Pre-Assignments for Fulbright-Hays

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Please familiarize yourself with the information in advance so that during the Fulbright-Hays seminar program call we can focus on questions that you may have after you have gone through the materials.

We also highly encourage you to peruse the optional additional resources, as you might find it very interesting to learn more about Finnish history, society, and culture. 

On this page you can find these five modules:

  • Module 1: Fulbright Program in Finland
  • Module 2: Finnish Eduation System
  • Module 3: Your Role in Publicity and Outreach
  • Module 4: This is Finland: Society, Language and Culture (optional)

MODULE 1: Fulbright Program in Finland

Goals of the module:

  • To get acquainted with the unique features of the Fulbright Finland Foundation as a private Finnish non-profit organization so as to be able to talk knowledgeably about the Foundation and its mission and programs both in Finland and in the United States.
  • To learn the key facts about the global Fulbright Program with over 160 participating countries, and to understand how this provides all of the Foundation’s grantees a direct access to the Foundation’s worldwide collaboration and alumni network.
  • To understand the multiple and diverse roles that the Foundation’s programs can have, and to begin to think about as well as shape your own role as a grantee and citizen diplomat. 
  • To become familiar with some of the key concepts related to the Foundation's programs, such as citizen diplomacy, science diplomacy, knowledge diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, and public diplomacy.

Learn about the Fulbright Finland Foundation and Its Global Network

Learn about the Fulbright Finland Foundation:

In preparation for coming to Finland, learn about:

Learn about your role as the Foundation's grantee: 

If you have time and you are interested in learning more, here are additional resources:

MODULE 2: Finnish Education System

Learning objective: To learn about the Finnish education system.

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MODULE 3: Your Role in Publicity and Outreach

Learning objective: To understand your role in the Foundation's publicity and outreach efforts, and as an ambassador for your own country, and also for the Fulbright Finland Foundation, and Finland. 

Acknowledging the Fulbright Finland Foundation:

We hope you proudly acknowledge the Fulbright Finland Foundation, and use your identification as Fulbright Specialist to advance your research and/or project. This is your judgment call to make, but we encourage you to recognize the Fulbright Finland Foundation if the paper, talk, exhibit etc. comes from your time as a Fulbright Specialist. There is no standard required language, but you can use, for instance the following sentence: “This research/work has been supported by the Fulbright Finland Foundation.”

If you find it necessary, you can also add a sentence to note that “the conclusions and content of this research do not represent an endorsement or approval by the Fulbright Finland Foundation or its sponsors.”

OPTIONAL MODULE 4: This is Finland: Society, Language and Culture

Learning objective: Get to know Finnish history, economy, and foreign policy. Learn about Finnish culture and language, and to learn some useful phrases in Finnish, to get inspired to use them or study more. 

  • History:
  • Foreign Policy
  • The Sámi
  • Finnish Language
  • Finnish Culture
    • Learn about sisu and sauna. You can watch e.g. this video about sauna culture in Finland:
      • Saunaperinne Suomessa - Sauna Culture in Finland (length 9 minute and 45 seconds). Finnish sauna was added to UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage List in December 2020. The video is the candidature film for the nomination file on "Sauna culture in Finland" to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. For English subtitles, click the "CC" on the bottom of the video.
    • Kantele - Finland's national instrument
    • Pesäpallo - Finnish national sport
    • Guide for coming to Finland (a comprehensive online Guide for U.S. Fulbright Finland grantees. Please note that many themes in the guide concern only those spending an entire semester or year in Finland, and will therefore not be applicable to you.)
  • If you want to read more about Finnish society and culture, here are some book recommendations: 
    • Richard Lewis: Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf
    • Anu Partanen: The Nordic Theory of Everything
  • For lighter reading:
    • Karoliina Korhonen: Finnish Nightmares
    • Michael Booth: The Almost Nearly Perfect People