Instructor: Andy Meyer, Assistant Teaching Professor, Scandinavian Studies
Email: meyera@uw.edu
Office: Raitt 305 T
Office Hours: T/Th, 9:00-10:00
Class Meeting Time/Place: MW, 12:30 – 2:20pm; MGH 271
Overview
While the Arctic today is home to about 4 million people, with a long history of inhabitation, most temperate cultures have long imagined the Arctic as a distant, dangerous wilderness of ice and snow, inhabited, if at all, by wild peoples and even wilder beasts. It has been the background of all kinds of fantastical imaginings—those of settler-colonists and industrial capitalists, to adventure seekers, mapmakers, and environmentalists, to scientists, poets, novelists, and photographers. The region is the meeting point of three of the major continents and numerous cultures, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. It is “ground zero” for climate change (and climate research) and is the subject of increasingly urgent international debates and conversations. In winter, it is enshrouded in polar night, and in summer it is lit by midnight sunlight. In “Literatures of the Arctic” we will study several literary representations of the Arctic, asking what the Arctic is from various perspectives. Our study will emphasize the Scandinavian Arctic and Sápmi, but will also include a comparative examination of Canadian, Inuit, and Greenlandic writers. We will examine texts by both “insiders” (northerners themselves) and “outsiders” (those that visit or imagine the Arctic from the outside), questioning the motives and values (not least of which is beauty) that literary representations communicate, challenge, or (re)produce.
*** Note: The texts for this course include depictions of suicide, drug abuse, sexual abuse, and the killing of animals.
By the end of the course, students should be able to 1) critically read, analyze, and discuss literary works (including written texts and film) of and about Arctic peoples; 2) write clearly, logically, and thoughtfully about complex topics relevant to the Arctic region; 3) understand and articulate how Scandinavian and other circumpolar Arctic communities are both connected to and different from one another by way of their literary expressions; 4) understand and articulate the role of cultural productions and values in the history, present, and future of the Arctic.
Texts & Required Materials
* Shark Drunk, by Morten Strøksnes, trans. Tiina Nunnally (ISBN: 9780451493484)
* Arctic Dreams, by Barry Lopez (ISBN: 9780375727481)
* The Pastor, by Hanne Ørstavik, trans. Martin Aitken (ISBN: 9781953861085)
* Additional texts, films, and audio will be made available online via Canvas or in class
Grading & Evaluation
Discussions: 15%—Preparation for leading discussions and analysis activities.
Writings: 25%—A short series of commentaries and other responsive/analytical writings.
Essay(s): 30%—One substantial (ca. 10 pp.) OR two shorter (ca. 5 pp. each) critical essays.
Project: 30%—A multimedia critical response project will take the place of a final exam.
Access & Disability Accommodations
It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.
If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at disability.uw.edu.
Religious Accommodations
Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/).
Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).
Safety and Mental Health
College is a time to grow not just your intellectual capacity and resources but also your emotional resources and resilience. Cultivating relationships with your classmates, academic counselors, and instructors will help you feel anchored, seen, and heard. To support you, free of charge, UW has a centralized website (https://wellbeing.uw.edu) which links to three different centers:
The Counseling Center offers a number of resources for students ranging from meditation classes, stress management workshops, individual and group counseling, and crisis services. See http://www.washington.edu/counseling.
LiveWell offers resources for student coaching, survivor support and advocacy, handling alcohol or drug issues, and suicide prevention. http://depts.washington.edu/livewell.
Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others. SafeCampus’s team of caring professionals will provide individualized support, while discussing short- and long-term solutions and connecting you with additional resources when requested. We are available 24/7. https://depts.washington.edu/safecamp.
Academic Advising
The SCAND Undergraduate Advisor, Kim Kraft, is available for in-person or Zoom appointments. She can help you with all things Scandinavian Studies-related, such as: selecting courses, creating a degree plan, exploring SCAND minors and majors, discussing double majors/degrees, studying abroad, filing for graduation, departmental Honors, and connecting to other UW resources. Email her at kimkraft@uw.edu to make an appointment.
Course Calendar Overview (Subject to Change)
Each student (with an optional partner) will be responsible for introducing at least two texts/authors and leading a minimum 30-min. discussion in class.
Week 1: Where and what is the Arctic?
M Mar. 28: Introductions, etc.
W Mar. 30: “Up There, Up Here”; “Nord,” by Rolf Jakobsen
Week 2: Sápmi and Sámi Literature
M Apr. 4: The Sun, My Father & Trekways of the Wind by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää
W Apr. 6: [optional? film] Pathfinder, dir. Nils Gaup
Week 3: Sámi-Scandinavian Encounters
M Apr. 11: The Pastor, by Hanne Ørstavik; Witchcraft trials in Vardø
W Apr. 13: [film] The Kautokeino Rebellion, dir. Nils Gaup
Week 4: Sámi-Scandinavian Encounters
M Apr. 18: Ørstavik, cont’d
W Apr. 20: Guest lecture: Anna Mrozevicz on “Midnattsol”
Week 5: The Scandinavian Arctic & Polar Exploration
M Apr. 25: Farthest North, by Fridtjof Nansen; Shark Drunk, by Morten Strøksnes
W Apr. 27: Excerpts from North of the Desolate Sea, by Liv Balstad; Essay 1 (optional) Due
Week 6: Polar Bears and/in Literature
M May 2: First Woman, by Wanny Woldstad
W May 4: Midterm Exam; Polar bears in photo books
Week 7: Westward Expansion / The Northwest Passage / Greenland
M May 9: Arctic Dreams, by Barry Lopez; Roald Amundsen
W May 11: Eskimo Life, by Nansen
Week 8: Inuit
M May 16: [film] The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, dir. Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn
W May 18: “The Literary Greenland Expedition”
Week 9:
M May 23: [film] Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny, by Zebedee Nungak
W May 25: Split Tooth, by Tanya Tagaq
Week 10:
M May 30: Review/TBD
- June 1: Long Essay/Essay 2 (optional) Due
Finals Week
June 6 – 10: Finals Week: Final Project due