DAN 101, Fall Quarter 2026
Meeting Times: MWF 9:00 - 10:20 a.m.
Location: MGH 074
Instructor: Jeppe Lauridsen
Any questions? Contact Marianne Stecher-Hansen (marianne@uw.edu), Professor and Department Chair.
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; Danish is also spoken in Greenland and the Faroe Islands, territories that are part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark is the homeland of famous writers – including Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kierkegaard, and Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) - and it's the country that invented LEGO, 'Danish Modern' design and world-class cinema!
DAN 101 Course description: Velkommen til dansk (Welcome to Danish)! DANISH 101 is the first in a sequence of the three beginning Danish language courses, which offer instruction in the language and provide an introduction to Danish culture. The course is taught through communicative language teaching with in-class activities and homework focusing on speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills. Authentic materials are used in class. The course introduces 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 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 regularly.
Student Learning Goals for DAN 101-102-103:
- Listening comprehension: understand simple phrases and conversations about everyday situations/subjects in slow and clear speech.
- Reading comprehension: understand information from different everyday texts; identify facts from simple everyday authentic texts.
- Speech: talk about yourself, family, living accommodations, and university studies using simple phrases and opinions; describe everyday situations and subjects with simple language.
- Communication: participate in simple, everyday conversations with slow and clear speech; ask and answer simple questions within everyday subject areas.
- Writing: use simple grammartical structure to compose short texts recounting events and expressing personal opinions.
- Other: research and share knowledge of Danish society and culture.
Required Textbook: På vej til dansk (2024, Synope) - On order with UW Textbooks.
Online Dictionaries:
- Danish/English dictionary: com.
Monthly subscription can be purchased for $7. - Free Danish dictionary is available at: 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 På vej mod dansk can be found here: https://www.synope.dk/paa-vej-til-dansk.htmLinks to an external site.
Preliminary evaluation criteria: Participation, Assignments, Assessments
20% Weekly Journals. The weekly journal is your personal learning tracker. Here, you have the opportunity to reflect upon the lessons and practice new vocabulary and phrases.
- The journals is labor-based graded.
- Extra points is given for extra effort.
30% In-class Participation. The majority of classes are build around 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% quizzes. During the course, 3 quizzes will be assigned to you to asses how you have synthesized the class material.
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.
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. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.
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.