Medieval Studies Program

Scandinavian

Current Course Offerings

Winter 2022

SCAN335 Vikings and Norse Mythology (in English) Sections

History, literature, and mythology of early Scandinavian societies.

Course Descriptions

Designed to introduce students to the history, literature and mythology of the so-called “Viking Age,” (from the 793 Viking raid on Lindisfarne to the 1066 defeat at the Battle of Stamford Bridge), this course provides necessary historical context for reading the texts produced between the twelfth and the fourteenth century. Almost all the texts about “Vikings” were written after the “Viking Age.” Vikings did not call themselves Vikings, did not wear horned helmets, and did not produce written accounts. The texts were either written by outsiders or by later Scandinavian writers who lived in very different social and religious environments. The Viking world is an observer construct. Students learn about the cultural and political dynamics of the Norsemen as well as the cultural and political dynamics that fuel the cultural construction of the Norsemen and the North. Taught in English.
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Winter 2022
No SCAN course(s) were found for W2022 term.
Winter 2022
No SCAN course(s) were found for W2022 term.

Courses Offered in Other Terms

SCAN335

Designed to introduce students to the history, literature and mythology of the so-called “Viking Age,” (from the 793 Viking raid on Lindisfarne to the 1066 defeat at the Battle of Stamford Bridge), this course provides necessary historical context for reading the texts produced between the twelfth and the fourteenth century. Almost all the texts about “Vikings” were written after the “Viking Age.” Vikings did not call themselves Vikings, did not wear horned helmets, and did not produce written accounts. The texts were either written by outsiders or by later Scandinavian writers who lived in very different social and religious environments. The Viking world is an observer construct. Students learn about the cultural and political dynamics of the Norsemen as well as the cultural and political dynamics that fuel the cultural construction of the Norsemen and the North. Taught in English.

SCAN415

Scandinavian contributions to medieval and early modern world literature, culture and history.

SCAN501

This course deals with the rudiments of Old Icelandic grammar and literature. The reading of texts is started almost immediately, and points of grammar, language and history are treated as students read texts in Norse mythology, legend, and history. Two family sagas are read in English translation and discussed. Permission of the instructor required. Offered rarely.

Winter 2022

SCAN332A Topics in Scandinavian Studies (in English) - TOPICS IN SCAN Sections

Selected issues and topics in Scandinavian cultural studies.

SCAN332B Topics in Scandinavian Studies (in English) - TOPICS IN SCAN Sections

Selected issues and topics in Scandinavian cultural studies.

SCAN334 Contemporary Scandinavian Fiction (in English) Sections

Study of texts, topics, or genres against the background of current Scandinavian literary, social, and political developments.

SCAN335 Vikings and Norse Mythology (in English) Sections

History, literature, and mythology of early Scandinavian societies.

SCAN336 Scandinavian Crime Fiction (in English) Sections

Crime fictions and films as a mirror of Scandinavian society.

SCAN411A Scandinavian Drama and Film in Translation - DRAMA & FILM TRN Sections

Traces the explosive development of a provincial theatre into one of the seminal forces of twentieth-century drama and film. Emphasis on Ibsen, Strindberg, and Bergman.

SCAN412 The Northern European Epic in Translation Sections

Major prose works of the Scandinavian literatures with emphasis on the stylistic qualities of the Old Icelandic sagas and their transformation in the novels of modern Icelandic, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian writers. Possible authors: Laxness, Blixen, Hamsun, Lindgren.

SCAN414 Topics in Danish and Northern European Cultural Studies (in English). Sections

Selected topics, such as ethnicity, migration, identity, women's issues, Danish and Northern European film.