Scandinavian Studies CoursesSCST 101, 102 Elementary Norwegian I, II 4 hours Speaking Norwegian from the first day of class, students learn to apply a practical knowledge, first to their own situation in this country and subsequently to selected aspects of Norwegian culture ranging from everyday customs and manners, travel and shopping, to history, the arts and education. Prerequisite for SCST 102: SCST 101, or consent of instructor. SCST 139, 239, 339, 439 Special Topics credit arr. SCST 185 First-year Seminar 4 hours A variety of seminars for first-year students offered each January Term. SCST 201, 202 Intermediate Norwegian 4 hours With the aim of developing the students' ability to communicate in the language and to increase their knowledge of the country, the course combines readings, recent Norwegian feature films, oral discussions, dramatization, and written compositions with a general review of grammar and pronunciation. Prerequisite: SCST 102 or equivalent. SCST 285/295 Directed Study 2, 4 hours An opportunity to pursue individualized or experiential learning with a faculty member, at the sophomore level or above, either within or outside the major. SCST 285 can be taken only during January Term, SCST 295 can be taken during the fall, spring, or summer terms. SCST 345 Composition, Conversation, and Advanced Grammar 4 hours This course is for students who have completed four semesters of college-level Norwegian or the equivalent. It focuses on developing skills in speaking, writing and reading comprehension and offers ample opportunity for individual practice and feedback. Several recent feature films and novels provide the basis for class discussion and writing assignments, while the course culminates in an oral report based on individual research. Prerequisite: SCST 202 or consent of instructor. (S, W) SCST 346 Scandinavian Immigration History 4 hours A study of the history of immigrants to the United States from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland, and their descendants. Drawing on the rich ethnic resources of Luther College and Vesterheim museums, this course examines the nature of the immigration experience and the development within immigrant communities of a sense of old world ethnicity combined with a rising U.S. nationalism. Students taking the course for credit in Scandinavian studies will be required to do some of the reading in a Scandinavian language and meet one day a week in which the class is conducted in Norwegian. Prerequisite: SCST 202, or consent of instructor. (HB, Hist) SCST 348 Vikings in History 4 hours This course covers the "Viking Era," approximately 780–1070 CE. It will examine Viking society, religion and mythology, social structure, maritime technology and shipbuilding, political developments, literature and arts, and Viking expansion. Students will submit papers written in Norwegian, Danish or Swedish. Students without a background in Scandinavian studies should enroll in HIST 348. Pre-requisite: HIST 149, 150, 241 or HIST 242. (HBSSM, Hist) SCST 352 Scandinavia and the Baltic 4 hours A survey of Scandinavian and Baltic history (including Finland and Iceland), beginning with the Viking age and ending with the current status of the welfare state in the relevant countries. Special emphasis on the Great Power periods of Denmark and Sweden in the 16th and the 17th centuries, and on the emergence of Norwegian and Finnish national movements in the 18th and 19th centuries. Discussion as well of current political and economic issues in Scandinavia. Students must submit papers written in Norwegian, Danish, or Swedish. Students without a background in Scandinavian studies should enroll in HIST 352. Offered alternate years. (HB, Hist) SCST 395 Independent Study 1, 2, or 4 hours SCST 451 Survey of Modern Norwegian Literature 4 hours Reading of representative texts from 1814 (the time of Norwegian independence) to the present. All readings and discussion in Norwegian. Offered on a rotating basis. Prerequisite: SCST 202. (HE, W) SCST 461 Henrik Ibsen 4 hours Norway's preeminent playwright, Henrik Ibsen, lived most of his life outside of his homeland, which he nevertheless observed with unmatched acuity. The course follows Ibsen's development as a dramatist while also exploring the cultural context of his time. The course includes recent film productions of selected plays and an opportunity to experience an Ibsen play as performed by the Commonweal Theater in Lanesboro, MN. Readings and discussions are otherwise entirely in Norwegian. Offered on a rotating basis. Prerequisite: SCST 202 or equivalent. (HEPT, R, W) SCST 462 Contemporary Norwegian Novel 4 hours This course focuses on selected recent novels by some of the most engaging voices in today's Norway. All course work is conducted in Norwegian. Prerequisite: SCST 202. (HEPT) SCST 463 Norway’s Nobel Prize-Winning Writers 4 hours Through the lives and literature of Nobel Prize-winning authors, Björnstjerne Björnson, Knut Hamsun, and Sigrid Undset, the history of Norway unfolds with its struggles and triumphs from the Middle Ages through Norway's World War II occupation by Hitler's forces. Reading selected works and viewing films based on them, as well as researching the authors' lives and times, students will gain an understanding of the highlights of Norway's history and literary production. Prerequisite: SCST 202 or consent of instructor. (HEPT, R, W) SCST 468 Film in Today's Norway: Social Context, Commentary, and Significance 4 hours Norwegian film has during the past two decades attracted international attention as never before. To investigate why this may be so, students will view 8-10 selected films (presented in Norwegian with Norwegian subtitles) that trace this development while also representing successful screen adaptations of significant Norwegian literary texts or historical events, and/or effective commentary on social issues pertinent in today's Norway. Students will in addition read a well-regarded contemporary Norwegian novel whose main character is a screen writer who struggles to adapt scenes from his own life to film. (All course work and discussion is conducted in Norwegian.) Prerequisite: SCST 345 and SCST 463 or consent of instructor. (HEPT) SCST 490 Senior Project 1, 2, or 4 hours SCST 493 Senior Honors Project 4 hours A yearlong independent research project. Applications are completed on the "Honors Program" form available at the registrar's office, requiring the signatures of a faculty supervisor, the department head, the honors program director, and the registrar. Interdisciplinary projects require the signatures of two faculty supervisors. The project must be completed by the due date for senior projects. The completed project is evaluated by a review committee consisting of the faculty supervisor, another faculty member from the major department, and a faculty member from outside the major department. All projects must be presented publicly. Only projects awarded an "A- or A" qualify for "department honors" designation. The honors project fulfills the all-college senior project requirement. For Scandinavian studies courses in translation, see foreign culture. |