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Meets 11:30a – 12:20p, Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday in SIG 225 and Tuesday in HCK 320.
Course Overview:
SCAND 100 offers an introductory survey of Scandinavian culture by examining the background for contemporary Scandinavian democracy and “the Scandinavian experience from the Viking age to the present day,” as the course catalog has it. Literary texts—novels, stories, poems, films, etc.—will provide our primary cultural access to that experience. And our thematic approach will be islands. In the Nordic and Baltic region, islands are a dominant feature of both life and landscape. (Sweden has the most islands of any country in the world . . . followed by Norway and Finland.) The texts we’ll read have, in various ways, to do with islands, and the idea of islands will filter through much of our discussion in more metaphorical ways. We will cover the five Nordic nations (Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland) as well as the Baltic region (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). Our reading schedule will be appropriate for a 100-level course—the idea here is to encourage your interest and challenge you intellectually in a meaningful way, not provide you with deep knowledge and mastery. But by the end of the course, you should be able to name and discuss some key geographical, cultural, and political features of the Nordic and Baltic region, with reference to a few important or interesting works of literature, and have a general sense of the region’s historical devevelopment.
Coursework will consist primarily of out-of-class reading/viewing, note-taking, contemplation, etc., along with in-class writing, quizzes, and two exams. I will expect active, attentive participation in class discussions as well. NB!: This course will be conducted entirely on paper, with an exception for DRS-approved accommodations for the use of digital course materials. Generally speaking, aside from projection for slides and films, electronic devices will not be a part of our activity. You will be expected to take notes on paper (a blue book is a good idea), and use your notes to inform in-class discussions, in-class writing exercises, and open-book quizzes or exams, when applicable. In the absence of DRS accommodations, it’s important that you acquire the print version of the two course texts listed below so that we have a shared experience of the text. I strongly encourage you to purchase thems at University Book Store. Films and other texts will be provided in class or via Canvas.
Instructor:
Dr. Andy Meyer, Assistant Teaching Professor, Scandinavian Studies
Office: Raitt 305 U
Office Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday, 1:30 – 2:30 pm (or by appt.)
You are always welcome to visit me during office hours with questions, concerns, curiosities, or if you have a fabulous thing you want to talk about.
Email: meyera@uw.edu
Please reach out with any questions or concerns. I will generally respond to emails quickly, but not after 5pm or on weekends.
Required Texts:
- The Unseen, by Roy Jacobsen (ISBN: 9781771963190)
- The Employees, by Olga Ravn (ISBN: 9780811234825)
- A 24-page blue book (for writings and exams)
- A dedicated composition notebook for notes (the linked product is only a suggestion; any notebook will do (I recommend one on the smaller side)
Evaluation:
- 10%—Presence: Your "presence" in the class: Active parcipitation and engagement in in-class activities, Preparation for leading an assigned class discussion
- 25%—Quizzes: Four in-class quizzes (one every two weeks), done on paper, by hand. No devices whatsoever.
- 25%—Writings: Four in-class hand-written critical reflections on recently assigned texts (one every two weeks)
- 40%—Exams: Two in-class, hand-written exams (a mid-term, 40 minutes. a final, 60 minutes)
Late Work:
Almost all of your out-of-class work will consist of reading and/or viewing assigned texts, thinking about those texts, taking down notes, reactions, and reflections, doing some casual independent study of the nations and cultures we encounter (don't hesitate to jump into rabbit- and wormholes as they present themselves!), preparing for student-led class discussions, and studying for quizzes and exams (i.e., reviewing and re-thinking through the course texts, discussions, and your own responses to them). If, however, you miss a class day where a graded assignment (student-led discussion, quiz, writing, or exam) takes place, you must let me know at least 2 class days in advance so we can make reasonable plans for you to do that assignment when you’re in class. If you are ill and unable to give advance notice, we will make a plan as soon as you’re well. If you fail to inform me of your absence within two class days of the missed event, you will get a zero on that assignment. No exceptions.
The key here is good, timely communication with me. I’m generally pretty flexible about these things.
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. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.
Access & Accommodations:
Your experience in this class is important to me. 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.
Academic Integrity & AI
The University and I, as your instructor, take academic integrity very seriously. Behaving with integrity is part of our responsibility to our shared learning community. If you’re uncertain about whether something is academic misconduct, ask me. I am always willing to discuss questions you might have.
Acts of academic misconduct may include but are not limited to:
- Cheating (working collaboratively on quizzes/exams and discussion submissions, sharing answers, and previewing or gaining unauthorized early access to quizzes/exams)
- Plagiarism (representing the work of others as your own without giving appropriate credit to the original author(s) or source(s))
- Unauthorized collaboration (working with each other on assignments)
Concerns about these or other behaviors prohibited by the Student Conduct Code will be referred for investigation and adjudication by the Community Standards and Student Conduct (CSSC) office.
Students found to have engaged in academic misconduct—including use of generative AI or Large Language Models (LLMs)—may receive a zero on the assignment in question and/or be reported to CSSC. If you would like to discuss or share your relationship to AI in educational contexts, I would welcome that conversation; I am always interested in learning how students see and use AI.
Course Calendar:
Two important notes:
- The course calendar is subject to change underway (you will be informed in advance of significant changes); for example, several guest lectures are yet to be finalized and do not yet appear on the calendar.
- All reading/viewing assignments are DUE the day they are listed (i.e., come to class having read/watched, annotated, and thought about the reading/viewing assignment).
Each student, in a group with one or two classmates, will be responsible for signing up to “lead” one class discussion on days marked [D]. This entails preparing 3-5 critical discussion questions/prompts based on that day’s reading(s) and presenting them to the class, with the goal being an ongoing class discussion/activity that carries on (somewhat) naturally for at least 15 (for pairs) or 20 (for trios) minutes. This discussion-leading activity comprises a portion of your overall Participation grade.
Week 1: What and where in the world are we talking about?
W Sept. 30: Introductions, etc.; Opening geography activity; Scandinavia, the Nordics, & the Baltics
Th Oct. 1: An exercise in literary reading
Week 2: Norway I
M Oct. 5: Overview of Norway; READ: Jacobsen, The Unseen, Ch. 1-7
T Oct. 6: READ: Jacobsen, The Unseen, Ch. 8-12
W Oct. 7: READ: Jacobsen, The Unseen, Ch. 13-17 [D]
Th Oct. 8: READ: Jacobsen, The Unseen, Ch. 18-23; Writing #1
Week 3: Norway II
M Oct. 12: READ: Jacbosen, The Unseen, Ch. 24-34 [D]
T Oct. 13: READ: Jacobsen, The Unseen, Ch. 35-37 [D]
W Oct. 14: READ: Jacobsen, The Unseen, Ch. 38-42 [D]
Th Oct. 15: Quiz #1
Week 4: Norway III
M Oct. 19: READ: Jacobsen, The Unseen, Ch. 43-53 [END] [D]
T Oct. 20: The Unseen recap; wash-up we missed?
W Oct. 21: Writing #2
Th Oct. 22: Overview of Finland
Week 5: Finland
M Oct. 26: READ: Jansson, “Moomin and the Sea” (Comic strip version)—Guest Lecture: Prof. Olivia Gunn (tentative)
T Oct. 27: READ: Jansson, "The Secret of the Hattifatteners" [D]
W Oct. 28: WATCH: Kaurismäki, The Other Side of Hope (streaming link) [D]
Th Oct. 29: Quiz #2
Week 6: Sweden
M Nov. 2: Overview of Sweden
T Nov. 3: WATCH: Summer with Monika (streaming link) [D]
W Nov. 4: READ: Karkani, “Bergman’s Women”
Th Nov. 5: Writing #3
Week 7: Mid-term / Denmark I
M Nov. 9: Exam review
T Nov. 10: Mid-Term Exam
W Nov. 11: NO CLASS: VETERANS DAY
Th Nov. 12: Overview of Denmark
Week 8: Denmark II
M Nov. 16: READ: Ravn, The Employees, pp. 1-59 [D]
T Nov. 17: READ: Ravn, The Employees, pp. 60-81; Guest Lecture: Jeppe Lauridsen (tentative)
W Nov. 18: READ: Ravn, The Employees, pp. 92-103 [D]
Th Nov. 19: Quiz #3
Week 9: Denmark II / Iceland, Greenland I
M Nov. 23: READ: Ravn, The Employees, pp. 104-125 [END] [D]
T Nov. 24: Overview of the farther reaches of the Nordic region (Iceland, Greenland); WATCH: Godland (We’ll begin the film in class; streaming link in Canvas)
W Nov. 25: NO CLASS: “Field” assignment; WATCH: The remainder of Godland
Th Nov. 26: NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING
Week 10: Iceland, Greenland II / The Baltics I
M Nov. 30: Another look toward Greenland
T Dec. 1: READ: TBA [D]
W Dec. 2: Writing #4
Th Dec. 3: Overview of the Baltics
Week 11: The Baltics II / Review
M Dec. 7: READ: Alver, “Corals in the Emajõgi River”; TBA [D]
T Dec. 8: READ: TBA [D]
W Dec. 9: Quiz #4
Th Dec. 10: Leaving the island(s): Recaputulation; exam review & discussion
Final Exam:
Wednesday, December 16, 2:30 – 4:30 pm (SIG 225)