Undergraduate Resources

Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers students the opportunity to explore the languages, cultures, societies, and arts of the Scandinavian countries. This interdisciplinary approach helps students to develop a wide range of abilities, from language fluency to critical thinking and analytical skills to effective communication skills. All this while studying a region that is at the forefront of design, environmental action, arts, and business. So when someone asks “What are you going to do with that degree?” You’ll walk out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Scandinavian Studies Department with an answer. 

Scandinavian Studies BA Major Requirements

Advisor Nete Schmidt
1368 Van Hise
262 2128
aschmidt2@wisc.edu

1. Five semesters of a language.

2. 18 credits of 400+ level courses: (15 of these 18 must be taken in residence). 3-4 credits must be taken in each of:
     A: Language, Culture, and History
     B: Scandinavian Literature 

3. A Scandinavian Studies Certificate is also offered, and requires 18 credits (9 of which must be from the 300 or higher level, and in residence) as a combination of:
     - Languages
     - Language, Culture, and History
     - Modern Scandinavian Literature   

A: LANGUAGE, CULTURE, and HISTORY
401: Contemporary Scandinavian Languages
405: Nynorsk
407: Old Norse I
408: Old Norse II
409: Survey of Old Norse - Icelandic Literature
410: Introduction to Scandinavian Linguistics
411: Areas in Scandinavian Literature
414: History of Scandinavian Languages
415: History of Scandinavian Languages II
429: Mythology of Scandinavia
430: The Vikings
431: History of Scandinavia to 1815
432: History of Scandinavia Since 1815
433: The Scandinavian Tale and Ballad
435: The Icelandic Sagas
440: Scandinavian American Folklore
443: Sami Culture, Yesterday and Today
444: Kalevala
466: Greenland – Past, Present & Future
476: Scandinavian Life and Civilization
496: Scandinavian Heritage in America
510: Topics in Scandinavian Linguistics
511: Paleography and Philology / Old Norse
577: Contemporary Scandinavia: Politics and History
578: Contemporary Scandinavia and International Relations
633: Survey of Scandinavian Literature: 1300-1500

B: MODERN SCANDINAVIAN LITERATURE
373: Masterpieces of Scand. Lit. Middle Ages -1900
374: Masterpieces of Scand. Lit. The 20th Century
419: Scandinavian Children’s Literature
420: The Woman in Scandinavian Literature
422: The Drama of Henrik Ibsen
423: The Drama of August Strindberg
424: Nineteenth Century Scandinavian Fiction
425: Knut Hamsun and The Norwegian Novel
426: Kierkegaard and Scandinavian Literature
427: Contemporary Scandinavian Literature
434: The Art of Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen
436: Topics: Criminal Utopias
437: Modern Scandinavian Drama
450: Scandinavian Decadence
475: The Writings of Hans Christian Andersen
501: Tal och Skrift
634: Survey of Scandinavian Literature: 1500-1800
635: Survey of Scandinavian Literature: 1800-1890
636: Survey of Scandinavian Literature: 1890-1920

Honors in the Major
In addition to the general requirements:
i) Cumulative GPA in the major of 3.3
ii) 20 of 400+ credits should include
- at least 8 honors credits
- at least one semester of the Survey of Scandinavian Literature series (633, 634, 635, 636)
And furthermore:
- at least 6 hours of Senior Honors Thesis (681,682). The thesis should be 60-100 type-written pages.