Nordic Studies

专业介绍

The B.A. in Nordic Studies trains undergraduate students in a comprehensive, interdisciplinary understanding of the Nordic region (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, along with Greenland, and the Faroe Islands). The goal of the major is to provide the student majoring in Nordic Studies with a robust knowledge of the cultures and histories of the Nordic countries from a global and transdisciplinary perspective. Importantly, the major allows interested students an opportunity to explore the Nordic region from the perspective of non-Humanities disciplines if they so choose while requiring a strong grounding in the history and cultures of the region.

Students will have the unique opportunity to study the works of numerous Nobel Prize winning authors, view and interpret Scandinavian film spanning over a century, and become familiar with the history and folklore of these countries. The student graduating with a B.A. in Nordic Studies will have a good command of the culture and history of the region, and cultivate a deep appreciation of the complex forces and difficult questions that animate social life in the Nordic region in a time of increasing globalization.

Additionally, students will understand the historical development of the region as a region, as well as the linguistic and cultural diversity that are a hallmark of the region. Students will develop a broad understanding of the roles that literary and artistic expression have played in Nordic cultures, from the earliest sagas to the most recent post-Dogme films and television series. Studies of history, literature, folklore, and film can be complimented by other courses chosen by the student and approved by the faculty on a petition basis that either include a strong Nordic component, or explore an issue of significant relevance to the Nordic region. Through the capstone experience, students will demonstrate their holistic understanding of the interrelatedness of physical environmental features of the region, history, politics, economics, and cultural expressive forms.