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TRANSCRIPT
UC International ProgramsStudy Abroad
Switzerland
Basel
Sources:
¹ “The Basel School of Design”. FHNW: Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst. 2011. 24 Mar 2011. <http://www.fhnw.ch/hgk/ivk/the-basel-school-of-design>.
Study Abroad in Basel
The University of Cincinnati has established an exchange program at the Basel School of Design’s Institute of Visual Communications for bachelor students studying Graphic Communication Design. This program is a semester long exchange which can be completed during the autumn or spring semester. Summer workshops are also available for students who have just completed their first year in Graphic Communication Design or students who wish to participate in a workshop as part of travel semester via the Division of Professional Practice.
About The Basel School of Design
The Basel School of Design (otherwise known as the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst, Institut Visuelle Kommunikations) and its students have influenced the international Graphic Design community since the 1960’s. Under the direction of Armin Hofmann and Emil Ruder courses for Graphic Design and Typography were devel-oped. They were outstanding models for a modernist design education.
Since the year 2000, the Swiss educational system has undergone an astonishingly rapid process of adapting its educational institutions to the international standards of the Bachelor and Master curricula at the University level. Today the Visual Communication Institute/The Basel School of Design offers a Bachelor’s Degree programm, an international Master’s Degree program, international Summer Workshops, and is involved in many national and international research and development projects.
The institute has a curriculum for today and tomorrow’s design world continuing the rich tradition of Swiss Design and Typography.¹
The Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst campus.
Study Abroad in Basel 01
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Contact Your Advisors
In order to determine whether you are eligible for the exchange program with The Basel School of Design, you will need to first contact several people at the University of Cincinnati. These advisors will assist you through your application process.
Ryan MeyerUC International ProgramProgram Manager3134 Edwards OneTel: +1 (513) 556-0395
If you are interested in the summer workshop as part of a travel semester, you will need to discuss your possibilities with your cooperative education advisor.
Sandra McGlassonProfessional PracticeAssociate Professor840F StegerTel: +1 (513) 556-0336
Knowledge of the German language is recommended for this exchange, however, it is not required. The Basel School of Design prides itself on being an international school, so classes are taught in both High German and the English language. If you do not speak German, please make note of some of the key words and phrases mentioned in this booklet.
Kate PetachDAAP Student AffairsAsst Director Academic5470 Aronoff CenterTel: +1 (513) 556-2764
Maureen FranceProgram CoordinatorAssociate Professor6487 Aronoff CenterTel: +1 (513) 556-0518
Oscar FernándezProgram CoordinatorAssociate Professor6415B Aronoff Tel: +1 (513) 556-6275
Relief by Armin Hofmann at the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst campus.
Applying for the Exchange
Once you are deemed eligible by your advisor and your supporting faculty at the University of Cincinnati, you will need to apply as an exchange student to The Basel School of Design. You must apply one school term before you intended semester abroad. Download the application from www.fhnw.ch/hgk/international. Complete the application, create a print portfolio, and send all of the documents to:
Nicole FlückigerInstitut Visuelle KommunikationVogelsangstraße 15
CH–4058 Basel
Deadlines are listed on the applicaiton form.
Applying for the Summer Program
To apply to the Summer Workshop, please visit www.fhnw.ch/hgk/ivk/summer-workshops to download the application form. Complete the application, create a portfolio as specified, and send the documents to:
Yolande Terrapon Institut Visuelle KomminikationsVogelsangstraße 15
CH–4058 Basel
Deadlines are listed on the applicaiton form.
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Application Process
Oscar FernándezProgram CoordinatorAssociate Professor6415B Aronoff Tel: +1 (513) 556-6275
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Houses on Realpstraße in Großbasel.
Apply for a Student Visa
To obtain a student visa, visit the Swiss Consulate website at www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/nameri/vusa/ref-visinf/visusa.html.
In the right column, you will find the student visa require-ments and the visa application forms. All of these docu-ments must be sent to the following address and require 8 to 10 weeks to process:
Consulate General Chicago737 North Michigan AvenueSuite 2301
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Health Insurance
Everyone in Switzerland is required to have accident and health insurance. Check with your insurance company to make sure you are covered while abroad for both. If you do not have insurance, you can sign up for SwissCare at www.swisscare-intl.com/swisscare/switzerland/private/health-insurance/foreign-student.html.
Housing in Basel
The Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz does not provide housing for students. Either contact Nicole Flückiger via email at [email protected] and inquire as to whether any current students know of available housing, or visit one of the following websites, recommended by students from the Universität Basel and The Basel School of Design: markt.unibas.ch or wgzimmer.ch.
Regarding the location of housing, many students from the FHNW prefer to live in Kleinbasel, which is on the northern side of the Rhein River. It’s typically more afford-able than the housing on the Großbasel, or southern side of the river, as Großbasel houses the downtown area and the Altstadt, or old city, with beautiful homes that date back 500 years and older.
Registration & Identification
If you are participating in the exchange program, visit Ryan Meyer at UC International Programs to fill out all necessary pre-departure forms and register for the appropriate course as directed by Ryan Meyer.
If you are participating in the summer workshop during a cooperative education semester, visit Sandra McGlas-son at the Division of Professional Practice to receive your project and sign up for the appropriate course as directed by Sandra McGlasson.
Bring a passport photo and $22.00 to the front desk of UC International Programs to obtain your International Student Identification Card.
Tuition
Because you will be registered for classes at the University of Cincinnati, you will pay your tuition to UC. All grants and financial aid still apply. Be sure to apply for grant opportunities with www.uc.edu/international/programs/students/financial-planning.html.
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Before You Go
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Letterforms from a poster workshop.
Your Course Schedule
You will receive your course schedule upon arriving at The Basel School of Design. Exchange students are placed in courses with second year students, and will be able to choose their concentration from three choices:
Bild (Imagery), Interaktion (Interaction), orTypografie (Typography).
Exchange students may also have the opportunity to sign up for electives, such as bookbinding or silk screening. To do so, visit the office of Yolande Terrapon on the 400 level. Please direct any questions about scheduling to:
Yolande TerraponTel: +41 61 695 67 51
Information Technology
As an exchange student at The Basel School of Design, you will need your laptop, an external hard drive, and a USB drive. Your computer software should be updated by the Institute of Visual Communications in order to install the proper printers onto your computer, so remember to back up your computer on an external hard drive.
Equipment is available for checkout by students, but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am–10am.
Please direct any questions about technology to:
Jinsu AhnTel: +41 61 695 67 51
Computer Problems?
The closest Apple Store to Basel is in Zürich, but luckily you can still get your laptop repaired in Basel should your hard drive crash, your video card fail, etc. If you should need a repair, go to Ingenodata near Basel SBB. The main store is on ground level, but if you look to the left of the store, there is a staircase that takes you to their service center. They are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6:30pm and Satursday from 9am to 5pm.
Ingenodata Güterstrasse 133
CH–4053 Baselwww.ingenodata.ch
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Upon Arrival
Register as a Resident
Register yourself as a resident as soon as possible. This must be done within 6 days of your arrival to Switzerland. You will need your residency card to buy your tram passes, open your Post account, etc. To acquire this card, you will need the following:
Copy of acceptance letter to the FHNW HGK IVKPassport with a valid student visaPassport photographs 50.– CHF (for a registration fee)Your Swiss address
You will receive a 200.–CHF bill in the mail along with your card, and upon leaving the office you will receive a packet of information about Basel. There is a very nice packet of coupons included to welcome you to the city, which includes free museum passes, a discount on tram fare for a month, a free ride on one of the renown ferries, etc.
EinwohneramtSpiegelgasse 6CH–4001 Basel
To get to the migration office, take a bus or tram to the Schifflände stop on the Großbasel (southern) side of the Rhine River. Trams 6, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, and 17 and bus num-bers 31, 33, 34, 36, 38, 604, and 603 all stop at Schifflände.
Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00am–5:30pm and Wednesday from 9:00am–6:30pm. Expect the office to be closed for at least an hour sometime around lunch, as all businesses typically close during this time.
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The main Post Office downtown.
Go to the Post: Banking & Phones
Because you will only be in Switzerland for a short period of time, you cannot open a bank account with one of the local Swiss banks. However, you can open a student bank account with the Swiss Post Office through PostFinance. You will need to open an account in order to transfer money from the US to Switzerland and to pay your bills. For more information, visit http://www.postfinance.ch/.
You can also purchase a Swiss cell phone or SIM card at the Post. Here, you can buy a phone with minutes for as little at 30.– CHF. Minutes can be replenished by visiting any Kiosk in Switzerland or by credit card. (Please note that Swiss SIM cards are not the same size as American SIM cards, and for other phone options you can visit any of the many SwissCom store locations.)
If you would like to send any packages or letters home with unique Swiss stamps, there is a desk that sells spe-cialty stamps in the same room that cell phones are sold.
Swiss PostRüdengasse 1CH–4001 Basel
To get to the post office, take one of the following trams to Barfüßerplatz: 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 15, or 16. With the Histor-ische Museum Basel to your right, follow the tram lines north towards the Rhine. The post office will be directly in front of you. Look for the bright yellow sign.
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Upon Arrival
On a BVB Tram.
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Using Trams & Busses
When you go to buy a ticket from one of the green BVB ticket machines, there will be several options available to you. If you only need to travel 4 stops, you can purchase a Kurzstrecke ticket for 2.–CHF. If you are traveling more than 4 stops within the city of Basel, you should purchase a Zone 1 ticket for 3.20CHF because you are traveling within a single zone. If you are traveling within Switzer-land to a zone outside of the city limits (e.g. Münchenstein, Rheinfelden, Arlsheim, Dornach, Biel, Benken), you will need to purchase a Zone 2 ticket for 4.–CHF. There are also special prices for trams and busses that travel to Germany and France and several options for day passes.
All tickets are good until the time specified on your ticket. It will read “Gütlig bis,” or “Good until,” and provide the time. Please note, ticket machines only accept coins.
Discounted tickets are available if you have purchased the HalbTax card from SBB. See “Using Trains” in this booklet for more information about the HalbTax.
Abonnementen, or monthly passes, are also available. To purchase a monthly pass, visit the Kundenzentrum at the Barfüßerplatz station. People under 25 years of age can purchase passes at the discounted price of 45.– CHF. You can only purchase a pass if you have your Swiss Residency Card. The packet you received when you acquired your residency documents contains a coupon for a discounted monthly pass. Passes are good from the 1st to the end of each month, not from the day you purchase the ticket. A monthy pass will allow you to ride all trams, busses, and Regio–S–Bahn, which may take you to nearby towns faster than trams and can be found at Basel SBB.
Upon Arrival 11
Using Trains
The main train station, Basel SBB, is located in Großbasel. There is also a German train station in Basel, the Badischer Bahnhof, located in Kleinbasel near campus.
SBB provides several passes of which you can take advan-tage. The HalbTax, or Half–Fare Travel Card, is a great way to travel around Switzerland. For a flat fee of 165.– CHF, you will be able to purchase all of your tickets at half price. You will also have the ability to purchase a day pass, which allows you to travel all day by train, boat, and bus, or the 9
o’clock travel pass, which allows you to travel all day from 9am onwards on weekdays. If you do not have a HalbTax, but it is your birthday while you travel, you can purchase a Happy Birthday travel pass for the day of your birthday for 65.– CHF. Visit www.sbb.ch/en/ for more information, to check train connections, and for online ticket purchases. Swiss trains typically do not need reservations.
The Deutsche Bahn also offers a several great passes. One to note is specifically for traveling throughout Baden–Württemberg. The Baden–Württemberg Ticket allows one to travel from Monday to Sunday for one day of your choice from 9am until 3am of the following day on Saturday and Sunday and bank holidays from 12:00am. until 3am. of the following day. It can be used on all local trains (Interregio-Express, Regional-Express, Regionalbahn, S-Bahn) and the entire transport system of the Verkehrs-verbünde Baden-Württemberg, with some exceptions. It costs 28 EUR if purchased online or 30 EUR if purchased at the train station. This ticket can only be purchased at the Badischer Bahnhof in Basel, not at Basel SBB. Visit www.bahn.de for more information, to check train con-nections, and for online ticket purchases. German trains typically do not need reservations.
The main train station, Basel SBB.
Biker riding downtown past the Post Office and dozens of parked bikes.
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Getting a Bike
Switzerland is one of the most bike friendly countries in Europe with bike paths available all over the country (map.veloland.ch), and Basel is definitely a bike heavy city. During the warmer months, students typically ride their bikes, or Velos as they are called in Swiss German, to class and around the city rather than using the trams. Bikes are also ideal when staying out late, as the trams stop running around 1am and do not start again until 5am.
Finding a bike is not difficult, but finding one at a low price can be. You can ask your classmates if anyone has one to lend or rent out for the semester, ask them if they can recommend a shop or bike dealer, go to a local flea market (there is a Flohmarkt at Petersplatz every week), or buy a new bike (supermarkets, like the Rhein Center in Germany, tend to be cheaper).
Bikers are required by law to have bike insurance, and can purchase their insurance tag for as little as 5.– CHF at a bike shop. All bike riders must abide by vehicular laws, and can be heavily fined if caught breaking the law. Always ride to the right side of the road and use hand sig-nals to indicate which direction you are turning. There are often bike lanes on streets, and if there are no lanes you must stay to the right. There are traffic lights for bikers at most intersections, but if there are none simply abide by the traffic lights for cars. Some streets are pedestrian only and some prohibit cars but not bikes, so be aware of the street signs. If a sign says “ausgennomen Velos,” it means that vehicles are not permitted to enter, but this excludes bikes, so they are permitted on that particular street.
Upon Arrival 13
If riding your bike at night, you are required by law to have a white light on the front of your bike and a red light on the back. The Migro at Claraplatz has a sports equip-ment shop that has a decent variety of bike equipment at a low cost. Always remember to lock your bike to some-thing, even if it is just the wheel to the frame of the bike. Bikes are often stolen if they are not locked, so don’t let it happen to you!
There are several bike repair shops all over the city, but some of them can be expensive. Ask your classmates if they can recommend a repair shop or if they know how to repair bikes (usually the Swiss students are experts) and could help you. If you would like to repair the bike yourself, VeloPlus offers a workshop where you can purchase the parts you need and use their tools free of charge to complete your repairs. VeloPlus also sells bike insurance if you need to purchase your tags.
VeloPlusLeimenstrasse 78
CH–4051 Baselwww.veloplus.ch
Children sledding down Mt. Rigi, near Luzern.
Good to Know
Switzerland is a cash country. Most places will not take your credit card, and coins are extremely handy to have.
Black and white prints are free at school and printers are available within or very close to the classrooms. If you need a color print, ask Yolande about print cards.
SwissCom provides a service for students where you can use the username and password issued to you by the FHNW to access the Internet. Look for MOBILE. You can also login to the Unibas Internet connection with this same name and password.
The Schule für Gestaltung Basel has a library of art and design at Spalenvorstadt 2, CH–4003 Basel, where you can receive a library card for the duration of your stay. You can also use this card at the Kunstmuseum’s library and/or the Öffentliche Bibliothek at the Universität Basel.
Stores are closed for lunch, typically close sometime around 6:30 in the evening, and are not open on Sundays. COOP Prontos and grocery stores located at the train stations are open for extended hours.
Basel has several city-wide festivals. If you visit in the fall semester, you will be able to see the Herbstmesse (Fall Festival) and Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas Market). In the spring semester, you will have the chance to experience the world famous Basel Fasnacht (Carnival) celebration.
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Inside the VitraHaus.
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Things to Do & See in Switzerland
The Basel tourist office is located near Barfüßerplatz.
Basel has over 40 museums. Be sure to visit the Paper Mu-seum, the Kunstmueum, Foundation Beyeler, the Tinguely Museum, and the Vitra Design Museum.
Historical sites in Basel include Das Basler Münster is the city cathedral, built on the Rhein at the site of a Roman settlement and the Spalentor, the old city gate.
The Basel Zoo and the Unibas Botanischer Gartens are famous throughout Europe. The botanical gardens are free to all, and the zoo offers student pricing.
Baselland offers nearby and inexpensive destinations, all of which can be accessed via Bahnhof SBB. Augusta Raurica is a nearby Roman settlement with ruins of an amphitheater, Dornach, a small town near Basel, is home some very unique architecture from the anthrophoso-phical movemement, including the Goetheanum, and Münchenstein is the town where the Haas Type Foundry was housed and Helvetica was designed.
The cities of Luzern, Zürich, Bern, Lausanne, and Neuchâtel are all within a 1-2 hour journey by train.
Popular skiing destinations include Engelberg, Interlaken, Zermatt, St. Moritz, Grindelwald, etc.
Try some of Swiss food and drink: cheese fondue, raclette, glühwein, flammkuchen, rösti, butterzopf bread, etc.
Good to Know
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Trams at Barfüßerplatz.
Helpful German Phrases
Grüezi! is the Swiss German way to say Hello!
Merci! is how Baslers say thank you.
Entschuldigung! means excuse me. This is very useful when on the tram. You will also often hear people say Pardon because of Basel’s proximity to France.
Sprechen Sie Englisch? is a good way to start speaking to someone if you do know know German, especially at the train station, the bank, etc. It means Do you speak English?
Ich möchte... is useful for making requests. The phrase translates to I would like...
Genau is how one says exactly, right, or correct. Your professors will often say this when affirming that you understood something.
Bahnhof is German for train station.
View of Kleinbasel, Mittlerebrucke, and the Rhein River.
Good to Know
Other Helpful Websites
City of Baselhttp://www.basel.ch/en/
Eating Out in Baselhttp://www.basel-restaurants.ch/english/index.html
Eventshttp://www.denkmal.org/http://www.usgang.ch/ http://www.festzeit.ch/
Universität Baselhttp://www.unibas.ch/
Swiss Tourismhttp://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
Eurailhttp://www.eurail.com/home
Rail Europehttp://www.raileurope.com/index.html
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Design, photography, and information by Lisa Bambach, Graphic Design 2012
Last Updated March 2011