Fall 2015

TT 2-3:30, B33B Dwinelle. Instructor: Instructor in Charge: Karen Moller

Units: 4

(Fall only. Danish 1B is offered in Spring.) Classes meet for three hours of Danish instruction per 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 (included is the one hour mandatory computer work), an oral and written midterm and final

Text: to be determined.

Prerequisites: Beginning 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

ENTRANCE POLICY FOR DANISH COURSES

No auditing is permitted in Scandinavian language courses.

Berkeley faculty and staff members interested in participating in Scandinavian language classes must first consult the Scandinavian languages coordinator, Karen Moller at: kmoller@berkeley.edu(link is external).

To enroll in a Scandinavian language course via UC Extension: http://www.unex.berkeley.edu(link is external)/

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

Units: 4

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: to be announced.

 Prerequisites: None.

DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE!

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

 PLEASE CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR FOR INFORMATION

MWF 9-10, 6415 Dwinelle. Instructor: Jackson Crawford

Units: 4

(Fall only. Icelandic 1B is offered in Spring.) Icelandic is the language of the land of fire and ice set in the middle of the North Atlantic amid towering mountain crags and the aurora borealis. It is also a very conservative language, preserving much of the character of Old Norse, while remaining very much the tongue of a unique nation participating fully in the modern world. The literature, both medieval and modern, is unbeatable.

The goal of this course is for the student to comprehend spoken and written Icelandic relating to familiar, everyday topics, and to speak Icelandic well enough to satisfy immediate needs.

Texts: to be announced.

Prerequisites: None. Icelandic 1A presumes no familiarity with the language.

ENTRANCE POLICY FOR ICELANDIC LANGUAGE COURSES

No auditing is permitted in Scandinavian language courses.

Berkeley faculty and staff members interested in participating in Scandinavian language classes must first consult the Scandinavian languages coordinator, Karen Moller at: kmoller@berkeley.edu(link is external).

To enroll in a Scandinavian language course via UC Extension: http://www.unex.berkeley.edu(link is external)/

MWF 9-10, 206 Wheeler. Instructor: Ida Johnson

Units: 4

(Fall only. Norwegian 1B is offered in Spring.) Classes meet for three hours of instruction per 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.

Prerequisites: Beginning 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.

ENTRANCE POLICY FOR NORWEGIAN LANGUAGE COURSES

No auditing is permitted in Scandinavian language courses.

Berkeley faculty and staff members interested in participating in Scandinavian language classes must first consult the Scandinavian languages coordinator, Karen Moller at: kmoller@berkeley.edu(link is external).

To enroll in a Scandinavian language course via UC Extension: http://www.unex.berkeley.edu(link is external)/

MWF 9-10, 235 Dwinelle. Instructor: Carl Olsen

Units: 4

ENTRANCE POLICY FOR SWEDISH LANGUAGE COURSES

 No auditing is permitted in Scandinavian language courses.

 Berkeley faculty and staff members interested in participating in Scandinavian language classes must first consult the Scandinavian languages coordinator, Karen Moller at: kmoller@berkeley.edu(link is external).

To enroll in a Scandinavian language course via UC Extension: http://www.unex.berkeley.edu(link is external)/

(Fall only. Swedish 1B is offered in the Spring.)

Välkomna! Welcome to first year Swedish! This semester you will get started with the basics of the Swedish language through exercises and practice conversations in class, examples and lessons in our textbook Rivstart, reading and listening to sample texts, watching videos of Swedish programs, and daily homework exercises.

Our primary objectives are to develop our conversational and written abilities in Swedish and to develop our listening and reading comprehension in Swedish. Our secondary objectives are to broaden our knowledge of Swedish culture by looking at contemporary and past Sweden, and to learn about how Swedish culture is interconnected with the rest of Scandinavia and Europe, as well as Sweden’s significance in the global arena.

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) and Övningsbok

Optional Course Materials

Prisma Dictionary

Hincliffe Grammar

Common Swedish Verbs

Prerequisites: 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 12:30-2, 6307 Dwinelle. Instructor: Molly Jacobs Bauer

Units: 4

L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature

(Fall only. Old Norse 101B is offered in the Spring.)

This is an undergraduate-level class which will introduce students to the vernacular written language of Iceland and Norway in the Middle Ages. Class time will focus on grammatical lectures, translations, and close-reading exercises of Old Norse texts. 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. Assignments will include weekly translations, grammatical exercises, quizzes, a midterm, and a final exam. Regular participation is required.

Texts: to be announced by the instructor.

Prerequisites: none

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

Units: 4

This is the second year course for Finnish. 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:

Finnish Grammar; White, Leila (2006) Recommended

Main texts to be announced after first class meeting, depending on the students’ language level/s, needs and interests.

Prerequisites: Finnish 1B (formerly Scandinavian 2B) or consent of instructor.

TT 8-9:30, 79 Dwinelle. Instructor: Rosie Taylor

Units: 4

The Gothic was a literary genre that took hold of the West from the mid-18th and 19th centuries. Often associated with ghost stories, and responsible for the creation of some of our most famous villains, the movement rose in response to a renewed cultural interest in the dark potential in the everyday man. Gothic authors personified their characters’ inner demons as fiends, ghosts, and doubles, and employed sublime landscapes to enhance the conflict between good and evil meant to make the reader aware of the same conflict within him- or herself.

Although the Gothic movement as a whole did not fully take hold in Scandinavia, elements of its corpus inspired northern authors to incorporate themes and characters into their own works. In this course, we will begin with early continental texts, including the genre’s progenitor, Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, and the origin of the vampire tale, John Polidori’s The Vampyre, to establish trademark elements of the Gothic. We will then move into Scandinavian works, among them texts by Selma Lagerlöf, Henrik Ibsen, and August Strindberg, to see how Gothic themes were incorporated and changed to align with northern perspectives and cultural concerns. The work for this course will focus primarily on the nuts and bolts of writing and how to craft a well-structured essay.

Texts:

Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto (Oxford UP, ISBN: 978-0198704445)

Selma Lagerlöf, Lord Arne’s Silver (Norvik Press, ISBN: 978-1870041904)

William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, 4th edition (Longman, ISBN: 978-0205309023)

Further readings will be provided.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the UC Entry Level Writing requirement. Students may not enroll nor attend R1A/R5A courses without completing this prerequisite.

MWF 8-9, 106 Wheeler. Instructor: Adam Carl

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 stories told in ancient Scandinavian literature and folklore have proven to be extremely resilient, directly influencing the lore in modern works, such as The Hobbit, A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones), and Marvel Comic’s Thor. One Scandinavian legend in particular has captured popular imagination across the world: the Viking Age legend of The Saga of the Vǫlsungs. The saga – rife with curses, warring kingdoms, love triangles, and (of course) dragons – has been retold over and over. Authors, screenwriters, and composers simply can’t resist a good dragon-slaying.

Our reading list will sketch a genealogy of literature which cuts across national borders and historical eras. Retellings of The Saga of the Vǫlsungs are authored by familiar names, like JRR Tolkien and Richard Wagner. Some versions are by famous Scandinavian authors like Henrik Ibsen (sometimes called Norway’s Shakespeare) and Selma Lagerlöf (the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize in literature). The retellings encountered in this course are hardly tired old tropes; they are moments of creativity for some of the Modern era’s most successful authors.

In this course, we will investigate the interplay between the content of writing, organization of a paper, and the stylistic/technical aspects at a sentence level. We will also consider the use of secondary materials, current critical methods of approaching a text. The course theme of “retelling” will help to highlight the contexts of historical writing and our own moment in history. We will attempt to move questions from “How is this different?” towards “Why is this different?” Along the way, the class will discover the rich cultural heritage of Scandinavia, and how a retelling of an old Viking legend can lead to the next Hollywood blockbuster or best-selling comic book.

Required reading:

• Saga of the Volsungs translated by Jesse Byock. 978-0140447385
• Lord Arne’s Silver (Herr Arnes Penningar) by Selma Lagerlöf translated by Sara Death in 2012. 978-1870041904
• The Vikings at Helgeland by Henrik Ibsen. 978-1420930849
• The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. 978-0547928227
• The Elements of Style, 4th Edition by William Strunk Jr & E B White. 978-0205309023
• Other readings will be made available in a course reader or through bCourses.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the UC Entry Level Writing requirement. Students may not enroll nor attend R1A/R5A courses without completing this prerequisite

TT 3:30-5, 279 Dwinelle. Instructor: Carl Olsen

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.

In this course we will read, discuss and write about various Old Norse texts in light of their socio-cultural context. Special attention will be given to understanding the relationships between genres, for example, understanding the sagas in light of the myths, and vice versa. Students will choose a topic to focus on throughout the semester, and will write, in addition to several minor assignments, a Critical paper, a Research paper and a Final paper on that topic.

Texts:

Edda, trans. Anthony Faulkes
Poetic Edda, trans. Carolyne Larrington
The saga of the people of Laxardal, trans. Keneva Kunz
Egil’s Saga, trans. Bernard Scudder
The Saga of Grettir the Strong, trans. Bernard Scudder
Course Reader

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the first half or “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Students may not enroll nor attend R1B/R5B courses without completing this prerequisite.

MWF 3-4, 279 Dwinelle. Instructor: Jackson Crawford

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.

This class is not only an introduction to the exciting literature written in medieval Scandinavia about the Norse gods (such as Odin, Thor, and Loki) and mythical heroes (such as the Volsungs, whose saga has inspired numerous modern drama and fantasy writers), but also a forum for students to develop their skills in academic research, analysis, and writing by composing essays that engage with both primary and secondary readings on these topics.

Texts:

Crawford (trans.), “The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes.” ISBN 978-1624663567

Faulkes (trans.), “Edda.” ISBN 978-0460876162

Hermann Pálsson and Edwards (trans.), “Seven Viking Romances.” ISBN 978-0140444742

Ringler (trans.), “Beowulf: A New Translation for Oral Delivery.” ISBN 978-0872208933

Grimstad (trans.), “The Saga of the Volsungs.” ISBN 3-922441-67-X (online at: http://book2look.de/vBook.aspx?id=5nYjPDbWBd&euid=2967251&ruid=0&referURL=http://book2look.de(link is external) )

Additional readings on bCourses.

 Prerequisites: Successful completion of the first half or “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement. Students may not enroll nor attend R1B/R5B courses without completing this prerequisite.

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

Units: 4

Beginning Fall 2015: This course is a prerequisite for the Scandinavian major.

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

This course will explore the most important cultural contributions of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden during the modern age, from 1650 to the present day. We will open with the Swedish Age of Great Power, when Sweden rampaged through Europe and attempted to found a New Sweden in the Delaware River Valley. Then our studies will enter the 1700s, when the biting satire of Danish author Ludwig Holberg created a new theater, the bizarre cosmologies of Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg opened up new ways to think about the universe, and Swedish scientist Carl von Linnaeus created the system we still use to categorize every living being on earth.

The Danish Golden Age of the 1800s produces philosopher-theologian Søren Kierkegaard, whose writings on God, Death, and Existence still intrigue thinkers today, and Hans Christian Andersen, who was much more than a writer of fairy tales for children. The 19th-century’s burgeoning interest in folklore and the mythology of the old Nordic world led to the creation of the great Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, as well as a new interest in the saga literature of Iceland. At the end of that century, hunger and the drive to create a new kind of life led thousands of Scandinavians to emigrate to North America; we will consider their story both from the point of view of arriving in an exciting new place and the loss experienced by those left behind. And at home in Scandinavia, a revolutionary challenge to Europe’s old social order finds a voice in the drama of Norwegian Henrik Ibsen and the Swede August Strindberg. It should come as no surprise then that in the 20th century the Scandinavians take the world stage as the engineers of a new social and economic order. Storytellers Selma Lagerlöf and Karen Blixen (pen name: Isak Dinesen) recall the old traditions even as modernism comes sweeping in, in the form of new thoughts and designs for a new way of life. Scandinavian filmmakers, from the silent era of the early 1900s to the current day, attract international audiences. Finally, in the 21st century the art and architecture (and design for the people = IKEA), pop music, and crime fiction of the North constitute nothing less than a Nordic invasion. Come learn about all this and much more: your world may be more Nordic than you think.

 Texts:

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

Other works will be posted to the bcourse site as pdfs.

 Prerequisites: none

MWF 12-1, 160 Dwinelle. Instructor: Molly Jacobs Bauer

Units: 4

L&S Breadth: Historical Studies

Viking and Medieval Scandinavia will explore developments and trends in the areas of social structure, trade and economy, religion, political organization, culture, literature, and technology during the Viking and Medieval periods (c. 700-1500) in Scandinavia. The course will cover the main Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands), as well as the broader region of Scandinavian influence (Finland, North Atlantic Isles, Greenland). Developments in Scandinavia will be contextualized against broader trends in Europe and western Asia. In addition to readings and in-class discussion, students will complete an independent research project.

Texts: to be announced by the instructor.

Prerequisites: None.

MWF 12-1, 235 Dwinelle. Instructor: Jackson Crawford

Units: 4

L&S Breadth:  Arts & Literature

The famous Icelandic sagas are one of the most enduring literary artifacts of the Middle Ages. In this course we will read and examine the most famous of these sagas (including Njal’s Saga, Egil’s Saga, and many more), as well as works that strongly influenced them (such as the Saga of the Volsungs).

Texts:

Kellogg, et al., eds. “The Sagas of Icelanders.” Penguin Classics

Cook, Robert, trans. “Njal’s Saga.” Penguin Classics.

(note that for Volsunga Saga I use Finch’s translation which is freely available online, and I am working on my own translation which Hackett is going to publish as a follow-up to my Poetic Edda)

Prerequisites: None. Readings are in English.

TT 3:30-5, 87 Dwinelle. Instructor: Jackson Crawford

Units: 4

This course has been cancelled as of 8/11/2015.

Special Topics in Scandinavian: Sociohistorical Scandinavian Linguistics
This course is a special look at the history of Scandinavia not through its people and nations, but through its languages. Join us as we examine the earliest evidence of the written word in Scandinavia in ancient runic inscriptions, look at the evidence we have for what was happening even earlier thanks to linguistic reconstruction, and then journey into more recent centuries to look at e.g. the Norwegian language struggle, the position of Sami, and the interesting interactions between Finnish and Swedish in eastern Scandinavia.

Texts: to be supplied by the instructor.

Prerequisites: none