SCAND 155 A – Danish Literary and Cultural History.
A Story of the Danish Welfare State
Discover the roots of the Danish welfare state and explore how ideas of Danishness shape society today. This course combines history, politics, and culture to uncover why Denmark is often seen as a model of equality and social trust.
SCAND 155: Danish Literary and Cultural History (5) A&H
Tu/Th 2:30 - 4:20 pm: course meets in MGH 271
Instructors:
Morten Bøje Stensgaard Larsen, Visiting Lecturer of Danish: mbsl@uw.edu
(Office: 305 V Raitt Hall; office hours by appointment)
Course Description:
Discover the roots of the Danish welfare state and explore how ideas of Danishness shape society today. This course combines history, politics, and culture to uncover why Denmark is often seen as a model of equality and social trust.
This course surveys major ideas and central figures that shaped both the country’s national identity, its welfare state, and political climate. Exploring pivotal, but diverse, events – such as Denmark’s birth certificate, its first constitution in 1849, establishment of colonies, the Cooperative movement and worker rights – we will investigate how often opposing ideas modeled notion of Danishness as well as the modern Danish welfare state. Reading texts from principal authors and intellectuals in Danish cultural history, we discuss which ideas guided their writings, and how they responded to the political challenges of their time.
Required Books:
- Jespersen, Knud J. V. 2019. A history of Denmark. Third edition. Bloomsbury.
To guide us through this many-facetted history, we rely on Knud J. V. Jespersen’s A History of Denmark for context and thematic overview. The book can be purchased through UW Bookstore. A more affordable option is available through Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-history-of-denmark/id1598988322
Guiding course questions:
- How is the evolving ‘national identity’ of Denmark shaped in media, literary texts, and historical representations? What’s included and what’s omitted from this identity construction?
- How do these ideas contribute to the notion of Danishness?
- How do these ideas contribute to the notion of Danishness?
- Which political ideas gave fashioned the modern welfare state? How does the welfare state inform the notion of Danishness?
- What kind of agency does literature have for societal changes?
Course format: This is a lecture and discussion course taught in-person.
Student Learning Objectives:
- To practice the skill of “deep reading”
- To exercise critical thinking regarding topics in the arts, cultural history and literature.
- To implement best practices for speaking and writing about literature and other media.
- To optimize inclusive learning and intellectual community building.
Evaluation: Two exams (including objective and short essay questions); one short essay; regular contributions to online "Discussions” as well as in-person class contributions.
- 30% Participation:
- Entry/exit-slips. Starting each class you will get a slip with a question relating to the lecture of the day. Filling in and returning the slips will count towards your participation.
- 30% Reflective paper. (ca. 750 words; 3 pages)
- 10% Midterm quiz (Feb. 5)
- 30% Final Test (Mar. 12)
Writing Assignments: SCAND 155A is not a W (Writing) course.
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/Links to an external site.
All academic misconduct will be reported to the office of Community Standards and Student Conduct.
https://www.washington.edu/cssc/Links to an external site.
Schedule of lectures and readings:
Note all assigned readings posted on Canvas in the weekly “Modules.” Assigned texts should be read in ADVANCE of each class.