This course explores the most important cultural contributions of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. It focuses on an interdisciplinary historical examination of the emergence of three central contemporary Nordic value systems: environmentalism, gender equality, and social solidarity/trust. The readings range in approach from social-science-inflected readings in political science, history of science, ethnography, and public policy, to those examining more humanistic forms of expression (literature, theater, film). Taught in English with readings in English.

What are Nordic values? The countries of northern Europe have been caricatured in recent political discourse as either utopian or dystopian alternatives to American culture. Are they bastions of happiness and wellness, as touted in the U.N. happiness surveys, or are they the conformist, homogeneous societies where freedom dies, as others would have it? A cultural history of three easily recognized Nordic ideals—environmental sustainability, gender equality, and social solidarity—will show the ways these contemporary Nordic values were shaped by literature, drama, film, folklore, and other forms of humanistic expression from the eighteenth century to the present day. Along the way, the historical overview provided in this course offers answers to these questions: How do the arts and literature reveal the pressure points implicit in Nordic values while also contributing to their formation? In what ways do the contemporary values and social policies the Nordic region is known for relate to the discussions generated by cultural and artistic expression over the past three centuries? This course emphasizes the acquisition of overview information about Nordic culture, the development of interpretive abilities in encounters with key social-science, historical, and humanistic texts, and the improvement of analytic skills in evaluating key concepts, mindsets, and values in the Nordic region. Fulfills one of the lower-division course requirements for the Scandinavian major. Texts will include: Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House and Other Plays. Trans. Deborah Dawkin and Erik Skuggevik. Penguin Classics 2016. ISBN 978-0-141-19456-1 Sjón. The Blue Fox. Trans. Victoria Cribb. ISBN 978-0374114459

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills