Scandinavian

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2017-18 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

Overview

The Department of Scandinavian offers undergraduate and graduate instruction in the languages, cultures, and literatures of northern Europe. Languages taught are Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, and Old Norse. Lower division Reading and Composition courses based on Scandinavian materials are also offered. Lower and upper division lecture courses, all based on readings in English and open to those without a knowledge of Nordic languages, cover a wide variety of topics. The undergraduate major involves five separate concentrations in Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Old Norse Studies, including related aspects of Scandinavian culture and literature. An undergraduate minor is also available. The graduate program leads to the PhD.

The department also administers the Program in Celtic Studies, an interdisciplinary major where students may focus on the intersection of early Celtic and Scandinavian history, mythology and folklore. Majors in Celtic Studies also pursue study in modern and early forms of Irish, Welsh, and Breton and early and modern literatures of Ireland and Wales. 

Collections

Doe Library, the main research library on campus, has extensive holdings in the several areas of research that make up the field of Scandinavian Studies (literature, linguistics, history, folklore, film history, the social sciences, etc.). For more information about this collection, see the Doe Library website for the Berkeley Scandinavian Collection.

A smaller departmental collection, the Olof Lundberg Memorial Library, is located in 6337B Dwinelle Hall, adjacent to the current faculty offices. It is open to the public at certain times during the day that are determined at the beginning of each semester, but is not a lending library; its books must be used on-site. The Lundberg Library houses an extensive collection of over 13,000 volumes, ranging from medieval to modern history and literature. There is no online list of holdings, but there is a card catalog in the library itself. The department also receives a daily or weekly newspaper from all three of the mainland Scandinavian countries. The librarian can be reached at 510-643-2932, and the library schedule is posted on the library door (varies by semester).

The Barbro Osher Film and Video Collection is a research collection of over 250 Scandinavian film titles. The 35mm and 16mm films in the collection are housed at the Pacific Film Archive (PFA). The films stored at PFA can be searched by title in the OSKICAT online library catalog. The remaining titles of the Osher Collection come in a variety of formats (DVD, laser disc, VHS and PAL video, 3/4" video) and are stored in the Lundberg Library. These may only be used on-site. 

Undergraduate Programs

Celtic Studies: BA, Minor
Scandinavian: BA (with concentrations in Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish), Minor

Graduate Program

Scandinavian Languages and Literatures: PhD

Visit Department Website

Courses

Literature and Culture:

Languages:

Scandinavian

SCANDIN R5A Reading and Composition 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Reading and composition in connection with the representation of Scandinavia by outsiders and insiders. Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement.
Reading and Composition: Read More [+]

SCANDIN R5B Reading and Composition 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Summer 2018 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session
Reading and composition in connection with the representation of Scandinavia by outsiders and insiders. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement.
Reading and Composition: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 24 Freshman Seminars 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2012, Spring 2011
The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.
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SCANDIN 60 Heroic Legends of the North 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Exploration of the heroic narratives of the Northern Middle Ages with a focus on both the hero and the heroic ethos in a period or radical cultural, social and religious change and on a particular body of literature, the Scandinavian versions of Germanic heroic narrative. Required of majors.

Heroic Legends of the North: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 75 Literature and Culture of the Nordic World 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Fall 2017
This course explores the most important cultural contributions of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. It touches upon the shared history and culture, and then focuses on the eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century developments in literature, theater, film, art, design, music, and contemporary political and social issues, such as the welfare state, crime fiction, and recent immigration. Readings will include fairy tales, plays, and novels, to be complemented by film and other visual materials. Taught in English with readings in English.
Literature and Culture of the Nordic World: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016
Group study of selected topics not covered by regularly scheduled courses.
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SCANDIN 100A Intermediate Scandinavian Languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish) 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
In the context of inter-Scandinavian communication, students will further develop their communicative competence, their reading and writing proficiency and cultural understanding in their own target language (Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish). Workload: three hours of work outside class per week with one hour of communicative class work assigned on bCourses. Oral and written midterm and final exam.
Intermediate Scandinavian Languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish): Read More [+]

SCANDIN 100B INTERMEDIATE SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES (DANISH, NORWEGIAN, SWEDISH) 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2015
In the context of inter-Scandinavian communication, students will acquire the oral proficiency necessary to function in authentic situations of language use with respect to grammatical, functional, and sociolinguistic skills in their own target language (Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish). Students will read and interpret literary and nonliterary texts from a cultural cross-cultural perspective. Workload: Four hours of work outside class per week with one hour of communicative class work assigned on bCourses. Oral and written midterm, a final project, and a final oral and written exam.
INTERMEDIATE SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES (DANISH, NORWEGIAN, SWEDISH): Read More [+]

SCANDIN 101A Introduction to Old Norse I 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Introduces undergraduate students to the grammar of the vernacular written language of Iceland and Norway in the Middle Ages. Linguistic mastery is emphasized. By the end of the semester students should be able to read saga style Old Norse prose texts in normalized orthography with the help of a dictionary. To this end, lectures will lay out the morphology of the Old Norse language systematically and thoroughly. In addition to the lectures, much of the in-class time will be devoted to translating and close reading of extracts of Old Norse texts.
Introduction to Old Norse I: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 101B Introduction to Old Norse II 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Introduction to Old Norse literature through readings of Old Norse texts in their original language and translation. Critical essays on Old Norse literature and scholarship illuminating the historical context in which the texts were written, transmitted, and read will supplement the readings of primary texts. The class will also deepen the students’ understanding of Old Norse grammar and metrics, and introduce them to sub-fields of Old Norse studies such as paleography and runology.
Introduction to Old Norse II: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 106 The Works of Hans Christian Andersen 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Reading and discussion of Hans Christian Andersen's major works, including fairy tales, short stories, novels, autobiographies, and diaries. Reading and discussion in English.
The Works of Hans Christian Andersen: Read More [+]

SCANDIN C107 Plays of Ibsen 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2011
Reading and discussion of Ibsen's major plays. Readings and discussion in English.
Plays of Ibsen: Read More [+]

SCANDIN C108 Strindberg 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2012, Spring 2009
Reading and discussion of Strindberg's major works; emphasis on his dramas and their significance. Readings and discussion in English.
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SCANDIN C114 Word and Image 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2011, Spring 2007, Spring 2004
This course is designed to sharpen our skills in understanding what happens when the world of images and words meet. Starting with the work from the Western "classical" tradition we will proceed to investigate how word/image constellations operate in a variety of media, including sculpture and poetry, painting and prose, death masks, tableaux vivants, photography, and advertising.
Word and Image: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 115 Studies in Drama and Film 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Variable subject matter. Sample topics: history of Scandinavian drama and films of such directors as Ingmar Bergman and Carl Dreyer. Readings and discussion in English.
Studies in Drama and Film: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 116 Studies in Prose 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2014, Spring 2009
Variable subject matter; see departmental announcement for description. Sample topics: Knut Hamsun, Kierkegaard, H. C. Andersen, Isak Dinesen, and other storytellers. Readings and discussion in English.
Studies in Prose: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 120 The Novel in Scandinavian 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2013
Reading and discussion of the great Scandinavian novels; the development of the novel. Readings and discussion in English.
The Novel in Scandinavian: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 123 Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Internal and external history of Scandinavian culture and civilization from the late 8th century through the 15th century. Readings and discussion in English.
Viking and Medieval Scandinavia: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 125 Old Norse Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
Reading and discussion of some of the Icelandic sagas and selections from the Eddas and skaldic verse. Readings and discussion in English.
Old Norse Literature: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 132 Introduction to Finnish Culture and History 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2014, Spring 2013
Finnish culture, history, society, and arts. Readings and discussion in English.
Introduction to Finnish Culture and History: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 145 Senior Seminar 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Intensive study of a single topic, several reports, a longer paper.
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SCANDIN 149 Major Studies 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Additional work, for majors in Scandinavian and other qualified students with consent of instructor, in connection with one of the following: Scandinavian C107, C108, 115, 116, 117, 120,123, 125, C160,165. Students attend lectures and do all written work in the "main" course and also read assignments in the Scandinavian languages and write a short paper.
Major Studies: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 150 Studies in Scandinavian Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016
Variable subject matter; see departmental announcement for description. Sample topics: Scandinavian romanticism; the Modern Breakthrough; literature by and about women; the political tradition. Readings and discussion in English.
Studies in Scandinavian Literature: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 160 Scandinavian Myth and Religion 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2017
Religious beliefs and practices during the Viking Age in Scandinavia and their manifestations in later recordings. Readings and discussion in English.
Scandinavian Myth and Religion: Read More [+]

SCANDIN C160 Scandinavian Myth and Religion 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014
Religious beliefs and practices during the Viking Age in Scandinavia and their manifestations in later recordings. Readings and discussion in English.
Scandinavian Myth and Religion: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 165 Scandinavian Folklore 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2012, Spring 2010
Scandinavian folklore, emphasizing oral narrative traditions (legends and folk belief, folktales, ballads) and their contexts. Such minor verbal forms as proverbs, riddles, and formulas will also be considered. Readings and discussion in English.
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SCANDIN 170 Arctic Folklore and Mythology in Nordic Lands 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2012, Fall 2010, Fall 2007
Survey of the folklore and mythology of the principal non-Scandinavian peoples of the Nordic lands: Finns, Saami, Greenland, Inuit. Comparative evidence from other circumpolar traditions and from ancient and modern Scandinavian tradition. Readings and discussion in English.
Arctic Folklore and Mythology in Nordic Lands: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 180 Special Topics in Scandinavian 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2015, Fall 2014
Topics will vary from semester to semester. Additional screening time may be required for film topics. See departmental announcement for offerings.
Special Topics in Scandinavian: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 198 Group Study for Advanced Undergraduates 2 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016
Advanced readings and interpretation of Scandinavian texts.
Group Study for Advanced Undergraduates: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 199 Independent Study and Research 2 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Summer 2017 10 Week Session, Spring 2017
Courses in Scandinavian literature, culture, or history. Supervised study; restricted enrollment.
Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 201A Old Norse 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012
An introduction to the language of medieval Iceland and Norway. Grammar, historical phonology, and texts.
Old Norse: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 201B Norse Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013
Literary production of early Iceland and Norway. Reading of representative texts in the original.
Norse Literature: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 206 Studies in Philology and Linguistics 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2014, Spring 2011
Variable subject matter; see departmental announcement for description. Sample topics: runology; history of the Scandinavian languages; dialectology.
Studies in Philology and Linguistics: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 215 Literary and Cultural Theory 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Introduction to varieties of literary and cultural theory used in the analysis of literary texts and other cultural artefacts.
Literary and Cultural Theory: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 220 Early Scandinavian Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Variable subject matter; see departmental announcement for description. Course normally focuses on one of two areas: Eddic and skaldic poetry; or sagas (royal family, legendary, courtly, episcopal).
Early Scandinavian Literature: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 235 Studies in Romanticism and Realism 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2011
Variable subject matter; see departmental announcement for description. Reading and analysis of representative works.
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SCANDIN 240 Modern and Contemporary Scandinavian Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2014, Spring 2012
Reading and analysis of representative works. Topics vary from semester to semester; see departmental announcement for description.
Modern and Contemporary Scandinavian Literature: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 249 Graduate Studies 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Additional work in connection with one of the following courses: Scandinavian C107, C108, 115, 116, 117, 120, 123, 125, C160, 165. Students attend lectures and do all written work in the "main course," and also read assignments in the Scandinavian languages, and write a paper.
Graduate Studies: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 250 Seminar in Scandinavian Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Investigation of selected authors, topics, or problems. Variable subject matter; see departmental announcement for description.
Seminar in Scandinavian Literature: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 298 Special Study 2 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Designed to explore a restricted field involving the writing of a report. May not be substituted for available seminars.
Special Study: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 299 Dissertation Writing 2 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017

Dissertation Writing: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 300A Methods of Teaching Scandinavian Languages 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2015
The course consists of a two-hour session per week that will examine current theory and practice of foreign language teaching in connection with Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish.
Methods of Teaching Scandinavian Languages: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 300B Teaching Practicum 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Graduate Student Instructors must enroll in 300B each semester following the completion of 300A or the equivalent. The course consists of a one-hour weekly session devoted to the analysis and a discussion of pedagogical problems as they arise in the classroom.
Teaching Practicum: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 301 Scandinavian Teaching Methods 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Course on practical teaching methods, grading, testing, classroom activities, and design of course materials and syllabi. Required of all Scandinavian Department GSIs.
Scandinavian Teaching Methods: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 601 Individual Study for M.A. Candidates 1 - 8 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Individual study for the comprehensive or language requirements in consultation with the field adviser. Units may not be used to meet unit or residence requirements for the master's degree.
Individual Study for M.A. Candidates: Read More [+]

SCANDIN 602 Individual Study for Doctoral Candidates 1 - 8 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Individual study in consultation with the major field adviser to prepare qualified students for various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D. May not be used to meet unit or residence requirements for the doctoral degree.
Individual Study for Doctoral Candidates: Read More [+]

Danish

DANISH 1ABeginning Danish4
DANISH 1BBeginning Danish4
SCANDIN 100AIntermediate Scandinavian Languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish)4
SCANDIN 100BINTERMEDIATE SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES (DANISH, NORWEGIAN, SWEDISH)4

Finnish

FINNISH 1A Beginning Finnish 4 Units

Offered through: Scandinavian
Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Students will develop the basic elements of communicative competence in both the spoken and written language within a cultural context.
Beginning Finnish: Read More [+]

FINNISH 1B Beginning Finnish 4 Units

Offered through: Scandinavian
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2016
Students will develop the basic elements of communicative competence in both the spoken and written language within a cultural context.
Beginning Finnish: Read More [+]

FINNISH 102A Intermediate Finnish 4 Units

Offered through: Scandinavian
Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
Students will focus on acquiring communicative competence necessary to function in authentic situations of language use in terms of grammatical, functional, and sociolinguistic skills. Students will read and interpret literary and nonliterary texts from a cultural perspective. The course uses a flexible group-work and independent project approach to advanced language study.
Intermediate Finnish: Read More [+]

FINNISH 102B Intermediate Finnish 4 Units

Offered through: Scandinavian
Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Students will focus on acquiring communicative competence necessary to function in authentic situations of language use in terms of grammatical, functional, and sociolinguistic skills. Students will read and interpret literary and nonliterary texts from a cultural perspective. The course uses a flexible group-work and independent project approach to advanced language study.
Intermediate Finnish: Read More [+]

Icelandic

ICELAND 1A Beginning Icelandic I 4 Units

Offered through: Scandinavian
Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
An introduction to spoken and written modern Icelandic focusing on basic social situations, everyday needs, and simple social transactions. The first semester deals with a variety of topics and interests using primarily the present tense, with limited use of other tenses. Students also develop introductory writing skills in Icelandic on familiar topics.
Beginning Icelandic I: Read More [+]

ICELAND 1B Beginning Icelandic II 4 Units

Offered through: Scandinavian
Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2016
A continuation of the introductory sequence of Beginning Icelandic, this course focuses on basic social situations and common needs, continuing to develop speaking and writing competency with an eye toward expressing more complex ideas in a range of tenses. Icelandic cultural life and history will inform our topics of discussion and vocabulary development.
Beginning Icelandic II: Read More [+]

Old Norse

SCANDIN 101AIntroduction to Old Norse I4
SCANDIN 101BIntroduction to Old Norse II4

Norwegian

NORWEGN 1ABeginning Norwegian4
NORWEGN 1BBeginning Norwegian4
SCANDIN 100AIntermediate Scandinavian Languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish)4
SCANDIN 100BINTERMEDIATE SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES (DANISH, NORWEGIAN, SWEDISH)4

Swedish

SWEDISH 1ABeginning Swedish4
SWEDISH 1BBeginning Swedish4
SCANDIN 100AIntermediate Scandinavian Languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish)4
SCANDIN 100BINTERMEDIATE SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES (DANISH, NORWEGIAN, SWEDISH)4
 

Faculty and Instructors

Faculty

Kate Heslop, Assistant Professor. Medieval Studies, Old Norse literature, Viking and medieval Scandinavia.
Research Profile

Linda H. Rugg, Professor. Scandinavian, Swedish literature and culture 1870 to the present, August Strindberg, Ingmar Bergman, visual autobiography, literature and the visual arts, ecology and culture, film, whiteness studies.
Research Profile

Mark Sandberg, Professor. Silent film, late nineteenth-century visual culture, theater history, comedy, Scandinavian design, serial television, film historiography, Scandinavian film history, Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian literature, Nordic literary history.
Research Profile

Karin L. Sanders, Professor. Danish literature, 19th and 20th Century Scandinavian literature, literary history, gender and literature, word and image, archaeology in literature and visual art, death and the arts.
Research Profile

Jonas Wellendorf, Assistant Professor. Old Norse language and literature, Scandinavian mythology, Scandinavian cultural history (Viking Age and Middle ages).
Research Profile

Lecturers

Jackson W. Crawford, Lecturer.

Monica Hidalgo, Lecturer.

Karen Moller, Lecturer.

Sirpa Tuomainen, Lecturer.

Emeritus Faculty

Carol J. Clover, Professor Emeritus. Medieval studies (Northern Europe), film (especially American).
Research Profile

James L. Larson, Professor Emeritus.

John Lindow, Professor Emeritus. Old Norse-Icelandic literature, Scandinavian folklore, Finno-Ugric folklore, Pre-Christian religion of the North, Scandinavian mythology.
Research Profile

Borge G. Madsen, Professor Emeritus.

Gregory Nybo, Professor Emeritus.

Contact Information

Department of Scandinavian

6303 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-2979

issa@berkeley.edu

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Karin Sanders

6407 Dwinelle Hall

ksanders@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Student Services Adviser

Amanda Minafo

6303 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-4661

issaug@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Services Adviser

Seth Arnopole

6313 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-9051

Fax: 510-642-6220

issag@berkeley.edu

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