Swedish Program at Cornell University in the Department of German Studies
Swedish course descriptions
SWED 1210 INTRODUCTORY SWEDISH, 4 cr. (FALL 2009, MW 8:40-9:55 and F 9:05-9:55, C. Alm)
Participants gain fundamental Swedish language proficiency and functional communication skills, as well as cultural insights into Sweden and its Nordic context. Oral and written expression and skills in listening and reading are developed in an interactive immersion classroom, enriched by a textbook, additive multimedia and textual materials, as well as practical activities using web tools. Brief podcasts introduce issues of current interest, and participants explore Swedish or Scandinavian language, culture and society in guided portfolios. Intended for students without prior experience in Swedish.
SWED 1220 CONTINUING SWEDISH, 4 cr. (SPRING 2009 and SPRING 2010)
Participants expand their proficiency in speaking, listening to, reading and writing Swedish by working with online resources, texts, media and cinema. The first part of the course is dedicated to topics such as leisure activities, education, government, community, seasonal festivities and traditions. During the second half of the course, participants read and converse about level-appropriate fiction and engage with complementary materials. Particular attention is paid to functional oral and written communication, enrichment of language structures and vocabulary (including developing an understanding of connotative meaning dimensions) and mastering authentic Swedish materials at the adequate proficiency level. The course continues to explore the culture and societal conditions of Swedish-speaking settings, while discovering the Swedish-American experience. All instruction is in Swedish. Prerequisite: SWED 121 or equivalent Swedish language background.
SWED 2030 INTERMEDIATE SWEDISH, 3 cr. (FALL 2009, MWF 1:25-2:15)
By studying the Swedish language alongside cultural and societal content,participants further enhance their skills of the forms and functions of Swedish at the intermediate level, while enriching stylistic and expressive variation in their use of Swedish and strengthening their understanding of Sweden and its Nordic context. Topics of exploration and discussion may include Norse mythology, the Swedish popular music industry, history of the Scandinavian languages, corporate practices in Swedish-speaking contexts, contemporary diversification of Sweden, and Swedish design. An interactive classroom that fully immerses participants in the Swedish language is combined with reading a novel, media, film, music, selections from factual and literary texts (including Norwegian and Danish samples in original version), web activities, and virtual fieldwork. Participants are given opportunities to develop specialized interests in language and culture creatively in an online collaborative writing project and in guided portfolios.
SWED 2050 Vikings, Sex and IKEA—Scandinavian Society and Culture, 3 cr. (PLANNED TO BE OFFERED IN SPRING 2010, MWF 1:25-2:15)
Tentative course description: In this course, which is taught entirely in English, students develop an insider perspective on the Scandinavian region of Northern Europe. Departing from core socio-cultural themes such as sexuality, migration, creative expression and art, environment, as well as science/technology and entrepreneurship etc., we will dig deeply, cross-temporally, and analytically into myths and realities shaping the historical legacy and current character of Scandinavia. Participants are expected to engage in interactive critical discussions on a variety of specific socio-cultural topics. For instance, we will contrast the discoveries, mythology and diasporas of the Viking Age with 21st-century pop-culture appropriation of the Viking image. As another example, we will examine Scandinavia’s progressive stance to sexuality, body, and gender within the ongoing flux of the Nordic welfare state model. As a third illustration, we will explore cartoon controversies, and contrast intra-Scandinavian approaches to multicultural diversity. A part of the course will be dedicated to detailed case studies, for example how IKEA and NOKIA became international superbrands; the conflictive juxtaposition of Nobel’s invention of the dynamite and his Nobel Prize; Scandinavian perspectives on banking crises; and how Sweden intends to end its dependency on oil by 2020 while Iceland is harnessing its volcanic power. All materials for course discussion are in English, available online, and include for example visual and aural media, artistic and cinematic representations, Web 2.0 resources, written case studies, literary and academic texts as well as hot off the press news items. The course fulfills the Cultural Analysis (CA) requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences.
SWED 3000 DIRECTED STUDIES, 1-4 credits (SPRING 2009, C. Alm)
Directed study of Swedish (or Scandinavian) topics that address particular student needs in relation to their field of studies. Topics might include, but are not limited to, extending Swedish language skills, studying translation or linguistic aspects of the Swedish speech community, cinematic/literary themes or directors/authors, historical developments, or particular technological, entrepreneurial or social issues. Interested students are encouraged to contact the instructor to determine a directed plan of study. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
SWED 4500 Independent Study, 1-4 cr. (FALL 2009, C. Alm)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
SWED 1210 INTRODUCTORY SWEDISH, 4 cr. (FALL 2009, MW 8:40-9:55 and F 9:05-9:55, C. Alm)
Participants gain fundamental Swedish language proficiency and functional communication skills, as well as cultural insights into Sweden and its Nordic context. Oral and written expression and skills in listening and reading are developed in an interactive immersion classroom, enriched by a textbook, additive multimedia and textual materials, as well as practical activities using web tools. Brief podcasts introduce issues of current interest, and participants explore Swedish or Scandinavian language, culture and society in guided portfolios. Intended for students without prior experience in Swedish.
SWED 1220 CONTINUING SWEDISH, 4 cr. (SPRING 2009 and SPRING 2010)
Participants expand their proficiency in speaking, listening to, reading and writing Swedish by working with online resources, texts, media and cinema. The first part of the course is dedicated to topics such as leisure activities, education, government, community, seasonal festivities and traditions. During the second half of the course, participants read and converse about level-appropriate fiction and engage with complementary materials. Particular attention is paid to functional oral and written communication, enrichment of language structures and vocabulary (including developing an understanding of connotative meaning dimensions) and mastering authentic Swedish materials at the adequate proficiency level. The course continues to explore the culture and societal conditions of Swedish-speaking settings, while discovering the Swedish-American experience. All instruction is in Swedish. Prerequisite: SWED 121 or equivalent Swedish language background.
SWED 2030 INTERMEDIATE SWEDISH, 3 cr. (FALL 2009, MWF 1:25-2:15)
By studying the Swedish language alongside cultural and societal content,participants further enhance their skills of the forms and functions of Swedish at the intermediate level, while enriching stylistic and expressive variation in their use of Swedish and strengthening their understanding of Sweden and its Nordic context. Topics of exploration and discussion may include Norse mythology, the Swedish popular music industry, history of the Scandinavian languages, corporate practices in Swedish-speaking contexts, contemporary diversification of Sweden, and Swedish design. An interactive classroom that fully immerses participants in the Swedish language is combined with reading a novel, media, film, music, selections from factual and literary texts (including Norwegian and Danish samples in original version), web activities, and virtual fieldwork. Participants are given opportunities to develop specialized interests in language and culture creatively in an online collaborative writing project and in guided portfolios.
SWED 2050 Vikings, Sex and IKEA—Scandinavian Society and Culture, 3 cr. (PLANNED TO BE OFFERED IN SPRING 2010, MWF 1:25-2:15)
Tentative course description: In this course, which is taught entirely in English, students develop an insider perspective on the Scandinavian region of Northern Europe. Departing from core socio-cultural themes such as sexuality, migration, creative expression and art, environment, as well as science/technology and entrepreneurship etc., we will dig deeply, cross-temporally, and analytically into myths and realities shaping the historical legacy and current character of Scandinavia. Participants are expected to engage in interactive critical discussions on a variety of specific socio-cultural topics. For instance, we will contrast the discoveries, mythology and diasporas of the Viking Age with 21st-century pop-culture appropriation of the Viking image. As another example, we will examine Scandinavia’s progressive stance to sexuality, body, and gender within the ongoing flux of the Nordic welfare state model. As a third illustration, we will explore cartoon controversies, and contrast intra-Scandinavian approaches to multicultural diversity. A part of the course will be dedicated to detailed case studies, for example how IKEA and NOKIA became international superbrands; the conflictive juxtaposition of Nobel’s invention of the dynamite and his Nobel Prize; Scandinavian perspectives on banking crises; and how Sweden intends to end its dependency on oil by 2020 while Iceland is harnessing its volcanic power. All materials for course discussion are in English, available online, and include for example visual and aural media, artistic and cinematic representations, Web 2.0 resources, written case studies, literary and academic texts as well as hot off the press news items. The course fulfills the Cultural Analysis (CA) requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences.
SWED 3000 DIRECTED STUDIES, 1-4 credits (SPRING 2009, C. Alm)
Directed study of Swedish (or Scandinavian) topics that address particular student needs in relation to their field of studies. Topics might include, but are not limited to, extending Swedish language skills, studying translation or linguistic aspects of the Swedish speech community, cinematic/literary themes or directors/authors, historical developments, or particular technological, entrepreneurial or social issues. Interested students are encouraged to contact the instructor to determine a directed plan of study. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
SWED 4500 Independent Study, 1-4 cr. (FALL 2009, C. Alm)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Other courses on topics related to Scandinavia on campus
FILM 4750 Fall 2008 Seminar in the Cinema I: The Films of Ingmar Bergman.WF 10:10-1:10. Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
Don Fredericksen
Close analysis of twelve of Bergman's films, selected from the middle to the end of his career. Discussion occurs in the contexts of Bergman's biography, Swedish national cinema, and cinematic modernism. Some previous course work in literary, psychological, or film analysis is useful.
LING 3315 Fall 2008 Old Norse I
3315, fall; 3316, spring. 4 credits each semester
L. Heimisdóttir
Old Norse is a collective term for the earliest North Germanic literary languages: Old Icelandic, Old Norwegian, Old Danish, and Old Swedish. The richly documented Old Icelandic is the center of attention, and the purpose is twofold: the students gain knowledge of an ancient North Germanic language, important from a linguistic point of view, and gain access to the medieval Icelandic (and Scandinavian) literature. 3315: The structure of Old Norse (Old Icelandic), phonology, and morphology, with reading of selections from the Prose-Edda, a 13th-century narrative based on the Eddaic poetry. 3316: Extensive reading of Old Norse texts, among them selections from some of the major Icelandic family sagas: Njals saga, Grettis saga, and Egils saga, as well as the whole Hrafnkels saga.
ENGL 4120/HIST 476/676 A Usable Past: History and Story in the Norse Sagas
Professor T. Hill, English and Medieval Studies and Professor O. Falk, History
ENGL 3080 Icelandic Family Sagas
Professor T. Hill, English and Medieval Studies
LING 4441/GERST 4410 Introduction to Germanic Linguistics
Professor W. Harbert, Linguistics
This additional course list is most likely incomplete. Please contact the program about other courses related to Scandinavia to be included on this list.