Introduction

The Undergraduate Student Learning Initiative (USLI) is a campuswide project that has been under development at Berkeley since fall, 2007. This initiative is designed to promote and facilitate learning for undergraduates across campus.

As part of this initiative, the Scandinavian Department faculty has articulated learning goals in the Scandinavian major and minor and
suggested pathways to reach those goals.

Learning goals for the Scandinavian major

• Communicative competence in one of four modern Nordic languages (Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish), in both the spoken and written language within a cultural context (please note special requirements for Finnish, below);
• Understanding of the linguistic, historical, and cultural relationships that join and divide the nations and peoples of the Nordic
  region;
• Understanding the broad trajectory of Nordic literary culture from the Middle Ages to contemporary times, including both canonical works and works from the margins;
• Mastery of research and analytical skills sufficient to enable the student to understand received wisdom and new scholarship, and to draw insightful and original conclusions about literature, film, folklore, art history, and other aspects of literary culture;
• Writing and reasoning skills (mounting a persuasive argument, marshalling and synthesizing appropriate evidence, crafting syntactically correct, carefully documented essays and oral presentations).

One of the unique aspects of Nordic literary studies is the close relationship among the countries and their languages (excepting Finnish, which is not linguistically related to the Scandinavian languages). Students majoring in our discipline, while developing competence in one of the languages, are expected to take cultural courses (taught in translation) that extend across national boundaries so that they develop knowledge of the region as a whole. There are courses that are limited to one national literature (Andersen, Bergman, Ibsen, Strindberg), but students are expected to take courses outside their area of language
competence, and most of our courses are pan-Scandinavian.

We assess the achievement of these skills in written and oral examinations and writing assignments within the context of individual courses. Language courses require the assessment of both oral and written skills.
Students are assessed orally for their mastery of specific communicative acts at a particular threshold (according to ACTFL proficiency
guidelines), for example, correct use of appropriate vocabulary and verb tense, awareness of syntax, knowledge of time expressions, idioms, plural forms, etc. Written assessment centers on the same knowledge but
requires students to use a more extensive vocabulary and stretch the range of their expression. Part of the writing process includes learning to use reference tools and libraries.

Students in literature and culture courses write research papers as well as comprehensive written examinations. Majors in the discipline take two individual tutorials designed to strengthen language and analytical skills
with faculty members. The tutorials are offered in conjunction with an upper-division literature course, but require that readings be done in the
original language. Faculty members teaching these tutorials assess the level of language competency through oral communication during the tutorial, and through written assignments in the original language. Majors in the discipline are encouraged to complete an honors thesis as a further capstone experience.

The minor in Scandinavian is designed primarily for students who wish to undertake study of Nordic culture without learning a language. Except for communicative competence, the goals for the minor are the same as those for the major. The minor program does not include the capstone tutorials or the option of an honors thesis.

We observe the achievement of these goals in the post-B.A. career trajectories of our majors both in academic and a broad range of other
professions that require these skills (rigorous training emphasizing language skills, research acumen, and persuasive argument): business, law, medicine, public policy and government, and the arts.

Paths to Learning Goals in the Scandinavian Major and Minor

Foundational courses

• Scandinavian R5A, R5B (Reading and composition focusing on Nordic materials)
• L&S 17 (Literature and Culture of the Nordic World)
• 24 (Freshman seminar)
• 39 (Freshman/sophomore seminar)
• 84 (Sophomore seminar)

Communicative Competence

• Scandin 3A-3B (Danish), Scandin100A-100B (Scandinavian Languages and Linguistics; in Danish section)
• Scandin 2A-2B (Finnish), Scandin 102A-102B (Intermediate and Advanced Finnish; may be repeated for credit)
• Scandin 4A-4B (Norwegian), Scandin 100A-1000B (Scandinavian Languages and Linguistics; in Norwegian section)
• Scandin 1A-1B (Swedish), Scandin 100A-B (Scandinavian Languages and Linguistics; in Swedish section)

Literary Cultures and History

• Scandin 123 (Viking and Medieval Scandinavia)
• Scandin 127 (Early Modern Scandinavia)
• Scandin 128 (Modern Scandinavia)
• Scandin 132 (Finnish Culture)
• Scandin 125 (Old Norse literature)
• Scandin 150 (Studies in Scandinavian literature. Subject varies; includes such period topics as Romanticism, Modern Breakthrough, and Decadence)
• Scandin C160 (Early Scandinavian myth and religion)

Canonical authors

• Scandin 106 (H.C. Andersen)
• Scandin C107 (Ibsen)
• Scandin C108 (Strindberg)
• Scandin 115 (Studies in Drama and Film. Subject varies; includes Ingmar Bergman)

Genres

• Scandin 115 (Studies in Drama and Film. Subject varies; includes Nordic directors; Cinema lighting; Silent film)
• Scandin 116 (Studies in Prose. Subject varies; includes such subjects as Isak Dinesen)
• Scandin 120 (The novel in Scandinavia)

From the margins

• Scandin 150 (Studies in Scandinavian literature. Subject varies; includes such topics as women’s literature and the political tradition)
• Scandin 165 (Scandinavian Folklore)
• Scandin 170 (Arctic Folklore and Mythology)

Courses dealing with specific cross-disciplinary issues

• Scandin C114 (Word and Image)
• Scandin 123 (Viking and Medieval Scandinavia)
• Scandin 150 (Studies in Scandinavian literature (subject varies; includes such topics as Nature and the City)

Study abroad
Many Scandinavian majors spend a summer, semester, or academic year at a university in a Nordic country, often through the Education Abroad Program, which has centers in Lund, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark. We
encourage such study as an excellent way to obtain the communicative and cultural competence that is the goal of our major.

Capstone experiences

• Scandin 145 (Senior seminar)
• Scandin 149 (subject-oriented original language reading and writing)
• Senior thesis

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