By earning a B.A. in Danish, students gain experience with a culture whose global influences have been as wide-ranging as hygge and LEGO. Students build advanced linguistic skills through a program in language and literature. They enhance their worldview with cultural knowledge of Denmark, Scandinavia, and the Baltics; specialized courses on literature and culture; and study-abroad opportunities in Denmark. Prepared with knowledge from world leaders in welfare, business, and gender equity, graduates pursue careers in business and nonprofit work, law, academia, and STEM industries across the globe.
First Year Danish 1 (DANISH 101) is available only in the fall quarter. Because the core of the Danish major is building advanced linguistic skills over the course of two years and two additional quarters (8 academic quarters), students should sign up for DAN 101 as early as possible. If you have previous training in Danish, you may apply for Credit by Special Examination and enroll in a higher level of Danish language study.
Admissions, Advising & Student Resources
Please see our Undergraduate Programs section for information about applying to the program, career paths, scholarships, and other student resources.
Each of our majors has an option to pursue departmental honors. Students who are interested should meet with the undergraduate adviser to learn more about the requirements.
Major Requirements
60 credits of which 30 are on the 300 level or above
- First- and second-year courses in Danish (30 credits)
- Two upper-division courses in Danish from list of approved courses. (10 credits)
DANISH 310 Topics in Danish Short Prose
DANISH 311 Topics in Danish Literature and Culture
DANISH 312 Topics in the Danish Novel
DANISH 395 Foreign Study: Danish Area Studies
DANISH 399 Foreign Study: Topics in Danish Literature and Culture
DANISH 490 Supervised Reading - Three upper-division SCAND courses, such as: (15 credits)
SCAND 232 Hans Christian Andersen and the Fairy Tale (as DAN 490 credits)
SCAND 312 Masterpieces of Scandinavian Literature
SCAND 315 Scandinavian Crime Fiction
SCAND 316 Child and School in Scandinavia
SCAND 327 Women in Scandinavian Society
SCAND 330 Scandinavian Mythology
SCAND 344 The Baltic States and Scandinavia
SCAND 360 Scandinavian Cinema
SCAND 367 Sexuality in Scandinavia: Myth and Reality
SCAND 370 The Vikings
SCAND 427 Scandinavian Women Writers in English Translation
SCAND 445 War and Occupation in Northern Europe: History, Fiction, and Memoir
SCAND 470 Scandinavian Auteurs
SCAND 480 Kierkegaard and the Existentialist Tradition - SCAND 498 Senior Capstone Project (5 credits)
Credits earned during studies in Denmark can be transferred in consultation with the Foreign Study Office and the Scandinavian Department.
Course substitutions are made on approval of the Undergraduate Adviser.