Scandinavian Literature - 19th Century - Scandinavian Area Studies
Undergraduate course
- ECTS credits
- 15
- Teaching semesters Autumn
- Course code
- SAS2A
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English
- Resources
- Schedule
Course description
Objectives and Content
The course offers an introduction to Scandinavian 19th century literature. The primary focus is on the emergence of literary realism and naturalism during the so-called "Modern Breakthrough" of the 1870s and 1880s, as well as on the more experimental literary tendencies of the 1890s. The course will provide a literary-historical survey along with discussions of central works by central writers such as Henrik Ibsen, Amalie Skram, J. P. Jacobsen, Knut Hamsun and August Strindberg. We will discuss the turn toward realism and naturalism both in terms of intellectual influences, such as the Danish literary critic Georg Brandes, and as a reflection of the major changes the Scandinavian countries were going through at the time. In addition we will also look at several of the issues the authors of the Modern Breakthrough typically addressed in their writings, including the relationship between the sexes, sexual morality, religion and various social problems.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the programme the candidate should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:
Knowledge
The candidate will have a thorough knowledge of 19th-century
Scandinavian cultural and intellectual trends, of Scandinavian literary history, as well as an understanding of important authorships and representative literary works.
Skills
The candidate will be able to discuss central literary developments and be able to analyze and to write about central works in 19th-century Scandinavian literature.
General competence
The candidate will have a broad knowledge of 19th-century Scandinavian cultural and literary history and of important writers and individual works.
ECTS Credits
Level of Study
Bachelor
Semester of Instruction
Autumn.
Place of Instruction
Bergen
Required Previous Knowledge
The course requires spoken and written proficiency in English.
Recommended Previous Knowledge
-
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Access to the Course
The course is open to exchange students and other students with upper secondary education from outside Norway with admission to the University of Bergen.
Teaching and learning methods
One lecture per week. Total of 12-14 lectures
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
None.
Forms of Assessment
7-day home exam (2/3) and oral examination (1/3).
Grading Scale
A-F.
Assessment Semester
Reading List
-
Course Evaluation
Courses are evaluated regularly in accordance with the University of Bergen´s quality assurance system.