Scandinavian Studies

Scandinavian Studies covers the literatures and cultures of the Scandinavian countries from the Middle Ages to the present day, looking at both individual countries and the trans-national Scandinavian region. In Bonn, the main emphasis in this discipline is placed on medieval and recent Scandinavian literature and cultural studies as well as on augmenting students’ proficiency in the respective Scandinavian languages (Danish, Swedish and Norwegian). The degree program follows a comparative approach and embraces a pan-Scandinavian perspective. The aim is to understand the (socio-)cultural developments and processes in the Scandinavian countries and especially to retrace the German-Scandinavian cultural transfer both historically and from a current perspective.

In the master’s degree program, students systematically deepen their pre-existing subject knowledge and apply it to field-specific research objects. Particular emphasis is placed on conveying intercultural competence with a central focus on the inter-Scandinavian dimension of linguistic, literary and cultural phenomena. Cross-disciplinary modules in German studies and comparative literature allow for an interdisciplinary approach to research questions with a pan-European perspective.

Possible lines of work:

Education (adult education, language courses, educational/vocational institutes (Bildungswerke), etc.), book industry (publishing/libraries/translating/editing), culture (cultural institutions, embassies, exhibitions, etc.), media (press, radio, television, on-line media, journalism, public relations), administration (international relations, e.g. diplomatic service, international organizations), academia (research management, teaching/research at universities, research institutions, etc.)