History of Scandinavian Studies (Nordic) at UW-Madison
Established in 1875, the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the oldest Scandinavian Studies department in the United States. Since its founding, the department has offered a variety of courses on literature, language/linguistics, culture, philology, and folklore, within the field of Scandinavian and Nordic.
Nordic Events
There are no upcoming events.
Nordic News
Announcing 2026-2027 Polish Language, Literature, and Culture Awards
The UW–Madison Polish Program is pleased to announce the winners of the Lapinski and Gąsiorowska awards for the academic year 2026-2027. Among the awardees are undergraduate and graduate students who will receive financial support for …
Journal of Finnish Studies Podcast with Tom DuBois
Tom DuBois was joined by Anne Mäntynen, professor of nonfiction in the Finnish language department at the University of Helsinki, to discuss the Journal of Finnish Studies on November 24, 2025. The two professors, while …
Announcing 2025 Madison Polish Film Festival
The Madison Polish Film Festival is back! This year’s edition will take place on November 9 and November 16 at the Marquee Cinema (located in Union South) on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. All screenings …
Nordic Program Partners
Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Culture
The Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures is committed to the languages and cultural traditions of this region's diverse peoples. We foster research and the preservation of archival collections, while producing educational and outreach programs for a broad public audience. We also assist community groups, classrooms, and scholars with projects involving Upper Midwestern Cultures
Scan-Design Fellowship
In 2010, the ScanDesign Foundation by Inger and Jens Bruun, based in Seattle, Washington, established a study abroad fellowship program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The program is designed to foster Danish-American relations by providing generous financial support to undergraduate and graduate students who have been accepted to study abroad in Denmark.
Folklore Program
The Folklore Program is a multidisciplinary field of study concerned with the documentation and analysis of verbal, customary, musical, material, and performance traditions. From oral stories to folksongs, dance to fiber arts, students in the Folklore Program use ethnographic methods to examine how traditions are sustained, revived, modified, or invented by individuals and communities. The Folklore Program is housed within GNS+ and offers courses on form, theory, methods, and public presentation, with an emphasis on cross-cultural approaches.
Newsletters
Scandinavian Studies Newsletter, Fall 2024
Scandinavian Studies Newsletter, Spring 2024
Scandinavian Studies Newsletter, Fall 2023
Scandinavian Studies Newsletter, 2022-2023
To see past newsletters click here.
Events
(function(){var d=document,s=d.createElement(‘script’),
i=’ai1ec-script’;if(d.getElementById(i))return;s.async=1;
s.id=i;s.src=’//gns.wisc.edu/?ai1ec_js_widget’;
d.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(s);})();