Norwegian and Scandinavian Studies Department Courses


NORW 111 – Beginning Norwegian I, 4 credits. E1. An introduction to contemporary Norwegian culture through proficiency in the language with primary emphasis on reading and listening comprehension and oral and written communication in Norwegian. Students use a mix of Internet resources, children’s books, films and magazines to expand their contact with and understanding of the language and culture.
NORW 112 W – Beginning Norwegian II, 4 credits. E2. Continuation of NORW 111 – Beginning Norwegian I
NORW 211 W – Intermediate Norwegian I, 4 credits. E1. Review and further development of skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing within the vital context of Norwegian society and culture. Prerequisite: NORW 112 – Beginning Norwegian II or equivalent
NORW 212 W – Intermediate Norwegian II, 4 credits. E2. Continuation of NORW 211 – Intermediate Norwegian I
NORW 311 W – Norwegian Conversation and Composition, 4 credits. E1. Practice in speaking and writing Norwegian on an intermediate-advanced level. Special attention is given to idiomatic usage in a contemporary social-cultural setting. Includes audio and videotapes and articles from newspapers and magazines as a basis for discussions and reports. Prerequisite: NORW 212 – Intermediate Norwegian II or equivalent
NORW 312 – Readings in Norwegian Literature with a Grammar Review, 4 credits. D. A survey of Norwegian literature. Reading and analyzing literary texts, the student is introduced to major periods and types of Norwegian literature. Selected authors are viewed in a historical-cultural context. Includes stylistic and grammatical analysis of texts. Prerequisite: NORW 212 – Intermediate Norwegian II or equivalent
NORW 380 – Special Topics, 4 credits. D. Courses covering various topics of interest in this particular discipline are offered regularly. Contact program director for more information.
NORW 390 – Cooperative Education, 1 to 8 credits. D.
NORW 395 – Cooperative Education at the Concordia Language Villages, 2 to 4 credits. D. This course is intended to provide students of modern languages with opportunities to teach and study the language of their choice at the Concordia Language Villages. Prerequisite for acceptance: at least two years of coursework or the equivalent in the language. The final decision on acceptance into this course is based on mutual agreement of both Concordia language department faculty and Concordia Language Villages faculty concerning both the student and the project. A total maximum equivalent of two full courses from 390 and 395 may be counted toward graduation.
NORW 480 – Independent Study, 1 to 4 credits. D. This course provides an opportunity for individual students to conduct in-depth research of a particular topic under the direct supervision of a faculty member. Contact the program director for more information.
NORW 490 – Practicum, 4 credits. D. A two-month living and learning experience in Norway or another Scandinavian country with opportunity to work with a business, an organization or educational institution. A family stay may be arranged. Registration by departmental permission

Scandinavian Studies Courses
SCAN 201 H, G – Scandinavia in the Global Age, 4 credits. E1. An introduction to Scandinavian society and culture. Includes the study of mythology, folklore, music, visual arts, religious movements, social and political conditions, immigration/emigration, creation of national identities and Scandinavia and the Third World. Taught in English.
SCAN 215 R – Scandinavian Fiction and Art, 4 credits. D. The course offers a selection of best Scandinavian fiction and artwork from the Viking Age to today. Students will be acquainted with prize-winning Scandinavian writers and artists, such as Henrik Ibsen, Knut Hamsun, August Strindberg and Edvard Munch, and their views on Scandinavian society and art. Different artistic styles that flourished in the Nordic region will be explored as well. Taught in English.
SCAN 250 – Pre-May Seminar, 2 credits. D. Preparation for the May Seminar Abroad. The course prepares the participants of the travel seminar on both practical and theoretical levels. Each Nordic country, which the Scandinavian May Seminar is traveling to, will be discussed in depth with a focus on environmental and peacemaking policies.
SCAN 271 H – Nordic Mythology and the Viking Age, 4 credits. D. An examination of Nordic mythology, including study of the basic tenets of the Vikings’ beliefs, their perceptions of life and views of life after death, and the role of these basic beliefs in establishing their society. Taught in English.
SCAN 272 H, G – Troll Within Us: Scandinavia Through Folklore, 4 credits. D. An introduction to the Scandinavian society, history and culture through beliefs, attitudes and practices of the common folk in the Nordic countries. Includes readings of tales, legends, ballads, songs and proverbs. Analysis of how Scandinavian artists and writers use folklore in their works and why this is relevant to us today. A special emphasis of this course will be on the connection between past and present and how centuries-old traditions and values intertwine with the contemporary issues of nationalism, racism and multiculturalism. Taught in English.
SCAN 300 – May Seminar, 4 credits. MS.
SCAN 317, HIST 317 H, U – Scandinavian Immigration and Settlement in America, 4 credits. A1 (2012-2013). A study of the social and cultural conditions of the 19th century that encouraged the “peopling of America” by Scandinavian immigrants. Major Scandinavian settlements in the United States and Canada are investigated. The influence of the immigration experience on the individual and the family, the immigrant churches, education, social and cultural organizations, and the immigrant press are also considered.
SCAN 337, HIST 337 H, G – Reel Norden: Scandinavian History and Film, 4 credits. A1 (2013-2014). A study of selected topics in the history of Norden – the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland – in the 19th and 20th centuries and into the new millennium. Emphasis will be placed upon the ways in which the basis of modern Scandinavian societies were laid in the 19th century, and upon such 20th century themes as government reforms, social and economic development, and the role of the Nordic countries in world affairs. This historical study includes analysis of documentary sources, as well as viewing, discussing and writing about Nordic histories and cultures as they have been rendered on film.
SCAN 338, PHIL 328 R – Kierkegaard: Philosophy, Literature, Film, 4 credits. A1. A critical examination of key texts from Kierkegaard’s authorship (“Either/Or,” “Fear and Trembling,” “Philosophical Fragments,” and “The Sickness Unto Death”) that emphasizes Kierkegaard’s use of literary art to convey philosophical and theological ideas. In keeping with Kierkegaard’s emphasis on artistic imagination as a resource for philosophical understanding, we will view one or more films in connection with each of Kierkegaard’s texts. The course closes with a reading of Walker Percy’s “The Moviegoer,” a novel that transposes Kierkegaard’s characters and ideas into a 20th century American context.
SCAN 367, PSC 367, ENVR 367 G, S – Arctic Environmental Governance, 4 credits. D. Discussion of environmental challenges through the perspective of the nations of the Arctic: the Nordic countries, the U.S. and Canada, the Russian Federation and the five circumpolar Arctic indigenous nations (e.g., the Saami, the Inuit). Students will look at the nations themselves and examine environmental policymaking within the nations encircling the Arctic in the structural and cultural context of each country. Students will have the opportunity to play a variety of real life roles, from scientist to diplomat, from activist to analyst.
SCAN 380 – Special Topics, 2 to 4 credits. D. Courses covering various topics of interest in this particular discipline are offered regularly. Contact department or program chair for more information.
SCAN 390 – Cooperative Education, 1 to 8 credits. D.
SCAN 400 – Senior Thesis, 4 credits. E. A directed independent study of a topic or an issue chosen by the student who will do original research, write a major paper, and present it in a seminar setting for critique and discussion. Registration by permission of program director
SCAN 410 – Ibsen and His Age, 4 credits. D. A study of Henrik Ibsen’s major plays within their historical, social and cultural context. Attention is also paid to literary and religious trends and to Ibsen’s legacy to our own time. Taught in English.
SCAN 480 – Independent Study, 1 to 4 credits. D. This course provides an opportunity for individual students to conduct in-depth research of a particular topic under the direct supervision of a faculty member. Contact the department or program chair for more information.