SCAND 100 offers an introductory survey of Scandinavian culture by examining the background for contemporary Scandinavian democracy and "the Scandinavian experience." Literary texts—novels, stories, poems, films, plays, etc.—will provide our 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. The texts we'll read will, in various ways, have to do with islands, and the idea of islands will filter through much of our discussion in more conceptual ways. We will cover the five Nordic nations (Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland) as well as the Baltic region (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania).
As an introductory course, assignments will consist primarily of in-class writing, quizzes, and a final exam, along with active, attentive participation in class discussions.