By Mary Leong
Starting in September 2011, the Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies (CENES) will unveil two new specializations: a Scandinavian Minor and a German Studies Minor.
Scandinavian Minor
The Scandinavian Minor was developed in response to large student interest in the Swedish and Danish language and literature courses.
Students must complete 12 credits of 100 and 200-level language credits in either Danish or Swedish, and 18 credits of upper-level literature and culture credits (taught in English). As all the upper-level courses are taught in translation the program is very flexible; students do not have to complete the required 100- and 200-level language courses before tackling the 300- and 400-level literature and culture courses.
“Through Go Global, UBC offers exchange programs with many Scandinavian universities and Iceland,” said Danish instructor Mads Bunch, who is returning to Denmark after having worked at UBC for five years. “Students can identify with the similarities between Canadian culture and Scandinavian culture, particularly with regards to climate awareness and social consciousness.”
The Scandinavian Minor program also takes into account the fact that recent books, movies, and music have piqued more interest in Scandinavia.
“There has also been a revival in Scandinavian crime fiction, particularly with the success of the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series,” said Bunch, highlighting courses such as SCAN 334, “Contemporary Scandinavian Fiction,” and SCAN 411, “Scandinavian Drama and Film in Translation.” Plans are underway to offer a new course on “Vikings and Norse Mythology” starting in September 2012.
To find a complete list of courses and requirements for the Scandinavian Minor, click here.
German Studies Minor
The German Studies Minor provides an opportunity for students to explore German literature and culture in English. Students do not have to take any language prerequisites to qualify for the German Studies Minor.
There are no lower-level requirements. To obtain a German Studies Minor, students must complete 18 credits of upper-level literature and culture credits. All of these courses are taught in English, though students with prior knowledge of German may also use literature and culture courses taught in German toward the minor.
“We were seeing many students who had taken four or five German Studies and CENS courses without taking German language classes, and we wanted to offer them an alternative to the German language major,” said German undergraduate advisor Geoffrey Winthrop-Young.
In the German Studies Minor, students may explore topics such as the history of the Weimar Republic, the Holocaust and the Third Reich, German philosophy, current German media theory, and women’s role in German society through a Canadian lens.
“The German Studies Minor is flexible and can complement students’ existing majors, such as Political Science, History, Economics, or Philosophy,” said Winthrop-Young.
To find a list of courses and requirements for the German Studies Minor, click here.
