Anja Hartl, University of Oslo

 

In September 2024, I spent one week at the University of Oslo as part of the erasmus+ staff mobility programme. I was a guest researcher at the Centre for Literature, Cognition, and Emotions and taught seminars in the Comparative Literature department. The humanities are located on the beautiful green campus in Blindern, which is a quiet residential area that is only a short tram or metro ride away from the city centre.

I very much enjoyed the rich and generous research environment at the Centre for Literature, Cognition, and Emotions. I hosted a reading group and workshop for PhD students and presented my current research project, which was a fantastic opportunity for me. The seminars I taught were connected to a lecture and students were expected to read at least one novel per week for this course – the reading load is thus higher than in Innsbruck. However, students also attend less classes and have more time for preparing for each session. Classes are taught in both Norwegian and English, depending on the respective department, but everybody speaks English, so it is very easy to communicate with students and staff. Classes are usually 1h45min, with a 15-min break after 45min.

Oslo itself is a stunningly beautiful city with lots of opportunities for cultural and outdoor activities. Even though it is the country’s lively and vibrant capital, it is a very clean, quiet, green and safe city. I definitely recommend visiting the ski jump at Holmenkollen, where you have a breathtaking view of the Oslo fjord from the top of the jump tower, and both the Munch Museum and the Nasjonalmuseet have fantastic art collections on display. Norway in general is very expensive (especially alcohol and eating out are significantly more expensive than in Austria). I stayed in St. Hanshaugen, which is a lovely area that reminded me a bit of Paris. Getting around Oslo is easy – either by tram, bus or metro.  

Overall, Oslo is a wonderful place to live and study and the university offers an excellent learning and research environment that I highly recommend!