00ed algeymingi \u00ed B\u00fas\u00e1haldabyltingunni og voru \u00feeir atbur\u00f0ir r\u00fdndir og greindir um lei\u00f0 og \u00feeir ger\u00f0ust. \u00cd seinni \u00e1fanganum um al\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0astj\u00f3rnm\u00e1linn er m\u00e9r sennilega eftir minnilegast \u00feegar Markus Meckl ger\u00f0i gr\u00edn a\u00f0 \u00f6ryggisr\u00e1\u00f0i Sameinu\u00f0u\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0anna og hversu m\u00e1ttlaust \u00fea\u00f0 er \u00ed raun og veru til a\u00f0 takast \u00e1 vi\u00f0 br\u00fdn \u00farlausnar efni t.d. m\u00e1lefni \u00cdsraels og Palest\u00ednu.<\/p>\n

\u00de\u00e1 fannst m\u00e9r einnig gott a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 var bo\u00f0i\u00f0 upp \u00e1 \u00e1fanga \u00ed gagnr\u00fdni hugsun og si\u00f0fr\u00e6\u00f0i sem og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsindagreinar sem \u00fatsk\u00fdrir hva\u00f0a \u00e1hrif \u00fej\u00f3\u00f0f\u00e9lagi\u00f0 og samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0 hefur \u00e1 einstaklinginn og a\u00f0 endingu fj\u00f6lmi\u00f0lafr\u00e6\u00f0i \u00e1fanga sem ramma inn mikilv\u00e6gi \u00feess hvernig efni er mi\u00f0la\u00f0. \u00dea\u00f0 skal teki\u00f0 fram a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 var \u00ed huga\u00f0 a\u00f0 taka fleiri \u00e1fanga tengslum vi\u00f0 allt ofan tali\u00f0 en t\u00edminn takmarka\u00f0ur \u00fe\u00f3 held \u00e9g a\u00f0 \u00feeir \u00e1fangar sem ur\u00f0u fyrir valinu hafi enda\u00f0 \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 n\u00fdtast m\u00e9r best. \u00de\u00e1 held \u00e9g a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 hafi sem d\u00e6mi veri\u00f0 betra fyrir mig a\u00f0 taka \u00fe\u00e1 \u00e1fanga \u00ed fj\u00f6lmi\u00f0lafr\u00e6\u00f0inni sem sneru a\u00f0alega a\u00f0 mi\u00f0lun efnis fremur en framlei\u00f0slu \u00feess \u00feegar upp er sta\u00f0i\u00f0 enda s\u00e1 \u00e9g \u00fea\u00f0 ekki fyrir m\u00e9r a\u00f0 starfa vi\u00f0 fj\u00f6lmi\u00f0la.<\/p>\n

\u00dea\u00f0 er gott a\u00f0 vita til \u00feess a\u00f0 \u00feeir nemendur sem hafa lagt N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0ina fyrir sig geta haft heilmikil \u00e1hrif \u00e1 \u00fea\u00f0 hvernig n\u00e1mi\u00f0 er samsett og hva\u00f0a n\u00e1mskei\u00f0 eru kennd. \u00c9g minnist \u00feess a\u00f0 anna\u00f0 hvort vi\u00f0 \u00fatskrift a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 annar lok \u00ed einhverjum \u00e1fanganum m\u00f6gulega jafnvel \u00ed \u00e1fanganum um I\u00f0nbyltinguna \u00fe\u00e1 voru einhverjir nemendur a\u00f0 hvetja til \u00feess a\u00f0 t\u00edmabili\u00f0 fyrir I\u00f0nbyltinguna yr\u00f0i kennt l\u00edka til \u00feess a\u00f0 nemendur \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i g\u00e6tu fengi\u00f0 heildr\u00e6ni mynd \u00e1 mannkynss\u00f6guna. Eftir a\u00f0 n\u00e1minu lauk og \u00e9g \u00fatskrifa\u00f0ist H\u00f3fst kennsla \u00ed \u00e1fanganum RFB-Fr\u00e1 R\u00f3maveldi til fr\u00f6nsku byltingarinnar einhverjum \u00e1rum s\u00ed\u00f0ar. Mi\u00f0a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 \u00e1fangal\u00fdsingar \u00ed kennsluskr\u00e1 er nokku\u00f0 lj\u00f3st a\u00f0 h\u00e9r er \u00e1 fer\u00f0inni \u00e1fangi sem \u00e9g hef\u00f0i vilja\u00f0 geta teki\u00f0 \u00e1 s\u00ednum t\u00edma.<\/p>\n

Mar\u00edn Manda Magn\u00fasd\u00f3ttir, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I began my university studies, I was enrolled in Media Studies. At the time, I was primarily interested in contemporary communication, representation, and the fast moving landscape of modern media. Yet, as stimulating as that field was, I gradually felt that something was missing. I was learning how messages are produced and circulated, but I longed for a deeper understanding of the historical, philosophical, and cultural foundations beneath them. Transferring into Modern Studies at the University of Akureyri, became the turning point that filled those gaps.<\/p>\n

Modern Studies proved to be immensely rewarding and enlightening. The program offered not only knowledge, but perspective. It connected ideas across disciplines. History, philosophy, politics and cultural analysis helped me situate contemporary phenomena within broader historical and intellectual developments. Questions that had once seemed fragmented or abstract began to form a coherent picture. How has human life evolved socially and politically? What forces shape our values and institutions? How do ideas travel through time, and how do they influence the present?<\/p>\n

For me, Modern Studies encouraged critical reflection and careful reading, but also humility. It made clear that our present moment is part of a longer continuum. In a time when many of our cognitive tasks are increasingly outsourced to Artificial Intelligence, and when polarized political rhetoric can easily overshadow nuanced thought, the training I received in Modern Studies feels more relevant than ever. The discipline strengthened my ability to question assumptions, to identify underlying frameworks, and to resist overly simplistic explanations.<\/p>\n

What I appreciated most was the way the program addressed both \u201cwhat was\u201d and \u201cwhat is,\u201d while constantly inviting us to consider \u201cwhat might be.\u201d It answered many of my questions about how people\u2019s lives have developed over time, socially, culturally, and economically, but it also sharpened my awareness of what deserves attention as we move into the future. It taught me that civic responsibility begins with understanding. Understanding complexity, understanding difference, and understanding the historical roots of present challenges.<\/p>\n

To study Modern Studies also gave me confidence. It gave me the intellectual self-assurance to pursue further education and to trust my analytical abilities. More importantly, it reshaped how I see life in general. I learned to approach social debates with greater depth, to appreciate cultural expressions more fully, and to engage in discussions with both curiosity and critical care. The program did not simply provide knowledge, it transformed the way I think.<\/p>\n

Looking back, choosing Modern Studies was one of the most formative decisions of my academic life. It did not replace my initial interest in media, it deepened it. By grounding contemporary issues in historical and philosophical contexts, the program equipped me with tools that remain invaluable. In a world that often rewards speed over reflection and certainty over dialogue, my education stands as a lasting reminder of the importance of critical thought, civic awareness, and intellectual courage.<\/p>\n

Marthen Elvar Veigarsson Olsen, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mikilv\u00e6gi hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsinda \u00ed heimi vitr\u00e6nna afl\u00e9ttinga og p\u00f3lit\u00edskrar \u00f6fgahyggju<\/em><\/p>\n

N\u00fat\u00edmasamf\u00e9l\u00f6g standa n\u00fa \u00e1 t\u00edmam\u00f3tum sem m\u00f3tast af tveimur \u00f6flum: mikilli \u00fatbrei\u00f0slu gervigreindar og hra\u00f0ri endurkomu h\u00e6gri\u00f6fgahreyfinga. \u00de\u00f3 \u00feessi fyrirb\u00e6ri geti seint talist l\u00edk \u00fear sem anna\u00f0 er t\u00e6knilegt og hitt hugmyndafr\u00e6\u00f0ilegt, \u00fe\u00e1 eiga \u00feau \u00fea\u00f0 sameiginlegt a\u00f0 grafa undan gagnr\u00fdnni hugsun og veikja tilfinningu f\u00f3lks fyrir borgaralegri \u00e1byrg\u00f0 og \u00fe\u00e1ttt\u00f6ku. \u00c1 sama t\u00edma og \u00e1kvar\u00f0anataka, t\u00falkun og jafnvel sk\u00f6pun eru \u00ed auknum m\u00e6li framseldar til gervigreindar er p\u00f3lit\u00edsk umr\u00e6\u00f0a s\u00edfellt einf\u00f6ldu\u00f0 og dregin ni\u00f0ur \u00ed slagor\u00f0 og andst\u00e6\u00f0ur. Vi\u00f0 \u00feessar a\u00f0st\u00e6\u00f0ur er mikilv\u00e6gi hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsinda ekki bara fort\u00ed\u00f0ar\u00fer\u00e1 heldur br\u00fdn nau\u00f0syn. Mikilv\u00e6gi hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsinda er \u00fev\u00ed grunnsto\u00f0 l\u00fd\u00f0r\u00e6\u00f0islegrar seiglu, si\u00f0fer\u00f0ilegrar d\u00f3mgreindar og merkingarb\u00e6rs l\u00edfs.<\/p>\n

Hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsindi eru greinar t\u00falkunar fremur en einfalds mi\u00f0lunar uppl\u00fdsinga. Heimspeki, saga, b\u00f3kmenntir, stj\u00f3rnm\u00e1lafr\u00e6\u00f0i og listir \u00fej\u00e1lfa einstaklinga \u00ed a\u00f0 efast um forsendur, setja fullyr\u00f0ingar \u00ed v\u00ed\u00f0ara samhengi og takast \u00e1 vi\u00f0 margr\u00e6\u00f0ni. Einmitt \u00feessir h\u00e6fileikar eru \u00ed h\u00e6ttu \u00e1 t\u00edmum vitr\u00e6nna afl\u00e9ttinga. Gervigreindarkerfi, alveg sama hversu skilvirk \u00feau eru, hvetja til samskipta sem leggja \u00e1herslu \u00e1 ni\u00f0urst\u00f6\u00f0ur fremur en skilning. \u00deegar fl\u00f3kin verkefni eins og skrif, samantektir og greining eru reglulega falin v\u00e9lum skapast h\u00e6tta \u00e1 a\u00f0 mannleg f\u00e6rni r\u00fdrni ekki a\u00f0eins t\u00e6knilega heldur einnig \u00ed \u00feeim hugr\u00e6nu venjum sem gefa \u00feekkingu gildi. Vandinn er ekki s\u00e1 a\u00f0 gervigreind \u201ehugsi fyrir okkur” heldur a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 h\u00e6ttum sm\u00e1m saman a\u00f0 hugsa me\u00f0 d\u00fdpt, \u00feolinm\u00e6\u00f0i og \u00e1byrg\u00f0.<\/p>\n

\u00deessi hnignun gagnr\u00fdninnar hugsunar tengist me\u00f0 \u00f3hugnanlegum h\u00e6tti uppgangi h\u00e6gri\u00f6fgahreyfinga. Sl\u00edkar hreyfingar lifa \u00e1 einf\u00f6ldun: tv\u00edhyggju, go\u00f0sagnakenndri fort\u00ed\u00f0armynd og tilfinningahl\u00f6\u00f0num fr\u00e1s\u00f6gnum sem \u00feola illa gagnr\u00fdna sko\u00f0un. Hugv\u00edsindin aftur \u00e1 m\u00f3ti s\u00e9rh\u00e6fa sig \u00ed fl\u00e6kjustigi. Sagnfr\u00e6\u00f0in s\u00fdnir fram \u00e1 tilviljunarkennt og m\u00f3tanlegt e\u00f0li \u00fej\u00f3\u00f0ernis og sj\u00e1lfsmynda, b\u00f3kmenntagreining r\u00e6ktar samkennd yfir menningarleg og f\u00e9lagsleg m\u00f6rk, heimspekin kennir aga r\u00f6ksemdaf\u00e6rslunnar \u00ed sta\u00f0 fullyr\u00f0ingarinnar. \u00dear sem \u00f6fgap\u00f3lit\u00edk krefst vissu og undirgefni, \u00fe\u00e1 krefst frj\u00e1ls menntun efa, samr\u00e6\u00f0u og \u00edhugunar. \u00dea\u00f0 er \u00fev\u00ed engin tilviljun a\u00f0 einr\u00e6\u00f0ishneig\u00f0ar hreyfingar r\u00e1\u00f0ast gjarnan gegn h\u00e1sk\u00f3lum, fr\u00e6\u00f0im\u00f6nnum og listum og stimpla \u00fe\u00e1 sem el\u00edtusinni e\u00f0a \u00f3gnandi. \u00cd raun er \u00fea\u00f0 sem er \u00ed h\u00fafi ekki menningarstr\u00ed\u00f0, heldur stj\u00f3rn \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed hvernig borgarar hugsa og hvort \u00feeir hugsi yfirleitt.<\/p>\n

Ekki er s\u00ed\u00f0ur mikilv\u00e6gt hlutverk hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsinda a\u00f0 vi\u00f0halda borgaralegum tilgangi. L\u00fd\u00f0r\u00e6\u00f0i byggir \u00e1 meira en t\u00e6knilegri h\u00e6fni; \u00fea\u00f0 krefst borgara sem skilja sj\u00e1lfa sig sem \u00fe\u00e1tttakendur \u00ed sameiginlegu p\u00f3lit\u00edsku verkefni. Borgaralegt sinnuleysi eflist \u00feegar einstaklingar upplifa samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0 sem eitthva\u00f0 sem er stj\u00f3rna\u00f0 fyrir \u00feeirra h\u00f6nd af t\u00e6kni e\u00f0a gervigreind, s\u00e9rfr\u00e6\u00f0ingum e\u00f0a sterkum lei\u00f0togum, fremur en sem vettvang sameiginlegrar m\u00f3tunar. Hugv\u00edsindin vinna gegn sl\u00edku a\u00f0ger\u00f0aleysi me\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 beina sj\u00f3num a\u00f0 spurningum um gildi, \u00e1byrg\u00f0 og merkingu. Stj\u00f3rnm\u00e1laheimspeki spyr hva\u00f0 r\u00e9ttl\u00e6ti krefjist og sagan s\u00fdnir hvernig r\u00e9ttindi voru unnin og t\u00f6pu\u00f0, listir og b\u00f3kmenntir gefa \u00feeim r\u00f6dd sem oft eru \u00fatiloka\u00f0ir fr\u00e1 opinberri fr\u00e1s\u00f6gn. Saman efla \u00feessar greinar \u00fea\u00f0 sem kalla m\u00e6tti borgaralegt \u00edmyndunarafl, me\u00f0 \u00f6\u00f0rum or\u00f0um h\u00e6fileikann til a\u00f0 sj\u00e1 fyrir s\u00e9r a\u00f0ra framt\u00ed\u00f0 og eigi\u00f0 hlutverk \u00ed m\u00f3tun hennar.<\/p>\n

Gagnr\u00fdnendur halda \u00fev\u00ed oft fram a\u00f0 hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsindi eigi illa vi\u00f0 \u00ed heimi sem m\u00f3tast af hra\u00f0a t\u00e6kninnar og efnahagslegri samkeppni. Samt eiga gagnr\u00fdnendur \u00fea\u00f0 til a\u00f0 misskilja e\u00f0li t\u00e6knilegra valda og \u00e1tta sig ekki alltaf \u00e1 a\u00f0 gervigreind felur \u00ed s\u00e9r gildi sem sjaldan eru hlutlaus. \u00c1n mannlegs l\u00e6sis skortir samf\u00e9l\u00f6gum verkf\u00e6ri til a\u00f0 greina \u00feessi gildi e\u00f0a \u00e1kve\u00f0a hva\u00f0a sj\u00e1lfvirkniv\u00e6\u00f0ingu ber a\u00f0 hafna. Si\u00f0fer\u00f0isleg vi\u00f0mi\u00f0 ver\u00f0a ekki til \u00far k\u00f3\u00f0a heldur eru \u00feau arfleif\u00f0, \u00e1greiningsefni og st\u00f6\u00f0ug endursko\u00f0un.<\/p>\n

A\u00f0 lokum efla hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsindin vitsmunalega au\u00f0m\u00fdkt, dyg\u00f0 sem ver\u00f0ur s\u00edfellt sjaldg\u00e6fari. Andst\u00e6tt gervigreind sem skilar sv\u00f6rum \u00e1n s\u00fdnilegrar \u00f3vissu, leggja hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsindi \u00e1herslu \u00e1 t\u00falkun, r\u00f6kr\u00e6\u00f0u og endursko\u00f0un. Sl\u00edk \u00feekkingarau\u00f0m\u00fdkt er \u00f3missandi \u00ed fj\u00f6lhyggjusamf\u00e9l\u00f6gum \u00fear sem engin ein s\u00fdn getur gert tilkall til algilds valds. H\u00e6gri\u00f6fgahyggja n\u00e6rist hins vegar \u00e1 hugmyndinni um algilda \u00feekkingu og si\u00f0fer\u00f0ilega hreinskilni. Menntun sem venur f\u00f3lk vi\u00f0 \u00e1greining og fl\u00e6kjustig er \u00fev\u00ed \u00f6flugt m\u00f3tv\u00e6gi gegn sl\u00edkum straumum.<\/p>\n

\u00cd heimi sem gl\u00edmir vi\u00f0 sj\u00e1lfvirkniv\u00e6\u00f0ingu og r\u00f3tt\u00e6kni bj\u00f3\u00f0a hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsindi ekki upp \u00e1 skj\u00f3ta lausn. Gildi \u00feeirra felst einmitt \u00ed \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 standast hra\u00f0a, vissu og einf\u00f6ldun. \u00de\u00e6r \u00fej\u00e1lfa einstaklinga ekki a\u00f0eins \u00ed vissu hlutverki heldur til \u00feess a\u00f0 spyrja af hverju, ekki einungis til \u00feess a\u00f0 lifa innan vissra kerfa heldur til \u00feess a\u00f0 spyrja hvort \u00feau s\u00e9u r\u00e9ttl\u00e1t. Ef gagnr\u00fdn hugsun og borgaralegur tilgangur eru \u00e1 undanhaldi, \u00fe\u00e1 er endurn\u00fdju\u00f0 fj\u00e1rfesting \u00ed frj\u00e1lsri menntun ekki fort\u00ed\u00f0ar\u00fer\u00e1, heldur stefnumarkandi nau\u00f0syn. Framt\u00ed\u00f0 l\u00fd\u00f0r\u00e6\u00f0issamf\u00e9laga kann a\u00f0 r\u00e1\u00f0ast s\u00ed\u00f0ur af snjallari v\u00e9lum en af vitrum borgurum.<\/p>\n

Matthildur Helgad\u00f3ttir J\u00f3nud\u00f3ttir, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vi\u00f0 vinkonurnar m\u00e6ttum fullar eftirv\u00e6ntingar og m\u00f6gulega me\u00f0 sm\u00e1 kv\u00ed\u00f0a, \u00e1 sk\u00f3lasetningu hausti\u00f0 2017. Vi\u00f0 h\u00f6f\u00f0um \u00fe\u00e1 \u00e1kve\u00f0i\u00f0 \u00e1 gamals aldri a\u00f0 skr\u00e1 okkur \u00ed fjarn\u00e1m \u00ed N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri. \u00dear sem vi\u00f0 vissum ekki alveg hva\u00f0 vi\u00f0 vildum ver\u00f0a \u00feegar vi\u00f0 yr\u00f0um st\u00f3rar, \u00fe\u00f3 vi\u00f0 v\u00e6rum \u00feegar samanlagt or\u00f0nar n\u00edr\u00e6\u00f0ar, \u00fe\u00e1 fannst okkur N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in henta fullkomlega. Satt a\u00f0 segja h\u00e9ldum vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 svona fj\u00f6lbreytt og skemmtilegt n\u00e1mslei\u00f0 v\u00e6ri s\u00fa vins\u00e6lasta \u00ed sk\u00f3lanum. Vi\u00f0 vorum \u00fev\u00ed mj\u00f6g hissa \u00feegar n\u00fdnemar N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0innar voru ekki kalla\u00f0ir saman \u00ed st\u00f3ra h\u00e1t\u00ed\u00f0arsalinn, vi\u00f0 vorum svo f\u00e1 a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 r\u00famu\u00f0umst vel \u00ed l\u00edtilli kennslustofu. En \u00fea\u00f0 var g\u00f3\u00f0mennt \u00fe\u00f3 \u00fea\u00f0 v\u00e6ri f\u00e1mennt og n\u00e1mi\u00f0 st\u00f3\u00f0st v\u00e6ntingar okkar, allt \u00ed senn fj\u00f6lbreytt, krefjandi og skemmtilegt.<\/p>\n

\u00dea\u00f0 var \u00fe\u00f3 stundum bras a\u00f0 vera mi\u00f0aldra a\u00f0 tileinka s\u00e9r t\u00e6knina a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra \u00e1 netinu. Einkum \u00ed byrjun, en vi\u00f0 vorum flj\u00f3tar a\u00f0 pikka upp hinar \u00fdmsu brellur til a\u00f0 fl\u00fdta fyrir okkur og mikil var gle\u00f0i okkar \u00feegar vi\u00f0 fundum hnappinn sem herti \u00e1 hra\u00f0anum. M\u00e9r er minnisst\u00e6tt a\u00f0 einn kennarinn tala\u00f0i svo h\u00e6gt a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 g\u00e1tum hlusta\u00f0 \u00e1 fyrirlestrana hans me\u00f0 hra\u00f0astillingunni 1,75 e\u00f0a jafnvel 2,0. Vi\u00f0 vorum l\u00edka, \u00e1 k\u00f6flum, helsj\u00fakar af svokalla\u00f0i n\u00eduveiki \u2013 sem herjar helst \u00e1 fullor\u00f0na nemendur sem allt \u00feykjast vita og geta. Einkennin l\u00fdstu s\u00e9r helst \u00ed \u00f6flugum frekju- og stressk\u00f6stum \u00feegar vi\u00f0 fengum l\u00e6gra en 9 \u00ed einkunn fyrir verkefni e\u00f0a \u00e1 pr\u00f3fi. \u00c9g vi\u00f0urkenni a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 situr enn \u00ed m\u00e9r a\u00f0 hafa ekki n\u00e1\u00f0 9 \u00ed me\u00f0aleinkunn \u00feegar \u00e9g \u00fatskrifa\u00f0ist \u00fe\u00f3 \u00e9g hafi veri\u00f0 n\u00e1l\u00e6gt \u00fev\u00ed \u2013 \u00e6tli \u00fea\u00f0 s\u00e9 of seint a\u00f0 fara \u00ed endurteki\u00f0.<\/p>\n

Olga Katr\u00edn Olgeirsd\u00f3ttir, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thirteen years ago, I was looking to find something to study that piqued my interest. When I found the Bachelor\u2019s degree in Modern Studies at UNAK, I was intrigued. The description made it seem like this degree was a kind of a melting pot of some of the major Humanities, and now, all these years later, that is still how I feel about it.<\/p>\n

Modern Studies has, if anything, become increasingly relevant in today\u2019s political and technological landscape. I am certain that this degree enhanced my understanding of current events through the lens of the past. Certain events don\u2019t seem quite as surprising when you realise that they have happened before \u2013 there hasn\u2019t even been a full century since the second World War. The US attacking Venezuela doesn\u2019t seem quite as much out of left field, when you consider their recent history.<\/p>\n

The common thread throughout the Modern Studies curriculum was perhaps the most important one: critical thinking. With all the polarising discussions and ever evolving Artificial Intelligence, the skill of critical thinking becomes ever more critical<\/em>. Having learned to read articles and studies, while employing critical thinking, is very helpful, especially when it comes to wading through all the misinformation and emotional arguments. Remembering that even statistics can be misleading in many ways is important, and when such things are being used to enhance an argument it is best to never take any numbers at face value. Discussion online and in the real world tend to be fraught with fallacies, and we have to do the work to know what is credible and what isn\u2019t. The degree in Modern Studies has certainly helped me in this endeavour, and I try to remember to stop and think through arguments to be certain that they are valid and don\u2019t only appear to be so.<\/p>\n

When looking back at this time in my life, I realise how fun, interesting, and demanding it was. I remember social life events like the Sprellm\u00f3t<\/em> and V\u00edsindafer\u00f0<\/em>, I remember making a short film modernising the book Sj\u00e1lfst\u00e6tt f\u00f3lk<\/em>, I remember a trip to Latvia that was a course in and of itself where I went to interview teenagers in an orphanage, I remember a presentation where my group compared Donald Trump to Kim Kardashian, I remember not sleeping for a week after I found out that I had to teach a class about Voltaire\u2026 these are just a few of the memories that pop into my head when I think about these three years doing Modern Studies at UNAK.<\/p>\n

In conclusion \u2013 I learned a great deal that still comes in handy in navigating various things in my day-to-day life all these years later. I would recommend this Bachelor\u2019s degree to anyone and can\u2019t imagine a time when such a degree would become irrelevant: A.I. becomes more advanced every day, politics seem to be polarizing more and more as each day goes by, and the media, news and social alike, don\u2019t seem to care that they are spreading misinformation through clickbait headlines. In order to keep our rights and democracy, we need more people to learn critical thinking and use it.<\/p>\n

\u00d3feigur N\u00fami Halld\u00f3rsson, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00deegar \u00e9g byrja\u00f0i \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 h\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri \u00e1ri\u00f0 2020 var Covid-19 faraldurinn \u00ed fullum gangi. \u00c9g s\u00f3ttist s\u00e9rstaklega um fjarn\u00e1m vegna b\u00fasetu minnar \u00ed Sl\u00f3vak\u00edu, \u00fear sem \u00e9g og konan m\u00edn bjuggum \u00ed yndisleg 5 \u00e1r. \u00cd fyrstu voru v\u00e6ntingar m\u00ednar gagnvart fjarn\u00e1mi ansi l\u00e1gar\u2014\u00fea\u00f0 er a\u00f0 segja\u2014\u00e9g bj\u00f3st ekki vi\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 upplifa \u201eraunverulega\u201c kennslu ef svo m\u00e1 a\u00f0 or\u00f0i komast. \u00dea\u00f0 var svo sannarlega ekki raunin. \u00dea\u00f0 kom m\u00e9r verulega \u00e1 \u00f3vart hve margir voru virkir hva\u00f0 n\u00e1mi\u00f0 var\u00f0a\u00f0i. Allir \u00feeir Zoom-t\u00edmar sem \u00e9g t\u00f3k einkenndust af \u00e1hugasemi og fagmannlegri \u00e1heyrn af h\u00e1lfu nemenda. Alltaf var unni\u00f0 a\u00f0 verkefnum og hlusta\u00f0 \u00e1 fyrirlestra l\u00edkt og vi\u00f0 v\u00e6rum inni \u00ed kennslustofu uppi \u00ed h\u00e1sk\u00f3la\u2014\u00fe\u00f3 sumir v\u00e6ru kannski a\u00f0 grilla s\u00e9r samloku e\u00f0a hella upp \u00e1 kaffi \u00ed n\u00e1ttf\u00f6tunum. \u00dea\u00f0 er l\u00edka vert a\u00f0 nefna a\u00f0 kennslan og kennararnir \u00ed sk\u00f3lanum voru fr\u00e1b\u00e6r \u00ed alla sta\u00f0i. \u00dea\u00f0 hvernig kennararnir yfirf\u00e6r\u00f0u hef\u00f0bundna kennslu \u00e1 stafr\u00e6nan h\u00e1tt var hreint \u00fat sagt magna\u00f0. Me\u00f0 miklum \u00e1huga \u00e1 n\u00e1msefninu og h\u00e6fni \u00ed fjarkennslu var\u00f0 n\u00e1mi\u00f0 \u00f6llu meira skemmtilegra.<\/p>\n

N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i \u00e1 s\u00e9rstaklega vi\u00f0 \u00ed dag. L\u00edkt og hefur veri\u00f0 sagt \u00e1\u00f0ur \u00fe\u00e1 hefur n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i \u00feau \u00e1hrif a\u00f0 v\u00edkka sj\u00f3ndeildarhring okkar \u00e1 m\u00e1lefnum samt\u00edmans, \u00fear allra helst a\u00f0 beita gagnr\u00fdnni hugsun. \u00cd \u00fev\u00ed samhengi m\u00e1 nefna fram\u00fer\u00f3un gervigreindar og allt umsvifi\u00f0 \u00ed kringum hana \u00ed hinni stafr\u00e6nu v\u00eddd. Fyrir m\u00edna h\u00f6nd sat \u00fer\u00f3un gervigreindar fremst \u00e1 bekk \u00e1 \u00e1hugasvi\u00f0i m\u00ednu og hvernig gervigreind \u00ed heild sinni hefur bein og \u00f3bein \u00e1hrif \u00e1 s\u00e1lr\u00e6na og samf\u00e9lagslega \u00fe\u00e6tti. \u00c1tta sig \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed hvar h\u00e6tturnar raunverulega liggja, \u00fev\u00ed \u00fe\u00e6r liggja kannski ekki beint vi\u00f0 notkun hennar, heldur fremur hvernig vi\u00f0 breg\u00f0umst vi\u00f0 henni. Skilningur \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 gervigreind er ekki einungis r\u00f3tin a\u00f0 merkingar-og samhengislausum efnivi\u00f0 (myndb\u00f6nd, myndir og texti) heldur einnig st\u00f3r hluti af gangverki samf\u00e9lagsmi\u00f0la og annarra forrita sem nota hana me\u00f0al annars \u00ed dreifingu gagna og hvernig h\u00fan matar vi\u00f0eigandi uppl\u00fdsingum til einstaklinga byggt \u00e1 \u00e1huga \u00feeirra. Auk \u00feess hvernig samf\u00e9lagsmi\u00f0lar sem titla sig sem t\u00f3l sameiningar\u00ad geti haft \u00f6fug \u00e1hrif, skapa\u00f0 \u00f3rei\u00f0u, bergm\u00e1lshelli, \u00fdtt undir ska\u00f0legar uppl\u00fdsingar e\u00f0a a\u00f0greint samf\u00e9lagsh\u00f3pa. \u00deetta eru a\u00f0eins \u00f3f\u00e1 d\u00e6mi um \u00fea\u00f0 hvernig n\u00e1mi\u00f0 f\u00e9kk mann til a\u00f0 huga a\u00f0 n\u00fat\u00edmanum<\/p>\n

\u00c1n \u00feess a\u00f0 fara n\u00e1nar \u00fat \u00ed s\u00e1lma samt\u00edmans, \u00fe\u00e1 hefur n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i fyrst og fremst gert m\u00e9r kleift a\u00f0 horfa me\u00f0 gagnr\u00fdnum augum \u00e1 m\u00e1lefni samt\u00edmans og \u00edhuga \u00fdmiskonar orsakir og aflei\u00f0ingar, \u00fe\u00e1 helst \u00ed formi hugmyndafr\u00e6\u00f0ilegra og heimspekilegra sj\u00f3narmi\u00f0a. T\u00edmarnir \u00ed dag eru \u00fev\u00ed mi\u00f0ur ekki einfaldir og oft \u00e1 t\u00ed\u00f0um afar ruglingslegt a\u00f0 \u00e1tta sig \u00e1 hinum \u00fdmsu svi\u00f0um sem einkenna n\u00fat\u00edmann. Me\u00f0 \u00feeim forsendum var og er n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i fr\u00e1b\u00e6r lei\u00f0 til a\u00f0 n\u00e1 einhverjum \u00e1ttum og sm\u00e1vegis vott af samhengi \u00ed \u00feessum fl\u00f3kna og margslungna heimi sem vi\u00f0 lifum \u00ed. \u00cd n\u00e1minu er ekki veri\u00f0 a\u00f0 finna upp hj\u00f3li\u00f0, heldur a\u00f0 hj\u00e1lpa \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 r\u00falla. \u00c1 \u00feeim n\u00f3tum langar mig a\u00f0 enda minni yfirfer\u00f0 og upplifun af n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i.<\/p>\n

\u00d3l\u00edna Freysteinsd\u00f3ttir, 2005<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00dea\u00f0 var \u00e1 vord\u00f6gum \u00e1ri\u00f0 2000 a\u00f0 vinkona m\u00edn sem var \u00ed n\u00e1mi \u00ed sj\u00e1var\u00fatvegsfr\u00e6\u00f0um kom \u00ed heims\u00f3kn til m\u00edn, setti bla\u00f0 \u00e1 bor\u00f0i\u00f0 og sag\u00f0i vi\u00f0 mig, \u00feetta n\u00e1m er svo miki\u00f0 \u00fe\u00fa. \u00c9g sl\u00f3 til og var \u00e9g \u00ed fyrsta \u00e1rganginum sem innrita\u00f0ist og \u00feeim fyrsta sem \u00fatskrifa\u00f0ist me\u00f0 BA gr\u00e1\u00f0u \u00ed N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i. N\u00e1mi\u00f0 breytt \u00f6llu \u00ed l\u00edfi m\u00ednu og hefur gefi\u00f0 m\u00e9r t\u00e6kif\u00e6ri sem \u00e9g hef\u00f0i ekki geta\u00f0 \u00edmynda\u00f0 m\u00e9r a\u00f0 k\u00e6mu til m\u00edn. \u00deegar \u00e9g l\u00edt til baka tel \u00e9g \u00fea\u00f0 hafi haft m\u00f3tandi \u00e1hrif \u00e1 mig er var\u00f0ar vi\u00f0horf og \u00e1skoranir sem vi\u00f0 st\u00f6ndum frammi fyrir sem einstaklingar \u00ed samf\u00e9lagi og sem \u00fej\u00f3\u00f0 me\u00f0al annarra \u00fej\u00f3\u00f0a. \u00c9g er \u00feakkl\u00e1t kona sem hef \u00e1tt gott l\u00edf og spennandi og skemmtilegan starfsferil og tel n\u00e1mi\u00f0 hafi hvatt mig til a\u00f0 hafa \u00e1hrif \u00e1 samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0 og m\u00e6ta samfer\u00f0af\u00f3lki af vir\u00f0ingu \u00fear sem \u00fea\u00f0 er statt. N\u00e1mi\u00f0 hefur haft \u00e1hrif \u00e1 minn pers\u00f3nulega \u00feroska og \u00fe\u00e1 manneskju sem \u00e9g er og vildi ver\u00f0a. \u00c9g ver\u00f0 \u00e6vinlega \u00feakkl\u00e1t \u00feeim kennurum sem snertu vi\u00f0 l\u00edfi m\u00ednu og samnemendum sem ger\u00f0u n\u00e1mi\u00f0 innihaldsr\u00edkara. Takk fyrir mig!<\/p>\n

\u00d3l\u00f6f Mar\u00eda Brynjarsd\u00f3ttir, 2017 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Um verslunarmannhelgina 2013 fylltum vi\u00f0 hj\u00f3n flutningab\u00edl af b\u00fasl\u00f3\u00f0 okkar og spenntum b\u00f6rnin okkar ni\u00f0ur \u00ed fj\u00f6lskyldub\u00edlinn, st\u00f3ran Dodge Caravan svo uppfullan af d\u00f3ti a\u00f0 Tetris h\u00e6fileikar fr\u00e1 t\u00edunda\u00e1ratug s\u00ed\u00f0ustu aldar komu a\u00f0 g\u00f3\u00f0um notkun til a\u00f0 koma \u00f6llum \u00e1 sinn sta\u00f0. Pabbi minn keyr\u00f0i fyrir okkur flutningab\u00edlinn sem vi\u00f0 fengum leig\u00f0an af n\u00e1granna okkar og vi\u00f0 hj\u00f3n skilu\u00f0umst \u00e1 eftir, hr\u00e6dd vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 keyra of hratt \u00fear sem b\u00edllinn var svo l\u00e1greistur af \u00feunga s\u00ednum. Fer\u00f0inni var heiti\u00f0 nor\u00f0ur \u00e1 Akureyri \u00fear sem undirritu\u00f0 haf\u00f0i skr\u00e1\u00f0 sig til n\u00e1ms \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i fyrr um sumari\u00f0. S\u00fa skr\u00e1ning gekk ekki \u00ferautalaust fyrir sig. Verandi \u00f3hef\u00f0bundin nemandi sem haf\u00f0i aldrei kl\u00e1ra\u00f0 hef\u00f0bundi\u00f0 st\u00fadentspr\u00f3f en kl\u00e1ra\u00f0 allskyns \u00f6nnur pr\u00f3f, l\u00edkt og b\u00fafr\u00e6\u00f0i fr\u00e1 LBH\u00cd og frumgreinan\u00e1m fr\u00e1 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lanum \u00e1 Bifr\u00f6st, var r\u00edkisstofnuninn \u00e1 Akureyri ekki viss um a\u00f0 m\u00e9r v\u00e6ri treystandi \u00ed fullt h\u00e1sk\u00f3lan\u00e1m. Fyrstu vi\u00f0br\u00f6g\u00f0 vi\u00f0 ums\u00f3kn minni voru \u00fev\u00ed einfalt NEI. L\u00e1ir \u00feeim hver sem vill, \u00e9g haf\u00f0i sj\u00e1lf veri\u00f0 skept\u00edsk \u00e1 a\u00f0 hleypa m\u00e9r inn, algerlega \u00f3v\u00edst hva\u00f0 \u00feessi sveimhuga kona sem sag\u00f0ist vilja flytja b\u00faferlum nor\u00f0ur \u00ed land me\u00f0 fj\u00f6gur b\u00f6rn og karl myndi tolla lengi vi\u00f0. \u00deetta NEI var kannski \u00fea\u00f0 besta sem HA gat samt m\u00f6gulega gert fyrir mig, \u00fev\u00ed \u00fearna tv\u00edelfdist m\u00f3t\u00fer\u00f3i minn og linnti \u00e9g ekki l\u00e1tum fyrr en ums\u00f3kn m\u00edn haf\u00f0i veri\u00f0 sam\u00feykkt. \u00c9g skildi s\u00fdna \u00feessum nor\u00f0lendingum a\u00f0 \u00e9g v\u00e6ri einmitt nemandinn sem \u00feeir vildu f\u00e1 \u00ed \u00feetta n\u00e1m.<\/p>\n

Hvers vegna n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i? \u00c9g haf\u00f0i hafi\u00f0 n\u00e1m vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Bifr\u00f6st sannf\u00e6r\u00f0 um a\u00f0 \u00e9g \u00e6tla\u00f0i a\u00f0 ver\u00f0a l\u00f6gfr\u00e6\u00f0ingur, mig langa\u00f0i a\u00f0 fara \u00ed mannr\u00e9ttindal\u00f6gfr\u00e6\u00f0i. \u00deegar kom a\u00f0 l\u00f6gfr\u00e6\u00f0inni sj\u00e1lfri heilla\u00f0i h\u00fan mig l\u00edti\u00f0, hins vegar \u00fe\u00f3tti m\u00e9r hugtakagreining sem l\u00f6gfr\u00e6\u00f0in bygg\u00f0i \u00e1 mj\u00f6g \u00e1hugaver\u00f0 og heimspeki \u00ed heild. \u00c9g f\u00f3r \u00fev\u00ed \u00e1 st\u00fafana og leita\u00f0i a\u00f0 n\u00e1mi \u00ed hugv\u00edsindum. Heimspekideildin vi\u00f0 H\u00cd kveikti ekki \u00e1huga hj\u00e1 m\u00e9r, \u00fear var n\u00e1mi\u00f0 of einfasa a\u00f0 m\u00ednu mati en svo s\u00e1 \u00e9g augl\u00fdsingu fr\u00e1 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lanum \u00e1 Akureyri um \u00feverfaglegt n\u00e1m \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i. Sveigjanlegt n\u00e1m \u00ed hug- og f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsindum sem h\u00e6gt var a\u00f0 byggja upp \u00ed kringum kjarnagreinar \u00feess eftir vilja hvers og eins. \u00deetta fannst m\u00e9r gr\u00ed\u00f0arlega heillandi kostur, \u00fearna gat \u00e9g fari\u00f0 \u00ed n\u00e1m \u00ed heimspeki en jafnframt fl\u00e9tta\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 saman vi\u00f0 m\u00e1lefni l\u00ed\u00f0andi stundar. \u00c9g ger\u00f0i m\u00e9r grein fyrir \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 fyrir mig, manneskju me\u00f0 mikinn \u00e1huga \u00e1 hinu mannlega og endalaus \u00fe\u00f6rf \u00e1 a\u00f0 skilja samhengi hlutana, v\u00e6ri \u00feetta n\u00e1m fullkomi\u00f0. Svo \u00e1hugas\u00f6m var \u00e9g um n\u00e1mi\u00f0 a\u00f0 \u00feegar \u00e9g kynnti \u00fea\u00f0 fyrir fj\u00f6lskyldume\u00f0limum \u00fe\u00e1 heilla\u00f0ist f\u00f3lk me\u00f0 m\u00e9r. F\u00f3r \u00fea\u00f0 svo a\u00f0 mamma m\u00edn \u00e1kva\u00f0 a\u00f0 s\u00e6kja einnig um og skella s\u00e9r nor\u00f0ur me\u00f0 m\u00e9r \u00ed n\u00e1m.<\/p>\n

\u00dea\u00f0 kom aldrei anna\u00f0 til greina \u00ed m\u00ednum huga en a\u00f0 fara \u00ed sta\u00f0n\u00e1m, \u00fev\u00ed t\u00f3kum vi\u00f0 okkur fj\u00f6lskyldan upp og fluttum til Akureyrar. Fr\u00e1 fyrsta degi vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri var eins og \u00e9g \u00e6tti heima \u00fearna, allt \u00ed umhverfi sk\u00f3lans, kennarar, nemendur og a\u00f0rir starfsmenn t\u00f3ku m\u00e9r opnum \u00f6rmum. N\u00e1mi\u00f0 st\u00f3\u00f0 heldur betur undir v\u00e6ntingum og r\u00famlega \u00fea\u00f0. S\u00e9rstaklega voru kennslustundirnar \u00ed hugv\u00edsindagreinunum m\u00e9r hugleiknar fyrstu annirnar. Afbygging 20. aldar st\u00f3\u00f0 upp \u00far, \u00fea\u00f0 er \u00feessi skilningur \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed hver vi\u00f0 erum sem samf\u00e9lag sem var leitast vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 sko\u00f0a \u00fear sem lag\u00f0i grunn a\u00f0 \u00feekkingunni sem \u00e1 eftir kom. M\u00e9r fannst allt n\u00e1mi\u00f0 fl\u00e9ttast gr\u00ed\u00f0arlega vel saman. I\u00f0nbyltingin \u2013 sagnfr\u00e6\u00f0i \u00e1fangi var l\u00edka einstaklega fr\u00e6\u00f0andi og m\u00f3ta\u00f0i svo vel \u00feennan grunn \u00e1samt Hugmyndas\u00f6gunni. \u00dea\u00f0 var eins og allt n\u00e1mi\u00f0 leita\u00f0ist vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 s\u00fdna okkur samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0 \u00ed 360\u00b0. St\u00f6\u00f0ugt var veri\u00f0 a\u00f0 segja okkur \u201e\u00fei\u00f0 ver\u00f0i\u00f0 a\u00f0 skilja hva\u00f0an vi\u00f0 komum til a\u00f0 skilja hver vi\u00f0 erum og hvert vi\u00f0 erum a\u00f0 fara sem samf\u00e9lag\u201c \u00fear me\u00f0 leitu\u00f0umst vi\u00f0 st\u00f6\u00f0ugt vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 l\u00edta okkar samt\u00edma gagnr\u00fdnum augum. \u00deessi grunnur lag\u00f0i til svo skilninginn sem bygg\u00f0ist upp \u00ed greinunum sem eftir komu \u00feegar lei\u00f0 \u00e1 n\u00e1mi\u00f0. \u00c9g heilla\u00f0ist enn frekar af heimspekinni og voru m\u00e1lstofurnar einstaklega vel n\u00fdttar til a\u00f0 d\u00fdpka skilning, virkilega mikilv\u00e6gur hluti n\u00e1msins var a\u00f0 f\u00e1 a\u00f0 r\u00f6kr\u00e6\u00f0a og kanna me\u00f0 s\u00ednum samnemendum undir stj\u00f3rn kennara. \u00dea\u00f0 var svo alltaf takmarki\u00f0 a\u00f0 fara \u00ed skiptin\u00e1m vi\u00f0 erlendan h\u00e1sk\u00f3la. University of Guelph bau\u00f0 upp \u00e1 k\u00farsa sem bygg\u00f0u vel ofan \u00e1 \u00feann grunn sem \u00e9g haf\u00f0i fengi\u00f0 vi\u00f0 HA og \u00fear gat \u00e9g teki\u00f0 \u00e1herslul\u00ednu m\u00edna sem samanst\u00f3\u00f0 af mannfr\u00e6\u00f0i og heimspeki \u2013 en \u00e9g lag\u00f0i \u00e1herslu \u00e1 heilsu og heilbrig\u00f0i, \u00fe\u00e1 s\u00e9rstaklega \u00e1f\u00f6ll \u00ed m\u00ednu vali. \u00c9g haf\u00f0i kynnst mannfr\u00e6\u00f0inni \u00ed Eiginlegum ranns\u00f3knara\u00f0fer\u00f0um og \u00feegar \u00e9g s\u00e1 hversu einstaklega vel n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in bygg\u00f0i undir mannfr\u00e6\u00f0ilegan skilning \u00fe\u00e1 var ekki aftur sn\u00fai\u00f0.<\/p>\n

N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in og \u00fea\u00f0 frelsi a\u00f0 f\u00e1 a\u00f0 byggja sj\u00e1lf upp s\u00edna n\u00e1mslei\u00f0 gaf m\u00e9r svo getuna til a\u00f0 fara \u00ed krefjandi ranns\u00f3knartengt meistaran\u00e1m \u00ed f\u00e9lagsv\u00edsindum \u00fear sem \u00e9g fl\u00e9tta\u00f0i enn saman mannfr\u00e6\u00f0i og heimspeki til a\u00f0 greina l\u00edfss\u00f6gu \u00edslenskrar konu \u00e1 \u00e1ttr\u00e6\u00f0isaldri sem og hugtaksins sj\u00e1lfs\u00e1st. Enn kom \u00fear saman s\u00e1 sterki grunnur sem n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in lag\u00f0i, a\u00f0 skilja hva\u00f0an manneskja sem \u00f3lst upp um mi\u00f0bik tuttugustu aldar \u00ed braggahverfum Reykjav\u00edkurborgar var a\u00f0 koma. Til a\u00f0 greina sl\u00edka s\u00f6gu \u00fearf a\u00f0 hafa sterkan grunn og \u00fej\u00e1lfun \u00ed a\u00f0 horfa \u00e1 einstaklinginn sem afsprengi \u00feeirra menningar og samf\u00e9lags sem elur hann. \u00cd st\u00f6rfum m\u00ednum eftir \u00fatskrift hefur \u00feessi \u00feverfaglega menntun n\u00fdst m\u00e9r gr\u00ed\u00f0arlega vel, \u00e9g hef starfa\u00f0 mest \u00ed r\u00e1\u00f0gj\u00f6f, b\u00e6\u00f0i fyrir \u00feolendur ofbeldis sem og \u00ed starfsendurh\u00e6fingu. \u00dear sem er mikilv\u00e6gt a\u00f0 skilja \u00feau samf\u00e9lags- og menningarlegu \u00e1hrif sem m\u00f3tar einstaklinginn \u00fev\u00ed \u00fear leynast oft \u00fe\u00e6r hindranir sem taka \u00fearf \u00e1. M\u00e1 segja a\u00f0 \u00ed heiti BA ranns\u00f3knar minnar hafi kristallast hversu mikilv\u00e6gt n\u00e1m \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i er og hefur \u00fea\u00f0 heiti sennilega veri\u00f0 lei\u00f0arlj\u00f3s mitt \u00e6 s\u00ed\u00f0an. Ritger\u00f0 m\u00edn bar heiti\u00f0 Skilningurinn gerir mig frj\u00e1lsa en \u00fear lag\u00f0i \u00e9g or\u00f0 s\u00f6gumanneskju minnar m\u00e9r \u00ed munn.<\/p>\n

Tel \u00e9g a\u00f0 allt n\u00e1m s\u00e9 \u00ed raun leit nemandans a\u00f0 sj\u00e1lfum s\u00e9r og \u00fev\u00ed ver\u00f0um vi\u00f0 aldrei full numa. Vi\u00f0 leitum \u00f6ll einhvers skilnings, \u00e1 okkur sj\u00e1lfum, \u00e1 tilveru okkar og samfer\u00f0a f\u00f3lki. Fyrir m\u00e9r gaf n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri mikla \u00feekkingu en fyrst og fremst gaf h\u00fan m\u00e9r verkf\u00e6ri til a\u00f0 halda \u00e1fram a\u00f0 leita m\u00edns skilnings hverju sinni og m\u00e6ta \u00feeim \u00e1skorunum sem blasa vi\u00f0 \u00ed \u00feeirri heimsmynd sem vi\u00f0 b\u00faum vi\u00f0 \u00ed dag me\u00f0 gagnr\u00fdnum huga.<\/p>\n

Ragnhei\u00f0ur J\u00f3na Ingimarsd\u00f3ttir, 2005<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00deegar \u00e9g h\u00f3f n\u00e1m \u00ed N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00e1 Akureyri var um a\u00f0 r\u00e6\u00f0a n\u00fdtt og frams\u00e6ki\u00f0 n\u00e1m sem opna\u00f0i \u00ed fyrsta sinn raunverulegt t\u00e6kif\u00e6ri til a\u00f0 stunda hugv\u00edsindi utan h\u00f6fu\u00f0borgarsv\u00e6\u00f0isins. \u00dea\u00f0 sem vakti \u00e1huga minn \u00e1 n\u00e1minu var ekki s\u00edst \u00feverfagleg n\u00e1lgun \u00feess, \u00fear sem menning, samf\u00e9lag og samt\u00edmi voru sko\u00f0u\u00f0 \u00ed samhengi og hvatt var til gagnr\u00fdninnar umr\u00e6\u00f0u. Sem hluti af fyrsta \u00fatskriftar\u00e1rgangnum upplif\u00f0i \u00e9g a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 v\u00e6rum \u00fe\u00e1tttakendur \u00ed uppbyggingu \u00e1hugaver\u00f0s n\u00e1ms sem bygg\u00f0i \u00e1 gagnr\u00fdnni hugsun.<\/p>\n

Me\u00f0 \u00e1runum hef \u00e9g or\u00f0i\u00f0 v\u00f6r vi\u00f0 hversu sterkan grunn n\u00e1mi\u00f0 lag\u00f0i. Hugv\u00edsindin veita ekki einf\u00f6ld sv\u00f6r, en \u00feau kenna okkur a\u00f0 meta a\u00f0st\u00e6\u00f0ur, skilja s\u00f6gulegar og menningarlegar forsendur og axla \u00e1byrg\u00f0 \u00ed \u00e1kvar\u00f0anat\u00f6ku.<\/p>\n

\u00cd s\u00edkviku umhverfi n\u00fat\u00edmans \u00fear sem aukinn hra\u00f0i, t\u00e6kniframfarir og ofgn\u00f3tt uppl\u00fdsinga eru st\u00f3r hluti af daglegu l\u00edfi hefur aldrei veri\u00f0 mikilv\u00e6gara a\u00f0 beita gagnr\u00fdnni hugsun til a\u00f0 greina kjarnann fr\u00e1 hisminu.\u00a0 \u00dea\u00f0 er mikilv\u00e6gt fyrir samf\u00e9l\u00f6g sem vilja vi\u00f0halda l\u00fd\u00f0r\u00e6\u00f0islegum gildum a\u00f0 l\u00f6g\u00f0 s\u00e9 \u00e1hersla \u00e1\u00a0 gagnr\u00fdna hugsun og getu til a\u00f0 setja sig \u00ed spor annarra.<\/p>\n

Fyrir mig var N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in ekki a\u00f0eins akadem\u00edskt n\u00e1m heldur einnig mikilv\u00e6g reynsla sem m\u00f3ta\u00f0i mig til framt\u00ed\u00f0ar. H\u00fan opna\u00f0i fyrir n\u00fdja s\u00fdn \u00e1 samf\u00e9lagi\u00f0,\u00a0 \u00fear sem mikilv\u00e6gt er a\u00f0 n\u00e1lgast vi\u00f0fangsefni af v\u00ed\u00f0s\u00fdni, me\u00f0 gagnr\u00fdninni hugsun og vir\u00f0ingu fyrir margbreytileika samf\u00e9lagsins.<\/p>\n

Sigur\u00f0ur Bj\u00f6rn Gunnarsson, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c9g h\u00f3f n\u00e1m \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i \u00e1ri\u00f0 2013. Fyrsta skipti sem \u00e9g h\u00f3f n\u00e1m \u00ed H\u00e1sk\u00f3la. \u00dea\u00f0 var yndislegt a\u00f0 f\u00e1 a\u00f0 taka \u00fe\u00e1tt \u00ed \u00feessu n\u00e1mi. \u00c1 \u00feeim \u00e1rum m\u00e6ttu nemendur \u00ed t\u00edma en hlustu\u00f0u ekki bara \u00e1 fyrirlestra heima hj\u00e1 s\u00e9r. \u00c9g eigna\u00f0ist marga vini \u00ed sk\u00f3lanum sem hj\u00e1lpa\u00f0i m\u00e9r a\u00f0 komast \u00ed gegnum n\u00e1mi\u00f0. \u00dea\u00f0 var svo fr\u00e1b\u00e6rt einnig a\u00f0 geta stunda\u00f0 vinnu me\u00f0 n\u00e1mi og hlusta\u00f0 \u00e1 fyrirlestrana heima. \u00c9g var \u00e1 sj\u00f3 me\u00f0 sk\u00f3lanum \u00e1 dagr\u00f3\u00f0rab\u00e1t. \u00c9g str\u00edddi oft Markus Meckl me\u00f0 a\u00f0 segja honum a\u00f0 \u00e9g v\u00e6ri \u00e1 h\u00e6rri launum en hann. Honum fannst \u00fea\u00f0 fyndi\u00f0 og sorglegt. Markus er fr\u00e1b\u00e6r ma\u00f0ur og einn af \u00e1st\u00e6\u00f0unum fyrir \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 \u00e9g kl\u00e1ra\u00f0i n\u00e1mi\u00f0 dyrnar hans voru alltaf opnar til a\u00f0 hj\u00e1lpa m\u00e9r ef \u00e9g var \u00ed vanda. \u00c9g f\u00f3r einnig 2 sinnum me\u00f0 honum til R\u00edga \u00ed Lettlandi. Hann skipulag\u00f0i fer\u00f0ina og lag\u00f0i \u00f3tr\u00falega mikla vinnu \u00e1 sig til a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 nemendur g\u00e6tum fari\u00f0 me\u00f0 s\u00e9r \u00ed rosalega skemmtilega og fr\u00e6\u00f0andi fer\u00f0ir. Hann labba\u00f0i me\u00f0 okkur um gamla gy\u00f0inga hverfi\u00f0 \u00ed Riga og var me\u00f0 fr\u00e1b\u00e6ra lei\u00f0s\u00f6gn. F\u00f3r svo me\u00f0 okkur til Daugavpils sem er n\u00e6r st\u00e6rsta borg Lettlands. \u00dea\u00f0 var rosalega fr\u00f3\u00f0legt a\u00f0 fara me\u00f0 honum og fr\u00e6\u00f0ast um hva\u00f0a \u00e1hrif s\u00ed\u00f0ari heimstyrj\u00f6ldin haf\u00f0i haft \u00e1 \u00feetta sv\u00e6\u00f0i enda mikil \u00e1t\u00f6k sem \u00e1ttu s\u00e9r sta\u00f0 \u00fear. \u00deetta haf\u00f0i mikil \u00e1hrif \u00e1 mig. Vi\u00f0 Markus erum enn\u00fe\u00e1 vinir \u00ed dag og m\u00e9r finnst gaman a\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 \u00e9g kenndi syni hans \u00e1 b\u00edll og er n\u00fa a\u00f0 kenna yngri syni hans n\u00fana. \u00dea\u00f0 er mj\u00f6g gaman og gefandi a\u00f0 kenna str\u00e1kunum hans \u00e1 b\u00edll \u00fev\u00ed ef a\u00f0 Markus hef\u00f0i ekki hj\u00e1lpa\u00f0 m\u00e9r eins og hann ger\u00f0i \u00fe\u00e1 efa \u00e9g a\u00f0 \u00e9g v\u00e6ri \u00f6kukennari \u00ed dag. \u00c9g er \u00e6vinlega \u00feakkl\u00e1tur fyrir \u00feetta n\u00e1m sem hefur n\u00fdst m\u00e9r svo miki\u00f0 \u00ed l\u00edfi og stafi \u00fe\u00e1 er \u00e9g s\u00e9rstaklega \u00feakkl\u00e1tur fyrir kennarana og samnemendur.<\/p>\n

Stef\u00e1n Darri \u00de\u00f3rsson, <\/strong>2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s fast-paced world, I often feel grateful to have completed a degree in Modern Studies at the University of Akureyri in 2022 while trying to make sense of everything unfolding around us. Raising four children amid constant political shifts, technological acceleration, and relentless media cycles requires more than reassurance. It requires perspective.<\/p>\n

Almost every week, one of my children brings home a question about something they have seen or heard: a conflict, a public figure, a social trend. Their first explanations are often emotional or based on fragments of information. I feel responsible not only for answering, but for helping them see that events rarely stand alone. They are shaped by history, culture, power, and long-term developments that are not always immediately visible.<\/p>\n

Modern Studies gave me that broader frame of reference. It trained me to step back, place events in context, and resist the comfort of simple explanations. In a climate where speed often replaces reflection, that habit matters.<\/p>\n

In my professional life, working in a global technology company developing solutions that involve artificial intelligence, I face similar challenges. Engaging with AI has made me more aware of the value of human judgment. These systems can process information at scale, but they do not carry responsibility for how it is interpreted or applied. That responsibility remains ours.<\/p>\n

Vigd\u00eds Arna, 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Search of Respect: Modern Studies, 2007\u20132026<\/em><\/p>\n

I began my studies in Modern Studies at the University of Akureyri in the spring of 2007. Iceland was still intoxicated with expansion. The \u00fatr\u00e1sarv\u00edkingar<\/em> were celebrated as national heroes. Confidence bordered on inevitability; growth appeared permanent.<\/p>\n

Then, in the autumn of 2008, the collapse came.<\/p>\n

I experienced both climates within the same academic journey. I entered university during economic euphoria and continued through collective shock. Lecture halls became spaces not only for theoretical inquiry but for reckoning. Responsibility, accountability, and ethical failure were no longer abstract concepts; they were lived realities.<\/p>\n

Public discourse turned toward si\u00f0rof<\/em>\u2014moral erosion. The crisis was not only financial but cultural. How had recklessness been reframed as ambition? How had warning signs been dismissed? How had a society that prided itself on equality allowed such imbalance to grow unchecked? Where had respect gone?<\/p>\n

My academic path was not linear. Personal circumstances extended my studies from three years to five. I kept adding courses, driven by restless curiosity. Culture, media, sociology, political thought, gender studies, philosophy\u2014I resisted narrowing the lens. My thesis reflected that expansiveness. It contained more threads than a conventional structure might comfortably hold.<\/p>\n

Years later, I learned that I have ADHD. That understanding reframed those years. What once appeared as scattered attention revealed itself as intensity dispersed across too many fields at once. Yet this breadth aligned with the discipline itself. Modern Studies resists simplification. It insists that society cannot be understood through a single explanatory framework.<\/p>\n

I remain deeply grateful for my time in Akureyri. The scale of the university allowed sustained dialogue and intellectual friction. Modern Studies trained me to interrogate dominant narratives, to analyze how language operates as power, how economic systems shape culture, and how ideology presents itself as common sense. It cultivated skepticism toward easy explanations.<\/p>\n

For that reason, such study should not be optional for those who govern. It should be\u00a0foundational.<\/p>\n

Power without historical awareness becomes arrogance.<\/em><\/p>\n

Power without ethical reflection becomes entitlement.<\/em><\/p>\n

Power without critical literacy becomes manipulation.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, in 2026, the question returns.<\/p>\n

Before, it was the Panama Papers.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, it is the Epstein files.<\/em><\/p>\n

The names differ; the structure remains.<\/p>\n

Power shields power.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wealth insulates consequence.<\/em><\/p>\n

Privilege confers a sense of exemption.<\/em><\/p>\n

The language barely changes: I own this. I can do this. I am entitled. \u00c9g \u00e1 \u00feetta. \u00c9g m\u00e1 \u00feetta<\/em>. What has changed? Have we strengthened our moral infrastructure? Or have we merely become more efficient at exposing corruption while failing to prevent it?<\/p>\n

Technology has advanced. Artificial intelligence now assists cognition. Information circulates instantly. Yet exposure is not transformation. Transparency does not automatically generate respect.<\/p>\n

In 2012, I searched for respect in the aftermath of economic collapse. In 2026, I search for it amid algorithmic acceleration, political polarization, and recurring revelations of abuse and exploitation. The forms shift. The imbalance of power does not.<\/p>\n

Respect is not sentiment. It is restraint. It is responsibility exercised even when impunity is possible. It is the recognition of limits even when those limits can be bypassed. If education systems reward dominance, spectacle, and strategic opportunism, erosion should not surprise us. Critical thinking cannot be reduced to technical competence. Civic maturity cannot be automated. Ethical responsibility cannot be outsourced to algorithms.<\/p>\n

During my final year of study, Norway was struck by terror. A manifesto circulated, exposing a worldview rooted in grievance and supremacy. It was another expression of si\u00f0rof<\/em>\u2014a different setting, the same erosion of respect. Although I did not address the event directly in my thesis, it sharpened the questions I was already asking about the moral infrastructure of modern societies.<\/p>\n

In the years that followed, public discourse emphasized rebuilding. National Forums elevated equality, honesty, justice, responsibility, and democracy\u2014values that all depend upon respect as their underlying condition.<\/p>\n

The manifesto later inspired the long development of En bedre mann<\/em> (A Better Man) by Thomas Seeberg Torjussen, a series that examines radicalization not to sensationalize it, but to understand its mechanisms. Within that narrative stands Berit: steady, measured, practicing dignity without domination. She does not conquer through force or spectacle; she persists through decency. In her, I recognize the same search that shaped my thesis.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that is where the inquiry ultimately leads\u2014not to scandal cycles or rhetorical outrage, but to the disciplined, daily practice of respect, and to the creation of environments in which individuals experience dignity and belonging.<\/p>\n

The search continues.<\/p>\n

\u00de\u00f3ra Bj\u00f6rk \u00c1g\u00fastsd\u00f3ttir, 2008<\/strong><\/p>\n

I began my studies at the University of Akureyri in 2005, already holding a BA in psychology. I remember thinking that this degree would be manageable \u2014 I knew how university worked, I knew how to write essays, I knew how to study. I was wrong.<\/p>\n

What I hadn\u2019t anticipated was how different this experience would feel. The classes were small. The professors were not distant figures at the front of a lecture hall; they were present, engaged, and accessible. Discussions did not end when class was over: They followed us into the cafeteria, into the hallways, even into the local swimming pool. It sounds almost exaggerated when I describe it now, but it was real. You had to be ready \u2014 ready to defend an idea, to rethink an argument, to be challenged when you least expected it. There was nowhere to hide, but there was also nowhere to disappear. You were seen. Your thoughts mattered. That closeness created a kind of intellectual courage in me that I didn\u2019t know I needed. I hope that spirit still exists, because it shaped me in ways I only understood later.<\/p>\n

Modern Studies felt like coming home intellectually. I had always questioned authority, analyzed behavior, tried to understand the structures behind what we call \u201cnormal.\u201d In this program, that instinct was not something to suppress \u2014 it was something to refine. That is something that I\u2019m still working on, to be honest. But studying the origins of modernity, the rise of its key institutions, and later the critiques that targeted them, gave language to thoughts that I had carried for years. At the same time, the world around me was shifting.<\/p>\n

When I wrote my first BA thesis, only a few years prior to my studies at UNAK, research was physical. I remember sitting in libraries for hours, stacking books beside me, carefully marking pages with slips of paper. If I needed a journal article, I ordered it and waited. Sometimes for weeks. We were told that real sources were the ones we could hold in our hands. There was something reassuring about that \u2014 knowledge felt solid, almost permanent.<\/p>\n

When I wrote my final thesis in Akureyri, everything had changed. I didn\u2019t carry books home. I didn\u2019t wait for interlibrary loans. My sources appeared instantly on a screen. What had once taken weeks now took seconds. The shift was so fast that at the time it didn\u2019t even feel dramatic. It simply felt efficient.<\/p>\n

Looking back, I realize I was living through the very transformations we were studying, when we examined the birth of the modern world, and the postmodern questioning of truth and authority. Today we are somewhere beyond even that. Students could easily ask AI to help them write a thesis. I could ask it to draft this memoir. The distance between question and response has almost disappeared.<\/p>\n

We have moved from scarcity of information to overwhelming abundance, in what feels like a single breath. The challenge is not finding knowledge \u2014 it is filtering it. It is figuring out what is reliable, what is manipulation, what is noise. Information is everywhere, and so are the structures of power that shape it. And yet, despite all this acceleration, one thing has not changed: we are still human. We still seek meaning. We still respond to fear, ambition, insecurity, hope. Technology evolves, but human behavior does not transform at the same speed.<\/p>\n

That may be why studying modernity still matters. Understanding where our ideas, institutions, and power structures came from helps ground us in moments that feel unstable. In times like these \u2014 when the world feels precarious and unpredictable \u2014 there is comfort in recognizing patterns. In knowing that transformation is not new, even if its speed is. When I began this journey, knowledge had weight. Today it is weightless, immediate, and infinite. But the responsibility remains the same: to question, to think critically, and to understand the forces that shape our world.<\/p>\n

\u00deorbj\u00f6rg \u00c1sthildar \u00c1sgeirsd\u00f3ttir<\/span><\/span>, 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00cd lj\u00f3si s\u00f6gunnar get \u00e9g n\u00fa brosa\u00f0 \u00feegar \u00e9g rifja upp s\u00e9rstaklega vi\u00f0br\u00f6g\u00f0 og athugasemdir Giorgio Baruchello \u00feegar vi\u00f0, nemendur hans \u00ed n\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0i hausti\u00f0 2008, kv\u00f6rtu\u00f0um yfir stj\u00f3rnv\u00f6ldum \u00e1 \u00cdslandi. Hann setti \u00fe\u00e6r kvartanir \u00ed samhengi vi\u00f0 \u00e1lit sitt \u00e1 \u00fe\u00e1verandi stj\u00f3rnv\u00f6ldum \u00ed f\u00e6\u00f0ingarlandi s\u00ednu \u00fe.e. Silvio Berlusconi og f\u00e9laga \u00e1 \u00cdtal\u00edu og l\u00e6kka\u00f0i \u00fe\u00e1 r\u00f3stinn \u00ed okkur. S\u00ed\u00f0an hefur miki\u00f0 vatnsmagn runni\u00f0 til sj\u00e1var og heimurinn breyst. Hin gagnr\u00fdna hugsun sem vi\u00f0 br\u00fdndum \u00ed N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0inni er gr\u00ed\u00f0arlega ver\u00f0m\u00e6t og hefur mikilv\u00e6gi hugv\u00edsinda sjaldan veri\u00f0 meira en \u00ed brenglu\u00f0um heimi dagsins \u00ed dag. A\u00f0 horfa upp\u00e1 \u00fer\u00f3un veraldar\u00e1standsins vekur upp spurningar um samhengi hlutanna og orsakir \u2013 \u00ed augum okkar margra. \u00cd vi\u00f0leitni til a\u00f0 greina st\u00f6\u00f0una og mynda s\u00e9r uppl\u00fdsta sko\u00f0un hefur N\u00fat\u00edmafr\u00e6\u00f0in komi\u00f0 s\u00e9r vel.<\/p>\n

PART TWO — TESTIMONIAL BY INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adrians Alksnis, 2015-2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

I took part in courses offered by the Modern Studies programme at the University of Akureyri as part of an Erasmus exchange year. I will always be grateful for the education, support, and intellectually stimulating and pleasantly relaxed atmosphere that I enjoyed.<\/p>\n

I am especially grateful for my experience and the high quality of education received as an exchange student from a country that is rather different than Iceland. Despite coming from across the sea, however, the concepts discussed and the ways of knowing presented were familiar – a comforting commonality in the questions asked and the answers offered.<\/p>\n

We live in times where the landscape of knowledge creation, dissemination, and legitimation is changing very rapidly. Much akin to finding oneself in a strange land, one must make sense of this new land with its new rules.<\/p>\n

This, I posit, is the strength and necessity of Humanities. The questions asked by the field – who are we, why do we do the things that we do, and in what ways are we different and in what the same – will never become redundant, but are especially important during times of change. Doubly so during the precarious political climate that would have us focus on our differences in a reductive, negative light.<\/p>\n

The rise of machine learning threatens to shake the very grounds of knowledge as we know it. Still, there is no instrument or machine more suited for understanding the questions posed by the Humanities than humanity itself – no other way to make a connection with a human being than another human being. No path to becoming an expert but by being a student first.<\/p>\n

Agnieszka Jastrzabek, Spring Term 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was an exchange student at UNAK in the year 2014, so it\u2019s been a while! I found the University very modern and providing high teaching standards. I took three courses: Good Governance, Accountability and Transparency<\/em>; Icelandic as a Foreign Language<\/em>, and Icelandic Society, History and Culture<\/em>.<\/p>\n

For me it was a great opportunity to meet people from all over the world. I also appreciated the teaching methods, which were mainly group projects and discussions. These methods develop opinion-forming and cooperation, which I think is very important nowadays in the world of artificial intelligence. In my opinion, it\u2019s not always reading books and academic papers that make a good student, but also the personal touch and the exchange of reasoned opinions based on academic sources as well as one\u2019s own experiences.<\/p>\n

Studying at UNAK was one of the biggest experiences in my life and truly shaped not only my academic career but also my personal skills in cooperation, creative thinking, and, last but not least, language skills.<\/p>\n

Alvis Bless, Spring Term 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I took the course Good Governance, Accountability and Transparency <\/em>at the University of Akureyri, I did not yet realize how important its lessons would become for my future career. At the time, it felt like an interesting academic subject. Looking back now, I see that it shaped how I understand decision-making, responsibility, and the role of public institutions.<\/p>\n

A key part of the course was learning to look critically at how international organisations \u2013 especially the World Bank \u2013 define and measure \u2018good governance\u2019. We discussed governance indicators and policies not as neutral tools, but as approaches built on certain values and priorities. This helped me understand that words like \u2018good,\u2019 \u2018effective,\u2019 or \u2018transparent\u2019 can sound positive while still hiding important questions about whose interests are being served. The ability to look beyond formal language and examine what is really happening in practice has stayed with me ever since.<\/p>\n

After graduating, I began working in Latvia\u2019s public administration, first in health policy during a particularly challenging period. There, I saw how crucial good governance is in real life \u2013 how transparency, accountability, and clear responsibility directly affect public trust and social well-being. Now, working in a different policy field, I appreciate even more how important good governance is for sound and fair decision-making.<\/p>\n

Today, Artificial Intelligence systems raise new questions for governance. They can be useful tools, but they can also create an illusion that decisions are objective, and everything is \u2018under control,\u2019 simply because the results are presented in a technical or impressive way. The course taught me that good governance always requires human judgement, ethical reflection, and a real understanding of purpose \u2013 things that cannot be replaced by automated systems alone.<\/p>\n

Anastasiya Savran, Spring Term 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Should I pick one highlight from my time at the H\u00e1skolinn \u00e1 Akureyri<\/em> as an Erasmus student from Vienna in 2019, I would select the course on 20th<\/sup>-century ideology and history taught by Giorgio: It was like a wild Icelandic waterfall; everything I learned in written and spoken form created a surrounding landscape, the falling water was my own self, shaped by the land- and soundscape around me. When you look at a landscape, you perceive details as well as the whole: this is how my education went during the course. It was a completely new approach to acquire knowledge and skills in both English and Icelandic, and the enthusiasm for the new and unknown was like climbing a hill to a viewpoint – or even building one – overlooking this landscape.<\/p>\n

HUMOUR during learning and teaching was another element that both irritated and fascinated me. My former professor, Giorgio, undoubtedly knows ALL the books AND diaries AND notes of great thinkers and historical figures, and while he teaches and talks about Kant, he also comes up with some spicy detail, for example, the “fashionista Kant,” who apparently liked to dress up, or other myths which made us, his students, laugh and remember the content in an unforgettable way. I mean, have you ever met someone who spoke seriously about the French Revolution, and then, at the same time, enriched the story with humorous details, linking something that happened BEFORE the 20th<\/sup> century to current events in the 20th<\/sup> century, and then suddenly talks about GESTALT in German, switches back to English, Icelandic or Italian, and yes (sorry, Giorgio =P), continues flexing with other language skills, asking us, his students, to imagine what fashion Kant would have worn in the 20th<\/sup> century given the philosophical and historical situation?? This is also how the course 20th<\/sup> Century Ideology and History in 2019 at the H\u00e1skolinn \u00e1 Akureyri<\/em> went.<\/p>\n

I think in colors when I remember that time: the history and philosophy of the 20th century were overgrown with Icelandic colors: golden brown, silvery blue, different shades of green and black. Moss settled on the words of my professor, Giorgio, and I learned with greater motivation. Putting together what I had learned\u2014reflecting and understanding in a language other than my native language\u2014was also a new and valuable insight for me. I would like to express my special thanks to Giorgio, who skilfully welcomed us students at the time\u2014Erasmus students from all continents and numerous countries. Today, seven years later, I do still nourish this waterfall I wrote about in the beginning, now back in Vienna. All that remains is to express how thankful I am: My memories and experiences are an ongoing landscape, humour turned into a learning-strategy, and the 20th<\/sup> century ideology and history was shaped by so much it is hard and impossible to find appropriate words.<\/p>\n

Takk fyrir<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Andrii Gladii, Fall Term 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

A brief memory of a lecture might spark some philosophical reflections you ponder on for days. At the beginning of 2026 there is a persistent sense that the previous era we experienced before has gradually changed. An era as familiar to us as the streets where we grew up has transformed. This transformation was not sparked by a revolution, a manifesto, or a political decree. It was not even the mere arrival of a new technology. Though one in particular now dominates both the global tech clusters and, more crucially, the human mind. I am speaking about AI. But what was that then? The answer is: the very approach of how to use AI. Is this a threat or simply the next stage of human evolution? The clich\u00e9 “time will tell” would be insufficient here. Time will only reveal how we perceive the new era and how we interpret its socio-political currents.<\/p>\n

After having studied at UNAK and worked at a research centre affiliated with it, I still remember when I was later invited to give a lecture on Ukraine for the course Nation, Race, and Nationalism<\/em>. I hesitated at first, feeling a profound responsibility. I had to balance sensitive historical narratives, evolution of socio-political thought in Ukraine across different eras, and the shifting movements of political ideologies. We had a great discussion with students, and I still recall some interesting dialogues with them. In some interesting way, the image of the Arctic was added to our discussion, because, after all, the lecture was held at UNAK. Our discussion that day stayed in my memory, framing the very questions of the new era I mentioned before.<\/p>\n

A few years have passed, and it was one of those evenings of my personal reflections. I was recalling those discussions with students. Sitting alone with my laptop, I felt a strange sense of void. I reviewed our old questions and scrolled through several articles, yet the emptiness persisted. Then I realized: for quite some time I have been attempting to find answers to my deepest questions and reflections through machine algorithms, but not with students. Sure thing, such algorithms might provide us with some interesting sentences. But they lack some (well, almost all) human traits. For instance, emotion and a certain degree of unpredictability. You never know what kind of a spark might ignite between your mind and the mind of the person you are talking with. And I am asking myself: have we delegated our capacity for thought and reflection to the algorithms?<\/p>\n

Probably this question will stay open. We now have several ways to go further. One of them will define our new era. So, we are already within it, but it still undefined. Will we remain active creators of meanings or become its passive consumers? In my opinion, humanities and liberal arts are exactly what teaches us to be creators, citizens, and finally, human beings. Even to be active humans \u2013 of thoughts, meanings, definitions for the new eras. Also, these disciplines give us a sense of responsibility for our conclusions, and consequently for our future actions and life choices. So, what is the role of the liberal arts in this modern technological era? These disciplines basically help us to understand the world through ethical lenses. In the modern age there is always an immense temptation to follow the path with fewer obstacles, i.e., to quickly use simple instruments to solve difficult issues. But this path might often be full of manipulations. If we allow our critical skills to be permanently offloaded with easy solutions, we risk gradually losing the art of civilized discourse and the value of human thought. We are risking losing a dialogue of a Human with a Human, or even more \u2013 of a Humane Human with a Humane Human. Hence, I want to keep that lecture in my memory as an invisible marker of how eras are changing.<\/p>\n

Anthony Manzi, 2012-2013 <\/strong><\/p>\n

I had the chance to follow Modern Studies courses at UNAK for one year, in 2012\u20132013, as an Erasmus student from France. Living in Akureyri and discovering Iceland was a milestone in my personal life. But beyond the landscapes and the exile, what truly shaped me was the way I learned to look at the world through my studies.<\/p>\n

Modern Studies did not merely provide me with knowledge, it taught me to question everything. I discovered that history, literature, cinema, and philosophy were not only about becoming a cultured person, but real tools to understand power, ideology, the world I live in and where it comes from. I learned to deconstruct information and to never trust media without checking my sources and examining them thoroughly.<\/p>\n

This critical awareness can sometimes be uncomfortable. Once you start questioning representations, it becomes difficult to return to a naive relationship with the world. Yet I would not have it any other way. At a time when algorithms select our information, and when artificial intelligence offers us to reduce our thinking, the ability to interpret, doubt and contextualise has become even more necessary than it used to be.<\/p>\n

Today, I am a secondary school teacher, and I see every day how fragile these skills are. Many adults blame young people for being the way they are, but it is only fair to realise how difficult it is to grow up surrounded by (mis)information, while being rarely encouraged to reflect on it. My experience in Modern Studies convinced me that the Humanities are not about accumulating knowledge, but also and above all about transmitting our tools and forming citizens capable of resisting manipulation.<\/p>\n

If I strongly endorse critical thinking, I am also aware of how much I still have to learn, and how demanding it is on a daily basis. My year at UNAK, and my studies in general, taught me never to give up this fight. For that, I am deeply grateful to UNAK and to all my teachers.<\/p>\n

Bastien Launay, Fall Term 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

My time at UNAK was formative. For me, studying at a small international university pushed me to work more independently while constantly exchanging perspectives with students from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds. What stood out the most was the horizontal nature of the teaching, where the hierarchy between students and professors was almost inexistent, creating an open and collaborative learning environment. It was less stressful than in France and we had fewer courses. The most important thing I learned is that the administration can be very kind, which is impossible in France (Hildur Fri\u00f0riksd\u00f3ttir is the best person on this earth!). Studying at UNAK also meant living in Akureyri and I adapted myself to a new rhythm of life, shaped by the climate and the landscape. One of the most surprising aspects was the solar rhythm, because from the middle of November it felt like the town was almost always in darkness\u2014which was a unique and somewhat unsettling experience. On the lighter side, I rented cars often to explore the area, enjoyed whale watching, and relaxed at the swimming pool and sauna. This balance of academics and personal exploration made for an unforgettable Erasmus experience, helping me gain confidence, autonomy, and a clearer sense of my academic goals. I learned an important aspect of the European Union through this experience, as my mobility was only possible thanks to the scholarship I got. Without it, this Erasmus stay wouldn’t have been possible. My teachers were generally very invested in their teaching, which made the courses more engaging. However, I was a bit disappointed to see that the oral part of the exams wasn’t given much importance, but I was very happy to train my English and meet some new friends during this semester: I’m still in touch with a few of them.<\/p>\n

Boris Briozzo, 2012-2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

My Erasmus experience at the University of Akureyri was extremely positive and enriching, both academically and personally. I encountered highly competent and supportive professors, a warm and welcoming academic environment, and a wide range of interesting courses and activities. The university itself is a beautiful and stimulating place to study, and especially approach new fascinating academic subjects, made even more special by its unique location in Northern Iceland. Studying in Akureyri was an unforgettable experience that combined high-quality education with a strong sense of community and an exceptional natural setting.<\/p>\n

Courtney Carlberg, Spring Term 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, extreme political divide and right-extremism, the humanities and the liberal arts remain essential, as they form the implicit cultural backbone of democratic societies. The humanities and liberal arts encourage critical thinking, empathy, historical awareness, and ethical reflection, i.e., capacities that are vital for navigating these complex political, technological, and social transformations. While there are profound shifts across the globe in political ideologies, governance, and technological advancements, it becomes even more important to keep humanity, dignity, and kindness at the center of collective decisions.<\/p>\n

The rapid development of technology, and more specifically artificial intelligence in the 21st century, has already brought positive as well as negative impacts on human development, influencing how societies think, work, communicate, and make decisions. Advancements in healthcare, environmental monitoring, education, and access to information have been made possible with the developments of AI. At the same time, these benefits are accompanied by significant risks including privacy violations, data exploitation, manipulation of information, and erosion of trust, to name a few.<\/p>\n

In this continuously evolving landscape, it is imperative that individuals and society at large develop the skills to critically analyze the information presented to them, how it is framed, who produces it, what interests it serves, and how it shapes our understanding of the world. We need to teach all generations the importance of questioning sources, scrutinizing leaders, and challenging systems that rely on misinformation or fear to influence public perception and decision\u2011making.<\/p>\n

As we watch the news\u2014in our home countries and in places such as the United States, Canada, and Germany, to name only a few\u2014it is evident that right\u2011wing extremism is on the rise. The political divide is widening, and hostility toward those perceived as \u201cthe other\u201d continues to grow. History has shown time and again that humans are capable of extreme cruelty when their religious, moral, or political beliefs feel threatened. When people sense that their identity or worldview is under attack, fear and insecurity can quickly transform into intolerance, dehumanization, and violence.<\/p>\n

Yet we are repeatedly reminded that an eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind. The principle of treating others as we would like to be treated remains one of the most powerful moral anchors we have. In times of division and fear, choosing empathy over retaliation is not a sign of weakness, it is an act of profound courage. When we look at the humanities and liberal arts, we see that they teach, encourage, and cultivate precisely these capacities: critical reflection, ethical reasoning, historical awareness, and the ability to understand perspectives beyond our own. These disciplines remind us of our shared humanity, challenge us to confront injustice and hatred, and equip us with the intellectual and moral tools needed to navigate an increasingly polarized world. The humanities and liberal arts as they have in the past and will continue to do so in the future help humans recognize how narratives are constructed, how power operates, and how compassion, understanding and empathy can disrupt cycles of fear and hostility.<\/p>\n

Dela Sawatski, Spring Term 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

I attended the course entitled Deconstructing the 20th<\/sup> Century<\/em> during my Erasmus stay at the University of Akureyri, back in 2015. What the course offered was a conceptual framework that continues to shape the way I think about politics, ideology, and the role of the Humanities today.<\/p>\n

The course was structured around the three well-known demands of the French Revolution: libert\u00e9, \u00e9galit\u00e9, fraternit\u00e9<\/em>. Rather than treating them as abstract ideals or moral achievements, we approached them as historical forces. These demands were ideas with the power to shape entire political systems, and dangerous enough to be radicalized. Throughout the semester, we traced how these revolutionary promises were taken up, transformed, and ultimately pushed to extremes in the major competing ideological movements of the twentieth century: capitalism, communism, and fascism.<\/p>\n

What struck me most was the realization that these ideologies were not simply opposites of one another, but distorted reflections of shared aspirations. Liberty, when absolutized, could justify exploitation and inequality. Equality, when enforced without limits, could erase individuality and freedom. Fraternity, when narrowed to the idea of one homogeneous \u201cpeople,\u201d could turn into exclusion, nationalism, and violence. The twentieth century appeared less as a struggle between good and evil than as a tragic laboratory in which powerful ideas were tested without sufficient self-critique.<\/p>\n

What further deepened this insight was the course\u2019s effort to frame the twentieth century into a broader geopolitical horizon. While much of the discussion revolved around European history, the recurring references to developments in regions such as Japan or Indonesia during the interwar period disrupted the implicitly Western-centered perspective I had previously taken for granted. This was particularly striking to me, as my prior historical education had focused almost exclusively on German, French, and American narratives. In hindsight, this experience also sharpened my awareness of a persistent paradox of the present: despite living in an increasingly digital and interconnected world, our political imagination and historical understanding often remain remarkably Western-centric.<\/p>\n

During the course I learned a way of thinking which was extensively comprehensive and, at times, deeply uncomfortable. Rather than offering unquestionable historical facts or moral certainty, the course trained us to recognize and accept ambiguity, to question (Western) narratives of progress, and to remain alert to the unintended consequences of political ideals.<\/p>\n

Looking back from today\u2019s perspective, this intellectual training feels more urgent than ever. In a world increasingly shaped by cognitive offloading onto artificial intelligence and by political movements that thrive on simplification and resentment, the ability to hold complexity and resist ideological shortcuts is an essential skill. Deconstructing the 20th<\/sup> Century<\/em> was therefore not only a course about the past. It was an exercise in critical vigilance, and its value extends far beyond the classroom and into my present perception of world politics.<\/p>\n

Daniel Cuixart Valle, Fall Term 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a former student who completed Modern Studies Seminar IV <\/em>at UNAK, I would like to offer a retrospective assessment of the course based on my academic experience. The seminar was, at the time, exceptionally well-structured and carefully designed, combining methodological rigor with a coherent and demanding syllabus. Both involved professors demonstrated a high level of academic competence, pedagogical seriousness, and intellectual openness throughout the course.<\/p>\n

It was uncommon, in my academic trajectory, to encounter a university seminar that addressed complex and sensitive subject matter while simultaneously granting students genuine intellectual freedom. Modern Studies Seminar IV <\/em>provided an environment in which students were encouraged to articulate their ideas openly and critically, without ideological imposition or unnecessary constraints. This approach fostered substantive debate and independent thinking, reinforcing a sense of intellectual responsibility.<\/p>\n

From a personal and retrospective perspective, this seminar stands out as one of the few academic experiences in which I genuinely felt treated as an adult learner. This perception was shaped both by the depth and seriousness of the content, and by the respectful and demanding manner in which the professors engaged with students. Their approach promoted autonomy, critical self-awareness, and accountability, rather than passive learning.<\/p>\n

In retrospect, I am convinced that the course contributed meaningfully to the development of my critical thinking skills. Such skills appear increasingly scarce in contemporary society, which is often characterised by superficial analysis and historical amnesia. Current realities have become progressively more complex and, in some respects, troubling. There is a persistent tendency to disregard lessons from the past, leading societies to repeat previous mistakes. The widespread presence of fake news, automated bots, artificial intelligence, and political extremism exemplifies the consequences of this failure to engage critically with history.<\/p>\n

Viewed from this longer-term perspective, Modern Studies Seminar IV <\/em>offered more than a purely academic exercise. By encouraging historical awareness, critical analysis, and reflective debate, the seminar provided intellectual tools that remain relevant beyond the classroom. In doing so, it helped address patterns of thought and behaviour that contributed to the major errors committed in Europe during the previous century. For these reasons, the academic and societal value of the course remains for me clear and significant.<\/p>\n

D\u00e1vid Veress, Fall Term 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

A decade has passed since my Erasmus exchange in Akureyri, yet the imprint remains sharp. The town, the fjord, the lovely people, the quiet softness of the winter light, and the evenings spent in the laugar<\/em> all shaped the rhythm of my studies and reflections. Akureyri left a lasting impression on me, and I often recall it with affection and gratitude.<\/p>\n

Without a doubt, Al\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0astj\u00f3rnm\u00e1l\/Al\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0asamskipti<\/em> was one of the most impactful classes I took during my university years. For instance, the course’s continuous criticism of big pharma and neoliberal assumptions changed how I understood policy. I began to see it not as a catalogue of technical solutions, but as a system of moral choices with consequences for distribution. It was a rigorous introduction to how power actually operates.<\/p>\n

The Humanities are often dismissed as ‘soft’, but they are our primary defence against the atrophy of critical thought. Without the ability to interrogate the systems we live in \u2014 whether they are algorithmic or political \u2014 we lose our sense of civic purpose. They teach us to pause, to interpret, and to take responsibility for our judgements. What I learned at UNAK confirmed that critical thinking requires constant practice; otherwise, we risk becoming mere data points processed by corporate or populist interests. I\u2019m also very grateful for that.<\/p>\n

Diana Moysevych, Fall Term 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

Completing a Modern Studies course during my Erasmus in Iceland was a profound experience that fundamentally broadened my perspective. The course excelled at viewing a single academic topic\u2014modernity\u2014through a multi-angle lens, examining it via<\/em> philosophy, economics, religion, and history. This approach taught me that there is always an alternative to the dominant narratives, such as the “Market Religion” that we discussed. In an era where we rely more and more on AI and face the challenges of extremism, the Liberal Arts is our strongest defense. By examining humanity’s long-standing moral and philosophical questions, the course gave me the critical skills to think deeply and independently. It reinforced a sense of civic purpose by focusing on the essential human, social, and moral complexity that simple, automated answers and polarized thinking often miss.<\/p>\n

Diane-El\u00e9onore Desplanques, 2010-2011<\/strong><\/p>\n

Life has become so fast-paced that shortcuts have become the new normal. Shortcuts to describe incredibly complex situations. Shortcuts to find answers quicker. Shortcuts because we live a life where we don\u2019t have time. No time to think, no time to reflect, no time to create. Those shortcuts have huge consequences on our societies, AI being biased, stealing the job of thinkers and creators. Shortcuts used by politician also have incredible consequences in our societies, leading to populist ideas. Deepening our knowledge by taking the time to study, digest, reflect and create is key for the future of humanity as a whole but also for individuals themselves.<\/p>\n

Eduards Liepi\u0146\u0161, Spring Term 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am a Latvian. I am also a former Erasmus+ exchange student at the University of Akureyri (UNAK) from the R\u012bgas Stradi\u0146a Universit\u0101te in Latvia, having studied at UNAK from the 3rd<\/sup> of January 2025 until the 9th<\/sup> of May 2025.<\/p>\n

When I came to UNAK, I had very low expectations as to the academic material and individual personalities that would embody that education awaiting me. These expectations were informed by the reactionary and colonized academic environment that exists in Latvia. Since 1991, Latvia has been governed by a reactionary comprador bourgeois elite closely aligned with Western imperial core interests. In the modern Latvian academic environment, people who knowingly or unknowingly in any serious way critique the bourgeois dictatorship, suffer the consequences of reduced career options, reduced grades, worse social relations with other students, professors, lecturers and academic staff by being marginalized, branded as \u2018\u2019not serious people\u2019\u2019, ignored, and in more extreme cases, targeted by institutional or legal pressure silencing serious dissent. This is, of course, a natural expression of the bourgeois dictatorship, as the bourgeois class understand perfectly well the role of the bourgeois academic environment and its maintaining through a natural and organic system of official and unofficial disciplinary and intellectual work methods.<\/p>\n

The Modern Studies (MS) program at UNAK also functions within the confines of the material reality of the Icelandic bourgeois pro-imperialist state, but it has certain differences to the academic environment of RSU in Riga, Latvia. The academic environment in Latvia is informed by the position of Latvia as a frontline imperial outpost, a neocolonial formation integrated into Western imperial structures and positioned primarily as a site of extraction and geopolitical alignment. That breeds a certain level of a fascistic-militaristic academic environment, even if in day-to-day academic life, the functions of it are hidden behind a veil of rhetorical liberalism and Western chauvinism.<\/p>\n

The academic environment of UNAK in Iceland has its material roots in Iceland, also being a bourgeois dictatorship, but differing from Latvia, in that Iceland is an imperialist junior partner state \u2013 not a neo-colony \u2013 but a benefactor of imperialism. Iceland has a small but powerful bourgeoisie that benefited from the collapse of the USSR and the privatizations of the 1990s- 2000s, being the first state to immediately support and recognize the Baltic comprador separatist government of Latvia, even when the USSR still existed in 1990. There is a banking elite in Iceland that has become trans-nationalized, and has aligned itself with foreign Western capital, not national sovereignty or independence. In this context, Iceland plays the role of a peripheral imperial actor and junior partner in the imperialist chain, lacking independent imperialist power, but actively participating in the maintenance and reproduction of imperialism by supporting NATO, monopoly finance capital, aligning with the US-EU imperial block, and in so doing receiving cheap labour, cheap commodities and consumer goods, resources, the ability to access and exploit export markets, and to gain a slice of global super profits to fund social democracy at home. This situation breeds a society and an academic environment where there is more room to be independent and critical, but which is of course is still producing institutions that reproduce the ideological hegemony of the system that they represent.<\/p>\n

At UNAK I took the course titled \u201cIdeology and History of Modern Times\u2019\u2019, taught by Prof. Giorgio Baruchello. The curriculum in this course centered primarily, though not exclusively, around social democracy and some famous figures tied to it in the West \u2013 notably John Kenneth Galbraith\u2019s The Economics of Innocent Fraud: Truth for Our Time <\/em>\u2013 Galbraith being a long-serving US government official and diplomat whose career was built on the service to US capitalism through participation in building and strengthening the \u2018\u2019New Deal\u2019\u2019 US welfare programs, and later being an advocate of Keynesian economics. The second main piece of literature examined in the course was the pro-imperialist, anti-communist, and Euro-communist writer Eric Hobsbawm\u2019s The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Based on these two pieces of literature, the course examined through a standard bourgeois lens conservatism, liberalism, and socialism. Ostensibly, the analyses and conclusions that the classroom at UNAK and Professor Giorgio Baruchello drew about these three ideologies were politically neutral. In reality, Western cultural hegemony and the Western bourgeois worldview were the implicit baseline that all discussions came back to as the \u201ccommon sense\u2019\u2019. The course exemplified how liberal academia refuses to address structural contradictions in a serious manner, like imperialism and class exploitation, and delves more into the realm of idealism, cultural or technological concerns, and outright misleading and propaganda narratives. During our course, the students were instructed a very economistic social-democratic view of what socialism is \u2013 drawing a spider on a board that connected welfare provisions to automatically translating to socialism, which I strongly disagreed with. This is a classic example of framing the discussion and study-object from the very start, the same way that this memoir has been suggested to be framed around the \u201cAI, extremism, and declining critical thinking crisis\u2019\u2019. This narrow view immediately sets the tone of what is the \u201ccorrect\u2019\u2019 problem, what are the \u201ctrue\u2019\u2019 issues, and sets the stage for \u201cappropriate answers and conclusions,\u2019\u2019 and obscures deeper structural contradictions.<\/p>\n

Ostensibly, the intellectual work done by all university graduates is mostly organic but, in reality, it contributes to it in the form of reflections that will unintentionally reproduce, also in an organic way, the dominant narratives aligning with the dominant ideology in society \u2013 in our time, a bourgeois ideology. Imperialism, the neocolonial system, and the hyper-exploitation that the West engages in, as well as the role of Iceland within this global system of unequal exchange and imperial accumulation, was not talked about much. Instead, it was often subsumed under the more neutral and technocratic term \u201cglobalization\u2019\u2019 and left at that. The course mandated students to read Hobsbawm\u2019s literature. Through the use of this material as a baseline of analysis, the course approached the history of socialism primarily through Eurocommunist and liberal-critical interpretations, presenting Marxism-Leninism and actually existing socialist states in a predominantly critical light, especially the dictatorship of the proletariat, the concept and progressive reality of revolutionary violence, and the concept of revolution.<\/p>\n

Despite all of the aforementioned context, this was the greatest study course that I have ever had the pleasure of participating in. The reasons for this lay in the fact, that all the students and the professor \u2013 Giorgio Baruchello \u2013 allowed for free speech to flourish. I could respectfully listen to a given lecture about a specific topic, and then, when the debate or task-aimed component of the lesson opened up, I was able to freely express myself and debate. This was possible because the students around me were not ideologically-driven comprador fanatics, and because Professor Giorgio Baruchello fostered an exemplary, friendly, and professional environment. For the first time in my \u2013 up to this point short \u2013 academic life, I felt respected and I did not have to run for cover in fear. I was treated as an actual person, and Professor Giorgio Baruchello looked upon me and all of us students as respectable equals \u2013 not, as is common in Riga, where we students, at least in the social sciences department where I study, are looked down upon and treated as inferior subjects.<\/p>\n

A very direct comparison of this phenomenon emerged when I did not attend two lectures and received an email from Professor Giorgio Baruchello, in which he expressed that the course badly misses my intellectual input in the classroom, as it drives the conversation and that I am a dedicated student. Needless to say, that was and still is a massive academic compliment, and an inspiring moment. Contrast that to the academic life in Riga, where I don\u2019t speak or write true analyses and simply lie and hide. The only time I wrote in an essay a small critique about certain events, I was personally called by the course lecturer, and chastised and reprimanded about how I am wrong and how I should think \u2013 a very demoralizing episode. Professor Giorgio Baruchello also always asked everyone how they felt, tried to get their opinion and viewpoint about current events, and sometimes offered breakfast snacks and coffee \u2013 he is a great example of how to lead a university lecture group full of students at nine in the morning as best as possible. You could also tell a joke to the professor, as he had a good sense of humor, and you could also talk to him about music and philosophy \u2013 which in terms of philosophy is logical, as he teaches philosophy, but as I found out about him while talking to him, music has been close to him in his life, and he showed interest in the fact that I could also sing, and play multiple instruments.<\/p>\n

The final exam work for the study course was also memorable and a great task. I had to interview a close relative of mine about important geopolitical events that happened in their lives, their recollections about it, and their thoughts about the three main ideologies studied in the course \u2013 socialism, conservatism, liberalism \u2013 and which ones they felt the closest to. I ended up writing a 15-page-long work about my grandma\u2019s life in the USSR, the collapse of the USSR, and living in the modern-day neo-colony. This was not just a check-mark final-grade task, at least for me, as I was able to record on paper my grandma\u2019s memories through a unique prism that I will always save in my personal \u201clibrary\u2019\u2019 \u2013 if I can call it that.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, the following can be observed: A fascinating dialectical contradiction in my time at UNAK and in the course \u201cIdeology and History of Modern Times\u2019\u2019 formed. UNAK is embedded, as all Western universities are, in Western imperialism. It reproduces bourgeois ideological hegemony. Yet I also encountered genuine openness, respect, intellectual freedom, and even space for dissent. This opens up several questions which are beyond the scope of this memoir, but are valid discussion points \u2013 how can a hegemonic institution still allow for dissent? Is liberal tolerance part of ideological hegemony and conformation, similar to the bourgeois electoral process, and are these \u201cdissent cracks\u2019\u2019 real cracks in the system or organic traps within it?<\/p>\n

Moving beyond Marxist-Leninist analysis and the dialectical materialism that it is based on and developed by thinkers such as Antonio Gramsci, Lenin and Stalin, and that I have tried to base the present memoir on, my time in the MS program was inspiring personally, as it has motivated me to not give up on my bachelor degree even if the system is deeply flawed, and that a better academic environment exists outside the proverbial lowest level of Plato\u2019s cave, the shadow-puppet wall, that I regularly see in Riga. Finally and most importantly, I met the best academic lecturer that I have had the pleasure to learn from so far \u2013 Giorgio Baruchello \u2013 who showed me that a different way of teaching and organizing in a Western academic environment is possible, and who has single-handedly destroyed my personal subjective narrative that everything is bad in Western academia, as I have finally experienced a truly positive example of a better way. For that I am very thankful, as it is uplifting and inspiring. This has also made me realize that the \u201cdogmatic Marxist\u2019\u201d \u2013 actually not a Marxist \u2013 viewpoint, that materialism dictates all, and that the individual has no freedom to maneuver within a system, is wrong. Yes, the material reality shapes us into who we are, and yes, in the context of the reproduction of intellectuals, the modern academic environment serves the existing imperial system, but that doesn\u2019t negate the role of an individual and the agency of individuality. There are always alternatives through various ways to immerse the intellectual spirit in alignment with the masses, and there are options to lead an academic life that mirrors the late and great Michael Parenti, and that not all Western academics have to end up, allegedly, disgraced on Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s private island like, once again allegedly, Noam Chomsky.<\/p>\n

Edvins Elferts, Fall Term 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n

It has been 15 years since I had the pleasure of taking two courses in Modern Studies\u2014the Modern Studies Seminar<\/em> and The Concept of Modernity<\/em>. At the time, I was pursuing an undergraduate degree in economics and business at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga. Strongly influenced by the Swedish approach to education, my studies were very practical and heavily technical, focusing on doing math proofs for various economic theories and treating capitalism as the only worldview.<\/p>\n

Both courses I took as an exchange student at UNAK had a lasting impact on me and my worldview. It was the first time I experienced what I consider a liberal education, where the focus was to expand one’s horizons by reading excerpts from influential works, such as The Social Contract<\/em> by Rousseau and many other thinkers. The courses gave me an opportunity to explore many ideas from different religious, economic, political, and social points of view. Charlie Chaplin\u2019s films, viewed during the Modern Studies Seminar<\/em>, were also seen differently by me afterwards, since I was given the skills to take them apart and place them in a larger context. Without this experience, my education simply would not have been the same; perhaps, it would have been too one-sided. I am ever grateful for it.<\/p>\n

Elena Brodeala, Spring Term 2010 <\/strong><\/p>\n

I came to the University of Akureyri in 2010 as an exchange student, and my semester at UNAK has stayed with me ever since. It was a truly formative experience, both academically and personally. In particular, the course on the history of the 20th century – then part of the Modern Studies degree – profoundly changed the way I look at and understand the societies around us, and their greatest challenges. It deepened my awareness of social inequalities and helped me grasp the powerful role that politics and ideologies play in shaping the way we live. The perspective I gained during that time has guided many of my subsequent endeavours, from pursuing a PhD focused on gender equality to my current work on human rights at the Council of Europe. The Modern Studies program provided me not only with academic knowledge but also with a critical lens that continues to inform both my professional path and my commitment to advancing more just and inclusive societies.<\/p>\n

\u00c9l\u00e9onore Robinson, Fall Term 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflexive Thoughts on a Refreshingly Cold Semester of Modern Studies at UNAK<\/em><\/p>\n

Thinking is challenging. Learning, being reflexive, and forming one\u2019s own opinions are a demanding process. Nowadays, the ability to carry out this intellectual endeavour is increasingly undermined by the erosion of attentional resources that digital technologies appear to have precipitated. By requiring to engage with comprehensive readings and substantial arguments; by requiring to produce writings that reflected a thorough understanding of the works, while leaving significant room for reflexivity, critical thinking, and discussion; by providing regular, meticulous corrections that guided the maturation of the students\u2019 argumentative and reflexive skills; the knowledge acquired through a semester of Modern Studies at the University of Akureyri in the Fall Term 2018[1]<\/a> provided me with the means to face this growing, ongoing challenge. Whether it should be by reading The Making of Europe<\/em> by Marco Catini, The Great Transformation <\/em>by Karl Polanyi or Age of Extremes <\/em>by Eric Hobsbawm, we were confronted to stringent reasoning and the outcome of long-matured ideas that contrast with the virtual world\u2019s immediacy. The regular opportunities for exchanges and small-group discussions with distinguished academics made it also possible for me to witness science in the making \u2014 to witness the slow, demanding craft of building arguments, their growing depth, the way time leaves its mark, and the constant back-and-forth that shapes ideas.<\/p>\n

Yet it is also essential to guard against an overly elitist approach to science. Out of fear of exacerbated relativism, the social sciences and their researchers sometimes remain highly impermeable to marginal propositions and situated epistemologies (Haraway, 1988; Harding, 1992). The structure of the seminar in Modern Studies that I had the chance to follow, built around highly diverse contributions, offers the opportunity to engage with a variety of currents within the humanities, to grasp the premises of these different approaches, to perceive how individual reasoning is distinctive, and to understand that theses may be defended from the particular to the general or from the general to the particular, through an accumulation of particulars or through sweeping generalisations. Finally, these exchanges can reveal how theoretical arguments and knowledge emerging from lived experience can coexist and enter into dialogue \u2014 made all the more striking when an introduction to Keynes\u2019 Macroeconomic Theory is juxtaposed with economic considerations about the cow as a unit of exchange during the Middle Ages in Iceland.<\/p>\n

The principal lesson that I drew from this semester was the cultivation of a culture of intellectual debate and the remarkable richness of the explored topics. We were exposed to an array of learning experiences in which the art of constructive debate was cultivated in all its forms, through confronting different perspectives, valuing their diversity, and integrating the insights generated through interdisciplinary readings of history and social phenomena. Throughout the semester, we were encouraged to reflect on the conditions under which different types of knowledge may coexist, as well as on the ways in which they may be meaningfully articulated. This occurred, notably, as we were invited to think through the connections among a wide range of subjects and problematics, which have been duly reflected in the research conducted at the University of Akureyri that I came across during my stay as well as in the successive years: From the fostering of media literacy (Gu\u00f0mundsson & Kristinsson, 2017) and the role of universities in contemporary democracies (Kristinsson, 2023), to the psychology of behavioural addiction in online gaming (Blinka et al., 2015, 2016), and to an in-depth conceptual analysis of humour and cruelty that culminates in an extensive intellectual history of Modern Philosophy (Baruchello & Arnarsson, 2022, 2023, 2024a, 2024b).<\/p>\n

Nowadays, this wealth of culture and the values it embodies remain within me and continue to mature through my own scientific work. I have been particularly drawn to works that compel me to consider the privileges that have granted me access to these spaces of debate. They also lead me to reflect on where and how these discussions can be opened to a wider audience without over-simplifying them or sacrificing their depth.<\/p>\n

Bibliography<\/u><\/p>\n

Baruchello, G. & Arnarsson, \u00c1. (2022). Volume 1 A Philosophical Exploration of the Humanities and Social Sciences<\/em>. De Gruyter. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1515\/9783110759839<\/a><\/p>\n

Baruchello, G. & Arnarsson, \u00c1. (2023). Volume 2 Dangerous Liaisons<\/em>. De Gruyter. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1515\/9783110759846<\/a><\/p>\n

Baruchello, G. & Arnarsson, \u00c1. (2024a). Volume 3.1 Laughing Matters: Prolegomena<\/em>. De Gruyter. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1515\/9783110760170<\/a><\/p>\n

Baruchello, G. & Arnarsson, \u00c1. (2024b). Volume 3.2 Laughing Matters: Theses and Discussions<\/em>. De Gruyter. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1515\/9783111256108<\/a><\/p>\n

Blinka, L., \u0160ka\u0159upov\u00e1, K., \u0160ev\u010d\u00edkov\u00e1, A., W\u00f6lfling, K., M\u00fcller, K. W., & Dreier, M. (2015). Excessive internet use in European adolescents: what determines differences in severity?.\u00a0International journal of public health<\/em>,\u00a060<\/em>(2), 249\u2013256. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00038-014-0635-x<\/a><\/p>\n

Blinka, L., \u0160ka\u0159upov\u00e1, K., & Mitterova, K. (2016). Dysfunctional impulsivity in online gaming addiction and engagement.\u00a0Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace<\/em>,\u00a010<\/em>(3), Article 5. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5817\/CP2016-3-5<\/a><\/p>\n

Cattini, M. (2018).\u00a0The Making of Europe: A Global Economic and Social History (2nd<\/sup> ed.)<\/em>. Bocconi University Press.<\/p>\n

Gu\u00f0mundsson, B., & Kristinsson, S. (2017). Journalistic professionalism in Iceland: A framework for analysis and an assessment.\u00a0Journalism<\/em>,\u00a020<\/em>(12), 1684-1703.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1464884917695416<\/a><\/p>\n

Haraway, D. (1988). Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective. Feminist Studies<\/em>, 14<\/em>(3), 575\u2013599. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2307\/3178066<\/a><\/p>\n

Harding, S. (1992). Rethinking Standpoint Epistemology: What is \u201cStrong Objectivity?\u201d. The Centennial Review<\/em>, 36<\/em>(3), 437\u2013470. http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/23739232<\/a><\/p>\n

Hobsbawm, E. (1995). Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991. <\/em>Abacus.<\/p>\n

Kristinsson, S. (2023). Constructing Universities for Democracy. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 42<\/em>, 181\u2013200. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11217-022-09853-5<\/a><\/p>\n

Polanyi, K. (1944). The Great Transformation. <\/em>Farrar & Rinehart.<\/p>\n

Emma Frumento, Spring Term 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

During my Erasmus experience at the University of Akureyri, I had the chance to attend one of the Modern Studies Seminars offered there, which explored the concept of humour in different contexts and cultures.<\/p>\n

Understanding humour in connection with the way people interact with each other in various scenarios, is key to gaining deeper insight into the human relationships that characterize our society. In a world where everything is becoming automated and extremely fast, there is almost no space left for genuine, real-life interactions. Humour is one of them and demonstrates how people react to certain situations or deal with problems and dissatisfaction in their lives and circumstances. It has deep roots in cultural backgrounds, and serves as a way to share and express something profoundly human in a lighter way.<\/p>\n

It is fundamental to embrace humour as a form of authentic human behaviour, as it is something that machines could never truly replicate on their own. Humour is such a unique way to express concepts and opinions in a manner that connects with peers on a deep level, and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to learn all of this in such an effective way thanks to the seminar.<\/p>\n

Iwona Lipinska, Spring Term 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

My name is Iwona. Sixteen years ago, I had the pleasure of participating in the Introduction to Philosophy<\/em> course in Akureyri. I remember these classes as highly valuable, conducted in a student-friendly and accessible manner, intellectually enriching, and, above all, taking place in a pleasant and amiable atmosphere. Professor Baruchello, as well as Professor Lorna Johnstone and Dr. Markus Meckl, proved to be not only outstanding lecturers, but also open and supportive guides and friends, who helped the exchange students to integrate into the local community \u2014 people that we could always rely on as a student community.<\/p>\n

Jean-Baptiste Berthier, Fall Term 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n

My experience with the degree line in Modern Studies at the University of Akureyri, as an Erasmus student, was shaped less by a single discipline than by an overall approach: learning to question what appears obvious. Courses such as Deconstructing the 20th Century<\/em> and Media Critique<\/em> offered a demanding and formative intellectual experience, centred on critical reading, contextual analysis, and close attention to discourse. These courses encouraged a habit of intellectual distance: paying attention to how narratives are constructed, how language frames meaning, and how ideas circulate within specific historical and social contexts. While I would not claim to remember every concept or reference in detail today, the underlying reflexes developed during this period have remained with me. Also, after my exchange, I stayed on and obtained a degree in Media Studies at the University of Akureyri in 2012. After my studies there, I went on to complete a master\u2019s degree in communication and pursued my professional career in this field in Qu\u00e9bec, Canada, where I have worked in various communication roles and eventually became director of communications. In this professional context, the analytical skills cultivated through the Humanities have proven consistently valuable. Working in communication requires more than technical proficiency. It involves understanding audiences, anticipating interpretations, navigating public debate, and exercising responsibility in the production of messages. The ability to read discourse critically, to question framing, and to remain attentive to nuance\u2014skills reinforced during my time in Modern Studies\u2014has been a steady asset throughout my career. More broadly, Modern Studies did not prepare me for a single profession, but for a way of thinking that adapts across contexts. In an environment increasingly characterized by accelerated communication, automation, and polarization (especially these times), this capacity for critical reflection remains essential.<\/p>\n

Joanne \u00d6ggesj\u00f6, Spring Term 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

I took an exchange semester at UNAK as part of my Global Studies bachelor\u2019s degree. Looking back at my studies there, I knew already then\u2014but I appreciate even more now\u2014what a special opportunity that was. Not only was the content of the courses of quality, relevance, seriousness, and fun. Also, the courses were taught by a professor who is passionate about his teaching, caring about his work, serious about his business, and humorous about this cruel world. The combo made a killing education, especially for close-minded worldviews. Not only that, but there was also a new guest lecture almost every week during the months when the lectures were held. Just being present there was already a privilege. On top of all this, the community at the University, and in Akureyri, were all very beautiful: The teachers, the staff, the students, the locals\u2014they were all welcoming and kind. Not to forget that all of this was happening in Iceland too: Beautiful nature and a magical atmosphere. If you have the opportunity to go there, go! The courses I took were:<\/p>\n