An Introduction to

 
Scandinavian  
Learning a Scandinavian language opens to you the distinctive worldview of the 
Scandinavians. From the time of the Vikings to the present day, Scandinavia has 
made fiercely unique contributions to Western civilization. 
Learn Swedish, and you can read Stieg Larsson’s blockbuster crime novels in the 
original and decipher the furniture names at IKEA. Scandinavia is the birthplace 
of modern drama, and learning Norwegian or Swedish reveals to you the 
nuances of Ibsen’s and Strindberg’s masterpieces. Learning Danish helps you 
understand the irony of Hans Christian Andersen’s celebrated fairy tales.
Learning Finnish enables you to appreciate the remarkable meter of Finland’s 

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folk epic The Kalevala (which inspired Longfellow’s American epic poem The Song 
of Hiawatha). And learning Old Norse immerses you in the mythology, folk 
traditions, blood feuds, histories, and humor of the Viking sagas and acquaints 
you with the source material for Wagner’s Ring cycle and the novels of J.R.R. 
Tolkien. 
You’ll also learn about the societies that have given rise to these amazing texts. 
Sweden and Norway award the annual Nobel Prizes, named after the Swedish 
inventor of dynamite. In international relations, Scandinavian countries often 
host sensitive negotiations or send representatives (such as 2008 Nobel Peace 
Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari) to aid in such talks. Scandinavia also leads the 
world in genetics and biomedical research and in environmental sustainability 
technologies. They are the most wired countries in the world, home to 
telecommunications innovators Nokia, Ericsson, and Skype. The Scandinavian 
countries rank as the most egalitarian in the world and its residents enjoy the 
highest standards of living. Scandinavia is home to the world’s oldest parliament 
(Iceland’s Althing, 930) and a unique set of social welfare states. It has produced 
pathbreaking models in areas of law, such as children’s rights and sex trafficking.
Our faculty work closely with you, and network with other faculty in the 
College, to help you pursue your interests in Scandinavia. 
We offer courses in elementary and intermediate Swedish (Swedish Aa, Ab, Ba, 
and Bbr) and Old Norse (Expected to be given in 2015-16; Scandinavian 160a and 
160br), and you can study at an advanced level through Independent Study 
(Scandinavian 91r) or summer courses in Scandinavia. Danish, Finnish, modern 
Icelandic, Faroese, and Norwegian are available as language tutorial courses. 
Scandinavian language courses are small, highly interactive, and media-rich, 
providing you with the tools you need to master a language quickly. Outside the 
classroom, the student-run Scandinavian Society organizes events and outings 
throughout the year and Leverett House hosts a weekly “Swedish Table” to 
practice 
conversation 
informally. 
For 
more 
information, 
see: 
http://people.fas.harvard.edu/~scanprog
. 
In addition to our language courses, our program offers Scandinavian folklore, 
film, literature, and culture courses in English translation and an exciting 
Summer Study Abroad course, “Viking Studies in Scandinavia,” led by Professor 
Stephen Mitchell. Harvard undergraduates can take language and culture 
courses abroad through pre-approved programs at Nordic universities and 
transfer the credits back to Harvard. A concentration or secondary field in 
Scandinavian Studies, as well as a foreign language citation in Swedish, are 
available through the department.