Scandinavian studies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scandinavian studies is an interdisciplinary academic field of area studies that covers topics related to Scandinavia and the Nordic countries, including their languages, literature, history, culture and society, in countries other than these. As described in the article on Scandinavia, that name can be given both narrow and broader definitions. The field of Scandinavian studies typically takes the broader definition to include Finland and Finnish language, even though the latter does not belong to the group of North Germanic languages. In Germany, however, "Skandinavistik" is considered a subfield of Germanic languages, with accompanying literature and culture, and "Fennistik" is the separate study of Baltic-Finnic languages.
Universities that offer education and perform research in Scandinavian studies are typically found in North America (because of the common ancestry due to high immigration) and Eastern and Central Europe (because of a common history of wars and occupation). In North America, many activities are coordinated through the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study and its journal, the quarterly Scandinavian Studies. Important university departments are found at Brigham Young University, University of Washington, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
[edit] External links
- Scandinavian Studies Web, Brigham Young University
- Fachverband Skandinavistik, Germany
- Kompetenznetzwerk Skandinavistik, Germany
- Department of Scandinavian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Stockholm Institute for Scandinavian Law, University of Stockholm
- Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies, University of Oslo
- Department of Scandinavian Studies, University College London
