Scandinavian Studies 2008-2009

The following pages describe the scope of the program in Scandinavian Studies at Gustavus and list some of the activities scheduled for the 2008-09 academic year. The document also lists the names of the people who are most directly involved with the Scandinavian Studies program: teachers, majors, minors, speakers of a Nordic language, and campus resource persons. It s a work in progress, meant to be updated regularly. Please send me (rollo@gustavus.edu) corrections, additions and suggestions for other topics to be included.

Thank you.

Roland (September 2008)

This document is also available in PDF.

I. THE PEOPLE

Faculty

Majors (declared and about to be declared) e-mail

  • Kristen Chirafisi (senior) kchirafi
  • Andrew Nelson (junior) anelso10
  • Valerie McCluskey sophomore) vmcclusk
  • Kyle Sommer (junior) ksommer
  • Nathan VanVleet (senior) nvanvlee
  • Aaron Zierdt (sophomore) azierdt

Minors (also prospective majors/minors)

  • BrittanyBohlig bbohlig
  • Chris Elveru celveru
  • Benny Eriksson beriksso
  • Elizabeth Faldet efaldet
  • Ashley Koepp akoepp
  • Kristin Knudson knudson
  • Kirsten Ruser kruser
  • Eliza Swedenborg eswedenb
  • Tim Upchurch tupchurch

Residents of SVENSKA HUSET (2008-09)

  • Krstin Chirafisi kchirafi “Co-CF”
  • Kristin Knudson kknudson “Co-CF
  • Magnus Billman mbillman
  • Jimmy Eriksson keriksso
  • Zofia Laine zlaine
  • Nathan VanVleet nvnavlee
  • Aaron Zierdt azierdt

OBS! There are places available in Svenska Huset for Semesters 2009.

Contact rollo@gustavus.edu for applications and come to FIKA to meet the SH residents and friends. You can also contact the Office of Residential Life directly. And it’s not to early to start thinking about living in Svenska Huset next year.

Student Employees

  • Krstein Chirafisi. Departmental Academic Assistant kchirafi
  • Benny Eriksson beriksso
  • Carissa Keith ckeith
  • Catherine Keith ckeith2

Swedish/Nordic students on campus (incomplete)

  • Magnus Billman mbillman
  • Hugo Hultqvist
  • James (Kenneth) Ranstrom jranstro@gac.edu
  • Jimmy Eriksson
  • Linnea Borjars
  • Zofia Laine

(there are also a few Swedish-speaking dual citizens –- Swedish/American-- on campus: Frida Dannberg, Benny Eriksson…)

Additional Gustavus faculty/staff members with knowledge of a Nordic language

  • Bruce Aarsvold, Information technology (Norwegian)
  • Daniel Lundberg, contact person at SLU, Uppsala
  • Eric Eliason, English/Dean (Swedish)
  • Mark Johnson, Geology (Swedish) (contact person in Göteborg)
  • Karen Larson, Anthropology/ Interdisciplinary studies (Norwegian and Sami)
  • Edi Thorstensson, FBL (Norwegian and Swedish)
  • Barb Zust, Nursing (Swedish)

Achievements and whereabouts of recent Scandinavian studies majors

  • Nicole Sterling, ’96, ABD in Scandinavian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
  • Amy Herbert Leval, ‘97, nursing degree at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
  • Glenn Kranking, ’98, Ph.D candidate in History (special area, Baltic studies), Ohio State University
  • Kjerstin Moody, ’98, Ph. D candidate in Scandinavian studies at University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Julia Paraskova, ’99, has been living in Sweden for five years, graduate student at the University of Uppsala
  • Karrin Daniels, ’00, Co-owner of Northland Specialties, Bellingham, Washington
  • Linda Lanz, ’00, Ph.D candidate in Linguistics at Rice University
  • Rachel Willson-Broyles, ’02, graduate student in Scandinavian studies at University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Amanda Young, ’03, tree demographer, presently doing field work in northern Sweden and Finland
  • Karin Hedstrom, ‘06, is in her second year of graduate school in Scandinavian studies at the University of Washington, Seattle
  • Two of our graduates have earned degrees in Library Services (John Kieraldo and Gillian Dawson)
  • One is a Special Agent for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (Jonathan Poole, ’01)
  • Two are pursuing careers in the financial world (Nathan Dell, ’00 and Anne Currie, ‘02
  • Two are pursuing degrees in law (Erin Sher, ’96 and Kirsten Haalboom, ’05).
  • Ritva Taipale, ’07 is pursuing graduate study in exercise physiology in Jyväskylä, Finland.
  • Brian McNally, ’07 is an international case manager for a patent attorney who specializes in intellectual properties.

II. ACADEMIC PLANNING

  • 2008 Colloquium and senior “culminating experience” (see pp. 5-6)
  • Assessments and portfolios (see p. 6)
  • Courses 2009 (separate mailing/posting very soon)

Fall Semester:

SCA 117 – Ibsen and Norwegian Literature 9:00 MWF Thorstensson
SWE 201 Intermediate Swedish 10:30 MTWF Karlsson
SWE 301 Conversation and Composition 10:30 MTWF Thorstensson
SWE 101 Beginning Swedish 11:30 MTWF Karlsson
SWE 101 Beginning Swedish 1:30 MTWF Thorstensson
FTS 100 Scandinavia and the New Europe 2:30 MTWF Karlsson

January Term - Helena is planning a course – taught in n English – on Astrid Lindgren and her world

Spring Semester: Continuation courses in Swedish language taught by Helena Karlsson and Roger McKnight
SCA 234 Scandinavian Film (evening course taught by Helena)
SWE 344 Swedish Crime Fiction taught by Roger McKnight
Roger är tillbaka!

Graduate school (talk to Scandinavian Studies faculty)

Scholarships/General

Fall application:
  • Fulbright (seniors); begin graduate school applications (contact Gustavus Fulbright advisor).
  • Malmberg scholarship with ASI (check ASI’s website, http://www.americanswedishinst.org/)
  • Jacobson Scholarship (for pre-med students). Check at Career Center.
Spring application:
  • Glenn Seaborg Travel Scholarship (for science students)
  • Nobel Museum in Karlskoga (for science students)
  • Lily Lorenzén Scholarship (for projects and studies in Sweden – talk to Scandinavian Studies faculty)
  • SVEA http://www.swea.org
  • http://www.tboirc.com/swedishcenter Due date for application: February 1.

Scholarships available to Swedes, people with Swedish heritage, or people involved in the Scandinavian Studies department (talk to Financial Aid Office and Scandinavian Studies faculty)

  • Maynard and Elaine Jacobson Gustavus Award for International Premedical Studies
  • Nobel week in Karlskoga Representative
  • Glenn T. Seaborg Nobel Travel Award Nominee
  • Count Folke Bernadotte Memorial Scholarship
  • Curtis L. Carlson Swedish American Scholarship
  • James Corda Scandinavian Studies Scholarship
  • DeRemee Family Scholarship / Dag Hammarskjöld Award
  • Gustavus II Adolphus Society Scholarship
  • Oscar and Mildred Larson Scholarship
  • Alfhild M. and Carl F. Maedl International Scholarships
  • Nels N. (Moberg) Molbert and Ida E. (Persson) Molbert Scholarship
  • Andrew Nelson International Student Scholarship
  • Barbro and Bernard Osher Scholarship
  • Ruth M. Swenson Language Scholarship

III. EXTRACURRICULAR EVENTS/CURRICULAR PLANS

Svenska Huset provides FIKA every Thursday evening; some spring events are being planned. Swedish House has a listserv: swedishhouse@gac.edu or svenskahuset@gac.edu

  • A few regular fall events. Dates not yet determined:
  • ANNUAL NORDIC ROOTS FESTIVAL September 26-28
    Cedar Cultural Center – Minneapolis
    (for more information please go to http://www.noside.com and http://www.nordicroots.org/NRF2008/index2008.html
  • Nobel Conference, early October
  • Raoul Wallenberg Lecture – late october
  • OUT-OF-SCANDINAVIA is a writer-in residence program sponsored and planned by the department. Under its auspices noted Nordic writers come to Gustavus for weeklong residencies. The program is described in detail on the department web page where the different writers are also listed and introduced. (go to Home Page, then Department Information, then Seminar Programs -- http://www.gustavus.edu/oncampus/academics/scand-studies/

October 2: Lars Löfgren, former Head of the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm, Sweden, and also the former Head of the Nordic Museum in the same city, will be on campus as the 2008 Out of Scandinavia artist-in-residence. He will present a Public lecture: "Secrets of the Theatre".

A FEW WINTER SPRING EVENTS

  • The Scandinavian Retreat at Fall Creek, Wisconsin, took place in February 15-17 No dates set for 2009 yet Here you will find more information about the 2008 Retreat, and pictures from previous years: http://www.nordenfolk.org/http://www.stolaf.blogspot.com has pictures from this year’s retreat.
  • The 2008 Senior Colloquium, an academic and social event, will take place in May.
  • The ASI-Posten, the publication of the American Swedish Institute, lists Twin Cities events that may appeal to you as Scandinavianists. Let’s plan a few trips to the TC. We have some funds to that end.
    ASI’s web site is http://www.americanswedishinst.org/
  • Everything Scandinavian is a website with all kinds of tidbits about Scandinavia focusing on current events and popular culture
    Subscribe here: editor@everythingscandinavian.com

IV. SCANDINAVIAN STUDIES: Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Scandinavian Studies is to provide opportunities for students to learn about the Scandinavian countries' cultural contributions, their place in history, as well as their varied roles in today's world. Toward those ends, the department offers courses, taught in English and intended for both majors and the general student, in Nordic literature, Nordic history--including emigration/immigration history--and interdisciplinary courses on Nordic culture. All students, majors and non-majors, are viewed as prospective world citizens, whose success will be enhanced by their having good communications skills and an ability to discern and respect cultural differences. The department believes strongly that a true understanding of a given culture can not be gained without knowledge of the language or languages spoken within that culture. The department's mission, therefore, includes teaching student majors to become competent in at least one of the Nordic languages. Majors and minors are also strongly encouraged to spend at least one semester in the Nordic country whose language they study to further hone their language skills and develop a deeper understanding of Scandinavian Studies as an academic discipline.

Department Outcomes


Applicable to majors and minors:

  1. Students will have a basic knowledge of the development of the Nordic countries and the distinctiveness of Nordic culture as reflected in history, literature and the arts.
  2. Students will be aware of important issues and concerns in the Nordic countries today.
  3. Students will learn to appreciate the Nordic area as a multicultural and multiethnic area and recognize its links with the rest of the world.
  4. Students, while acquiring good reading, writing and speaking skills in Swedish (in exceptional cases another Nordic language), will learn to understand that foreign language study, per se, is a cornerstone of a liberal arts education.
  5. Students, through campus courses, internships and experiences in a Nordic country, will receive a base for comparative value judgments about social systems, the use of environment, public and private morality, and religious traditions in a broader, international context.
  6. Students, in the department’s many courses which focus on critical thinking and on improving writing and communication skills, will become prepared for graduate school in Scandinavian Studies or related fields.


Applicable to the general student taking courses in the department:

  1. Students will learn to appreciate the Nordic area as a multicultural and multiethnic area and recognize its links with the rest of the world.
  2. Students will be aware of important issues and concerns in the Nordic countries today.
  3. Students will receive a base for comparative value judgments about social systems, the use of environment, public and private morality, and religious traditions in a broader, international context.
  4. Students, in the department’s many courses which focus on critical thinking and on improving writing and communication skills, will become prepared for a variety of occupational fields.
  5. Students who are enrolled in the department’s language courses will learn to understand that foreign language study, per se, is a cornerstone of a liberal arts education.

Department Assessment Plan

A. Course-imbedded Assessments.

All students taking courses in the department are assessed through projects and exams.

B. Self-assessment.

The syllabi for all courses taught in the department will include a list of the Department Outcomes as well as Course Outcomes. With this list as a guide, student self-assessment is carried out in the following way:

All students--majors and non-majors--who study for a semester or more in a Nordic country under the department’s auspices are expected to keep a journal.
Majors are strongly encouraged to compile portfolios. These would include:

  • final examinations for courses in the department
  • papers written for the department’s courses or courses taken at Nordic institutions
  • summaries of projects
  • journals written while abroad

Each student is responsible for compiling and maintaining her/his portfolio; the portfolio is the student’s property, but the department faculty may have access to it with the student’s permission; although the portfolio will not be graded, a well organized and maintained portfolio will be very useful to each student in her/his attempts to integrate knowledge acquired in the department’s different courses.

C. Colloquium and Final Assessment.

There will be a Scandinavian Studies Department Colloquium in April or May every year for the department’s majors/minors, faculty and invited guests. This colloquium will primarily recognize senior majors and their academic accomplishments within the department, but it will also be a forum allowing first-year, sophomore and junior majors and minors to learn from graduating seniors and to prepare them for their final college year(s).

Graduating seniors have different options as to how they prepare themselves for and perform their part of the Colloquium:

  • They may read/discuss papers written for on-campus classes or while studying abroad or present research projects they have conducted;
  • They may present excerpts from a journal written while abroad and address both the value of study abroad, in general, and in Scandinavia, in particular. The presentation may incorporate cross- cultural comparisons and discussion of culture and reentry shock and address relevant points from the list of department outcomes.

Roland Thorstensson 9/11/08