Browse all Scandinavian Studies courses →
Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison
GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.
Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.
No released grades for this term.
21 courses
An examination of mythology, literature, ritual, and religion from Nordic areas and Scandinavia, focusing on pre-Christian beliefs and medieval folklore.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Scott Mellor
The course required heavy reading and assignments, with grades often dependent on essays that students described as difficult to master.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Sexual Politics in Scandinavia: Read and discuss works by Scandinavian writers of the nineteenth and twentieth century reflecting sexual politics and the roles of women in literature. Taught in English.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Liina-Ly Roos
Expect a heavy viewing load, as students reported needing to watch many films outside of class time.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Fall 2025 · limited sampleCovers political, social, economic, and cultural development in Scandinavia since 1815, including nationalism, industrialization, democratization, welfare states, and WWII.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Dean Krouk
The class involved a lot of reading and a good amount of writing, which students considered expected for a history course.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Spring 2025 · limited sampleExplore major questions in animal studies through Nordic novels, tales, and films, examining human-animal distinctions and representations in the Anthropocene.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sampleSecond Semester Norwegian for beginning learners, focusing on speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural communication.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sampleSecond Semester Swedish for beginning learners focusing on proficiency through speaking, listening, reading, and writing in cultural context.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Liina-Ly Roos
The course was rated moderately difficult, with no specific details provided about homework volume or exam frequency beyond the general rating.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sampleSecond Semester Danish is a beginning-level course focusing on speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural communication.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sampleSecond Semester Finnish for beginning learners, emphasizing proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing within cultural context.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Second Year Norwegian focuses on rapid reading of texts by modern writers and developing intermediate-level spoken and written proficiency.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Peggy Hager
One student felt they must go to class if they wanted to succeed in the course.
No recorded grade history
Second-year Swedish course focusing on reading selections from Swedish writers, grammar review, and conversation to develop intermediate language skills.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Liina-Ly Roos
Students reported doing lots of textbook and workbook activities as part of the coursework.
No recorded grade history
Second-year Danish course covering readings from Danish writers, grammar review, and conversation.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Investigates the genre of autobiography in historical, cultural, and literary contexts, highlighting Nordic authors and analyzing writing through lenses of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Intensive spoken and written work in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish based on contemporary readings for Contemporary Scandinavian Languages.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2025 · limited sampleIntroduces Northern European languages like Sami and Estonian through practice, grammar, culture, and literature, covering Germanic, Uralic, and Baltic families.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Concentrated study of topics within Scandinavian literature, examining authors, genres, movements, and critical engagement with texts and scholarship.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sampleIntensive study of dramatic production and Ibsen's role as the founder of modern drama, focusing on his plays' forms, contexts, and themes.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Introduction to Søren Kierkegaard and existentialism in Scandinavian literature, covering his work in translation and influence on writers from the 19th to 21st centuries.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2024 · limited sampleAnalyzes English translations of key works by Nordic filmmakers alongside theories, histories, and the evolving concept of film authorship in the region.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sampleDirected Study: Advanced directed study projects as arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Independent Study is a faculty-guided in depth study of a topic.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Research and Thesis offers advanced mentored reading and research for students with dissertator status.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history