Spring 2018

Language Courses | R&C Courses | Courses in English | Graduate Courses

LANGUAGE COURSES

DANISH 1B: Beginning Danish II

TuTh 2-3:30, B33B Dwinelle. Instructor: Karen Møller

Units: 4

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

Students an average state their workload in this class is 3-5 hours outside class. Students will be expected to participate in assigned online projects.

Textbook: Sådan 2, Pihl Helleland and Hansen, Gyldendal, ISBN 978870214460

Prerequisites: Danish 1A or an equivalent course with a passing grade, plus consent by instructor.

NORWEGIAN 1B: Beginning Norwegian II

MWF 9-10, 233 Dwinelle. Instructor: Jenna Coughlin

Units: 4

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

Students on average state their outside class workload to be 3 hours.

Textbook: Sett i gang

Prerequisites: Norwegian 1A or an equivalent course with a passing grade, plus consent by instructor.

SWEDISH 1B: Beginning Swedish II

MWF 9-10, 189 Dwinelle. Instructor: Zachary Blinkinsop

Units: 4

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

Students on average state their outside class workload to be 3 hours.

Textbook: Rivstart

Prerequisites: Swedish 1A or an equivalent course with a passing grade, plus consent by instructor.

FINNISH 1B: Beginning Finnish II

MWF 9-10, B-34 Dwinelle. Instructor: Lotta Weckström

Units: 4

THIS COURSE IS OFFERED AS A DISTANCE LEARNING CLASS FOR STUDENTS AT OTHER UC CAMPUSES. PLEASE CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR FOR INFORMATION.

A continuation of Finnish 1A offered in the fall semester. Three hours of language instruction per week. Students continue to develop the basic elements of communicative competence in both spoken and written language within a cultural context. Workload: about three hours of homework and preparation outside of class per week. Oral and written midterm; a final exam, including a short oral presentation.

Prerequisite: Finnish 1A or permission of the instructor.

SCANDINAVIAN 100B: Intermediate Scandinavian Languages (Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish)

W 11-12, B-34 Dwinelle. Instructor: Karen Møller

Units: 4

Continuing students of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish enrolling in Scandinavian 100B 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 100B 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. Should 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 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 100B is open to students who have taken either one of the Scandinavian language sequences 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 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 mid-term.

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.

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

SECTION 101 = Danish 101 (TuTh 11-12)

SECTION 102 = Norwegian (M&F 11-12) cancelled

SECTION 103 = Swedish (M&F 11-12)

Texts: 
Language sections: textbooks TBA– most often as readers

Lecture/Culture section: Reader

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

SCANDINAVIAN 101B: Introduction to Old Norse II

TuTh 9:30-11, 6415 Dwinelle Hall. Instructor: Rue Taylor

Units: 4

In this, the second part of the Old Norse language course, we practice and extend the language skills learned in Old Norse 101A. Grammar topics from 101A will be repeated and deepened as needed. Students will both prepare translations out of class and work cooperatively on translating Old Norse texts during class time.

We will read a broad range of texts, intended to give a taste of the genres and styles of Old Norse prose and poetry, supplemented by secondary literature illuminating the historical context in which the primary texts were written, transmitted and read. Students will also learn how to work critically with modern editions and reference tools.

By the end of the course, students will have a solid basis for literary and philological work in the Old Norse field. They should be able to read Old Norse prose fluently and decode Old Norse poetry. They should also be capable of analyzing and situating Old Norse literary works in their literary, cultural and historical contexts.

Texts to be announced.

Prerequisite: Scandinavian 101A

READING AND COMPOSITION COURSES

SCANDINAVIAN R5B, Section 3: The Danish Golden Age

TuTh 8-9:30, 105 Dwinelle. Instructor: TBA

Units: 4

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

The Danish Golden Age (ca. 1800–1850) was a time of great advancements in the arts and sciences. It was in this period that Hans Christian Andersen penned his fairytales and Søren Kierkegaard composed his literary-philosophical masterpieces.

Although Andersen and Kierkegaard are the two Danes responsible for bringing the Danish Golden Age to the attention of a global audience, there were many others active during this time who are still important figures in Denmark today. We will be studying several of them (and their works in English translation), including Thomasine Gyllembourg, who charmed readers with her short stories; Johan Ludvig Heiberg, who introduced the thought of the German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel to Denmark; Johanne Luise Heiberg, who enthralled Danish audiences with her acting; Johan Thomas Lundbye, who captured the romantic Danish landscape in his paintings; and Hans Christian Ørsted, who discovered electromagnetism.

The foundation for much of this activity was an absolute monarchy that restricted political speech, and an infusion of imperial wealth, such as that from the slave-holding colonies of the Danish West Indies (now the US Virgin Islands). In this course, we will thus not only examine the exemplary artistic and scholarly works of the Danish Golden Age; we will also pay careful attention to the social and political conditions which oftentimes informed the shape that these works took, even when the harsher realities were studiously ignored.

Students enrolled in this course will write their own original academic research papers on a chosen aspect of the Danish Golden Age. The instructor will guide them through brainstorming a topic, locating secondary literature in English, analyzing sources, crafting a thesis, and refining their argument and prose style through a series of drafts.

Texts:
Hans Christian Andersen: The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories. ISBN: 978-0385189514
Søren Kierkegaard, The Seducer’s Diary. ISBN-13: 978-0691158419

Course reader

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.

SCANDINAVIAN R5B, Section 5: Demons, Trolls, and Witches: Magic in the Nordic Middle Ages

TuTh 8-9:30, 205 Dwinelle. Instructor: Tiffany White

Units: 4

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

Are you a muggle interested in the wizarding world? This course will satisfy not only your requirement for a writing course, but also your desire to know about the history of magic. Magic has captivated the minds and hearts of readers through series such as A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings—but what were the predecessors to such depictions of the supernatural? This course will survey medieval models used in popular depictions of the otherworldly, exploring the literary significance of magical people, beings, and animals in the Nordic middle ages. The central focus will be to problematize the dichotomies of magical/non-magical and good/evil, as well as to explore the marginalization of liminal figures with special abilities or appearances.

Alongside texts explicating the history of magic and science, we will read medieval stories (“sagas”) in translation about demons, trolls, werewolves, monsters, and witches. Throughout the semester, students will focus on developing research skills through a variety of exercises, including a class trip to the library (and the “restricted section”). Students will be separated into “houses” for participation purposes in the first course meeting.

Texts:

They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing ISBN:  978-1469028613

Course reader (available at Copy Central)

Additional texts on bCourses

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.

SCANDINAVIAN R5B, Section 1: The Haunting Past: Romantic Revivals in Early Twentieth-Century Scandinavian Literature

MWF 8-9, 179 Dwinelle. Instructor: Isobel Boles

Units: 4

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

This course will focus on the works of three Scandinavian authors in the early twentieth century who began incorporating themes of magic, forbidden love, and the Nordic past into their writing. We will explore selected works of Selma Lagerlöf, Sigrid Undset, and Karen Blixen, as well as some of their influences from folklore, medieval sagas of the Icelanders, Scandinavian Romantic literature, and the Scandinavian Gothic. These stories raise the questions of how the past is reimagined and repurposed by later generations, and how ideas of the supernatural have changed through time. All texts will be read in translation.

Students will complete writing assignments and practice research techniques in this course. Focus will be placed on improving writing style, grammatical skills, argument construction, and editing practices. Students will also become familiar with selecting secondary sources and engaging with academic articles. At the end of the semester, students will produce research projects designed to help them learn how to write and research at the university level.

Texts:

The Treasure. Selma Lagerlöf.  ISBN: 978-1406934878

Gunnar’s Daughter. Sigrid Undset. ISBN: 978-0141180205

Seven Gothic Tales. Karen Blixen. ISBN: 978-0679736417

Other texts in course reader and on bCourses

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.

SCANDINAVIAN R5B, Section 4: Scandinavian Design

MWF 8-9, 233 Dwinelle. Instructor: Ida Moen Johnson

Units: 4

Sleek furniture, minimalist clothing, and well-lit IKEA kitchens: these are the kinds of things that come to mind when one hears the phrase “Scandinavian design.” But we can think of Scandinavian design in broader terms as well, including the “design” of society, culture, and literature. This course explores texts that both celebrate and challenge notions of “good design” in a Scandinavian context. From houses and playgrounds, to landscapes and welfare states, we will consider questions such as: What is design? Is literature designed, or does it do the designing? What, if anything, is special about Scandinavian design?

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

SCANDINAVIAN R5B, Section 2: Sex and Gender in the Viking Age

TuTh 8-9:30, 235 Dwinelle. Instructor: TBA

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.

Old Norse sagas, Medieval Scandinavian narratives that resemble Modern day novels, depict intelligent, foreseeing, weapon-wielding women. Not all depictions are endorsements, and this R5B course will attempt to examine the nuances of gendered interactions in the texts using the large body of saga scholarship. The pagan-intoned literature features extreme homophobia, but with an underlying gender spectrum that feels more familiar to modern Queer Theorists than the majority of modern American pop culture. While modern culture insists on a strict gender binary – masculine and feminine exclusively – Medieval Scandinavian figures as famous as Odin and Loki appear gender fluid. As the closest Medieval genre to a modern novel, the saga style captured the imaginations of Romantic poets just the same as modern day Hollywood screenwriters. If we hope to understand these adaptations, we must first understand the source material.

This course focuses on reading, writing, and critical analysis, and ventures into literary and cultural studies as a way to give purpose to our practice. We will distinguish primary sources from secondary, scholarly from popular, and define relevant research. With the critical writing background from R5A or R1A (the prerequisite for this course), we can focus on making innovative arguments in two main research papers.

Required reading:

  • The Sagas of the Icelanders: A Selection. Penguin Press, 2001. 978-0141-000039
    • The Saga of Eirik the Red – 22 pages
    • Gisli Sursson’s Saga (pp 496-557) – 61 pages
    • The Saga of the People of Laxardal (pp270-422). – 152 pages
    • The Saga of Hervarr and Heidrek, trans. Christopher Tolkien. Found digitally.- 32 pages
  • The Hrafnista Sagas translated by Ben Waggoner 978-0557-729418
    • The Saga of Ketill-Trout
    • The Saga of Grim Shaggy-Cheek
  •  A Pocket Style Manual, 7th Edition by Diana Hacker & Nancy Sommers (no earlier than 5th edition, please). 978-0205309023
  • Other readings will be made available through bCourses

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES TAUGHT IN ENGLISH

SCANDINAVIAN 60: Heroic Legends of the North

MWf 1-2, 109 Dwinelle. Instructor: Kate Heslop

Units: 4

Scandinavian 60 is a requirement for the five major concentrations in Scandinavian.

A hamstrung goldsmith. A cross-dressing god. A teenage dragonslayer. A warrior who fights in the form of a bear. A deceived queen who takes a terrible revenge on her closest family. A king who tortures his subjects into changing their religion. These are just a few of the remarkable characters whose stories have survived almost a thousand years from when they were composed by anonymous Scandinavian poets and authors. What gave these narratives their contemporary relevance, and why have they survived so long?

The time these stories come from (c. 800-1300 CE) was a period of radical change in Scandinavia, from the pagan warrior societies of the Viking Age, to the Christian, literate, centralized world of the Middle Ages. In this course, you will learn about the literature and other media of Viking Age and medieval Scandinavia, and explore how these stories of gods, kings, warriors, shield-maidens and tragic lovers can be related to the social changes taking place at the time they were enjoyed by their first audiences. You will acquire tools for reading and interpreting texts and artifacts from distant times and places, and explore some of the recent resonances of these narratives in various media (e.g. music, film, TV, graphic novels, games).

Texts:

Poetic Edda

Saga of the Volsungs

Hrolf kraki’s saga

Njal’s saga

Further texts will be provided in a course pack.

SCANDINAVIAN 106: The Works of Hans Christian Andersen

TuTh 12:30-2, 102 Wheeler. Instructor: Jenna Coughlin

Units: 4

L&S breadth: Arts & Literature

In this course, we will read works by the famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75), focusing primarily on his exciting experiments with the genre of the literary fairy tale. He is best known for fairy tales such as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling,” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Although fairy tales are often seen as children’s literature, Andersen’s fairy tales contain themes appropriate for adults as well. Accordingly, his fairy tales can be read in multifaceted ways that help uncover key psychological, social, and sexual themes at play.

To better understand Andersen in his historical and cultural context, we will also read excerpts from some of his other works, including poems, short stories, novels, plays, travel descriptions, autobiographies, and diaries. Additionally, we will view film adaptations and look at illustrated versions of his fairy tales while discussing his works in the context of both Scandinavian perceptions of childhood and the evolving market for children’s literature. Seeing Andersen from such a holistic perspective reveals the underlying tensions at work in his writing and casts him as an innovative and daring writer.

Texts:

Hans Christian Andersen’s Complete Fairy Tales and Stories. ISBN-13: 978-0385189514

All other required materials will be available in the form of a reader.

Prerequisites: None. All readings in English.

SCANDINAVIAN 116: Studies in Prose: The Works of Isak Dinesen

TuTh 11-12:30, 2070 VLSB. Instructor: Karin Sanders

Units: 4

Cross-listed with English 152.
L&S breadth: Arts & Literature

This course will examine the works of the Danish author Karen Blixen (1885-1962) who also wrote under the pen name of Isak Dinesen. Dinesen is often seen as a modern-day Scheherazade, making story telling into a matter of life and death. She famously noted that: “All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a good story!” Her writing raises questions on narrative and gender, colonialism and race, animals and ecology. We will examine what Susan Hardy Aiken has called her unique “double textual system” and the “sexual doubleness of her signature.” Dinesen’s split position between two cultures and two languages, Danish and English, and her fictitious use of dual gender roles provide for provocative and challenging reading. A visual artist in her own right, several of Dinesen’s works have made it into film. Besides Out of Africa, we will examine Babette’s Feast and The Immortal Story as well as documentary material from her visit to the USA.
No prerequisites. All readings will be in English and will include Seven Gothic Tales, Out of Africa, Winter’s Tales, Last Tales, Anecdotes of Destiny, and Daguerreotypes, and Other Essays. Secondary readings will be posted on Bcourses

SCANDINAVIAN 160: Scandinavian Myth and Religion

MWF 10-11, 3106 Etcheverry. Instructor: Jonas Wellendorf

Units: 4

L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature OR Philosophy & Values

Who were the Norse gods? Why did they have to die? And how do we know? This course presents a survey of Scandinavian myth and religion from prehistory through the conversion to Christianity (eleventh century), as illustrated in narrative and, to a lesser extent, archaeological materials. The approach will be primarily source-critical, with some use of comparative materials from other mythologies. By the end of the course, students should know the sources well, have an understanding of the major problems involved in this study, and be aware of the more important scholarly trends in the field. Three hours of lecture and discussion per week.

Texts:

Edda by Snorri Sturluson, trans. Anthony Faulkes, ISBN-13: 978-0460876162

The Poetic Edda (second edition), trans. Carolyne Larrington, ISBN-13: 978-0199675340

Norse Mythology, by John Lindow, ISBN-13: 978-0195153828

A number of additional readings which will be available in a course reader

Prerequisites: None, although some background in folklore and mythology, religious studies, medieval literature and history, or Scandinavian culture is likely to prove helpful.

GRADUATE COURSES

SCANDINAVIAN 220: Early Scandinavian Literature – The Sagas of Möðruvallabók

Tu 10-1, 6307 Dwinelle Hall. Instructor: Jonas Wellendorf

Units: 4

The manuscript Möðruvallabók (AM 132 fol., 1330–70) contains eleven sagas of Icelanders and is arguably the most important compilation of such sagas. The eleven sagas will be read as they are preserved in the manuscript and considered as individual texts and as parts of the larger compilation. Comparison with standard editions of the various sagas will allow for considerations concerning manuscript variation, textual criticism, new philology, and editorial choices. Readings from the new Routledge Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas will highlight current trends in saga scholarship.

Texts: The sagas of Möðruvallabók (Njáls sagaEgils sagaFinnboga sagaBandamanna sagaKormáks sagaVíga-Glúms sagaDroplaugarsona sagaǪlkofra sagaHallfreðar sagaLaxdœla saga and Fóstbrœðra saga) will be read in Old Norse. Secondary readings in will be in English, German, Icelandic and Modern Scandinavian Languages and include the new Routledge Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas (ed. Ármann Jakobsson and Sverrir Jakobsson 2017).

Prerequisites: At least two semesters of Old Norse language studies (or equivalent).

SCANDINAVIAN 240: Reading(s) in the Modern Breakthrough

F 12-3, 6415 Dwinelle Hall. Instructor: Mark Sandberg

Units: 4

This seminar has two aims: to work through joint readings of key literary texts of the Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough and to examine the cultural history of reading within the same context. Through this combination of literary history and book history, the seminar explores the literary culture of the Scandinavian 1870s and 80s by examining issues of gendered audiences and readerships, censorship, publishing practices, and public debate. Key critical and literary texts of the period by Brandes, Jacobsen, Bang, Strindberg, Leffler, Benedictsson, Ibsen, Bjørnson, Krohg, and Skram will be examined alongside secondary literature treating the cultural history of publishing, reading, and viewing during the period in question.

Readings will be in English, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian; seminar discussion will be conducted in English.

Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor.

SCANDINAVIAN 300B, Section 1: Teaching Practicum: Scandinavian Languages

MWF 8-9, 6410 Dwinelle. Instructor: Karen Møller

Units: 1

REQUIRED OF SCANDINAVIAN DEPARTMENT GSIs TEACHING LANGUAGE COURSES

This course is required of all Graduate Student Instructors teaching Norwegian and Swedish courses in the Scandinavian Department. Language GSIs also enroll in Scandinavian 300A, Methods of Teaching Scandinavian Languages.

Prerequisite: GSI status in the Department of Scandinavian.

SCANDINAVIAN 300B, Section 2: Teaching Practicum: Reading & Composition for Scandinavian GSIs

MWF 8-9, 6408 Dwinelle. Instructor: Jonas Wellendorf

Units: 1

REQUIRED OF SCANDINAVIAN DEPARTMENT GSIs TEACHING READING & COMPOSITION

This course is required of all Graduate Student Instructors teaching Reading & Composition courses in the Scandinavian Department. Reading and Composition GSIs also enroll in Prof. Wellendorf’s Scandinavian 301, Section 2 course for 3 units.

Prerequisite: GSI status in the Department of Scandinavian.

SCANDINAVIAN 301, Section 1: Teaching Methodology: Scandinavian Languages

TuTh 8-9:30, 6410 Dwinelle. Instructor: Karen Møller

Units: 3

REQUIRED OF SCANDINAVIAN DEPARTMENT GSIs TEACHING LANGUAGE COURSES

This course is required of all Graduate Student Instructors teaching language courses in the Scandinavian Department. Language GSIs also enroll in Karen Moller’s Scandinavian 300B, section 1, language teaching practicum, for 1 unit. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Prerequisite: Employment as graduate student instructor in the Department of Scandinavian.

SCANDINAVIAN 301, Section 2: Teaching Methodology: Reading & Composition

TuTh 8-9:30, 6408 Dwinelle. Instructor: Jonas Wellendorf

Units: 3

REQUIRED OF SCANDINAVIAN DEPARTMENT GSIs TEACHING READING & COMPOSITION.

This course is required of all Graduate Student Instructors teaching Reading & Composition courses in the Scandinavian Department. Reading and Composition GSIs also enroll in Prof. Wellendorf’s Scandinavian 300B, Section 2 course for 1 unit.

Course to be repeated for credit each semester of employment as graduate student instructor. The purpose of this course is to introduce new GSIs to teaching Scandinavian R5A and R5B. It will focus on preparation of teaching materials, including syllabi, and discussion of questions of pedagogy (teaching literature and writing, lecturing, leading class discussions, designing writing assignments, grading and formulating responses to student papers, working with students individually and in small groups). The course will help you prepare for a career as a college teacher of literature and for the teaching component of job applications. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Prerequisite: Employment as graduate student instructor in the Department of Scandinavian.