Cross-cultural perspectives: This program will prepare you for living and working in a globalized world by moving you beyond the comfort zone of the culturally familiar and into a world of cultures that differ from and parallel your own in surprising ways.
Dynamic cultures: As they continue to change rapidly, Nordic cultures* wrestle with issues of globalization, migration, multiculturalism, postcolonialism, and integration within Europe, offering a remarkable framework within which to study the complexities of culture and society in the contemporary world.
Multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives: Drawing on the approaches of multiple scholarly disciplines, the Scandinavian Area Studies program will ground you in a variety of complementary approaches to studying culture and society, while also educating you to make connections between these approaches and fields of knowledge.
Critical thinking and reading skills: All the courses in this program stress critical thinking, developing rigorous approaches to questioning culture, society, and the stories that we tell ourselves every day.
Strong writing and research skills: Drawing on the tradition of the liberal arts, this program will teach you research methods and develop a clarity of writing that will prepare you for professional life after college.
Study away and internships: The Scandinavian Area Studies Program strongly encourages a semester of study in Scandinavia, through PLUÕs gateway program in Norway at the University College of Telemark, while a January study away course investigates language, culture, and identity in Scandinavia. Internships are arranged on an individual basis, and make use of the experience and expertise of program faculty and advisors across campus.
*The Nordic region includes Denmark, the Faroes, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Åland Islands.
Last updated October 8, 2008
