Overview
The languages, literature, and cultures of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) are the focus of teaching and research in the department. The interdisciplinary curriculum ranges from topics in Viking and Medieval Scandinavian history and literature to the influential cultural contributions of the successful Nordic societies of more contemporary times. Instructors regularly teach beginning and intermediate classes in all five modern Nordic languages as well as reading and grammar classes in Old Norse at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students in the undergraduate major choose a concentration in medieval studies or in one of the modern language areas while also working in comparative and interdisciplinary ways with other cultural materials from the region. Graduate students pursuing the Ph.D. train to become comparative Scandinavianists while also developing depth and expertise in a more specific scholarly field.
The faculty in the department pursue research in a variety of fields including literary studies, philology, folklore, media and film studies, theater history, art history, archaeology, and architectural history. The interdisciplinary curiosity of the faculty sets the tone for our students, who are encouraged to explore widely and creatively within the intellectual field of Scandinavian Studies.
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. Access to the PFA Library and Film Study Center is free for BAM/PFA members and to students and faculty of the University of California at Berkeley. There is a low usage fee for the general public. The films stored at PFA can be searched by title in the OSKICAT on-line 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. All holdings are listed by title in a departmental database available at the librarian’s desk.
Undergraduate Programs
Scandinavian: BA (with concentrations in Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Old Norse, and Swedish), Minor
Graduate Program
Courses
Literature and Culture:
Languages:
Scandinavian
Danish
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| DANISH 1A | Beginning Danish | 4 |
| DANISH 1B | Beginning Danish | 4 |
| SCANDIN 100A | Intermediate Scandinavian Languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish) | 4 |
| SCANDIN 100B | INTERMEDIATE SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES (DANISH, NORWEGIAN, SWEDISH) | 4 |
Finnish
Icelandic
Old Norse
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| SCANDIN 101A | Introduction to Old Norse I | 4 |
| SCANDIN 101B | Introduction to Old Norse II | 4 |
Norwegian
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| NORWEGN 1A | Beginning Norwegian | 4 |
| NORWEGN 1B | Beginning Norwegian | 4 |
| SCANDIN 100A | Intermediate Scandinavian Languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish) | 4 |
| SCANDIN 100B | INTERMEDIATE SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES (DANISH, NORWEGIAN, SWEDISH) | 4 |
Swedish
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| SWEDISH 1A | Beginning Swedish | 4 |
| SWEDISH 1B | Beginning Swedish | 4 |
| SCANDIN 100A | Intermediate Scandinavian Languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish) | 4 |
| SCANDIN 100B | INTERMEDIATE 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
Karen Moller, Lecturer.
Lotta Weckstrom, 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
Undergraduate Student Services Advisor
Amanda Minafo
6303A Dwinelle Hall
Phone: 510-642-4661