SCAND 335 A: Scandinavian Children's Literature

Autumn 2026
View in MyPlan View in Time Schedule
Meeting:
TTh 12:30pm - 2:20pm
SLN:
20701
Section Type:
Lecture
Joint Sections:
GLITS 311 C
JOINT WITH GLITS C 311
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

SCAND 335 / GLITS 311: Scandinavian Children's Literature

Stay tuned for a complete syllabus closer to the start of the course!

In the meantime, please feel free to contact me (Olivia Gunn: ogunn@uw.edu) with questions.

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WHEN: Tuesday/Thursday, 12:30 to 2:20

Course Description

Childhood is an exciting and disturbing idea, more complex and contested than we often realize. Come explore Nordic histories and philosophies of "the child" using children's literature and other representations of children in a variety of mediums, from visual art to film. Course readings, screenings, and discussion will help us to consider how we remember and reshape childhoods, also here and now. In written assignments, students will be invited to draw on their own experiences and imaginings of childhood and to do comparative and creative thinking across the historical periods, geographical regions, and cultures that the field of Scandinavian studies encompasses.
 

  • We will read some of the classic works of Nordic children's literature by Astrid Lindgren (best know for Pippi Longstocking) and Tove Jansson (the Moomins)

  • We will also explore representations of "the child" in literature and film intended for adult audiences

  • Assignments will likely include passage recognition and contextualization, reflection papers, a creative project (involving an adaptation of one of our sources, which might include a changed ending or setting or added scene), and a revision portfolio

  • Students who complete this course will receive A & H and W credit

 
Catalog Description:
The history, forms, and themes of Scandinavian children's literature from H. C. Andersen to the present. Exploration of the dominant concerns of authors, adult and non-adult audiences, and the uses to which juvenile and adolescent literature are put. Film adaptations and Scandinavian-American materials included.
GE Requirements Met:
Arts and Humanities (A&H)
Writing (W)
Credits:
5.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
May 14, 2026 - 1:35 am