Program Highlights

Program Dates

June 26 – July 24, 2027

Faculty Director

Connor McMahon, Assistant Teaching Professor, UNC Department of Computer Science

Connor “Cece” McMahon is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has led multiple study abroad programs in Denmark, Sweden, and Japan. Her excellence in teaching has been recognized with the Chancellor’s Student Undergraduate Teaching Award and the Department of Computer Science Undergraduate Faculty Award. She earned her graduate degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and her undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Program Highlights

Over four weeks in Helsinki and Tallinn, students will examine how technology shapes individuals, institutions, and society. Using Finland and Estonia as case studies, the program explores three interconnected themes: technology and human flourishing, technology and education, and technology and democratic governance. Through these themes, students will explore questions such as: How does technology influence our daily lives, choices, and well-being? What principles should guide the design of user-centered technologies?  How can societies leverage technology to improve education and public services? How should governments regulate emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence? And how can innovation be encouraged while protecting privacy, autonomy, and the public good? 

Through visits to museums, public institutions, local companies, and cultural sites, students will engage directly with the ideas that have helped make Finland and Estonia global leaders in education, digital innovation, and societal well-being. Students will explore why Finland is consistently ranked among the happiest countries in the world, examine Estonia’s emergence as one of the world’s most digitally advanced societies, and how both countries have leveraged education, social trust, and strong public institutions to support technological and economic development.