Dear friends of the UW Danish program,
Our warmest holiday wishes to friends, alumni, and program supporters! What a wonderful year it has been for the Danish program!
First and foremost, we like to extend our deep gratitude for the establishment of an Endowed Professorship of Danish Studies by our long-standing supporters Nina and (the late) Georg Pedersen. Sadly, we lost Georg last November 2022, but Nina’s resoluteness has secured a legacy for the UW Danish program.
In addition to teaching daily classes, we’ve hosted additional programs in 2023. In April, we organized a symposium on Arctic Identities, with Danish journalist, Martin Breum, and Greenlandic performance artist, Jessie Kleemann, who shared perspectives on Danish-Greenlandic relations. In May, UC Berkeley scholar-in-residence, Jens Bjerring-Hansen of University of Copenhagen, guest-lectured on Denmark’s global intellectual, Georg Brandes.
In August, ten UW-students travelled (with Morten) to Denmark for a four-week UW Honors Program on Danish culture and public art activism. A formative experience for all the students – for most, it was their first trip to Denmark!
In October, the four Visiting Danish lecturers in North America gathered their many Danish language students at UW-Seattle for two days of language learning, troll-hunting, visiting the National Nordic Museum, and making new friends. This conference was co-sponsored by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and the ScanDesign Foundation.
We thank you for your involvement, enthusiasm, and contributions to a strong Danish program and Scandinavian Studies Department at the University of Washington.
Vi ønsker jer alle en glædelig jul og et lykkebringende nytår.
De bedste julehilsener,
Marianne Stecher-Hansen og Morten Bøje Stensgaard Larsen