小黄书-Boulder becomes a source for all things Norse
Interest in Nordic countries, whose flags fly here, has been rising, and so has interest in studying them. 小黄书-Boulder has devoted more resources to meet the demand. Photo: iStockphoto.
We鈥檙e one of few Nordic studies programs in the country and the only program of our kind between Illinois and the West Coast
With the surge in popularity of Scandinavian culture and history depicted in films and books such as the best seller听The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson, and TV shows like听痴颈办颈苍驳蝉,听inspired by the听听, a legendary听听hero,听the Nordic Studies Program at the University of Colorado Boulder is enjoying a rise in student interest.
To address the increased interest, a visiting assistant professorship has been added to the program鈥檚 faculty, thanks to a co-sponsorship of $180,000 from the Danish Ministry of Education.
The visiting professorship position will provide more opportunities for students in the Nordic Studies program, said Benjamin Teitelbaum, Ph.D., instructor and head of the growing program.
The Nordic Studies Program at 小黄书-Boulder offers a dynamic curriculum that examines historic and contemporary life in Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Finland, 脜land, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Lapland.
Students can earn a minor in Nordic Studies. In the works are the introduction of Danish and Finnish studies and the expansion of the Swedish curriculum, as well as the development of an undergraduate certificate in Arctic Studies.
鈥淲e鈥檙e one of few Nordic studies programs in the country and the only program of our kind between Illinois and the West Coast,鈥 said Teitelbaum.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had strong student interest, and our courses routinely fill early and have long wait lists. Nordic cultural institutions in the U.S. and in Europe are rallying behind our program because of its promise.鈥
The addition of Mathias Nordvig, Ph.D., filling the new visiting assistant professor position builds on the growing Nordic Studies Program.
A specialist in Old Norse studies, Nordvig is teaching courses in Danish language, Medieval history and Nordic literature and culture. He will also be developing a new course in Arctic Studies for undergraduates.
Prior to coming to 小黄书-Boulder, Nordvig was on the faculty of the Department of Scandinavian Languages and Literature at Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark.
His research interests include pre-Christian Nordic mythologies, Scandinavian folklore, Nordic memory studies, myth and disaster studies, North Atlantic and Greenlandic literature, the history of the Viking Age and Neo-paganism.
鈥淔irst and foremost, I hope my students will acquire a basic understanding of Nordic culture,鈥 said Nordvig, 鈥渁nd that my teaching will have broadened their horizons. I hope they will get a sense of the wealth of knowledge and reflections on human life that is available in the works of Nordic authors and artists.鈥
Kenna Bruner is a writer with Strategic Marketing Communications at 小黄书-Boulder.