Scandinavian

About the Program

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 at amandaminafo.youcanbook.me.

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 at amandaminafo.youcanbook.me.

Other Majors and Minors offered by the Department of Scandinavian

Celtic Studies (Major and Minor)

Visit Department Website

Major Requirements

General Guidelines

1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
2. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs, with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters & Science.
3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper and lower division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.

For information regarding residency requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

A new major structure, effective fall 2015, includes the choice of one of five concentrations. Each concentration requires two new lower division gateway courses:

SCANDIN 60: Heroic Legends of the North (4) [Spring]

SCANDIN 75: Nordic Culture and Values (4) [Fall]

In addition, the following lower division language and upper division courses are required for each of the concentrations. The total unit requirement for each concentration is 46 units.

Danish Concentration

Lower Division Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Units
DANISH 1A & DANISH 1B	Beginning Danish and Beginning Danish	8
SCANDIN 60	Heroic Legends of the North	4
SCANDIN 75	Nordic Culture and Values	4

Upper Division Requirements 

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Note: Choose the appropriate section for Danish language emphasis
SCANDIN 100A & SCANDIN 100B	Intermediate Nordic Languages and Intermediate Nordic Languages	8
Choose at least one Danish culture course from the following:
SCANDIN 106	The Works of Hans Christian Andersen [4]
SCANDIN 115	Studies in Drama and Film [4] (Choose from Danish directors and the topics of Lars Von Trier and Carl Dreyer.)
Choose four upper division electives taken in the Department of Scandinavian. See department course listings for selection.		16
Two sections of SCANDIN 149 reading courses focused on Danish. Taken in conjunction with an upper division culture or elective course.
SCANDIN 149	Major Studies	1

Finnish Concentration

Lower Division Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Units
FINNISH 1A & FINNISH 1B	Beginning Finnish and Beginning Finnish	8
SCANDIN 60	Heroic Legends of the North	4
SCANDIN 75	Nordic Culture and Values	4

Upper Division Requirements 

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Effective Fall 2022, Intermediate Finnish is offered via SCANDIN 100A and SCANDIN 100B
FINNISH 102A & FINNISH 102B	Intermediate Finnish and Intermediate Finnish	8
SCANDIN 100A & SCANDIN 100B	Intermediate Nordic Languages and Intermediate Nordic Languages	8
SCANDIN 132	Introduction to Finnish Culture and History	4
Choose four upper division electives taken in the Department of Scandinavian. See department course listings for selection.		16
Two sections of SCANDIN 149 reading courses focused on Finnish. Taken in conjunction with an upper division culture or elective course.
SCANDIN 149	Major Studies	1

Norwegian Concentration

Lower Division Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Units
NORWEGN 1A & NORWEGN 1B	Beginning Norwegian and Beginning Norwegian	8
SCANDIN 60	Heroic Legends of the North	4
SCANDIN 75	Nordic Culture and Values	4

Upper Division Requirements 

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Note: Choose the appropriate section for Norwegian language emphasis
SCANDIN 100A & SCANDIN 100B	Intermediate Nordic Languages and Intermediate Nordic Languages	8
Choose at least one Norwegian culture course from the following:
SCANDIN C107	Plays of Ibsen	4
SCANDIN 120	The Novel in Scandinavian (Note: Choose Norwegian author Knut Hamsun.)	4
Choose four upper division electives taken in the Department of Scandinavian. See department course listings for selection.		16
Two sections of SCANDIN 149 reading courses focused on Norwegian. Taken in conjunction with an upper division culture or elective course.
SCANDIN 149	Major Studies	1

Old Norse Studies Concentration

Lower Division Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Select one of the following language sequences: Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, or Latin:		8
DANISH 1A & DANISH 1B	Beginning Danish and Beginning Danish
FINNISH 1A & FINNISH 1B	Beginning Finnish and Beginning Finnish
ICELAND 1A & ICELAND 1B	Beginning Icelandic I and Beginning Icelandic II
NORWEGN 1A & NORWEGN 1B	Beginning Norwegian and Beginning Norwegian
SWEDISH 1A & SWEDISH 1B	Beginning Swedish and Beginning Swedish
LATIN 1 & LATIN 2	Elementary Latin and Elementary Latin 1
SCANDIN 60	Heroic Legends of the North	4
SCANDIN 75	Nordic Culture and Values	4

¹

Offered by the Department of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies

Upper Division Requirements 

Course List

Code	Title	Units
SCANDIN 101A & SCANDIN 101B	Introduction to Old Norse I and Introduction to Old Norse II	8
SCANDIN 201A & SCANDIN 201B	Old Norse and Norse Literature (Scandinavian 201A-201B are graduate-level courses. Majors are expected to enroll in 101A-101B; by exception, and with advance approval by the major advisor and instructor, 201A may be substituted for 101A and 201B for 101B. )	8
Choose at least two Medieval culture courses from the following:
SCANDIN 123	Viking and Medieval Scandinavia	4
SCANDIN 125	Old Norse Literature	4
Choice of three upper division electives taken in the Department of Scandinavian or from Medieval Studies (with permission of the Scandinavian major adviser). See department course listings for selection.		16
SCANDIN 160	Scandinavian Myth and Religion	4
Two sections of SCANDIN 149 reading courses focused on target language. Taken in conjunction with an upper division culture or elective course.
SCANDIN 149	Major Studies	1

Swedish Concentration

Lower Division Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Units
SWEDISH 1A & SWEDISH 1B	Beginning Swedish and Beginning Swedish	8
SCANDIN 75	Nordic Culture and Values	4
SCANDIN 60	Heroic Legends of the North	4

Upper Division Requirements 

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Note: Choose the appropriate section for Swedish language emphasis
SCANDIN 100A & SCANDIN 100B	Intermediate Nordic Languages and Intermediate Nordic Languages	8
Choose at least one Swedish culture course from the following:
SCANDIN C108	Strindberg	4
SCANDIN 115	Studies in Drama and Film (Chose film topic on Ingmar Bergman.)	4
Choose four upper division electives taken in the Department of Scandinavian. See department course listings for selection.		16
Two sections of SCANDIN 149 reading courses focused on Swedish. Taken in conjunction with an upper division culture or elective course.
SCANDIN 149	Major Studies	1

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 make planning easier. Please contact the current faculty undergraduate advisor, who can provide general information, a program brochure and scheduling worksheet, necessary paperwork, and curricular advice.

Current majors will also want to consult the Scandinavian department website detailing upcoming courses when planning their schedules. Students with credit from EAP courses should also consult with the faculty undergraduate advisor for help in determining requirement equivalencies.

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements.

General Guidelines

1. All minors must be declared before the first day of classes in your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). For summer graduates, minors must be declared prior to the first day of Summer Session A. 

2. All upper-division courses must be taken for a letter grade. 

3. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.

4. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required in the upper-division courses to fulfill the minor requirements.

5. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth requirement, for Letters & Science students.

6. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.

7. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to graduate. If students cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, they should see a College of Letters & Science adviser.

8. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements

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 courses should consult with the department faculty undergraduate advisor for assistance in determining course equivalencies that may be applied to minor electives.

The entire minor can be completed in English. If students choose to study a Scandinavian language, only the upper-division language coursework can be applied to the minor.

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Select five upper division Scandinavian department electives in advance consultation with the department student services adviser.
SCANDIN 100A	Intermediate Nordic Languages (Prerequisite: 1A-1B of selected language.)	4
SCANDIN 100B	Intermediate Nordic Languages (Prerequisite: 100A of selected language)	4
SCANDIN 101A	Introduction to Old Norse I	4
SCANDIN 101B	Introduction to Old Norse II	4
SCANDIN 106	The Works of Hans Christian Andersen	4
SCANDIN 115	Studies in Drama and Film	4
SCANDIN 120	The Novel in Scandinavian	4
SCANDIN 123	Viking and Medieval Scandinavia	4
SCANDIN 125	Old Norse Literature	4
SCANDIN 127	Social Network Analysis and the Icelandic Saga	4
SCANDIN 132	Introduction to Finnish Culture and History	4
SCANDIN 150	Studies in Scandinavian Literature	4
SCANDIN 160	Scandinavian Myth and Religion	4
SCANDIN 165	Scandinavian Folklore	4
SCANDIN 180	Special Topics in Scandinavian	4

College Requirements

Undergraduate students must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For a detailed lists of L&S requirements, please see Overview tab to the right in this guide or visit the L&S Degree Requirements webpage. For College advising appointments, please visit the L&S Advising Pages. 

University of California Requirements

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley and must be taken for a letter grade. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and American Institutions requirements are based on the principle that all U.S. residents who have graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

Berkeley Campus Requirement

American Cultures

All undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass this campus requirement course in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses are plentiful and offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

College of Letters & Science Essential Skills Requirements

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer/data science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course taken for a letter grade.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work taken for a letter grade.

Reading and Composition

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking the College of Letters and Science requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete parts A & B reading and composition courses in sequential order by the end of their fourth semester for a letter grade.

College of Letters & Science 7 Course Breadth Requirements

Breadth Requirements

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

• 120 total units

• Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

• Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes at Cal for four years, or two years for transfer students. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you graduate early, go abroad for a semester or year, or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an L&S College adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding UCEAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Student Learning Goals

Learning Goals for the Major

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)

Major Map

Major maps are experience maps that help undergraduates plan their Berkeley journey based on intended major or field of interest. Featuring student opportunities and resources from your college and department as well as across campus, each map includes curated suggestions for planning your studies, engaging outside the classroom, and pursuing your career goals in a timeline format.

Use the major map below to explore potential paths and design your own unique undergraduate experience:

View the Scandinavian Major Map.

Advising

The Department provides programmatic and individual advising services to prospective and current students who are pursuing major and minor tracks. Advisers assist with a range of issues including course selection, academic decision-making, achieving personal and academic goals, and maximizing the Berkeley experience.

Students who are looking to explore their options or are ready to declare a major, double major, or minor should contact the Undergraduate Student Services Adviser.

Advising Staff and Hours

Amanda Minafo
issaug@berkeley.edu
6303 Dwinelle Hall
510-642-4661
Advising appointments here.

Courses

Literature and Culture: