Faculty and Staff

News from the Department

The Department is teaching a variety of courses this summer, including first year Norwegian and first year Swedish, as part of the NISSS program. Go to http://uw-madison-ces.org/calendar/su08/NISSS.html to find more information.

Welcome to
The Department of Scandinavian Studies

The Department of Scandinavian Studies, established in 1875, is the oldest such department in North America. It offers comprehensive study of the language, literature, and culture of the Nordic countries at undergraduate and graduate levels. Courses in the following areas are currently offered by the Department on a regular basis: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and Old Norse-Icelandic language; Scandinavian linguistics, Scandinavian literature, Old Norse-Icelandic literature; and Scandinavian folklore. Advanced seminars and directed courses are also offered in all these areas.

Faculty and Staff

Julie Allen is a scholar of Danish and German literature, concentrating on Dano-German interserctions, 19th and 20th century Danish literature and cultural studies.
Judy Anderson is the Academic Department Specialist and the office administrator.
Susan Brantly, who specializes in Swedish literature, is currently the President of SASS and director of both European Studies and the Bradley Learning Community.
Thomas DuBois is a folklorist who writes and researches on a variety of Nordic topics, particularly Finnish and Sami culture and Viking Age religion. He is currently the Birgit Baldwin Professer.
Peggy Hager teaches first and second year Norwegian. Her interests include language pedagogy, second language acquisition, and incorporating technology in teaching.
Jim Leary, affiliated with the Folklore Program and the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, teaches and does research on Scandinavian American folklore.
Scott Mellor's research and teaching interests include language, folklore, literature, and distance learning. He is currently on the Humanities Council's speakers bureau and faculty fellow of Norden.
Nete Schmidt teaches Danish language, Scandinavian literature, and area studies classes. She is currently the undergraduate major adviser.
Tanya Thresher, who specializes in Norwegian literature, teaches and does research on Scandinavian modern drama and film, postmodern narrative, and women's writing.
Kirsten Wolf is the Torger Thompson Chair. Her area of specialization is Old Norse-Icelandic language and literature and Scandinavian linguistics. She is currently the departmental chair .