DAN 201, Fall Quarter 2025
Meeting Times:
PACCAR 210 (or MGH 097)
Course instructor:
Morten Bøje Stensgaard Larsen, Visiting Lecturer of Danish
Office: Raitt Hall 305X
Office hours: By appointment
Email: mbsl@uw.edu
DAN 201 is open to UW students who have completed DAN 103 as well as to students who are 'heritage speakers' or who have an intermediate level of proficiency in the Danish language.
About Danish at UW: Vil du gerne lære at tale dansk? (Want to learn to speak Danish?). Danish is a modern Scandinavian language closely related to Norwegian and Swedish. Learning to read Danish is easy – there are many cognates with English. Denmark is the gateway to Scandinavia and the North Atlantic, and Danish is an official second language spoken in Greenland, the Faeroe Islands, and Iceland. Denmark is the homeland of famous writers - including Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kierkegaard, and Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) as well as of LEGO, 'Danish Modern' design and world-class cinema!
We offer three levels of instruction in Danish at UW (beginning, intermediate and advanced). Each autumn quarter a new sequence of DANISH 201-202-203 (second year) and DAN 310-311 (advanced). If you already speak some Danish, you may enroll in a higher level and earn Credit by Examination. As a student of Danish at UW, you are encouraged to study in Denmark via UW Study Abroad and are eligible for a UW ScanDesign Fellowship and other many other scholarships.
DAN 201 Course description: Velkommen til dansk (Welcome to Danish)! DANISH 201 is the second year in a sequence of Danish language courses at UW, which offer instruction in the Danish language and also provide an introduction to Danish culture. The course is taught using the communicative language teaching mode with in-class activities and homework focusing on speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills at an intermediate level. Class will be conducted primarily in Danish. Besides a required textbook, authentic Danish materials will also be included in course. The course will introduce some examples of Danish literature, cinema, and pop culture as part of the language learning process. The learning goal is to achieve regular and lively interaction in the classroom in order to make the learning of the Danish language and culture enjoyable. The course strives for a learning atmosphere that challenges the students' skills in a supportive way. Emphasis is given to all language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. To succeed in this course, students are expected to participate actively during class sessions.
Student Learning Goals for DAN 201-201-203
- Listening comprehension: understand phrases and conversations about everyday situations/subjects in slow and clear speech.
- Reading comprehension: understand information from intermediate-level texts and other media; practice reading authentic texts.
- Speech: talk about themselves, family, living accommodations, and university studies using phrases and opinions; describe everyday situations and subjects with correct language.
- Communication: participate in everyday conversations with slow and clear speech; ask and answer simple questions within various subject areas.
- Writing: use language in a range of situations such as personal letters, news, films, and literary texts.
- Other: research and share knowledge of Danish culture, literature and society.
Required Textbook: Videre mod dansk (2024, Synope)
Available at UW Bookstore.
Online Dictionaries:
- Danish/English dictionary: ordbogen.com.
Monthly subscription can be purchased for $7. - Free Danish dictionary is available at: ordnet.dk/ddo(Den Danske Ordbog; click on “English” in the upper-right corner for English settings). Also have audio pronunciation of the respective words.
Textbook supplements: Extra materials for Videre mod dansk can be found here: https://www.synope.dk/videre-mod-dansk.htm
Lesson plan: See Modules
Evaluation criteria: Participation, Assignments, Assessments
20% Study Journal. The weekly journal is your personal learning tracker. Here, you have the opportunity to reflect upon the lessons and practice new vocabulary and phrases.
30% In-class Participation. For the majority of classes, we start by a communicative exercise. These exercises aim to build vocabulary, grammar structure and practice oral skills. Regularly participation in this installment is key to success in this course. Participation also covers:
- Completing the assigned homework
- Showing up prepared
- Asking questions during class
30% Written assignments. During the quarter, 3 written assignments will be assigned to you. Written assignments will be graded based on:
- Grammatical precision
- Clarity of writing
- Code-switching.
- Whereas code-switching is allowed in the flow of conversation, points will be subtracted for code-switching in writing. Proper names, slang, and commonly accepted English terms in the Danish language (such as weekend, camping, etc.) are the exceptions.
20% final project. At the end of the quarter you will get a change to demonstrate your language skills by creating a creative project incorporating several language aspects.
Grading Scale:
| 97-100%=4.0 | 86%=3.3 | 80%=2.7 | 73%=2.0 | 65%=1.4 |
| 93-96%=3.9 | 85%=3.2 | 79%=2.6 | 72%=1.9 | 64%=1.3 |
| 91-93%=3.8 | 84%=3.1 | 78%=2.5 | 71%=1.8 | 63%=1.2 |
| 90%=3.7 | 83%=3.0 | 77%=2.4 | 70%=1.7 | 62%=1.1 |
| 89%=3.6 | 82%=2.9 | 76%=2.3 | 68-69%=1.6 | 61%=1 |
| 88%=3.5 | 81%=2.8 | 75%=2.2 | 66-67%=1.5 | 60%=0 |
| 87%=3.4 | 74%=2.1 |
Use of Generative AI
Any use of generative AI without instructor's approval is considered cheating and, consequently, academic misconduct as pr. university standards:
https://www.washington.edu/cssc/for-students/academic-misconduct/
All academic misconduct will be reported to the office of Community Standards and Student Conduct.
https://www.washington.edu/cssc/
Diversity and equity
The Department of Scandinavian Studies builds cultural awareness and understanding through research, teaching, service and community outreach. The students in this class engage curricula and field experiences structured to foster knowledge of others and their cultures. Awareness of and respect for difference is essential to preparing students for citizenship. The Department of Scandinavian Studies views each student as an individual and supports the equal treatment of all those who enroll in this class in particular. This class is an inclusive space where all religions, ethnicities, genders, sexualities are welcomed, valued and appreciated. If you have personal requests or requirements in this regard, please come talk to me about it.
Land acknowlegdement
The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations” including the Duwamish, on whose traditional lands the University of Washington-Seattle stands in violation of the Treaty of Point Elliott.
Religious Accommodation Policy: 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/).
This course adheres to the University of Washington Religious Accommodations Policy.