ISOIS ▸ Final reports

Ac. year:
Country:
Institution:
Mobility type:
Program:
Faculty:
Study level:
Click here to return to the list of reports...

Brock University

Canada 2020/2021 Partner universities

Personal data
Mobility type:
study

Faculty at MU:
Faculty of Social Studies

Field of study:
International Relations / International Relations (graduation) - single

Level of study during period of placement:
Bachelor

Language used:
English

Summer/winter school?:
no

Period of studies:
spring 2021

Period of placement (from-to):
2021-01-11 - 2021-04-23

Number of months:
4

Activities before my departure abroad
Where can information be found about courses taught at the foreign school?:
The Brock University website provides a comprehensive list of all courses.

Which documents were needed for acceptance at the foreign university?:
Transcript of Records and IELTS Certificate

How far ahead did you have to organise your acceptance?:
Approximately 4 months ahead.

Did you need a visa?:
- choose option -

Documents and materials needed for a visa:

Length of wait for visa:

Fee for the visa:

Studies
Did you have a Learning Agreement signed before your departure?:
yes

If not, why not?:

Before your departure did you know how your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes

During your stay did you change your Learning Agreement?:
No

When and how did course registration take place? Are there any restrictions? Possibilities of making changes?:
My course registration took place in August. Some courses require prerequisites or permission of the instructor, however Brock International Office advisors review your requested courses and I didn't have problem with getting the courses I've chosen. I even decided to change one of my courses right after the registation and the International Office was very helpful, so again I didn't have any issues with it.

Did you take any examinations at the foreign school?:
Yes, multiple take-home exams.

Does the school use the ECTS system?:
- choose option -

If not then explain how the credits there were recalculated into ECTS:
0.5 credit at Brock = 6ECTS at MUNI

Describe the teaching methods (theory, practical and projects) and assessment of students:
It varied from course to course, however they all had in common that the evaluation consists of a number of components, all of which had weight on the final mark. Research essays, assignments, seminar leading, engagement in discussions based on readings for the week, individual or group presentations, book reviews - are some of the methods. It may sound like a lot, but it's completely manageable as professors or TA's were always helpful and explained everything clearly.

Quality of teaching in comparison with home school:
From my experience I'd say that the quality of teaching at Brock is great. Even though it's more demanding and workload is bigger, I think it's better structured and grading is more fair. As long as you follow guidelines, syllabus and work hard - getting an A was easy. At MUNI, final grades for some courses are based just on one final exam, which can be easy as you don't have to work a lot during semester, but the grade may not reflect the effort you put into the course throughout the semester. While both systens have its pros and cons, it's all about perspective and what the individual student prefers.

How did you receive study materials?:
I bought all of my required textbooks online and while some were hard to find, I managed to get everything I needed. Other required readings were either uploaded by the professor or simply available online.

Can you recommend an interesting course/subject/teacher?:
Citizenship by Prof. Leah Bradshaw
International Political Economy by Prof. Hevina Dashwood

Great courses and absolutely amazing professors - if I could, I'd take more courses with them.

How well is the school library equipped?:
I can't talk about the actual library, however Brock's online Omni liberary search tool had access to every required seminar reading I needed. This was very helpful, as per week I'd have to read 4-5 readings in order to prepare for seminar discussions. So the information resources at Brock Libraries online database was top-notch.

Availability of computers, internet access, level of software needed, requirements on notebook:
Due to virtual semester, everyone had to have their own laptop or an access to the internet, in order to attend online lectures and seminars.  

Options from printing and copying:
-

Does the foreign school/student organisation arrange special events for exchange students?:
yes

If yes then what?:
There were some online events, however I didn't attend them as I was too busy with studying.

How would you assess your integration with the local students (evaluation like in school from 1 to 5 with 1 as highest):
2

or describe in your own words:
Because of the pandemic, I couldn't really meet with students. However, some reached out to me which was great and in my seminars everyone was really nice so even under not so ideal circumstances, I can't really complain.

Practical questions on your placement
Where did you live?:
I won't be able to answer the following question, as due to the pandemic situation, I wasn't able to travel to Canada.

Cost of accommodation - monthly:
0 ???

Additional comments to the price of accommodation (as to what the price includes):
-

Describe the equipment. Tips for future students – what should they bring with them?:
-

How and how far ahead should accommodation be organised?:
-

What are the catering options?:
-

What are the rough costs of groceries (compare with Czech prices):
-

Transport to location of placement:
-

Rough prices for transportation:
-

Tips for purchasing cheap tickets and other recommendations:
-

What are the local transport options (public transport, cycling, on foot, rough prices):
-

What kind of formalities have to be arranged before arrival, for example residence permit?:
-

What health insurance did you use? (rough price, advantages, disadvantages, is it necessary to arrange insurance at the university other than your home (Czech) insurance?):
Brock provides health insurance which is required to be purchased, however as I didn't travel there I wasn't required to do so. The payment was reversed without any issue.

Did you have any experience with medical treatment abroad?:
-

Did you work during your studies?:
-

What are the conditions for working for MU students?:
-

Tips for free-time activities:
-

Financial support and expenses
Total grant from Centre for International Cooperation:
0 ???

Monthly grant in CZK:
0 CZK

Number of supported months:
-

Total number of months:
-

What other sources did you make use of to finance your placement?:
-

If you received another grant, state which and how much in CZK:
-

 
Total fees associated with enrolment at the university:
0 ???

a/ amount of enrolment fee:
0 ???

b/ amount of tuition fees:
0 ???

c/ amount of other fees (which):
0 ???

 
What was your average monthly expenditure?:
0 ???

a/ of which for accommodation:
0 ???

b/ of which for catering:
0 ???

c/ travel and recreation:
0 ???

Any comments to the average monthly expenditure:
-

Recognition of foreign studies at the home faculty
How many credits did you gain during your studies (in the system of the foreign school)?:
2

How many ECTS credits were recognised at MU?:
24

Did you know in advance which of your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes

What problems did you have with recognition?:
The process is still ongoing, but hopefully there won't be any issues.

Overall assessment
Assessment of personal benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Assessment of academic benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Evaluate the information and support provided by the foreign school (1 = excellent):
1

Did you encounter any serious problems during your stay:
No

What would you recommend to take with you:
Having virtual exchange, I'm not really elligible to answer this.

What most surprised you at the partner university in a positive way:
Very helpful professors, teaching assistants and staff!

What most surprised you at the partner university in a negative way:
Nothing, everything was fine.

Further comments: