COMP 212(S) Nordic Lights: Literary and Cultural Diversity in Modern Scandinavia (Same as Women's and Gender Studies 200) (D)
Mythologized as the land of the aurora borealis and the midnight sun, Scandinavia's five distinct nations-Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland-are often mistakenly associated with blond-haired and blue-eyed uniformity. Modern Scandinavia, however, is a place of great social and cultural diversity. From medieval Viking sagas to contemporary Nordic rap, the Scandinavian literary tradition is rich in tales of global exploration, childhood imagination, sexual revolution, and multicultural confrontation. Through readings of nineteenth-century drama, twentieth-century novels, and twenty-first century cinema, we will investigate a wide range of issues on class, ethnicity, and identity, including the indigenous reindeer-herding Sami people, Danish colonialism and the Greenlandic Inuit, Norwegian collaboration and resistance during World War II, and Nordic emigration (to North America) and immigration (from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East). Discussion will also focus on Scandinavia's leadership in gender equality and sexual liberation, Scandinavian political isolation and integration (into both the UN and the EU), and the global effects of Nordic pop (ABBA to Björk), glamour (Greta Garbo to Helena Christensen), technology (Volvo to Nokia), and design (IKEA to H&M). Readings to include works by Henrik Ibsen, August Strindberg, Hans Christian Andersen, Karen Blixen, Astrid Lindgren, Halldór Laxness, Reidar Jönsson, and Peter Høeg. Films to include works by Ingmar Bergman, Lasse Hallström, Bille August, Colin Nutley, Lukas Moodysson, Josef Fares, and Tomas Vinterberg. All readings and discussions in English.
Format: seminar. Requirements: active participation, two short papers, an oral presentation, and a final paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15 (expected: 15). Preference given to Comparative Literature and Women's and Gender Studies majors and those with compelling justification for admission.
Hour: MARTIN