Bachelor of Scandinavian at University of California, Berkeley

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The Department of Scandinavian offers an undergraduate major with concentrations in five areas: Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Old Norse Studies, and Swedish. Each of these concentrations allows students to explore the major while developing expertise within the language and literature of one of the Nordic languages. While the electives built into each of the five concentrations allow room to explore all phases of Scandinavian literature and cultural history from the medieval to the modern, the core courses for each will emphasize the specific language of choice. Students receive further training in their major language skills by pursuing reading in original Scandinavian languages (when coursework allows) and through special add-on major units (Scandinavian 149). These units allow students the opportunity to work closely with a professor in their major language area. The Old Norse Studies concentration also allows students with strong interests in comparative medieval studies to choose elective courses offered in that field in other departments to complete their course list for the Scandinavian major.

The department is also particularly interested in helping students pursue interdisciplinary interests through its own core courses and through double majors with other fields. Several of the areas in which Scandinavia is of comparative interest or has made a major contribution are as follows: environmental studies, history, drama, medieval literature, folklore, architecture, public policy, linguistics, international studies, peace studies, political science, film, and economics.

Declaring the Major

The department encourages all students interested in the undergraduate major in Scandinavian to declare the major as early as possible in their academic careers (even as early as the freshman and sophomore years)  in order to have sufficient time to take required language courses and to complete major requirements. Students interested in exploring the major should consult the undergraduate student services adviser as early as possible to plan an individualized course of study at the Scandinavian department office in 6303 Dwinelle Hall. Appointments should be made in advance by email at [email protected].

Students who already have a primary major but would like to make good use of those credits earned on the EAP program or of upper division work done in Scandinavian here at Berkeley should explore the possibility of a double major or minor in Scandinavian. 

Honors Program

To enter the honors program, students must have a 3.3 minimum major and overall grade point average (GPA). Majors enroll in two consecutive semesters of SCANDIN 145 in their senior year during which they will carry out research and write an honors thesis under the guidance of a faculty member. Students who meet the GPA requirements must first consult with the undergraduate faculty adviser in order to pursue an honors thesis.

Minor Program

A minor in Scandinavian adds depth to many other major courses of study, especially those with special stakes in Scandinavian material such as architecture, city planning, environmental studies, economics, history, political science, comparative literature, film, and English. It is not necessary to study a Scandinavian language to minor in Scandinavian; all upper division courses are taught in English with texts in translation and are easily accessible to students with general interests in Scandinavian culture.

New minor requirements effective Fall 2015 require five upper division Scandinavian elective courses of the student's choosing in consultation with the undergraduate student services adviser. Students with credit from EAP course in Denmark and Sweden should consult with the department faculty undergraduate advisor for assistance in determining course equivalencies that may be applied to minor electives.

Students interested in exploring the minor should consult the undergraduate student services adviser at the Scandinavian department office in 6303 Dwinelle Hall. Appointments should be made in advance by email at [email protected].

Other Majors and Minors offered by the Department of Scandinavian

Celtic Studies (Major and Minor)

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1. Communicative competence in one of four modern Nordic languages (Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish) in both the spoken and written language within a cultural context; or in the case of the Old Norse Studies concentration, reading competence in Old Norse
2. Understanding of the linguistic, historical, and cultural relationships that join and divide the nations and peoples of the Nordic region
3. Understanding the broad trajectory of Nordic literary culture from the Middle Ages to contemporary times including both canonical works and works from the margins
4. Mastery of research and analytical skills sufficient to enable the student to understand received wisdom and new scholarship and to draw insightful and original conclusions about literature, film, folklore, art history, and other aspects of literary culture
5. Writing and reasoning skills (mounting a persuasive argument, marshaling and synthesizing appropriate evidence, crafting syntactically correct, carefully documented essays, and oral presentations)