Cultural History of Norden 3002-HKOS2CE1
Class topics with key issues:
1. Northern cultural landscapes.
Definitions of the North. Scandinavian type culture and the issue of Nordic cultural community.
2. The North in the cross-cultural mirror.
Scandinavians in cross-cultural studies and selected accounts of Poles. Scandinavian autostereotypes and cultural histories. Cultural differences within the Nordic region.
3 Nordic antiquity.
Vikings: social organisation, customs, conquests. Old Scandinavian religiosity. Nordic mythology. Runes and sagas.
4. The "Polish" island of Iceland.
Specificities of Iceland (natural, linguistic, cultural, historical and political. The concept of uchronia: from archaic to late modernity. Polish migration in the 21st century.
5. Norden territories with a specific status.
Greenland, Svalbard, Faroe Islands, Åland Islands, Sapmi.
6 Around Scandinavian integration.
The legacy of the Kalmar Union in the perspective of 'long duration'. Scandinavianism Nordic Council and other Nordic structures. Norden and the Baltic world.
7. Swedish Middle Way - Scandinavian model as a socio-cultural model.
Origins and foundations of the "People's House" in Sweden. State individualism. Criticism and defence of the Scandinavian "velfærd". The question of gender equality.
8 Self-organisation of Danish society vs. 'small state mentality'.
The year 1864 in culture. Nikolai Grundtvig and the people's college movement.
9. Finno-Ugric Finland as part of the Nordic North.
Finnish tradition and mythology. Finnish path to cultural revival and state independence. The cultural history of the sauna. Finnish information society.
10.The "Peer Gynt Syndrome" in Norway.
Norway's history of independence and cultural rebirth. The best country in the world. Friluftsliv practices.
A detailed plan and rhythm for the topics listed here will be presented in class.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
I. On completion of the course, students will have a basic knowledge of Nordic cultures (Icelandic, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish cultures), as well as an understanding of the peculiarities of territories with special status such as Greenland, the Faroe Islands or Sapmi (the exterritorial land of the Saami people). They know the importance of the heritage of the pre-state (Viking) period with a particular focus on mythology, religiosity and literature of oral origin. They have assimilated key terms from Scandinavian studies (philology), as well as from cultural and neighbouring social sciences (sociology, political science) necessary for the study of the Scandinavian region.
II. On completion of the course, students are able to identify basic phenomena and processes in the field of Scandinavian cultural history, while situating them against the background of the present day. Having familiarised themselves with the literature on the subject (compulsory reading), they have acquired the tools for understanding, analysing and culturologically interpreting the cultural texts of the European North, to the extent that these interpretations take into account the broadest possible social, political, symbolic and artistic contexts. Moreover, they are aware of the conditions of reception of the content of Nordic cultures in Polish culture, both in the past and in contemporary times.
III. Those who graduate from the course are prepared to combine cultural studies and Scandinavian studies competences, as well as to further expand their knowledge of Nordic cultures and countries on an individual basis.
Assessment criteria
Attendance at class is a basic requirement for passing the semester. Absences must be excused with the class instructor. A student is entitled to two excused or unexcused absences per semester. A person with three to five absences in a semester must make them up in a manner determined by the course instructor. Absences (even excused!) in more than five classes result in not being allowed to pass the class (only those with an Individual Study Organisation granted based on the opinion of the BON may have an increased limit of absences, but not more than 50%).
The verification of learning outcomes is twofold. The final grade consists of:
- class activity (knowledge of compulsory reading will be enforced),
- a short assignment (approx. 4-5 pages of a standardised computer essay) in the form of a problem review of a selected Scandinavian cultural text. By 'problem review' is meant such a presentation of any material chosen by the student that takes into account the distinctive features of Scandinavian cultures or connections to Scandinavian (contemporary) discourses and/or historical-cultural processes. The works may relate to films, literary works, music, visual arts, etc. Individual thesis topics will be discussed in class, which will at the same time form an interesting overview of the interests of the individual participants in the course.
When preparing a dissertation, the use of artificial intelligence systems for proofreading and text editing is prohibited. At the University of Warsaw, the use of artificial intelligence tools in course credit work is stipulated in § 3 and 4 of Resolution No. 98 of the University Education Council of 8 December 2023.
The estimated workload of those participating in classes is defined as follows: attendance in classes lasting one semester (30 hours) - 1 ECTS, regular preparation for classes - 1 ECTS, preparation and participation in the credit - 1 ECTS. A total of 3 ECTS, which is equivalent to 90 hours of work per semester.
Bibliography
All obligatory readings will be made available to students attending as PDF files via Google Classroom. A detailed reading list will be made available to the group at the beginning of the semester. The selected literature is presented on the left.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: