Capstone Projects

Majors in the Scandinavian languages and in Scandinavian Area Studies are required to complete a 5-credit Capstone Project as part of their program of studies. Most students complete SCAND498: Capstone Project during their senior year.
 
The Capstone is intended to offer the student an opportunity to apply the skills they have acquired as part of their undergraduate studies towards an independent, in-depth project that focuses on a single topic related to Scandinavian language, literature, or area studies. Students are encouraged to design a Capstone Project that is in line with their future career and/or academic goals and interests.

The standard Capstone Project is a research or critical paper approximately 15 pages (4,000 words) in length. Students are encouraged to revise and expand a paper from a past course. Students are welcome to propose alternative Capstone Projects, including but not limited to:

  • research or critical paper
  • a multimedia installation
  • an original translation project
  • a documentary film
  • an internship

All Capstone Projects should result in a physical or digital artifact that students could include in a professional or personal portfolio or as part of a graduate application, as well as a 1-2 page (300-600 word) summative abstract/reflection.

Students should:

  1. Connect with a faculty member from the Department of Scandinavian Studies to supervise their Capstone Project. At this first meeting, students and faculty will identify the Capstone Project topic, discuss possible avenues of inquiry, determine a timeline for completion and grading expectations, and set future meeting times.
  2. Complete the Capstone Agreement Form, which requires a brief description of the proposed Capstone Project and a working title.
  3. Register for SCAND 498 (5 credits) during the quarter in which they intend to complete their Capstone Project. Registration for SCAND 498 requires a faculty code from the faculty who is supervising the capstone. To obtain a code, ask your faculty supervisor.
  4. Meet with their faculty supervisor during the quarter according to the timeline established at the initial meeting.
  5. Submit the completed Capstone Project to faculty supervisor for grading.
  6. Submit the 1-2 page (300-600 word) summative abstract/ reflection to the Final Capstone Submission Form for archiving in the department. 

Here are some examples of topics from previous Capstones:

  • Life as a career military person and the perception of the military in Cold War era Finland
  • Norwegian Criminal Justice System
  • Exploring the Dual-Audience of Contemporary  Sámi Musician-Activists in Finland
  • Old Helsinki Slang
  • Užupis and Christiania, a comparative look at culture in Lithuania and Denmark
  • The Danish Dogme 95 film movement and its effect on modern digital independent filmmaking worldwide
  • Can the Nordic business model work in the US?
  • Norwegian legislation preventing the children of convicts from ending up in the prison pipeline
  • Old Helsinki Slang / Stadin Slangi
  • Should the U.S. adopt a Swedish universal welfare policy? 
  • Bio-power, Norwegian Resistance and Photography
  • Reactionary Parties, focusing on the Perussuomalaiset (no title yet)
  • Immigrant Integration in Denmark 
  • From Economic Grievances to Cultural Cleavages: Exploring Reactionary Conservatism in Finland, Scandinavia and Europe 
  • The workings of the National Nordic Museum 
  • Denmark’s Integration Dilemma and Media Effects 
  • Denmark and Lithuania’s Utopias: Finding the Origins of Independent Republics
  • Environmental Norms in Finland v the United States
  • Karpe Responds: Lett å være's Powerful Statement on Islamophobia in Norway
  • Scandinavian Sketch Comedy
  • The portrayal of masculinity in the Kurt Wallander novels
  • Translation of Minna Canth's play Anna Liisa
  • Pippi Longstocking and Feminism in Sweden 
  • "Ja eller Nei: Patriotism, National Romanticism, and the Press’ Effects on the Norwegian Population During the Dissolution of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway"
  • A comparison of Proust and Knausgård 
  • Designs influence on Scandinavian culture
  • Denmark and information privacy
  • Reflection on the learning of Danish
  • Role Playing as a method for teaching history and culture. 
  • Intern at the Vasa National Archives 
  • Translation of Svart Som Silver by Bruno K. Öijer
  • Translation and Analysis of Danish Children’s Literature
  • environmental policies between Sweden and the US
  • Influences of Medieval Scandinavian Literature on Dungeons and Dragons and the fantast genre generally, and applications of Dungeons and Dragons as a teaching tool for Saga literature
  • Translation and Analysis of Danish Children’s Literature
  • Family history/Immigration from Norway & Sweden- Artist Book & reflection paper 
  • Designing a Swedish Summer House 
  • Greenland, Grønland or Kalaallit Nunaat? The Transition to Small State Sovereignty in an Age of Globalism
  • Geological Reconstruction of contemporary Iceland using historical sources 
  • A research paper on slavery (thralldom) in medieval Scandinavia. The paper will be informed by both literary and archeological evidence. 
  • Swedish-English translation project on Johanna Frid's contemporary novel  Nora eller Brinn Oslo Brinn
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