Experience of Norwegian-Russian cooperation in the field of education at the University of Tromsø - Arctic University of Norway Campus Alta and Kirkenes

Abstract

The leader and a developer of the Bachelor of Northern Studies (BNS) present this English language, online, interdisciplinary university course program in social sciences and the humanities. BNS is today part of the multi-campus UiT Arctic University of Norway output of higher education. An overview of BNS is given, noticing its 2010 origin in the University of the Arctic initiative, and the challenges it has faced in recent years when having to move its institutional base several times. The conclusions highlight the importance of personal commitment among BNS teaching staff, of networking, and of stable interests in Russia and elsewhere in the High North to jointly provide domestic and international students with interdisciplinary course programs and social events, building on the Euroarctic tradition of crossborder collaboration and the innovative mind-set it fosters.