Fall 2019

TuTh 2-3:30, Dwinelle 33. Instructor: Karen Møller

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 (includes online homework), an oral and written midterm and final.

Text: RIGTIG DANSK, Karen Christensen Bahamondes, Gyldendal, 2015.
Available through bCourses; do not purchase.

THIS COURSE IS ALSO OFFERED AS A DISTANCE LEARNING CLASS FOR STUDENTS AT OTHER UC CAMPUSES. This is a UC cross-campus listed course and will be taught to accommodate students from other UC campuses. We will meet on August 29, but please note that instruction using the textbook starts on September 26.

If you are not a currently registered student, you may be able to enroll via Concurrent Enrollment, UC Berkeley Extension. Please note that the Concurrent Enrollment application must be approved by the department. Approval is based on availability of space in the class; enrolled UC students on a waitlist have priority.

Prerequisites: None. Elementary Danish is open to all 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.

MWF 9-10, Dwinelle 6415. Instructor: Lotta Weckström

Units: 4

This is a cross campus listed course and will be taught with the quarter schedule to accommodate students from other UC campuses. We will meet on 8/28 but instruction begins formally on 9/28 when other UC campuses start. UCB students will participate to this class in the classroom, enrolled students from other campuses via Zoom, a conferencing / distance teaching platform.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Students will learn the basic structures of the Finnish language and will be able to use them in simple, everyday conversation. All four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing will be studied and practiced in context with the structures of Finnish. Both colloquial (spoken) and formal (written) forms of the Finnish language will be studied and practiced. Historical and cultural information as well as everyday life in modern Finland will be discussed in connection with language studies.

COURSE TEXTS:
Suomen mestari 1. Suomen kielen oppikirja aikuisille. (Finlectura 2011) Sonja Gehring & Sanni Heinzman
Additional texts, websites, listening clips, film clips, etc. will be provided.

GRADING POLICIES:
Attendance and participation (30%)
Homework assignments, including the language/culture log (20%)
Quizzes (25%)
Final exam (25%)

Prerequisites: None. All welcome / Tervetuloa!

TuTh 9:30-11, Dwinelle 6415. Instructor: Tiffany White

Units: 4

Icelandic is a strategic language in transatlantic connections between the U.S. and Europe, as well as between Europe and the Arctic. Recently popularized through television shows such as Game of Thrones and movie series such as Thor and Star Wars, Iceland boasts a beautiful landscape and a rich history. The language is very conservative, 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 goal of this course is for the student to comprehend spoken and written Icelandic relating to familiar, everyday topics.

THIS COURSE IS ALSO OFFERED AS A DISTANCE LEARNING CLASS FOR STUDENTS AT OTHER UC CAMPUSES. This is a UC cross-campus listed course and will be taught to accommodate students from other UC campuses. We will meet on August 29, and instruction will begin on September 26.

Prerequisites:  None.  Icelandic 1A presumes no familiarity with the language. Nevertheless, knowledge of other Germanic or Classical languages will be of great help.

Instructor pending appointment.

TuTH 9:30-11, Wheeler 100. Instructor: TBA

Units: 4

(Fall only.  Swedish 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:  Rivstart A1 + A2 (There is a textbook and exercise book)

Prerequisites:  None. 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.

If you are not a currently registered student, you may be able to enroll via Concurrent Enrollment, UC Berkeley Extension(link is external). Please note that the Concurrent Enrollment application must be approved by the department. Approval is based on availability of space in the class; enrolled UC students on a waitlist have priority.

MWF 10-11, Dwinelle 6415. Instructor: Aino Rinhaug

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 on Amazon.

Instructions will be given by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites: None. 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.

If you are not a currently registered student, you may be able to enroll via Concurrent Enrollment, UC Berkeley Extension. Please note that the Concurrent Enrollment application must be approved by the department. Approval is based on availability of space in the class; enrolled UC students on a waitlist have priority.

W 11-12, Dwinelle 6415. 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 = Danish (TuTh 11-12)

Section 102 = Norwegian (M & F 12-1)

Section 103 = Swedish (TuTh 12-1)

Texts: Language sections: textbooks to be announced – most often as readers on bCourses. Lecture/Culture section: Reader
RIVSTART only for Swedish (Section 103).

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 = Danish
Section 102 = Norwegian
Section 103 = Swedish.
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 (Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish). 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 Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish 1A-1B 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 of the three Scandinavian languages and with a passing grade. The placement test must be taken prior to or within the first week of instruction. Contact the language coordinator, Karen Moller, 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 Scandinavian 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 Scandinavian 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.

Prerequisites:  Completion of Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish 1A-1B with a passing grade; consent of instructor.

If you are not a currently registered student, you may be able to enroll via Concurrent Enrollment, UC Berkeley Extension(link is external). Please note that the Concurrent Enrollment application must be approved by the department. Approval is based on availability of space in the class; enrolled UC students on a waitlist have priority.

MWF 10-11, Dwinelle B33B. Instructor: Isobel Boles

Units: 4

L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature

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

Would you like to learn the language that the stories of the Vikings and their descendants were written and passed down in? Old Norse literature preserves many of these tales in its sagas and poetry. In reading this literature, one can learn of the travels of medieval Scandinavians to places as distant as North America and Byzantium, the conflicts and quarrels of giants and gods, heroic encounters with crafty dragons, adaptations of Arthurian legends, and the miracles of saints and bishops.

This class will introduce students to the written vernacular language of Iceland and Norway in the Middle Ages. Class time will focus on the grammatical structure of Old Norse, translating into English, and close-reading exercises of Old Norse texts. Students will practice some English to Old Norse translation and learn about the stories and culture of medieval Scandinavia. 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 translations, grammatical exercises, quizzes, a midterm, and a final exam. Regular and active participation is required.

MWF 11-12, MF: Dwinelle 6415; W: BLC, Room TBD. Instructor: Lotta Weckström

Units: 4

This is a cross campus listed course and will be taught with the UC Berkeley semester schedule. Students from other UC, and other campuses are most welcome to join and will be accommodated! UCB students will participate to this class in the classroom, enrolled students from other campuses via Zoom, a conferencing / distance teaching platform.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• Students develop their communicative skills in both everyday and more formal communication situations.
• Students develop their reading comprehension of different text types.
• Students work on their skills of vocabulary, syntax, and idioms and continue to familiarize themselves with colloquial, authentic Finnish.
• All four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing are practiced.
• Students practice various text types with writing workshop assignments.
• Cultural information and everyday life in modern Finland is discussed in context of the study materials.
• Authentic experiences aiding language learning are provided via films, visits by guest speakers etc.

COURSE TEXT:
1. Suomen mestari 2 (2012) Gehring & Heinzmann. FinnLectura Ab.ISBN 978-951-792-477-

2. Materials provided by the instructor

PREREQUISITES: Finnish 1A and 1B. Students who have acquired basic Finnish skills elsewhere should contact the instructor prior to enrolling to this class.

GRADING POLICIES:
Attendance and participation (20%)
Presentation (15%)

Homework assignment (15%)

Writing workshop (15%)
Midterm exam (15%)
Final Exam (20%)

TuTh 8-9:30, Dwinelle 228. Instructor: Liam Waters

Units: 4

“The truth is that in [The Hobbit] a number of good things, never before united, have come together: a fund of humour, an understanding of children, and a happy fusion of the scholar’s with the poet’s grasp of mythology… The professor has the air of inventing nothing. He has studied trolls and dragons at first hand and describes them with that fidelity that is worth oceans of glib “originality.” (The Times, October 8, 1937)

Of the many sources drawn upon by J.R.R. Tolkien in the creation of his Middle-Earth, none seem more prominent than the myths and legends of Medieval Scandinavia. Wandering wizards who cox heroes from their homes, troublesome trolls, and deadly dragons fill the landscape of both Tolkien’s world and the world of Norse mythology. Over the course of the semester, we shall discover not only what myths and legends Tolkien drew upon in creating Middle-Earth, but also begin to explore how retellings of these stories have influenced their preservation.

In this course, we will focus on developing thesis writing techniques, paper organization skills, and writing method. We will consider, over the course of the semester, the interplay between primary and secondary source material as well as questions of medium, context, and cultural impact.

Required Texts

Please obtain a copy of the following:

• The Hobbit. J.R.R. Tolkien. ISBN: 0618002219
• Edda. trans. Anthony Faulkes. ISBN: 9780460876162
• The Poetic Edda (2014). trans. Carolyne Larrington. ISBN: 9780199675340
• Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. H.R. Ellis Davidson. ISBN: 9780140136272

Other readings will be made available on bCourses.

Due to the high demand for R&C courses we monitor attendance very carefully. Attendance is mandatory the first two weeks of classes, this includes all enrolled and wait listed students. If you do not attend all classes the first two weeks you may be dropped. If you are attempting to add into this class during weeks 1 and 2 and did not attend the first day, you will be expected to attend all class meetings thereafter and, if space permits, you may be enrolled from the wait list.

MWF 8-9, Dwinelle 187. Instructor: Sarah Eriksen

Units: 4

A monster-slayer is hunted across Icelandic wastelands. A hapless student tries to trade lives with a soldier-for-hire. Toys pretend to be human at night. Trolls encroach on the heart of the city. What does it mean to swap places, perspectives, or identities? What can learning about others tell us about ourselves?

This course covers Nordic works of diverse styles and genres from medieval to modern, folding in relevant concepts from literary, cognitive, anthropological, and cultural studies to build a toolbox of analytical strategies. Exercises and discussions will develop skills in argumentation, structure, analysis, and editing, and students will further hone these abilities through writing assignments. Weekly workshops, including a trip to the library, will cover standards of composition and research.

All texts and course materials are in English. No prior knowledge of the Nordic world is necessary for this class.

This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of the “A” portion of the Reading & Composition requirement or its equivalent. Students may not enroll in nor attend R1B/R5B courses without completing this prerequisite.

Due to the high demand for R&C courses we monitor attendance very carefully. Attendance is mandatory the first two weeks of classes, this includes all enrolled and wait listed students. If you do not attend all classes the first two weeks you may be dropped. If you are attempting to add into this class during weeks 1 and 2 and did not attend the first day, you will be expected to attend all class meetings thereafter and, if space permits, you may be enrolled from the wait list.

TuTh 2-3:30, Barrows 60. Instructor: Mark Sandberg

Units: 4

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

What are Nordic values? The countries of the northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) have been caricatured in recent political discourse as either utopian or dystopian alternatives to American culture. Are they bastions of happiness and wellness, as touted in the U.N. happiness surveys, or are they the conformist, homogeneous societies where freedom dies, as other would have it? A cultural history of three easily recognized Nordic ideals—sustainable relationships to nature, gender equality, and social solidarity—will show the ways these contemporary Nordic values were shaped by literature, drama, film, folklore, and other forms of humanistic expression from the eighteenth century to the present day. Along the way, the course offers answers to the question: How do the arts and literature reveal the pressure points implicit in Nordic values while also contributing to their formation?

This course emphasizes the acquisition of overview information about Nordic culture, the development of interpretive abilities in encounters with key social-science, historical, and humanistic texts, and the improvement of analytic skills in evaluating key concepts, mindsets, and values in the Nordic region.

Prerequisites: None.
Required for the Scandinavian major.

MWF 12-1, Etcheverry 3106. Instructor: Jonas Wellendorf

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. 750-1500). The course will cover the Scandinavian homelands (Denmark, Sweden, Norway) as well as the regions in which Scandinavians settled during the Viking Age. Developments in Scandinavia will be contextualized against broader trends in Europe and western Asia.

Texts:
John Haywood, The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings (1995)
Else Roesdahl, The Vikings (2018, 3rd ed.)

Anders Winroth, The Age of the Vikings (2014)

and a selection of primary sources in translation.

Prerequisites: None.

Taught in English with readings in English.

TuTh 12:30-2, Wheeler 204. Instructor: Rue Taylor

Units: 4

L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature

This course is an introduction to the literature of Viking and Medieval Scandinavia. While much of the course will emphasize reading, understanding, discussing and writing about the literature of from this period, we will also learn about the development of Scandinavian literature through time, as well as the oral, literary, religious and cultural contexts of that literature. Readings will include Egil’s Saga, the Vinland Sagas, Laxdæla Saga and The Saga of the Ynglings.

Texts:

Margaret Clunies Ross, The Cambridge Introduction to the Old Norse-Icelandic Saga. Cambridge.

The Sagas of the Icelanders with a preface by Jane Smiley. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.

Course Reader

Prerequisites: None.

Course taught in English with readings in English.

TuTh 11-12:30, Dwinelle 242. Instructor: Lotta Weckström

Units: 4

Finland today is a technologically advanced welfare state, a social democracy that shares a great deal with its Nordic neighbors, yet has retained a vibe of its own. What makes Finland stand apart from its neighbors? Perhaps because of its unique language which is not related to the Scandinavian or Slavic languages, or its geopolitically interesting location between East and West. Maybe its fascinating national epic, the Kalevala, modern curiosities such the sport of wife-carrying, the basic income experiment, or Clash of Clans – brainchild of a Finnish gaming company?

During this course we will walk though 100 years of Finnish history in the context of the turbulent times in Europe and Russia, explore a variety of cultural expressions such as music, literature, folklore, art, architecture, film, and popular culture. We will also examine the concept of national identity – what creates a community, a people? What, exactly, is a baby box, does the language really lack the concept of future, are Finns the most introverted people of the world, and do they honestly go to the sauna several times a week? Come and find out!

Texts:
Lavery, Jason. The History of Finland.
Course Reader:

Includes articles on history, society, politics, art, and literature, as well as literary texts by classic and modern authors. Excerpts of Kaleva in translation, and articles provided by guest speakers TBA. Accessible on bCourses

Requirements:
3 quizzes (15%)
In-class midterm (20%)
In-class final exam (25%)
Attendance and participation in classroom discussion, and group/pair work  (15%)
Presentation (15%)
3 Homework assignments (10%)

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

Meetings TBD, Faculty Offices. Instructor: Faculty

Units: 1

For Scandinavian majors.

One hour of discussion per week. Prerequisites: Knowledge of a Scandinavian language/completion of 2 years of a Scandinavian language at UC Berkeley. Additional work, for majors in Scandinavian and other qualified students with permission of the instructor, in connection with one of the following: Scandinavian C107, C108, 115, 116, 117, 120, 165, and other upper-division courses by approval of the Faculty Major Adviser.  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.

To enroll, complete an Independent Study form (see Amanda Minafo, undergraduate advisor, for the form) with the faculty member. Return the completed form to Amanda, who will enroll you in the appropriate section.

TuTh 3:30-5, Hildebrand B51. Instructor: Anna Tomi

Units: 4

This course examines expressions of madness and monstrosity in women’s writing throughout the Nordic literatures from late nineteenth and through the twentieth century. We will read a host of fictional texts that investigate a split between social conformity and resistance, where madness and beastliness become a way to reject patriarchal gender expectations. The approach will be intersectional, and the readings will be situated within the context of cultural, medical, and literary history, as well as feminist philosophy. How do Nordic women negotiate the crisis between gender norms and the yearning for individual freedom, and how does that overlap with the capitalist logic of production? Sometimes, as in the Finnish Aino Kallas’ novel The Wolf’s Bride from 1928, the protagonist turns into a werewolf; other times, as in Norwegian Amalie Skram’s novel Professor Hieronomus from 1895 and Danish Tove Ditlevsen’s Faces from 1968, the protagonists are institutionalized and pathologized; or as in Swedish Victoria Benedictsson’s Out of the Darkness from, the voice of a female is literally emerging from the darkness of melancholy, inviting us to inquire into the emotional response to internalized power. We will trace the unfolding of the themes throughout the century, asking how emotions and violence intersected in aesthetic form. The course will scrutinize how confessional poetics from 1960s challenge the notion of disembodied aesthetics, and how contemporary poetry examines empathy, care, and labour. Besides a host of Nordic women writers, including Tove Jansson, Edith Södergran, Marja-Liisa Vartio, and Athena Farrokhzad, we will read works by non-Nordic authors such as Jenny Zhang, bell hooks, Chris Kraus, Kate Zambreno, Adrienne Rich, Maggie Nelson, Marina Tsvetaeva, and Sara Ahmed. We will also consider film, music, and performance.

All readings will be in English.

No prerequisites.