Brazil II : Finland (2)

1. Contemporary welfare regimes in EU Western and Eastern member states

03/09
"About Contemporary welfare regimes in EU Western and Eastern member states  : does this course already begin this week ?"

04/09, answer from the course coordinator of the ISSS
"It MAY turn out that this lecture will not be offered, after all. Instead, we will get all the lectures on DVD-s that the students can borrow and watch at home. Then they are to write an essay and participate to a closing seminar.
All the lectures that are offered by the Tallinn University will contain the closing seminar, that is approx. 3-4 hours. At the seminar the students are to present their essays and speak about the lecture contents together with the teacher.
I should know today, if Toots ´ lecture will be offered only through dvd-s. I´ll let you know. I will also update our webpages, so you can check from there, too."

15/10
"Do you have any news about the DVDs of this course (SAI 7008 Contemporary welfare regimes in EU Western and Eastern member states) or maybe the time of the year you'll get them and the deadlines we would have for writing the essay about the topic ?"

15/10, from the course coordinator of the ISSS
"Dear Julie,

The DVD-s are on their way, we should get them this week. About the deadline to write the essay, I´ll let you know soon. "

8/11
"Still no news about the DVDs ? Will the lending of the DVDs/writing of the essay be arranged during the spring term ?"

9/11, from the coordinator
"The DVD´s have been sent from the Tallinn University. We are expecting  to get those by next week. Please contact Eveliina Permi next week and  find out if she has gotten them."

12/11 : Eveliina Permi is away for the week

19/11, Eveliina Permi's office. She's not there, some other woman replaces her.
"- I have sent several messages about the DVD course...
(giving me two CDs seemingly just taken out of the envelope) - Here are the ones we just got from Tallinn. I think Eveliina will send you a message tomorrow."

20/11 : no message
21/11 : still no message

22/11, Eveliina Permi's office
"- I wanted to tell you in person that I am the one that took the DVDs... Do I have to arrange the modalities of the examination directly with the teacher ?
- Yes, you'd better to.
- However, I noticed that there are only the first and the last lecture of the entire course...
- Actually Tallinn is unable to find the others DVDs, they only found those ones and told us that they would send the rest as soon as they find them.. But I'll keep you informed."


2. Post-communist East-Central Europe

20/11
"I am following the Post-Communist East-Central Europe course from the University of Tampere, but had to miss most of the last lectures for overlapping with other courses. Therefore I did not get neither the instructions about the essay that we have to write, nor the registration information ( i.e. password) for the course documents on Moodle, where there is already maybe the said essay instructions. Could you please help us with that ?"

21/11
"Hei!

everthing which concerns  practical issues, please  contact the coordinator in Tallinn

Please find answer  to some of your questions

Post-communist East-Central Europe: civil and political development

MA Course

1. LECTURES

Lectures will take place on Tuesdays at 14 00. (start  September 4 - November 27)

2. SEMINARS

Seminars will take place on Tuesdays at 14 .00 (start December 4, 11, 18 (holidays in Tampere are on 13th evening))

Seminar attendance is mandatory and lecture attendance heavily recommended 

Students are expected to take an active part in discussions. All students are expected to prepare for every seminar by doing some reading relevant to the topic under discussion

[...]

Regular lecture attendance ca 80 % can replace final examination!

Research paper

The research paper should be about 10 pages (15 000 prints - bibliography and tables not included )

NB Note that no specified reading is attached to the paper

NB Paper may be penalised if they exceed the deadline

Assessment

  seminars about 30 percent

 paper  will account for about 40 percent.

 The final examination will count for about 30 percent of your final grade

If you are having any problems with the course you should see me about them as soon as possible and not wait until they become apparent to me through a late essay or poor attendance ."

"..."

23/11
"Hei! I have got so many "complains" about deadlines. And it looks obvious that demand of many professors

on both sides of Finnish Gulf are overlapping and in the same time co-ordination has not been the most excellent 

so

papers are  not penalised if submitted before  6.01.2008"

"..."


3. Comparative EU Environmental Policy

6/11
"I have been attending to the videoconference   here in Tampere but had to miss the latest lessons due to overlapping with   other compulsory courses. Unfortunately, I have no contact with the other   students of the group. Could you then tell me how and when the closing seminar   will be organised, and other informations relative to it ? I thought the   instructions may already be on Moodle, but I still haven't access to the   documents of the course (no password)."

7/11
"Actually, the date of the seminar is still open. I've got some controversial information in this respect. So far, our coordinator here told it should be in January. But recently Eveliina Permi contacted me and told it has to be held before Christmas. So, we are searching a suitable date now. Particularly as my schedule is very busy in December. But I will let you all know by the mailing list. Also, there is yet no information regarding the seminar in Moodle. But it will be there (relatively) soon."

8/11, empty classroom
"- Excuse-me, shouldn't there be the Comparative EU environmental policy today ?
- You don't know ?... All lectures of this month have been cancelled, only the one on 22th remains, and the last one will take place on 13th of December.
- Oh..."

19/11, Eveliina Permi's office
" - ...by the way, do you know anything about the Comparative EU environmental policy seminar dates ?
- I only know that the teacher should have consulted the students about organising it either in December or in January.
- Oh..."

22/11, in the classroom with two other students
"- I sent a mail to the teacher two weeks ago, he said that he still did not know, nor on the material on Moodle neither on the seminar dates...
- We got some material by mail yesterday, via mailing list. Didn't you get it ?
- Oh..."

22/11 evening
"After talking with the other   students here in Tampere at today's lecture, it seems that I haven't received   an e-mail sent yesterday about the seminar and some material. Could you please   check if my e-mail address is right, in the mailing list, and forward the said   message to this address ?
In case the answers aren't in these, I would   like to know what would be the definitive date for the end of that course. It   seemed to me that we should have an exam also, we may have discussed that at   the very beginning of the course, but I don't have any information about that.   Is there any possibility that anything takes place in December after the 13th   (information needed to book flights) ?"

23/11
"Unfortunately, I have no access to administration of the mailing list. You should chesk with the administration in Tampere (Eveliina Permi). I have discussed with administration buth on Tampere and Tallinn and we have reached a common agreement that the exam will be held in January. The date(s) is (are) still open. Tampere administration (Eveliina) has told me that the end of your study term is December 14 and nothing can take place after that - if at all, then only in January. Perhaps you should talk with them (her) about the issue. I would have nothing against the examination in December, but the schedule there seems not to be flexible enough... I'll send the seminar instructions as soon as they will be translated from Estonian."

23/11
"Thanks for your quick answer. I'll keep on my investigations about that..."

4. Learning agreement

23/11, mail to my department's directors
"Greetings. Due to constant change in the ISSS programme, I can't send any learning agreement back. I was however advised to keep you informed. See attached for my provisory learning agreement. Can you tell me if I can take some courses that do not belong to my section, for instance about art or sociology ?"
File : a three-page detailed listing of courses, problems and descriptions

24/11, answer from the main director
"Greetings,
Thanks for those details. Regarding the circumstances, do your best to have a legit programme.
Best regards"

24/11, answer from the second director
"Good evening Julie,
I agree with my colleague. Regarding the circumstances you visibly did your best.
Good luck, don't hesitate to join us if any problem."

"..."

Comments

[Juomi]

Effectivement, ça a l'air sympa aussi par chez toi ! Je dois dire qu'en Finlande, le principe de tout simplifier marche quand même pas mal... C'est juste que l'administration est, je crois, un peu laxiste...
Enfin si ça me permet d'arriver à faire 60 crédits en poussant un peu, tant mieux hein...

[Inès]

je crois que finalement on n'était pas si mal lotie côté administration française LOL En République Tchèque, à la Charles Université c'est tout aussi kafkaïen! Ils ont notamment du allonger d'un mois la période d'enregistrement des cours sur Internet car il y avait plein de problèmes et on recevait des mails quasi tous les jours avec comme titre laconique : "Problems with registration"... Et j'ai toujours pas accès aux ordis de la fac car on doit aller chercher un autre mot de passe spécial (j'en avais déjà au moins 3!!!) dans une salle inconnue ouverte entre 11 et 13h... selon les "précieuses" indications de la direction. Je ne parle même pas du RU où tu dois prévenir la veille que tu vas venir manger puis où il faut échanger une carte contre d'étranges coupons... Bref... La faculté de sciences sociales de l'Université Charles c'est le gd n'importe quoi !
RESTONS ZEN ! ;-) Enfin au moins ici, les plafonds s'affaissent pas lol