Course Syllabus

  

Danish Language and Culture

Class 108

People riding bicycles Copenhagen old town, Denmark. Street style  bikes copenhagen stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

 

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Semester & Location:

Spring 2022 - DIS Copenhagen

Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits

Prerequisite:

None

Faculty Members:

https://disabroad.org/copenhagen/semester/courses/danish-language-and-culture-courses/ 

Program Director:

Andreas Brøgger

Assistant Program Director

Anna Sommer    ( anna.sommer@dis.dk )

Time & Place:

Room: Fiolstræde 44 (Fi44-Kosmo) 402

Time: Monday and Thursday from 11.40 am - 13.00 pm.

Description of Course

This course is an integrated language and culture course. We will study different aspects of Danish culture and we will operate with a complex view on culture through various representations. The focus will be on dominant national narratives, values, and symbolism, which we will approach from both a historical and contemporary perspective.

When studying the Danish language, we will employ a functional approach. The course will focus on spoken everyday Danish, reading comprehension and basic grammar.  

The course will explore how culture is reflected in language. By analyzing keywords and concepts and applying appropriate etiquette, you learn how to navigate in a foreign culture.

An important component of the course will be your own observations and critical analysis.

Learning Objectives

  • Acquire a higher level of cultural awareness
  • Acquire knowledge and overall understanding of Danish history, culture, and society.
  • Be able to speak, read and understand Danish on a basic level
  • Get an understanding of the connection between language and culture

Faculty

Christina Knudsen is cand.mag. (University of Southern Denmark). Major in French, minor in Spanish. Teaches four Danish Language and Culture classes and has been with DIS since 2006.

Mail: ckn@dis.dk

Readings

-Adriansen Inge: "National Symbols in the Kingdom of Denmark 1830-2000", Museum Tusculanums Forlag, 2003.

-Andersen Hans Christian: "Clumsy Hans". H.C. Andersen Centret: http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/ClumsyHans.html

-Andersen, Hans Christian: “The Ugly Duckling”. A translation of Hans Christian Andersens “Den grimme ælling”. http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheUglyDuckling_e.html

-Birk, Anne Okkels: Open prisons - will they last?  http://anneokkels.dk/wp-content/uploads/Birk_OpenPrisons_NSfK2011.pdf

-Carlsen, Jørgen: “The Folk High School – Freedom and the Living Conversation”, Learning in Denmark, The Danish Cultural Institue Copenhagen, 1997.

-Carlsen, Jørgen: "The plain Life – Danish Culture and Mentality", Learning in Denmark, The Danish Cultural Institue Copenhagen, 1997.

-Daley, Suzanne: “Danes rethink a Welfare State Ample to Fault”. New York Times, April, 2013.

-Jenkins, Richard: “Where the Crows turn: Darkest Jutland”, Being Danish: Paradoxes of Identity in Everyday Life, Museum Tusculanum Press 2012

-Jenkins, Richard, "Everyday social democracy", Being Danish: Paradoxes of Identity in Everyday Life, Museum Tusculanum Press 2012

-Jespersen, Knud J.V.: "The Danish Model of the Welfare State", A History of Denmark, Palgrave, 2004

-Jespersen, Knud J.V.: "Danes – A tribe or a nation", A History of Denmark, Palgrave, 2004

-Kingsley Patrick: "How to be Danish: A Journey to the Cultural heart of Denmark." - "Being Danish: the immigrant´s dilemma". Marble Arch Press, 2012.

-Lidegaard, Bo: “Prologue”, A short history of Denmark in the 20th century, Gyldendal 2009

-Mikkelsen, Birger: “When Copenhagen became Capital”,

-Mogensen Michael: "October 1943 - The Rescue of the Danish Jews" Denmark and the Holocast, Institute for International studies, 2003.

-Mylius, de Johan: "H.C. Andersen A short Biographical Introduction", The Hans Christian Andersen Centre, SDU, 2016., Department for the Study of Culture at the (http://andersen.sdu.dk/liv/biografi/index_e.html

-Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark: "Factsheet Denmark History", 2003.

-Reiter, Keramet, Sexton, Lori and Sumner, Jennifer: “Denmark doesn´t treat its prisoners like prisoners - and it´s good for everyone”, Washington Post, February 2016.

-Svendsen Gert Tinggaard: "Trust", Aarhus Universitetsforlag, April 2014.

-The Holocaust: A Learning Site for Students: "Rescue in Denmark". https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007740 (Links to an external site.)

-Trolle Linnet, Jeppe: ”Money can’t buy me hygge”, Academia.edu: http://www.academia.edu/714349/Money_cant_buy_me_hygge_Danish_middle-class_consumption_egalitarianism_and_the_sanctity_of_inner_space 

-Pontoppidan Henrik: “Eagles Flight”, An Anthology of Scandinavian Literature, p.70-74, Collier Books, New york, Collier-Macmillian, Ltd, London.

 -Zucchino, David: "I’ve Become a Racist’:"Migrant Wave Unleashes Danish Tensions Over Identity". New York Times, September 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/06/world/europe/denmark-migrants-refugees-racism.html

 

Required documentaries/films:

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's CNN interview part 1/3:

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's CNN interview part 1/3

 Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's CNN interview part 2/3:

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark CNN interview part 2/3

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's CNN interview part 3/3:

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's CNN interview part 3/3

 

All About the Enlightenment The Age of Reason:

All About the Enlightenment The Age of Reason

 

Folk High Schools, Adult Education, and the Philosophy of Nikolaj Grundtvig  - Reason tv: 

Folk High Schools, Adult Education, and the Philosophy of Nikolaj Grundtvig

 

Kelsey Pudloski, Kruti Joshi and Julen Hernandez of the DMJX Fall 2012 International TV semester: Jailbird. 

JAILBIRD

 The danger of a single story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, TED 2009:

The danger of a single story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Field Studies

Field Study 1: January 26  (1:00pm -5:00 pm): 

The movie: "A Royal Affair" will be shown in class, followed by a guided tour in the Royal chambers of Christiansborg. Objectives: To gain an insight as to how radically the Danish Monarchy has changed and developed over time as well as to how the thinking and ideas of the Enlightenment were introduced and spread in Denmark during the 18th century.

 

Field Study 2: March 30 (8:30 am-12:30 pm)

We will visit a Danish Gymnasium (Gymnasium: 3 years education for students approximately 17-19 years old. The Gymnasium allows entrance to higher education)

Objectives: To discuss and share class topics (from our Danish classes as well as from their English classes). You will get the chance to interact with young Danes and to gain an insight of the life and conditions of Danish students when it comes to finances, grades, living conditions, future plans, life ambitions etc. etc. Furthermore we will discuss the influence of Grundtvig´s views on education and personal and intellectual development in today's schooling in Denmark.

Cultural Event. TBA - Not mandatory - visit to Amalienborg Castle:

The Palace, daily referred to as Christian VII’s Palace, is used for receptions and parties by HM The Queen and was re-inaugurated in 1996 after years of meticulous restoration.
The tour will take the visitor through 12 magnificent State Rooms including the splendid Great Hall which frames the New Year’s Ball given by the Queen every year, and the extraordinary Rose room with the fabulous Flora Danica porcelain from 1790.
The Palace is not regularly open to the public and is exclusively used by Her Majesty.

Podcasts

On Canvas, you can find podcasts that you can use to practice vocabulary, phrases, and pronunciation. In the textbook DIS DANSK, they are marked with a little headphone symbol. The podcasts can be found on Canvas under Danish Language Resources, Modules.

Ordbogen.com

DIS has a subscription to Ordbogen, a Danish-English/English-Danish online dictionary. Go to http://www.ordbogen.com/ (Links to an external site.) and follow the instructions you will receive by email from Ordbogen.com.

Approach to Teaching and Expectations of the Students

The teaching style of this class is interactive. You are expected to actively participate in class discussions, to have done the readings and other homework, and come to class with notes, questions and relevant observations.

Learning a language is hard work and requires a lot of commitment. The ambition is to create a classroom culture in which everyone feels at ease trying to pronounce the unfamiliar Danish sounds and words.

Engaged participation is an integrated part of class and will be a large part of the course evaluation. Participating in class discussion requires a high level of preparation and a voluntary contribution of knowledge and ideas. In addition, when speaking Danish or discussing the connection between language and culture it is important to meet the level of preparation required to be an active participant.

Evaluation

When learning a new language, mistakes are inevitable, so forget about perfectionism for a while and get in the game. Aim at having fun with learning new vowels and new sounds, keep trying and eventually, you will be able to start shaping phrases and pick up some of the language spoken around you. Remember, you are all in the same boat in the classroom and the more you let your creativity loose and “play” with the language, the better your learning outcome will be. Doing the assigned worksheets at home, going over dialogues, listening to podcasts and try to practice your Danish at every chance you get is crucial for the progression expected in this course and you are expected to meet prepared for each class.

When speaking Danish, you also need to know the cultural codes for when to say what. Again, have an open mind and pay attention outside class how people behave and what they say to you that will enhance your understanding of the cultural values. The assigned culture texts offers wide aspects of topics concerning Danish history, value system and contemporary society. When in class, I do not just go over what is on the assigned text; I take it elsewhere, offer additional information and ask you to discuss and opinionate on issues concerning life in Denmark. It is therefore of utmost importance that you require the basic knowledge of the topics through reading the assigned texts thoroughly, take notes, reflect on differences and similarities compared to you own culture and bring comments and thoughts to class in order for all of us to have good talks and discussions and create an inspiring and vibrant classroom.

Grading 

Assignment

Percent

Engaged Participation

20%

Oral Exam

20%

 Cultural Assignments 1 (15%) and 2 (25%)

40%

 Written Final Exam

20%

 

The grades are based on the rubrics found in Canvas Danish Language Resources, "Modules".

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

 

 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due