SCAND ST 102 – Second Semester Norwegian
(4 credits)
- Section 001: MTWRF 9:55-10:45 am Room: 383 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Laura Moquin
- Section 002: MTWRF 1:20-2:10 pm Room: 490 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Peggy Hager
(Section 002 of this course is also offered for graduate students as SCAND ST 404 (section 2).)
Prerequisites: SCAND ST 101 or appropriate score on the placement exam. Open to first year students.
Language of Instruction: Norwegian
Description: This course continues to build basic skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing Norwegian. We offer a thematic, communicative approach to language teaching that strives to put language in the context of culture. Classroom time focuses on communication and listening, as well as introducing basic grammatical concepts. Homework centers on reinforcing vocabulary, reading, grammar exercises and writing. Thematic units covered in Norwegian 102 include clothing, family and relationships, appearance and personality, celebrations, hometowns and housing, work and economy. We end the semester with a student-produced group video project.
The final grade is determined as follows:
– attendance and participation – 10%
– homework – 15%
– essays – 10%
– in-class quizzes – 10%
– exams (4 exams) – 50%
– oral exam – 5%
Required texts:
- Sett i gang I (chapters 13-15) Sett i gang II (chapters 16-23) (authors: Kari Lie Dorer and Nancy Aarsvold)
Audio and online exercises free and online.
SCAND ST 112 – Second Semester Swedish
MTWRF 12:05-12:55 pm Room: 391 Van Hise Hall Instructor: TBD (4 credits)
Prerequisites: SCAND ST 111 or appropriate score on the placement exam. Open to first year students.
Description: Continuation of SCAND ST 111 as an introduction to the Swedish language.
SCAND ST 122 – Second Semester Danish
MTWRF 11:00-11:50 am Room: 479 Van Hise Hall Instructor: TBD (4 credits)
Prerequisites: SCAND ST 121 or appropriate score on the placement exam. Open to first year students.
Description: Continuation of SCAND ST 121 as an introduction to the Danish language.
SCAND ST 132 – Second Semester Finnish
MTWRF 11:00-11:50 am Room: 482 Van Hise Hall Instructor: TBD (4 credits)
Prerequisites: SCAND ST 131 or appropriate score on the placement exam. Open to first year students.
Description: Spoken and written Finnish for students without previous knowledge. Continuation of Scand St. 131.
SCAND ST 202 – Second Year Norwegian
MTWR 2:25-3:15 pm Room: 375 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Peggy Hager (4 credits)
Prerequisites: SCAND ST 201 or appropriate score on the placement exam.
(This course is also offered for graduate students as SCAND ST 404 (section 4).)
Language of Instruction: Norwegian
SCAND ST 202 is an intermediate fourth semester language course that requires the completion of Norwegian 201 or equivalent. The course builds on the vocabulary and topics introduced in third semester Norwegian and explores various aspects of Norwegian culture through texts, video, internet and classroom discussion. Classroom topics include Vikings, Nordic mythology, Norwegian language and dialects, and Norway as a modern welfare state. Students read and discuss Naiv. Super by contemporary Norwegian writer Erlend Loe. An important component of fourth semester Norwegian is individual oral presentations in Norwegian on a topic of interest related to Norway.
The final grade is determined as follows:
– attendance and participation – 10%
– homework – 15%
– essays – 10%
– oral presentations – 10%
– exams – 40%
– oral exam – 5%
– final paper – 10%
Required texts:
- Naiv. Super by Erlend Loe (available at amazon.com Nelsbok edition)
Other materials free and online.
SCAND ST 212 – Second Year Swedish
MTWR 11:00-11:50 am Room: 490 Van Hise Hall Instructor: TBD (4 credits)
Prerequisites: SCAND ST 211 or consent of instructor.
Description: Continuation of SCAND ST 211 Second Semester Swedish.
SCAND ST 222 – Second Year Danish
MTWR 9:55-10:45 am Room: 379 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Nete Schmidt (4 credits)
Prerequisites: SCAND ST 221 or appropriate score on the placement exam.
Language of Instruction: Danish
Description: The purpose of this class is to continue building on the Danish skills gained in 121, 122, and 221. Our motto will be: The more Danish, the better! We will be talking, listening, reading and writing. We will include more grammar and grammatical exercises, and we will expand your vocabulary, working towards a higher degree of proficiency in Danish. Apart from continuing with the textbooks, we will also be reading more authentic texts that cover aspects of Danish culture and the Danes, so we can continue analyzing and comparing with that of the US. We will also read short stories by current authors. We will focus on contemporary reading and include films, songs, and audios, representing Danish popular culture. We will include new technology to enhance our authentic language and culture acquisition.
Please contact aschmidt2@wisc.edu with any questions.
LITTRANS 275/SCAND ST 475 – Hans Christian Andersen
(3-4 credits)
- LITTRANS 275 – Lecture 1:
- Online Instructor: Scott Mellor (3 credits)
- LITTRANS 275 (with discussion) – Lecture 2:
- MWF 9:55-10:45 am Instructor: Claus E. Andersen (4 credits)
- Discussion 301: T 11:00-11:50 am
- Discussion 302: W 11:00-11:50 am
- MWF 9:55-10:45 am Instructor: Claus E. Andersen (4 credits)
- SCAND ST 475 – Lecture 2:
- MWF 9:55-10:45 am Instructor: Claus E. Andersen (4 credits)
- LITTRANS 275 – Lecture 3:
- MWF 9:55-10:45 am Instructor: Claus E. Andersen (3 credits)
Prerequisites: Contact instructors.
(Some lecture sections are meets with. Credits are determined by which lecture section students are enrolled in. Course work may vary based on which lecture section students are enrolled in.)
Description for LITTRANS 275 – Lecture 1: Hans Christian Andersen loved to tell stories to children, but he loathed the reputation that he was only a children’s author. Andersen is a splendid storyteller–he entertains us well–but in order to dispel some common, but sorely mistaken, notions about him, please keep in mind that Andersen is not a sweetly amiable, pleasant, sentimentally naive and childlike storyteller. He can pretend to be all that, but the best of his tales have a sting; they are humorous, but darkly so; and they probe into moral and existential issues that remain with us. His stories explore the human soul and deal with its complexity. Do not expect simplicity–expect the opposite! We will be looking at his tales, his life and his 19th century Danish and European context. Niels Ingwersen and Scott A. Mellor developed this course. It is primarily Mr. Ingwersen you see in the on-line lectures, but the instructor and developer of the Canvas material for this course is Scott A. Mellor.
Please contact samellor@wisc.edu with any questions.
Description for LITTRANS 275/SCAND ST 475 – Lectures 2 and 3: Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales are known all over the world. He wrote The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling and many, many more. This course to going to familiarize you with the works of Hans Christian Andersen, with an emphasis on his fairy tales. During the course, we will read and analyze some of his best-known fairytales, but also look at a few texts from some of the other genres he mastered. Our readings will include the biographical traits of his stories, but will primarily focus on his mastery of the genre and his complex narrative method. We will also talk about the time and place in which Hans Christian Andersen wrote his fairytales – Denmark in the 19th century – and discuss how this influenced his stories. Though his stories/tales might seem simply, they are complex literary artifacts. This course will argue that Andersen should be considered one of the great authors of the 19th century, not just an author of simple fairy tales for children.
Please contact ceandersen2@wisc.edu with any questions.
SCAND ST 374/LITTRANS 274 – Scandinavian Literature: The 20th Century
TR 12:05-12:55 pm Room: 201 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Susan Brantly (3 credits)
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for LITTRANS 274. Students taking the class as SCAND ST 374 must have some knowledge of a Nordic language.
May be taken for honors credit. Counts toward the literature breadth requirement. Scan 374 counts towards the Scandinavian Certificate or Major.
Language of instruction: English
Description: Can thrillers, science fiction novels, or films be literary masterpieces? Yes they can! Explore the changing fashions in literature throughout the 20th Century, while you learn important survival skills for the media age. Everybody wants something, so how do you assess what different writers want from you, and what tricks do they use to go about getting it? Through a selection of short texts, novels, and plays, we’ll be learning from some of the best: Nobel Laureates (Knut Hamsun, Pär Lagerkvist), medical doctors (P.C. Jersild), and other provocateurs (August Strindberg, Isak Dinesen, Ingmar Berman, Peter Høeg, and the rest).
The grade is determined by three essay exams taken every fifth week (100%).
Some texts will be available through the course web site in Canvas. The books to be purchased include:
- Knut Hamsun, Hunger
- Pär Lagerkvist, The Dwarf
- Peter Hoeg, Smilla’s Sense of Snow
- Isak Dinesen, Seven Gothic Tales
- P.C. Jersild, A Living Soul
- Hjalmar Söderberg, Dr. Glas
SCAND ST 401 – Contemporary Scandinavian Languages
MWF 12:05-12:55 pm Room: 579 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Dean Krouk/Claus E. Andersen/Scott Mellor (3 credits)
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Description: Intensive work in spoken and written Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, based on contemporary readings, for undergraduate and graduate students with a basic command of a Scandinavian language.
Please contact krouk@wisc.edu , ceandersen2@wisc.edu , or samellor@wisc.edu with any questions.
SCAND ST 404 – Languages of Northern Europe (4 Sections)
(Lecture 2: Second Semester Norwegian meets with SCAND ST 102 (section 2). Lecture 4: Second Year Norwegian meets with SCAND ST 202.)
Lecture 1: Modern Icelandic
MTWRF 8:50-9:40 am Room: 355 Van Hise Hall Instructor: TBD (4 credits)
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Lecture 2: Second Semester Norwegian
MTWRF 1:20-2:10 pm Room: 490 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Peggy Hager (4 credits)
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Lecture 3: Second Semester Finnish
MTWRF 11:00-11:50 am Room: 482 Van Hise Hall Instructor: TBD (4 credits)
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Lecture 4: Second Year Norwegian
MTWR 2:25-3:15 pm Room: 375 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Peggy Hager (4 credits)
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Prerequisites: Contact instructors.
Description: Introduction to languages of Northern Europe not covered by other department courses (e.g., Sami, Estonian). Practice in language, accompanied by introduction to grammar, culture, and literature.
SCAND ST 411 – Norden
T 4:00-5:15 pm Room: 1312 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Scott Mellor (1 credits)
Prerequisites: Contact instructor.
Description: This course will offer an introduction to the cultures and societies of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden by looking at Viking period through the Reformation. This semester we will be looking at Scandinavian culture from 750-1524 or the Viking period through the Reformation. We will explore such issues as class, gender, race, exploration, colonialization and warfare. The course is open to all ILC residents and will be conducted in English.
Please contact samellor@wisc.edu with any questions.
SCAND ST 422/LITTRANS 335/THEATER 335 – The Drama of Henrik Ibsen
TR 1:00-2:15 pm Room: 1339 Sterling Hall Instructor: Dean Krouk (4 credits)
Prerequisites: None. Open to first-year students.
Language of instruction: English
Description: Often considered “the father of modern drama,” the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) is a major figure of world literature whose dramatic works remain fascinating and globally influential, both as texts and through performance and adaptation. In this course, students read and discuss Ibsen in English translation, with a focus on Ibsen’s historical contexts, dramatic techniques, social and political thought, and the reception and interpretation of his work in modern culture. In particular, we will discuss Ibsen’s famously provocative portrayals of women in plays such as Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, Rosmersholm, and A Doll’s House.
Required texts (please only purchase the Penguin Classics editions):
- A Doll’s House and Other Plays, Henrik Ibsen
- The Master Builder and Other Plays, Henrik Ibsen
- Hedda Gabler and Other Plays, Henrik Ibsen
- Peer Gynt and Brand, Henrik Ibsen
Additional texts will be available through the Canvas course website.
SCAND ST 432/HISTORY 432 – History of Scandinavia since 1815
TR 3:30-4:20 pm Room: 201 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Dean Krouk (4 credits)
Discussion sections:
- Section 301: W 3:30-4:20 pm Room: 201 Van Hise Hall
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing.
Language of instruction: English
Description: This course offers a survey of the modern history of Scandinavia and the Nordic region, from 1815 to the present. Our main focus will be on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Among the issues and concepts that we will explore are: political and cultural nationalism; modernization and modernity; Second World War experiences and neutrality; social democracy and the Nordic model; gender equality; the European Union; globalization. While there are no prerequisites, familiarity with modern European history since 1815 will be helpful. Assignments include written exams and research essays.
Required texts:
- Scandinavia since 1500, Byron Nordstrom
- The Nordic Model: Scandinavia since 1945, Mary Hilson
- War Diaries, 1939-1945, Astrid Lindgren
Additional texts will be available through the Canvas course website.
Please contact krouk@wisc.edu with any questions.
SCAND ST 433/FOLKLORE 345/LITTRANS 345/MEDIEVAL 345 – Scandinavian Tale and Ballad
TR 1:00-2:15 pm Room: 578 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Scott Mellor (4 credits)
Prerequisites: Junior standing or higher.
Description: The genres of ballad and tale, which originate in the distant past, have often been scorned by the literary establishment, but the fact that they survived through centuries of oral transmission until they were finally recorded in the fairly recent past testifies to their lasting existential appeal. The stories these texts tell are dashingly entertaining and often deeply disturbing: they may offer a profoundly fatalistic view of existence, but they may also voice an angry and, at the same time, humorous protest against oppression. When this narrative type was discovered by scholars and the societal elite about 1800, it inspired many first-rank Nordic authors, e.g., Hans Christian Andersen, Henrik Ibsen, Selma Lagerlöf; and in the 20th century it has cast its spell over Isak Dinesen, Villy Sørensen, and Pär Lagerkvist and its influence has moved from literary to other media today. The course examines both the original literature and its modern “imitations” as well as gives an introduction to the critical methodologies that have recently been developed to deal with this seemingly simple, but in reality highly sophisticated, narrative.
Please contact samellor@wisc.edu with any questions.
SCAND ST 435 – The Icelandic Sagas
TR 11:00 am-12:15 pm Room: 583 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Kirsten Wolf (4 credits)
Prerequisites: Contact instructor.
Description: The course is designed to give students an understanding of saga literature as a genre and of the cultural history of Iceland in the Viking Era and the Middle Ages, based on the interplay between pagan codes of honor and Christian ethics. The course opens with a survey of the history of Iceland from its discovery until the end of the Icelandic Commonwealth (1262). A number of Sagas of Icelanders will be read and analyzed. Main points of discussion include the heroic ideal, codes of honor, concepts of fate, jurisprudence, and the role of women.
The final grade is determined as follows: two written examinations (midterm and final). For graduate students taking the course, two written examinations (midterm and final) and one class presentation are required.
Required texts:
- The Sagas of Icelanders. With a preface by Jane Smiley. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2000.
- Njal’s saga. Trans. Robert Cook. London: Penguin Books.
Please contact kirstenwolf@wisc.edu with any questions.
SCAND ST 436/LITRANS 324 – Criminal Utopias
TR 11:00 am-12:15 pm Room: 1313 Sterling Hall Instructor: Nete Schmidt (4 credits)
Prerequisites: None. Open to first-year students.
Language of Instruction: English
Description: Science fiction portrays imaginary realms which illustrate the highest potential for the achievements of the human race, both spiritually in conjunction with ideologies, philosophies, and religions, and technologically in conjunction with technical advances, technological inventions, and practical innovations in our contemporary lives. At the same time, science fiction depicts the lowest common denominator of the potential of humanity in its inherent criticism of existing social human interactions, conditions, and societies. Similarly, crime fiction shows the dualistic nature of the human race in its portrayal of the basest acts of humanity and the most exemplary human reaction to such acts. Hence, both genres are related in their exploration of the nature of good and evil and, consequently, eminently capable of spurring existential discussions about the role of humankind and our power to influence our surroundings. They both question the essence of the status quo and yield different answers to such essential questions as the nature of personal identities, values, beliefs, and worldviews. Obviously, since they both allow a critique of contemporary society, it is, then, very relevant to ask why one genre is more popular than the other in Scandinavia. This course will attempt to answer that question. It will, furthermore, include an examination of the origins of science fiction and the crime literature genre in a broader historical perspective, drawing on British and American texts and theories. Through the reading of a variety of novels and short stories, as well as viewing of films, the course aims to heighten the ability of the students to engage in analytical and critical thinking, voice coherent argumentation, explore, examine, reason, and write academic essays. The investigation of human issues is relevant to all literature courses; science fiction and crime literature is particularly relevant in its enquiry into human nature for better and worse, and this course will focus on the particular Scandinavian response to the above-mentioned questions as portrayed in two popular culture genres.
Please email aschmidt2@wisc.edu with any questions.
SCAND ST 510 – Topics in Scandinavian Linguistics
TR 9:30-10:45 am Room: 206 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Kirsten Wolf (3 credits)
Prerequisites: Contact Instructor
Description: The course is intended as a hands-on introduction to a topic in Scandinavian language study and designed to be relevant for graduates studying Scandianvian linguistics/philology.
The topics of the course vary and are dependent on the students’ and professor’s current research interests. The idea is to guide students through the process of conducting research for an academic article: from deciding on a theoretical approach to collecting and analyzing data to presenting findings and results in a professional manner. The course is conducted as a seminar, in which students discuss approaches and conclusions and share data. During the last five weeks of the course, the students will work individually with the professor on the final written presentation, which will determine the final grade.
Please contact kirstenwolf@wisc.edu with any questions.
SCAND ST 520/LITTRANS 340 – Scandinavian Humor and Noir
MWF 11:00-11:50 am Room: 1335 Sterling Hall Instructor: Nete Schmidt (4 credits)
Prerequisites: 2 years of Scandinavian language or equivalent or instructor’s consent.
Language of Instruction: English
Description: The purpose of this class is to explore female and male writers from Scandinavia who, in their older and newer works, all encompass an element of either humor or darkness.
We will be attempting to pinpoint the qualities of Scandinavian Humor, which is frequently quite dark, as well as the qualities of Scandinavian ‘noir’, which may also be quite humorous and / or ironic.
We will watch several movies to enhance our readings, and students will be sharing their perceptions through presentations. We will read novels, short stories, poems, and theory in both a historical and literary context.
Further, we will discuss the use of humor and noir in Scandinavia to that in the U.S. before and now.
We will use movies to enhance our appreciation of the concepts.
Please contact aschmidt2@wisc.edu with any questions.
SCAND ST 634 – Survey of Scandinavian Literature: 1500-1800
TR 2:30-3:45 pm Room: 1351 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Susan Brantly (3 credits)
Prerequisites: SCAND ST 202, SCAND ST 212, and SCAND ST 222 or graduate/professional standing.
Language of instruction: English. All readings are in the original Nordic languages.
Description: Survey of representative literary texts from Scandinavia spanning from the Baroque to the Rococo. You will also gain a general knowledge of the historical context that produced these texts. Particular concepts explained and explored include: Reformation, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Pre-Romanticism.
In Scandinavia, 1500-1800 is a period of nation building and the rise and fall of empires. The texts from the Baroque period are profoundly impacted by the Lutheran reformation and the expanding empires of both Denmark and Sweden. The creation of a national literature was one way to establish the Nordic countries as cultural powers, in addition to military and political powers. Georg Stiernhielm asserted that Swedish was the language of Adam, and Olaf Rudbeck claimed Sweden was the lost Atlantis. During the 1700s, the Nordic countries no longer could be considered great military powers. The Enlightenment gradually took hold and lead to advances in science and culture. The Rococo becomes the light-hearted conclusion to almost three centuries of constant warfare.
The final grade is determined as follows:
- Papers (70%)
- Final Exam (30%)
Course texts will be provided through the Canvas site.
SCAND ST 901 – Seminar: Knausgård, the Novel, and the Postfictional Turn
M 1:20-3:15 pm Room: 474 Van Hise Hall Instructor: Claus E. Andersen (3 credits)
Prerequisites: Contact instructor.
Description: Karl Ove Knausgård’s My Struggle is a six-volume autobiographical work that has had a profound impact on the world literary scene during the past decade. In this graduate seminar, we explore why this work by a Norwegian author has been named a literary masterpiece and investigate My Struggle in the light of a recent “postfictional turn” in literature. As an integral part of the course, and partly through student presentations, we include a number of authors whose recent works, like Knausgård’s, have demonstrated a thematic and formal shift away from representative fiction – including Chris Kraus, Rachel Cusk, Ben Lerner, and Sheila Heti. We study how these authors challenge the notion of novels as fiction, with contemporary theories of fiction, fictionality and the novel framing our readings and discussions. While maintaining a focus on the challenge My Struggle poses to literary theory, specifically poststructuralism, this course also introduces the existing scholarship on My Struggle both in Scandinavia and in the United States.
Please contact ceandersen2@wisc.edu with any questions.
THE FOLLOWING COURSE ARE OFFERED AS INDEPENDENT STUDY OPTIONS.
- SCAND ST 299 – Directed Study (1-3 credits)
- SCAND ST 698 – Directed Study (1-6 credits)
- SCAND ST 699 – Directed Study (1-6 credits)
- SCAND ST 799 – Independent Study (1-6 credits)
- SCAND ST 990– Independent Study: Research and Thesis (1-6 credits)
Note: These courses require consent of instructor.
For questions regarding these courses please contact instructor or email us at: info@gns.wisc.edu