Scandinavian Studies course catalog

All 73 recorded UW–Madison courses in this department, including courses not offered this term. Open a course for prerequisites, historical grades and instructors.

• FOLKLORE/LITTRANS/MEDIEVAL/SCANDST 345: The Nordic Storyteller

  Credits unavailable

  Exploring the oral nature and performance traditions of folklore, ethnography, tales and ballads, literature and culture from Nordic areas and Scandinavia.

• FOLKLORE/MEDIEVAL/RELIGST/SCANDST 342: Nordic Mythology

  Credits unavailable

  Mythology, literature, ritual, traditions, medieval folklore, and religion from Nordic areas and Scandinavia.

• FOLKLORE/MEDIEVAL/SCANDST 235: The World of Sagas

  3 credits

  The Icelandic sagas viewed in their social, cultural, and literary contexts. An introduction to one of the greatest bodies of vernacular literature of the early Middle Ages.

• FOLKLORE/MEDIEVAL/SCANDST 446: Celtic-scandinavian Cultural Interrelations

  Credits unavailable

  Examination of shared traditions and historical connections between the North and Northwest of Europe. Readings of medieval and pre-modern Scandinavian, Scottish, Welsh and Irish sagas, histories, talkes. Discussion of the role of folklore in modern Celtic and Scandinavian societies.

• FOLKLORE/SCANDST 440: Scandinavian American Folklore

  Credits unavailable

  Examines the verbal, musical, customary, and material folklore of Scandinavian Americans, with emphasis on the upper Midwest.

• FOLKLORE/SCANDST 443: Sami Culture, Yesterday and Today

  4 credits

  Interdisciplinary study of Sami (Lapp) people of Scandinavia past and present. Indigenous modes of expression and worldview, contemporary cultural and political activism. Extensive discussion of connections to Native American and Inuit experiences; rise of U.S. and other indigenous peoples' movements.

• GEN&WS/LITTRANS/SCANDST 438: Sexual Politics in Scandinavia

  Credits unavailable

  Read and discuss works by Scandinavian writers of the nineteenth and twentieth century reflecting sexual politics and the roles of women in literature. Course taught in English.

• HISTORY/SCANDST 431: History of Scandinavia to 1815

  3 credits

  Political, social, economic, and cultural developments of Scandinavia through the "Viking Age" to the break-up of Sweden-Finland and Denmark-Norway; emphasis on the interplay between social and political forces and institutions and the area's relationship with the rest of Europe.

• HISTORY/SCANDST 432: History of Scandinavia Since 1815

  Credits unavailable

  Political, social, economic, and cultural development: political realignments and rise of nationalism, industrialization and rise of liberalism and socialism, democratization, independence struggles and social conflict, evolution of welfare states, World War II and its aftermath.

• HISTORY/SCANDST 577: Contemporary Scandinavia: Politics and History

  Credits unavailable

  Social, economic, and ideological changes, institutions, and movements and their relationships with the political processes and structures in the Nordic states.

• ILS/LITTRANS/SCANDST 321: Humans and Other Animals in Nordic Literature and Film

  Credits unavailable

  Engage with major questions in the field of animal studies while studying a variety of Nordic texts that center the animal, including novels, tales, and feature and documentary films. Through fiction, film, and theory, tackle questions such as: What distinguishes humans from animals? Can humans speak for animals, and should they try? And, what can Nordic literature and film teach us about humans and other animals in the Anthropocene?

• LITTRANS/SCANDST 320: The Nordic Child

  Credits unavailable

  Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking is an icon of childhood in the Nordic countries and beyond. Pippi has come to symbolize the Nordic "autonomous" child par excellence. Takes up a diverse selection of books and films that represent both the common ideas of the Nordic Child, as well as various elaborations of and exceptions to the idealized norm. Examines a number of the prevalent forms and themes in Nordic children's culture, such as nature, play, school, sexuality, death, loss, and storytelling.

• LITTRANS/SCANDST 428: Memory and Literature From Proust to Knausgard

  3 credits

  Investigates the relations between theories of memory, both individual and collective, and modern literary representations of remembering. Survey seminal conceptions of memory in the interdisciplinary field of memory studies, investigating topics such as nostalgia, trauma, personal and cultural identity, war and Holocaust, sites of memory, and autobiographical narrative. Through the avenues opened up by these theoretical frameworks, consider the narrative forms as well as the ethical and political dimensions of remembering in major novels by Marcel Proust, W. G. Sebald, and Karl Ove Knausgard.

• LITTRANS/SCANDST 435: The Sagas of Icelanders in English Translation

  Credits unavailable

  The prose narratives of medieval Iceland. Gain 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. In addition, gain an understanding of the methodological problems involved in studying sagas as historical documents.

• MEDIEVAL/SCANDST 407: Introductory Old Norse

  3 credits

  Designed with a linguistic purpose: to obtain a reading knowledge of Old Norse-Icelandic through the study of Old Icelandic grammar and selections of Old Norse-Icelandic texts.

• MEDIEVAL/SCANDST 408: Intermediate Old Norse

  Credits unavailable

  Designed with a linguistic purpose: to obtain a reading knowledge of Old Norse-Icelandic through the study of Old Icelandic grammar and selections of Old Norse-Icelandic texts.

• MEDIEVAL/SCANDST 409: Survey of Old Norse-icelandic Literature

  3 credits

  Eddic and skaldic poetry; homilies and saints' lives, kings' sagas, sagas of the Icelanders; mythical-heroic sagas and romances; rimur.

• MEDIEVAL/SCANDST 430: The Vikings

  Credits unavailable

  Within a historical framework, a thorough introduction to the culture, literature, and religion of the Vikings.

• MEDIEVAL/SCANDST 444: Kalevala and Finnish Folk-lore

  Credits unavailable

  Kalevala - the national epic of Finaland - and the oral literature of Finland.

• SCANDST 101: First Semester Norwegian

  4 credits

  For beginning learners of Norwegian; emphasis on proficiency through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and on communication in cultural context.

• SCANDST 102: Second Semester Norwegian

  Credits unavailable

  For beginning learners of Norwegian; emphasis on proficiency through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and on communication in cultural context.

• SCANDST 111: First Semester Swedish

  4 credits

  For beginning learners of Swedish; emphasis on proficiency through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and on communication in cultural context.

• SCANDST 112: Second Semester Swedish

  Credits unavailable

  For beginning learners of Swedish; emphasis on proficiency through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and on communication in cultural context.

• SCANDST 121: First Semester Danish

  4 credits

  For beginning learners of Danish; emphasis on proficiency through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and on communication in cultural context.

• SCANDST 122: Second Semester Danish

  Credits unavailable

  For beginning learners of Danish; emphasis on proficiency through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and on communication in cultural context.

• SCANDST 131: First Semester Finnish

  4 credits

  For beginning learners of Finnish; emphasis on proficiency through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and on communication in cultural context.

• SCANDST 132: Second Semester Finnish

  Credits unavailable

  For beginning learners of Finnish; emphasis on proficiency through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and on communication in cultural context.

• SCANDST 201: Second Year Norwegian

  4 credits

  Reading of selections from Norwegian writers, grammar review and conversation.

• SCANDST 202: Second Year Norwegian

  Credits unavailable

  Rapid reading of suitable Norwegian texts by modern writers.

• SCANDST 211: Second Year Swedish

  4 credits

  Reading of selections from Swedish writers, grammar review and conversation.

• SCANDST 212: Second Year Swedish

  Credits unavailable

  Reading of selections from Swedish writers, grammar review and conversation.

• SCANDST 221: Second Year Danish

  4 credits

  Reading of selections from Danish writers, grammar review and conversation.

• SCANDST 222: Second Year Danish

  Credits unavailable

  Reading of selections from Danish writers, grammar review and conversation.

• SCANDST 250: Introduction to Scandinavia

  Credits unavailable

  Provides an introductory survey of Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Approaches the source material by focusing on concepts such as environment and sustainability, nation, migration, diversity, family, childhood, happiness, and melancholy. Learn about modern and contemporary Northern European cultures through literature, film, television, music, and other media from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Sápmi, or the Baltic countries.

• SCANDST 251: Readings in Norwegian Literature

  3–4 credits

  Prose, poetry, and drama read in Norwegian. Taught extensively in Norwegian.

• SCANDST 261: Readings in Swedish Literature

  3–4 credits

  Prose, poetry, and drama read in Swedish. Taught extensively in Swedish.

• SCANDST 271: Readings in Danish Literature

  3–4 credits

  Prose, poetry, and drama read in Danish. Taught extensively in Danish.

• SCANDST 276: Culture & Community in Scandinavia

  Credits unavailable

  An extensive, wide-ranging introduction to the cultures of and community in the Scandinavian and Nordic Countries. Through a diverse series of guest lectures and discussions, explore the culture, arts, geography, history, religion, languages, music, literature, politics etc. of the Scandinavian countries.

• SCANDST 299: Directed Study

  Credits unavailable

  Directed study projects as arranged with a faculty member.

• SCANDST 348: The Second World War in Nordic Culture

  Credits unavailable

  How have the wartime issues of occupation, resistance, collaboration, neutrality, and the Holocaust been addressed in Nordic culture? During the Second World War, Norway and Denmark were invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany, while Sweden remained neutral and Finland fought against the Soviet Union. Resistance movements developed in the occupied countries, but some Norwegians and Danes collaborated with the occupying power and were tried for treason after the war. Become familiar with the basic history of the period by reading texts of various sorts (essays, novels, diaries, poetry, memoir) that were written during the war years and since. Through analyzing films and works of fiction, in addition to historical writing, learn how the Second World War and the Holocaust have been represented and remembered in the Nordic countries.

• SCANDST 355: Autobiography

  Credits unavailable

  Investigate the genre of autobiography in historical, cultural, and literary contexts, with a highlight of Nordic authors. Analyze autobiographical writing in the context of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality, while problematizing concepts such as "fiction," "truth" and "self."

• SCANDST 373: Masterpieces of Scandinavian Literature: From the Middle Ages to 1900

  Credits unavailable

  During the late Middle Ages, Scandinavian literature reached its first high point: The Old Norse sagas and poems. Study Scandinavian literature from the sagas to the prose and drama of the golden age of the late 19th century.

• SCANDST 374: Masterpieces of Scandinavian Literature: the Twentieth Century

  Credits unavailable

  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 Hoeg, and the rest).

• SCANDST 401: Contemporary Scandinavian Languages

  Credits unavailable

  Intensive work in spoken and written Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, based on contemporary readings.

• SCANDST 404: Languages of Northern Europe

  2–4 credits

  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. Other language-related topics offered occasionally; check timetable for details.

• SCANDST 410: Introduction to Scandinavian Linguistics

  Credits unavailable

  Scandinavia as a linguistic area. The main historical developments and structural features of the Scandinavian languages.

• SCANDST 411: Areas in Scandinavian Literature

  1 credits

  Concentrated study of topics within Scandinavian literature.

• SCANDST 415: History of the Scandinavian Languages Ii: Standard Languages

  Credits unavailable

  Study of Scandinavian languages from the early Scandinavian period to the present day.

• SCANDST 419: Scandinavian Children's Literature

  Credits unavailable

  Forms and themes of Scandinavian children's literature from the nineteenth century to the present. Exploration of the dominant concerns of authors, adult and non-adult audiences. Film adaptations and Scandinavian-American materials included.

• SCANDST 422: The Drama of Henrik Ibsen

  Credits unavailable

  Intensive study of dramatic production and the part played by Ibsen as the founder of modern drama.

• SCANDST 424: Nineteenth-century Scandinavian Fiction

  Credits unavailable

  Readings in such authors as Hans Christian Andersen, Steen Steensen Blicher, C.J.L. Almquist, Alexis Kivi, Bjornstjerne Bjornson, Jonas Lie, Alexander Kielland, Jens Peter Jacobsen, Henrik Pontoppidan, August Strindberg, Selma Lagerlof, and Johs V. Jensen.

• SCANDST 426: Kierkegaard and Scandinavian Literature

  Credits unavailable

  An introduction to Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and existentialism in Scandinavian literature. An overview into Kierkegaard's work in translation and his influence on a number of Scandinavian writers from the 19th century to the 21st.

• SCANDST 427: Contemporary Scandinavian Literature

  Credits unavailable

  Twentieth-century literary traditions and experiments, with attention to major movements, genres, and authors.

• SCANDST 434: The Art of Isak Dinesen/karen Blixen

  Credits unavailable

  Blixen's tales and biographical fiction; themes of gender, power, dreams, and love.

• SCANDST 436: Topics in Scandinavian Literature

  Credits unavailable

  An examination of selected topics in Scandinavian literature.

• SCANDST 439: Nordic Filmmakers

  Credits unavailable

  Analyze English translations of key works by Nordic filmmakers as well as theories, histories, and the changing meaning of film authorship in the Nordic region.

• SCANDST 450: Scandinavian Decadence in Its European Context

  Credits unavailable

  Examines the European context of literary decadence (Baudelaire, Huysmans, Wilde) and how it inspired some of Scandinavia's most important writers (Strindberg, Hamsun, Jacobsen).

• SCANDST 475: The Writings of Hans Christian Andersen for Scandinavian Majors

  Credits unavailable

  In-depth discussion of selected texts, historical and literary background material, application and discussion of pertinent literary criticism.

• SCANDST 476: Scandinavian Life and Civilization II

  Credits unavailable

  Scandinavian culture in all its aspects ranging from past history up to contemporary trends in politics and ideologies.

• SCANDST 510: Topics in Scandinavian Linguistics

  Credits unavailable

  Hands-on introduction to a topic in Scandinavian language study.

• SCANDST 511: Paleography and Philology - Old Norse

  Credits unavailable

  A history of writing in Iceland 1150-1550 on the basis of manuscripts as principal sources of evidence for Old Norse-Icelandic.

• SCANDST 520: Special Topics

  Credits unavailable

  Special topics in Scandinavian culture, literature, and linguistics.

• SCANDST 634: Survey of Scandinavian Literature: 1500-1800

  Credits unavailable

  Survey representative literary texts from Scandinavia spanning through Reformation, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Pre-Romanticism, including historical context.

• SCANDST 635: Survey of Scandinavian Literature: 1800-1890

  Credits unavailable

  Survey representative literary texts from Scandinavia spanning eras including Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism; includes historical context.

• SCANDST 681: Senior Honors Thesis

  Credits unavailable

  Mentored individual research and study for students completing a thesis in an Honors program.

• SCANDST 682: Senior Honors Thesis

  Credits unavailable

  Mentored individual research and study for students completing a thesis in an Honors program.

• SCANDST 698: Directed Study

  Credits unavailable

  Advanced directed study projects as arranged with a faculty member.

• SCANDST 699: Directed Study

  1–6 credits

  Advanced directed study projects as arranged with a faculty member.

• SCANDST 710: Topics in Depth

  Credits unavailable

  Penetrating study of an important Scandinavian literary or linguistic topic.

• SCANDST 799: Independent Study

  1–6 credits

  Faculty-guided in depth study of a topic.

• SCANDST 901: Seminar in Special Topics

  2–3 credits

  In-depth study of topic of faculty's choice.

• SCANDST 990: Research and Thesis

  1–6 credits

  Advanced level mentored reading and research for students with dissertator status.

• SCANDST 999: Independent Reading

  Credits unavailable

  Advanced level mentored reading and research for students with dissertator status.