Fall 2014

MWF 9-10, 259 Dwinelle. Instructor: Christian Gullette

Units: 4

(Fall only.) Classes meet for three hours of Swedish instruction a week. Students will acquire basic communicative competence in all four foreign language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) within a cultural context.

Workload: About five hours of work outside of class per week.
An oral and written midterm and final.

Text: Rivstart A1 + A2 (textbook and exercise book)

Prerequisite: Elementary Swedish is open to students without prior knowledge of Swedish. The course is not open to native, near-native, or heritage speakers of any Nordic language. Course cannot be repeated without prior consent from the language coordinator.

TT 11-12:30, B33B Dwinelle. Instructor: TBA

Units: 4

THIS COURSE IS OFFERED AS A DISTANCE LEARNING CLASS FOR STUDENTS AT OTHER UC CAMPUSES.

PLEASE CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR FOR INFORMATION.

Three hours of language instruction per week. The course covers the basic elements of communicative competence in both receptive and productive skills. Information on Finnish culture, history etc. is integrated into the course. Homework utilizes new media, such as watching film clips and songs in addition to more traditional work. Expect to spend about three hours of work outside of class per week. There will be a comprehensive midterm and final exam. Additional practice is provided in the weekly Finnish Café, in Finnish film nights, etc.

Texts: TBA

Prerequisite: None.

TT 9:30-11, B37 Dwinelle. Instructor: Jenna Coughlin

Units: 4

(Fall only.) Classes meet for three hours of Swedish instruction a week. Students will acquire basic communicative competence in all four foreign language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) within a cultural context.

Workload: About five hours of work outside of class per week.
An oral and written midterm and final.

Text: Sett i gang 1 (Aarsvold and Lie)
To be ordered online! Instructions will be given by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisite: Elementary Norwegian is open to students without prior knowledge of Norwegian. The course is not open to native, near-native, or heritage speakers of any Nordic language. Course cannot be repeated without prior consent from the language coordinator.

MWF 9-10, 205 Dwinelle. Instructor: Ian Thompson

Units: 4

(Fall only.) Classes meet for three hours of Danish instruction a week, plus one hour of mandatory computer assisted work. Students will acquire basic communicative competence in all four foreign language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) within a cultural context.

Workload: About five hours of work outside of class per week (included is the one hour mandatory computer work), a written midterm and an oral and written final.

Text: To be determined.

Prerequisites: Elementary Danish is open to students without prior knowledge of Danish. The course is not open to native, near-native, or heritage speakers of any Nordic language.Course cannot be repeated without prior consent from the language coordinator.

W 11-12, 33 Dwinelle. Instructor: Karen Møller

Units: 4

L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature

COURSE MEETING TIMES

STUDENTS ENROLL IN A COMMON LECTURE ON WEDNESDAYS 11-12
+ A DISCUSSION SECTION FOR THEIR TARGET LANGUAGE AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 101 = Swedish (M & F 11-12)
SECTION 102 = Norwegian (M & F 11-12)
SECTION 103 = Danish (TT 11-12)

Option: Scandinavian 100A is a Distance Learning Course transmitted simultaneously to specific UC campuses. UCB is the home campus with live class instruction; other UC students will participate through a live video feed. Contact instructor for more information:  kmoller@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail)

Continuing students of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish enrolling in Scandinavian 100A will meet together for one hour of lecture per week (W 11-12) to read and interpret literary and nonliterary texts about inter-Scandinavian communication, linguistics, and language history.  In addition to this one-hour combined lecture, students will meet two additional hours per week (in discussion sections with a language instructor) to be instructed in their particular target languages.

Students should enroll in the relevant target language section as follows:  Section 101 = Swedish; Section 102 = Norwegian; Section 103 = Danish. Students should register in the 100A lecture in addition to the relevant section they will attend. The course is complete with the language and the lecture sections – you must enroll in both parts in order to fully enroll in the course. If you experience a scheduling problem it is essential that you consult the language coordinator.

Students will further develop their basic communicative competence in all four foreign language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) within a cultural context in their own target language (Swedish, Norwegian, or Danish).  Through the weekly lecture they will gain a deeper understanding of the other Scandinavian languages through tasks and readings. Students will NOT be asked to learn to speak the other two Scandinavian languages, but to learn about them.

Placement:  Scandinavian 100A is open to students who have taken either Scandinavian 1A-1B, 3A-3B, or 4A-4B with a passing grade. A placement test is mandatory for other students who have had 90 hours of in-class instruction (reached the Novice High/Intermediate Low proficiency level) in any Scandinavian language and with a passing grade. The placement test must be taken prior to or within the first week of instruction. Contact the language coordinator to schedule a placement test. 

Native, Near-Native, Heritage Speakers:  The specific language sections are only open to learners of the specific Scandinavian language of instruction in the section.  The course is not open to native, near-native, or heritage speakers of any Nordic language without prior consent from the language coordinator. The course cannot be repeated without prior consent from the language coordinator.

Workload for the combined lecture (e.g. 1/3 of the total grade for SCAND 100A):
Two hours of work outside class a week.  Weekly task based homework.  A take-home written midterm and a 3-page final project are required.

Workload for the discussion section (e.g. 2/3 of the total grade for SCAND 100A): An average of four hours of work outside class per week. The structure of supplemental language sections depends on the language instructor, but usually includes weekly written assignments, oral presentations, an oral and written midterm and final exam.

Section Times:  Meeting times for discussion sections might on occasion be changed according to the schedules of the students enrolled, and can therefore vary from the times listed in the online Schedule of Classes. Students should attend the first day of class for more information on possible rescheduling.

Texts:
Language sections:  textbooks to be announced – most often as readers
Lecture/Culture section:  Reader

Prerequisite: Completion of Scandinavian 1A-1B, 3A-3B, or 4A-4B with a passing grade; consent of instructor.

TT 2-3:30, B37 Dwinelle. Instructor: Sirpa Tuomainen

Units: 4

THIS COURSE IS OFFERED AS A DISTANCE LEARNING CLASS FOR STUDENTS AT OTHER UC CAMPUSES.

PLEASE CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR FOR INFORMATION.

Three hours of language instruction per week. The course will further develop the students’ oral communicative competence, reading and writing ability and cultural understanding. Emphasis is on listening comprehension and speaking skills development with colloquial language, as well as reading and writing in different registers with vocabulary development. Homework will utilize new media in addition to more traditional work. This is a multilevel course, repeatable for credit. As such, the course will be tailored according to students’ skill levels and needs.

Workload: About three hours of work outside of class per week, a midterm and a portfolio.

Texts:
Recommended: Finnish Grammar; White, Leila (2006)
Main texts to be announced after first class meeting, depending on the students’ language level/s, needs and interests.

Prerequisites: Scandinavian 2B or consent of instructor.

TT 8-9:30, 103 Wheeler. Instructor: Verena Hoefig

Units: 4

All Reading & Composition courses must be taken for a letter grade in order to fulfill this requirement for the Bachelor’s Degree. This course satisfies the first half or the “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement.

The first half of this class will explore medieval Icelandic (Old Norse) literature, with a focus on the discovery and settlement of Iceland, and subsequent (temporary) colonies of Norse explorers and Vikings in Greenland and North America. Archaeological evidence has confirmed that Viking settlers came to Iceland around the year 870, reached Greenland just before 1000, and explored the North-Eastern coast of the American continent shortly afterwards.

We will read how learned Christian writers in the thirteenth and fourteenth century present the adventures of their ancestors to a medieval audience, and explore the archaeology behind the Viking explorations in the North Atlantic. Finally, we will look at more recent texts and works of art from the United States and analyze how these works portray the Vikings. How have their discoveries influenced the identity and self-perception of Nordic Americans and immigrants to the United States during the past two centuries? Why are they still relevant to some today, and what can this tell us about processes of identity formation and the role of foundational narratives in this context?

This class fulfills the curricular goals for the first semester requirement of UC Berkeley’s Reading and Composition (R&C) courses. The overall goal of this class is to introduce relatively inexperienced writers to the practice of reading and writing frequently and attentively. We will explore questions of genre, audience and style as we encounter a wide variety of fictional and non-fictional texts, graphic novels and movies. We will learn how to pose meaningful questions to this material, and compose our own, original texts seeking to answer those questions.

Texts:
Course Reader
Andrea A. Lunsford. The Everyday Writer. Fifth Edition. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
Brian Wood and Massimo Carnevale. Northlanders Vol. 7: The Icelandic Trilogy. Vertigo, 2013.
Keneva Kunz and Gísli Sigurðsson. The Vinland Sagas. Penguin Classics, 2008.
Additional material posted on course website

Prerequisite: Successful completion of the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement. Students may not enroll or attend R1A/R5A courses without completing this prerequisite.

MWF 9-10, 235 Dwinelle. Instructor: Molly Jacobs

Units: 4

All Reading & Composition courses must be taken for a letter grade in order to fulfill this requirement for the Bachelor’s Degree. This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement.

The travel narrative has been a popular and exciting form of literature from early epic all the way to modern science fiction. In this course we will read medieval and modern accounts, focusing on the literature of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland, that relate not just travels over the globe, but voyages that take fantastic, imaginary, allegorical, or futuristic turns. Using this material, we will explore such questions as: Why do people leave home? What makes them return? How do they respond to, and cope with, the utterly foreign beings and places they encounter? What do they learn from their encounters? What can this literature tell us about our selves and our societies?

This class is designed to fulfill the university’s Reading and Composition (R&C) requirement. Emphasis will be placed on argumentation, source evaluation, and research strategies. Students will sharpen their critical reading and writing skills through a series of short writing assignments, article analysis, and a final research project.

Texts: Course Reader

Prerequisite: Successful completion of the “A” portion of the Reading & Composition requirement or its equivalent. Students may not enroll or attend R1B/R5B courses without completing this prerequisite.

MWF 12-1, 234 Dwinelle. Instructor: Ben Bigelow

Units: 4

All Reading & Composition courses must be taken for a letter grade in order to fulfill this requirement for the Bachelor’s Degree. This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement.

Decadence was a literary mode or style that flourished in Europe around the end of the nineteenth century. Taking a cue from a number of influential histories of the late Roman Empire, decadent writers perceived an important correlation between the Roman Empire on the verge of extinction and aristocratic European culture at the fin de siècle, and fashioned themselves in the mold of the perverse, pleasure-seeking, doomed citizens of the late Empire. This kind of literature fixated on the aristocratic, sensitive, highly educated individual’s pursuit of pleasure in the midst of social and cultural decay. Though the decadent literary fashion gained the most traction in France (Baudelaire, Huysmans, Verlaine, Bourget), influential decadent novels were also written in the UK (Stoker, Wilde), Italy (D’Annunzio), and Germany (Mann). Less well-known are the Scandinavian forays into decadent literature, by the likes of Johannes Jørgensen and Herman Bang (Denmark), Henrik Ibsen and Arne Garborg (Norway), August Strindberg, Gustaf af Geijerstam, and Hjalmar Söderberg (Sweden). In this class, we will study several of the seminal Continental examples of decadent literature and investigate how this literary style was imported to the north—what adaptations and adjustments were necessitated by this importation, and how did the Scandinavian authors frame their own efforts to write under an “adopted” literary style?

As this is a composition course, however, the primary focus will be on developing skills in writing, argumentation, and critical thinking through a range of formal as well as informal writing assignments. The course will culminate in a research project, so students will also learn how to search for, access, and properly incorporate scholarly sources into their papers. The ultimate goal is to develop critical thinking skills through close reading, analytical writing, and in-class participation, which will help make students better thinkers and communicators, regardless of their major field of study.

Texts:
Arne Garborg, Weary Men (Northwestern UP, ISBN: 978-0810116009)
Thomas Mann, Death in Venice and Other Stories (Signet Classics, ISBN: 978-0451530325)
Hjalmar Söderberg, Doctor Glas (Anchor, ISBN: 978-0385722674)
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Three Stories (Penguin Classics, ISBN: 978-0143106142)
Other readings will be provided in the course reader

Prerequisite: Successful completion of the “A” portion of the Reading & Composition requirement or its equivalent. Students may not enroll or attend R1B/R5B courses without completing this prerequisite.

MWF 10-11, 88 Dwinelle. Instructor: Linda Rugg

Units: 4

Students will develop the basic elements of communicative competence in both spoken and written language within a cultural context.

L&S Breadth: Historical Studies OR Social & Behavioral Sciences

Sensitive both to the unique natural geography of the North and to intellectual currents in continental Europe, the lands of the summer midnight sun and winter noonday darkness have produced a rich cultural heritage, reaching far beyond their borders.  This course will explore the most important cultural contributions of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.  We will touch upon the Viking age, mythology and folklore, and nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature, film, art, design, music, and modern political and social issues, such as the welfare state, crime fiction, and recent immigration.  Readings will include sagas, fairy tales, and novels, to be complemented by film and other visual materials.  Major figures such as Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kierkegaard, Henrik Ibsen, Edvard Munch, August Strindberg, Karen Blixen, and Ingmar Bergman play important roles in the course, but we will also address a more general account of the history and culture of the North.

Texts: 
The Saga of the Volsungs, ed. Jesse Byock, Penguin Classics, ISBN 0140447385
Elias Lönnroth, Kalevala, Oxford World Classics, ISBN 0199538867
Søren Kierkegaard, The Seducer’s Diary, trans. Howard and Edna Hong, Princeton University Press, ISBN 6910117379
Henrik Ibsen, Ibsen: Four Major Plays I, trans. Rolf Fjelde, Signet Classics, ISBN 0451530225
August Strindberg, Five Plays, trans. Harry Carlson, University of California Press, ISBN 0520046986

Shorter texts will be posted to the course bcourse site.

Prerequisite:None.  Readings and course in English.

MWF 12-1, 182 Dwinelle. Instructor: Molly Jacobs

Units: 4

Students will develop the basic elements of communicative competence in both spoken and written language within a cultural context.

L&S Breadth: Historical Studies

Viking and Medieval Scandinavia will explore a 700-year period of Scandinavian history (750 to 1450 A.D.) that resulted in unprecedented cultural change. This dynamic upheaval affected almost every aspect of life in the Nordic region. Readings and discussion will focus on changes in areas including transportation, the status of women, political organization, communication and languages, trade and economy, religion, housing, and identity. In the process of studying these changes, students will learn the underlying timeline of Scandinavian history.

Texts: TBA

Prerequisites: None.

TT 12:30-2, 234 Dwinelle. Instructor: Lotta Weckstrom

Units: 4

Students will develop the basic elements of communicative competence in both spoken and written language within a cultural context.

L&S Breadth: Historical Studies OR Arts & Literature

Finland today is a technologically advanced welfare state that boasts significant cultural achievements in spite of its small population. In recent years especially its top ranking educational systems has drawn worldwide attention.  In many ways a typical Nordic country in terms of social structure, politics, and lifestyle, Finland has also retained a somewhat exotic image abroad, partly because of its unique language (which is not related to the Scandinavian or Slavic languages), its geographical location between East and West, its fascinating national epic the Kalevala, and such modern curiosities as the Finnish tango, the sport of wife-carrying, and heavy metal played on cellos. Beginning with an overview of Finland’s history, we will explore a variety of cultural expressions such as literature, folklore, music, art, architecture, film, and popular culture. We will also examine the issue of national identity – what elements make up this identity, where did they come from, and how have they changed over time?

Texts: TBA

Prerequisites: None. Taught in English; readings in English.