Scandinavian studies, Bachelor of Arts
Course description and objectives
The Scandinavian Studies Bachelor’s programme is centred on philology. Its subject matter is modern North Germanic languages: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic and Faeroese; their historical antecedents; texts written in these languages; their historical and cultural context; the history of their reception; and the history of Scandinavian Studies. The course is divided into two branches: the ‘Old Norse’ branch covers the period from early civilisation to the end of the Middle Ages, while ‘Modern Scandinavian’ covers the period from the Reformation to present day.
Students will study the fundamental questions, theories, methods, and general content of literary studies linguistics, and cultural studies, and they will have the chance to expand their understanding of various topics throughout the course by engaging more deeply with selected samples. Specific emphasis is placed on the objectives of learning to analyse and interpret written texts as well as records and traditions of the North-Germanic linguistic sphere passed down through other mediums, and on putting them in their regional and European cultural context, as well as on being able to address questions related to the history of reception and linguistics.
Great value is also placed on linguistic fluency. The aim is to accrue fluent command of one continental Scandinavian language (spoken and written) as well as passive language skills in the other continental Scandinavian languages and in Old Norse.
The course incorporates the acquisition of relevant, interdisciplinary key competences into the course-specific classes. The didactic concept promotes basic competence as well as information, text, presentation, team, and media competences.
- Basic competence: The students develop the ability to establish correlations across disciplines, theories, and languages, and think along the lines of such correlations, as well as the ability to transfer knowledge from one context to another. This also enables them to apply further specific competences in an adequate and goal-oriented manner.
- Information competence: Students are directed towards efficient, independent methods of learning and interpreting information, particularly through library resources and with the help of modern technology.
- Reading, listening, speaking, and writing competence: Emphasis is placed on the choice, analysis, and processing of primary and secondary academic sources (which is done first with some guidance, then independently), as well as on the clear and concise formulation, structure, and presentation of information in thesis papers and term papers.
- Presentation competence: Students make use of a variety of media for their presentations. They will discuss the suitability of diverse presentation techniques with the teaching staff, and the presentation will then be practised and evaluated in class in an open and constructive manner.
- Team competence: Collaborating in small groups to prepare thesis papers or oral presentations promotes teamwork as well as communication and integrative capabilities.
- Media competence: Electronic data processing systems and the Internet are integral parts of research (researching, processing of text and information, and evaluating data) and teaching (teaching material, E-Learning).
(Taken from the Study Regulations for the B.A. Scandinavian Studies. For more information see the Regulations)
The Study Regulations as well as the Framework Regulations for Bachelor’s Programmes of the Faculty of Modern Languages and Literature (Faculty 10) can be found in the column in the side bar of this page and in the downloads section.
Please apply online for admission to Bachelor’s programmes:
Apply online to the Bachelor’s programme: Scandinavian Studies as a major
Apply online to the Bachelor’s programme: Scandinavian Studies as a minor