{"id":78310,"date":"2026-07-13T07:56:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=78310"},"modified":"2026-07-13T08:15:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T15:15:50","slug":"nau-in-denmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/nau-in-denmark\/","title":{"rendered":"NAU in Denmark: Learning by design"},"content":{"rendered":"

This summer,\u00a0NAU\u00a0students from multiple disciplines embarked on a journey to learn\u00a0how\u00a0Scandinavian\u00a0design\u00a0is shaping more\u00a0equitable,\u00a0sustainable\u00a0and collaborative societies. The\u00a0<\/span>NAU in Denmark: Hygge to Hashtags: Culture, Communication, and Social Design in Scandinavia<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>course led by\u00a0<\/span>Michelle B. Carpenter<\/span><\/b>, executive director of the School of Communication, showed students how designs rooted in cultural values can be more than just aesthetics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe program teaches students to look at how Scandinavian design has historically addressed human needs through participatory and collaborative models,\u201d Carpenter said. \u201cIt also examines collaboration in Denmark and how the design\u00a0methodology\u00a0in Scandinavia invites designers, architects, scientists, businesses,\u00a0governments\u00a0and communities to co-create solutions. Danish design has evolved over the\u00a0years,\u00a0and the collaborative model extends into digital culture, where design and social media play a decisive role in shaping design discourse, user participation,\u00a0branding\u00a0and global visibility.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bikes<\/a>For three weeks,\u00a0students from majors such as communication\u00a0studies,\u00a0creative\u00a0media and\u00a0film,\u00a0education,\u00a0sports\u00a0journalism,\u00a0photography and\u00a0strategic\u00a0communication, including PR and\u00a0advertising,\u00a0participated\u00a0in interdisciplinary projects, lectures, studio\u00a0visits\u00a0and immersive travel experiences. They\u00a0saw\u00a0examples of sustainable design, like\u00a0<\/span>Copenhill<\/span><\/a>, a waste-to-energy plant\u00a0people\u00a0can ski and\u00a0climb,\u00a0and\u00a0had the opportunity to\u00a0use\u00a0Denmark\u2019s sustainable transportation system that includes buses, trains and streets\u00a0designed\u00a0to\u00a0allow up to 47,000 bikes a day.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDenmark is an incredible country that focuses on the\u00a0\u2018we,\u2019\u00a0not the\u00a0\u2018me\u2019,\u201d Carpenter said. \u201cThey are concerned with the quality of life and consider how they can be good citizens and create a sustainable lifestyle and environment. Danish\u00a0design focuses on democratizing design and creating beautiful, practical items for the people, not just the elite.\u00a0Copenhagen is actively engaged in sustainable design and is dedicated to climate action and a high quality of life.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0group\u00a0also\u00a0visited various businesses\u00a0for\u00a0students\u00a0to\u00a0take a closer look at how Scandinavian designs work with multidisciplinary teams. Some students,\u00a0like\u00a0<\/span>Olivia Kripal<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0a sophomore studying\u00a0strategic communication with an emphasis\u00a0in\u00a0advertising and a minor in international communication, took\u00a0this opportunity to\u00a0another level.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"NAU<\/a>\u201cWe visited many Danish companies,\u201d Kripal said. \u201cEach of them provides their own insight and examples into the communication industry. On these visits, some classmates and I made it our mission to approach the company leaders after the presentations to practice our professional communication skills. By the end of the trip, I felt like I had made much improvement in the area and garnered some wonderful connections with people in Denmark. I learned so much about Danish culture and\u00a0their way\u00a0of life that surprised me in ways I could have never imagined.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The group visited places like\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>Danish Design Museum<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Frederiksborg Slot<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Kronborg Slot<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(Hamlet\u2019s Castle),\u00a0<\/span>Rosenborg Slot<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and the Viking Museum, as well as the fishing villages of\u00a0Gillejele\u00a0and the Danish coastline\u00a0known as the Danish Riviera.\u00a0They also\u00a0participated\u00a0in the 3 Days of Design event in Copenhagen, which examines the evolution of Danish\u00a0design.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Carpenter said\u00a0the experience not only helped\u00a0students\u00a0see design,\u00a0spaces\u00a0and sustainability through another lens, but also helped them\u00a0discover how the fields\u00a0they are studying can be applied\u00a0internationally, allowing them to see\u00a0career opportunities across\u00a0different\u00a0industries.\u00a0Kripal\u00a0agreed.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVisiting so many wonderful companies helped me understand my career aspirations for the future,\u201d Kripal said. \u201c<\/span>I learned a lot about\u00a0communications\u00a0and have a new sense of understanding within myself.\u00a0<\/span>This experience helped me learn that both independence and community lead to individual growth.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>\u00a0would recommend this course to anyone who wants to feel more connected to themselves and the people around them.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information about the\u00a0<\/span>NAU in Denmark: Hygge to Hashtags: Culture, Communication, and Social Design in Scandinavia<\/span><\/a>\u00a0faculty-led summer course and other similar courses, visit the\u00a0<\/span>NAU-led study abroad website<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/a>Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This summer,\u00a0NAU\u00a0students from multiple disciplines embarked on a journey to learn\u00a0how\u00a0Scandinavian\u00a0design\u00a0is shaping more\u00a0equitable,\u00a0sustainable\u00a0and collaborative societies. The\u00a0NAU in Denmark: Hygge to Hashtags: Culture, Communication, and Social Design in Scandinavia\u00a0course led by\u00a0Michelle B. Carpenter, executive director of the School of Communication, showed students how designs rooted in cultural values can be more than just aesthetics.\u00a0 \u201cThe program…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3019,"featured_media":78317,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1821,11,1829],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lumberjacks-abroad","category-research-academics","category-student-edition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78310"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78329,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78310\/revisions\/78329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}