Danish Language & Culture I

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This class will introduce you to Danish language as well as Danish culture. You will never be able to immerse yourself in a culture unless you know just a little bit of the local language. The course will explore how language serves as an opener to culture. The language itself and the interactional conventions and etiquette reveal something of the values and worldviews that form everyday life in a community and how we perceive others and ourselves. By analyzing keywords and concepts and applying appropriate etiquette while speaking the language, you learn how to navigate in a foreign culture. When studying the Danish language, we will focus on spoken everyday Danish. The course will enable you to have short basic conversations with Danes from the very beginning of the semester. The course will provide an insight into Danish culture through a study of collective Danish identity and self- perception. We will focus on dominant national narratives and symbolism, and approach some of the Danish key values from both a historical and modern perspective. The course will zoom in on key historical events, national memories, symbols, and works of art as well as literature that have contributed to shaping modern Danish identity. An important component of the course will be your own observations and critical analysis of what you are experiencing. There will be a strong focus on intercultural awareness and reflection through a comparative approach. We will use Copenhagen and Denmark as an extended classroom and discuss current key issues and events in Denmark. This class will enable you to become a qualified discussion partner to your Danish family, friends or roommates and if you are willing to take the step out of your comfort zone, interesting and thought provoking discussions are almost sure to happen. Moreover, you will acquire a new and more nuanced perspective on your own cultural background.