Course Syllabus

SYLLABUS

Danish Language & Culture Through Sports

Semester & Location:	Spring and Fall, Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	3 credit elective
Faculty:	Tbc
Time:	Tbc
Classroom:	Tbc
Major Disciplines:	Anthropology, Language, Sports
Related Disciplines:	Sociology, History
Program Contact:	Humanities@dis.dk

Course Description

The Danish Language & Culture course at DIS is your ideal entry point for living and studying abroad in Denmark. This focused section offers an integrated approach to Danish language and culture through the lenses of sport and exercise. Topics include the role of sport within the welfare state, the importance of voluntary associations (foreningsliv) in shaping civic culture, and how sport and health ideals are embedded in the Danish education system and in everyday urban life in Copenhagen.

The course addresses sport in times of crisis and change, including its historical role in Denmark during World War II and contemporary debates about sport and politics. Questions of national identity and collective belonging are explored alongside issues of access, migration, and integration. Tensions between elite systems and grassroots participation are examined through the contrast between Denmark’s ambitions to punch above its weight in global sport, the egalitarian concept of Janteloven, and the Danish school system’s emphasis on participation and community over competition.

Language learning focuses on spoken, everyday Danish, reading and listening comprehension as well as basic grammar, allowing you to interact in simple and practical ways in your local surroundings. This functional approach is reflected in classroom interactions, hands-on exercises, and experiential learning through field studies in Copenhagen and surrounding areas.

Learning Objectives

• Ability to speak, read, and understand Danish on a basic level
• Gain an understanding of connections between language and culture
• Gain insights into how sport and exercise reflect broader aspects of Danish culture
• Enhance intercultural awareness and critical reflection
• Develop a sense of belonging
  

Suggested readings

Bennike, S., Schelde, N. and Evans, A.B., 2020. The diversity of organised grassroots football in Denmark. Idrottsforum.org

Kayser Nielsen, N, 2005. Body, Sport and Society in Norden: Essays in Cultural History. Aarhus Universitetsforlag

Bergsgard, N.A., Bratland-Sanda, S., Giulianotti, R. and Tangen, J.O. (eds.) 2020. Sport, Outdoor Life and the Nordic World. London: Routledge.

Anderson, S., 2008. Civil Sociality: Children, Sport, and Cultural Policy in Denmark. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing.

Jensen, C.T., 2025. The Danish Influence on the Organization of Modern Sport in Greenland. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 42(12-13), pp. 1408-1421.

Bonde, Hans, 2010. The Politics of the Male Body in Global Sport: The Danish Involvement. Abingdon: Routledge. (Sport in the Global Society: Historical Perspectives).

Tin, M.B., Telseth, F., Tangen, J.O. and Giulianotti, R. (eds.) 2020. The Nordic Model and Physical Culture. Abingdon: Routledge. (Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society).

Jensen, C.T., 2024. The emergence of a national sport event policy in Denmark. Scandinavian Sport Studies Forum, 15, pp. 87–110.

Field studies

Field studies in this course may include visits to local sports associations and the live experience of a
professional sports event.