Course Syllabus

Semester & Location:	Fall 2024 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Major disciplines: Anthropology, Language Related Discipline(s): Food studies, Sustainability
Prerequisite:	Most classes will be spent visiting sites via bicycle, so confidence in cycling is a requirement
Faculty Member:	Catharina Rosendal Neringa Bigailaitė Vendelbo (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Time & Place:	Fridays 10:05-13:00, F24-203

 

Description of Course

This course is an integrated language and culture course with a major focus on learning Danish through the exploration of food, taste, and sustainability in Denmark.

Local food and traditions are a rich source of information about cultural values, beliefs, and relations, often permeated by national narratives and symbols. Exploring practices around food in Denmark, we will be able to make observations on Danish society while using our senses and curiosity. 

An important component of the course is also to discuss various aspects of food sustainability: How does sustainability manifest itself in the Danish food scene and even in the Danish language? How is Danish society addressing food waste? What are sustainable innovative ways that Denmark deals with food consumption and production?

When studying the Danish language, we employ a communicative and functional approach, emphasizing spoken everyday Danish, reading comprehension, and basic grammar. Learning Danish in this course will allow you to interact in basic ways with your local surroundings, strengthening your sense of belonging while studying abroad.

With Denmark and Danish food cultures as your case study, you will develop your general ability to understand and study other cultures from an intercultural perspective.

 

Learning Objectives

• Acquire an understanding of Danish food culture and sustainability through experiential learning
• Ability to speak, read, and understand Danish on a basic level
• Understand how food and sustainability can enhance nation building
• Understand Danish mentality through food education, production and consumption
• Acquire a higher level of cultural awareness
• Gain an understanding of the connection between language and culture
• Acquire knowledge and overall understanding of Danish history, culture, and society

Faculty

Neringa Bigailaitė Vendelbo, M.A. (Scandinavian Philology, 2005) with focus on Second Language Acquisition, B.A. (Lithuanian and Danish Philology, University of Vilnius, 1996). Program Director for Environment, Politics, and Society department  at DIS. With DIS since 2005.

 

Catharina Rosendal is professor of Language and Culture at the DIS Study Abroad Program in Scandinavia since 2015. M.S.L.T. (Master’s Program in Second Language Teaching) from Aarhus University and M.A. in Language and Communication from Copenhagen Business School. Studies in French at the Université de Paris, Sorbonne, France. Art History at Copenhagen University.

Before teaching at DIS, Catharina Rosendal has a background in international communication and design from various communication agencies as well as international marketing from Carlsberg International. She has worked in pharma communication for a decade and is co-author of the book 'The healing Kitchen', focusing on how to change food habits for a healthier life. She is a dedicated foodie and has a long experience with various aspects of Scandinavian culture, language, heritage being a native speaker of all three Scandinavian languages and having lived and worked in all three countries.

 

Readings

Alexander, J.; Sandahl, I. D.: Authenticity, The Danish Way of Parenting, Ehrhorn Hummerston, 2014

Carlsen, Jørgen, The Folk High School – Freedom and the Living Conversation, Learning in Denmark, The Danish Cultural Institute Copenhagen 1997

Fukyama, Richard, Nationbuilding and State Building, Building the Nation, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2015

Grundtvig, N.F.S., Far higher mountains are in other lands found, Easter Flower! What would you here? Syddansk Universitetsforlag 2013

Jenkins, Richard, Everyday Social Democracy, Being Danish - paradoxes of identity in everyday life. Museum Tusculanum Press, 2012

Lidegaard, Bo, Prologue 1849-1901, A Short History of Denmark in the 20^th Century, Gyldendal 2009

Tinggaard Svendsen, Gert, From Ice Age to Welfare, Trust, Aarhus Universitet 2014

 

 A selection of articles will be presented at the beginning of semester. Here are some examples:

• UN Sustainable Development Goals, https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/Links to an external site.

• what_will_denmark_look_like_in_2030.pdf

• Sustainable food systems - concepts and framework. Fao report on food system thinking https://www.fao.org/3/ca2079en/CA2079EN.pdfLinks to an external site.

• City of Copenhagen Food PolicyLinks to an external site.
• Fact and figures about Danish Organic production and consumption: https://www.organicdenmark.com/facts-figures-about-danish-organicsLinks to an external site.
• https://agricultureandfood.dk/media/j5lp5sek/the-organic-way-eng.pdf
• The Danish Organic Label: https://www.organicdenmark.com/the-danish-organic-label
• Foodscapes: Copenhagen — Thriving Foodscapes 
• Cities and Circular Economy for Food https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/cities-and-circular-economy-for-food 
•  Food Waste: Halloran e al. (2018). Food Waste: Addressing food waste reduction in Denmark, Afton Halloran. Food Policy 49
• Halloran et al. (2018). Solutions Menu A Nordic guide to sustainable food policy. Nordic Council of Ministers. 163 pp
• The New Nordic Food Manifesto | Nordic cooperation (norden.org)

 

Field Studies and Experiential Learning

In this class, there will be 3 experiential Field Studies, two during the day and one at night.

Furthermore, part of the class will be experiential visits.

 

 

Course Resources

Audio Files and Online Worksheets

In the Canvas course Danish Language Resources, you will find audio files and online worksheets that you can use to practice vocabulary, phrases, pronunciation, and grammar throughout the semester. In your textbook DIS DANSK I, the texts with complementary audio files are marked with a headphone symbol. 

 

Online Dictionary: Ordbogen.com

DIS has a subscription to Ordbogen, a Danish-English/English-Danish online dictionary. Go to http://www.ordbogen.com/ and follow the instructions that you have received directly 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 prepared 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

Through the semester there will be different quizzes, worksheets, presentations and assignments that will be graded and will be part of the overall evaluation of your work and participation in class.

Besides presence, the engaged participation grade (30%) includes quizzes, worksheets, daily level of preparation, interest in class discussions, field studies and the use of Danish in class.

Furthermore, the cultural assignment consists of 2 different assignments:

Assignment 1: Cultural observations of Copenhagen - Presentation in groups

Assignment 2: Specific cultural aspects of Danish food and sustainability traits - Presentation in groups

 

Formal Guidelines for Cultural Assignments

The cultural assignments consists of 2 assignments:

Cultural Assignment 1

The first assignment is an experiential group assignment, where each group will present a district of Copenhagen. Focus will be on the historic city planning and contemporary use. The objective of the assignment is to become culturally aware by observing the surroundings, researching facts and identifying significant differences and similarities, which will serve as a foundation for later analysis of values in Danish society. Furthermore, each district will be assigned a Great Dane within food and sustainability. 

Cultural Assignment 2

The final assignment is an extended experiential group assignment, giving the students in each group the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to combine their acquired knowledge from the Danish Language and Culture class with further research within a defined field adding field visits and interviews.

 

Grading

Assignment	Percent
Engaged Participation	30%
Cultural Assignments	35%
Online worksheets	10%
Oral Exam	25%

Grading is based on the rubrics found in the Canvas course Danish Language Resources.

 

Academic Regulations  

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

• Course Enrollment and Grading  
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code 

 

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