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The Undergraduate Student Learning Initiative
(USLI) is a campuswide project that has been under
development at Berkeley since fall, 2007. This
initiative is designed to promote and facilitate
learning for undergraduates across campus.
As part of this initiative, the Scandinavian Department
faculty has articulated learning goals in the
Scandinavian major and minor and suggested pathways
to reach those goals.
Learning goals for the Scandinavian major
- Communicative competence in one of four
modern Nordic languages (Danish, Finnish,
Norwegian, and Swedish), in both the spoken
and written language within a cultural context
(please note special requirements for Finnish,
below);
- Understanding of the linguistic, historical,
and cultural relationships that join and divide
the nations and peoples of the Nordic region;
- Understanding the broad trajectory of Nordic
literary culture from the Middle Ages to contemporary
times, including both canonical works and
works from the margins;
- Mastery of research and analytical skills
sufficient to enable the student to understand
received wisdom and new scholarship, and to
draw insightful and original conclusions about
literature, film, folklore, art history, and
other aspects of literary culture;
- Writing and reasoning skills (mounting a
persuasive argument, marshalling and synthesizing
appropriate evidence, crafting syntactically
correct, carefully documented essays and oral
presentations).
One of the unique aspects of Nordic literary studies
is the close relationship among the countries
and their languages (excepting Finnish, which
is not linguistically related to the Scandinavian
languages). Students majoring in our discipline,
while developing competence in one of the languages,
are expected to take cultural courses (taught
in translation) that extend across national boundaries
so that they develop knowledge of the region as
a whole. There are courses that are limited to
one national literature (Andersen, Bergman, Ibsen,
Strindberg), but students are expected to take
courses outside their area of language competence,
and most of our courses are pan-Scandinavian.
We assess the achievement of these skills in written
and oral examinations and writing assignments
within the context of individual courses. Language
courses require the assessment of both oral and
written skills.
Students are assessed orally for their mastery
of specific communicative acts at a particular
threshold (according to ACTFL proficiency guidelines),
for example, correct use of appropriate vocabulary
and verb tense, awareness of syntax, knowledge
of time expressions, idioms, plural forms, etc.
Written assessment centers on the same knowledge
but requires students to use a more extensive
vocabulary and stretch the range of their expression.
Part of the writing process includes learning
to use reference tools and libraries.
Students in literature and culture courses write
research papers as well as comprehensive written
examinations. Majors in the discipline take two
individual tutorials designed to strengthen language
and analytical skills with faculty members. The
tutorials are offered in conjunction with an upper-division
literature course, but require that readings be
done in the original language. Faculty members
teaching these tutorials assess the level of language
competency through oral communication during the
tutorial, and through written assignments in the
original language. Majors in the discipline are
encouraged to complete an honors thesis as a further
capstone experience.
The minor in Scandinavian is designed primarily
for students who wish to undertake study of Nordic
culture without learning a language. Except for
communicative competence, the goals for the minor
are the same as those for the major. The minor
program does not include the capstone tutorials
or the option of an honors thesis.
We observe the achievement of these goals in the
post-B.A. career trajectories of our majors both
in academic and a broad range of other professions
that require these skills (rigorous training emphasizing
language skills, research acumen, and persuasive
argument): business, law, medicine, public policy
and government, and the arts.
Paths to Learning Goals in the Scandinavian
Major and Minor
Foundational courses
- Scandinavian R5A, R5B (Reading and composition
focusing on Nordic materials)
- L&S 17 (Literature and Culture of the
Nordic World)
- 24 (Freshman seminar)
- 39 (Freshman/sophomore seminar)
- 84 (Sophomore seminar)
Communicative Competence
- Scandin 3A-3B (Danish), Scandin100A-100B
(Scandinavian Languages and Linguistics; in
Danish section)
- Scandin 2A-2B (Finnish), Scandin 102A-102B
(Intermediate and Advanced Finnish; may be
repeated for credit)
- Scandin 4A-4B (Norwegian), Scandin 100A-1000B
(Scandinavian Languages and Linguistics; in
Norwegian section)
- Scandin 1A-1B (Swedish), Scandin 100A-B
(Scandinavian Languages and Linguistics; in
Swedish section)
Literary Cultures and History
- Scandin 123 (Viking and Medieval Scandinavia)
- Scandin 127 (Early Modern Scandinavia)
- Scandin 128 (Modern Scandinavia)
- Scandin 132 (Finnish Culture)
- Scandin 125 (Old Norse literature)
- Scandin 150 (Studies in Scandinavian literature.
Subject varies; includes such period topics
as Romanticism, Modern Breakthrough, and Decadence)
- Scandin C160 (Early Scandinavian myth and
religion)
Canonical authors
- Scandin 106 (H.C. Andersen)
- Scandin C107 (Ibsen)
- Scandin C108 (Strindberg)
- Scandin 115 (Studies in Drama and Film.
Subject varies; includes Ingmar Bergman)
Genres
- Scandin 115 (Studies in Drama and Film.
Subject varies; includes Nordic directors;
Cinema lighting; Silent film)
- Scandin 116 (Studies in Prose. Subject varies;
includes such subjects as Isak Dinesen)
- Scandin 120 (The novel in Scandinavia)
From the margins
- Scandin 150 (Studies in Scandinavian literature.
Subject varies; includes such topics as women’s
literature and the political tradition)
- Scandin 165 (Scandinavian Folklore)
- Scandin 170 (Arctic Folklore and Mythology)<
Courses dealing with specific cross-disciplinary
issues
- Scandin C114 (Word and Image)
- Scandin 123 (Viking and Medieval Scandinavia)
- Scandin 150 (Studies in Scandinavian literature
(subject varies; includes such topics as Nature
and the City)
Study abroad
Many Scandinavian majors spend a summer, semester,
or academic year at a university in a Nordic country,
often through the Education Abroad Program, which
has centers in Lund, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark.
We encourage such study as an excellent way to
obtain the communicative and cultural competence
that is the goal of our major.
Capstone experiences
- Scandin 145 (Senior seminar)
- Scandin 149 (subject-oriented original language
reading and writing)
- Senior thesis
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