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I'm creating this thread as, of yet, this topic is not really covered in these forums. Understandably, there isn't a flood of applicants into this field every year, but on the off chance interested prospects are on gradcafe I think this thread should exist. I'll be starting my MA/PhD in Nordic Literature in the fall of 2016 and would be happy to talk about programs in the field both in the US and abroad.

Áfram Norden! :lol:

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  • 6 months later...
On 3/2/2016 at 6:03 PM, savay said:

I'm creating this thread as, of yet, this topic is not really covered in these forums. Understandably, there isn't a flood of applicants into this field every year, but on the off chance interested prospects are on gradcafe I think this thread should exist. I'll be starting my MA/PhD in Nordic Literature in the fall of 2016 and would be happy to talk about programs in the field both in the US and abroad.

Áfram Norden! :lol:

Oh so glad that I happen to find it! Yep I will apply for a PhD program in Scandinavian as I am currently pursuing my MA in Ibsen Studies in UiO, and passed the Norwegian level 3 test (equivalent to B2 in CEFR). However apart from Berkeley, other schools require that I have my BA in Scandinavian languages and literatures, which I don't have. My BA was English studies... so may I know which program you enrolled, and whether you got a relevant BA for admission or not? Thanks a lot!

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 9/13/2016 at 9:12 AM, hmss9245 said:

Oh so glad that I happen to find it! Yep I will apply for a PhD program in Scandinavian as I am currently pursuing my MA in Ibsen Studies in UiO, and passed the Norwegian level 3 test (equivalent to B2 in CEFR). However apart from Berkeley, other schools require that I have my BA in Scandinavian languages and literatures, which I don't have. My BA was English studies... so may I know which program you enrolled, and whether you got a relevant BA for admission or not? Thanks a lot!

Hey @hmss9245, welcome to gradcafe! I am currently attending University of Washington for my MA (https://scandinavian.washington.edu/) and I am definitely not coming to the field with a BA in Scandi Studies. I got my BA in a classical humanities program, but have spent considerable time in Iceland and have studied Danish for a few years. I found that if you had substantial training in the languages or literatures, or considerable experience in a Nordic country (like pursuing your MA there, for example) that most programs were open for you to apply. In addition to Berkeley and U Wisconsin, there aren't other stand alone programs in the states that I know of. There are some universities that have faculty with expertise in Nordic languages and literature who may be affiliated with other departments...but these vary. I ended up choosing Washington because my interests are primarily contemporary literature and literary theory, and translation studies. Washington has strengths in contemporary Nordic culture and literature (One of our professors actually specializes in Ibsen if you plan to continue on in that sub-field) and has close relationships with many of the other humanities departments at the University, like the Comp Lit department. If you'd like more specific information about my program specifically, etc. you're welcome to send me a message here.

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19 hours ago, savay said:

Hey @hmss9245, welcome to gradcafe! I am currently attending University of Washington for my MA (https://scandinavian.washington.edu/) and I am definitely not coming to the field with a BA in Scandi Studies. I got my BA in a classical humanities program, but have spent considerable time in Iceland and have studied Danish for a few years. I found that if you had substantial training in the languages or literatures, or considerable experience in a Nordic country (like pursuing your MA there, for example) that most programs were open for you to apply. In addition to Berkeley and U Wisconsin, there aren't other stand alone programs in the states that I know of. There are some universities that have faculty with expertise in Nordic languages and literature who may be affiliated with other departments...but these vary. I ended up choosing Washington because my interests are primarily contemporary literature and literary theory, and translation studies. Washington has strengths in contemporary Nordic culture and literature (One of our professors actually specializes in Ibsen if you plan to continue on in that sub-field) and has close relationships with many of the other humanities departments at the University, like the Comp Lit department. If you'd like more specific information about my program specifically, etc. you're welcome to send me a message here.

Thanks for the info! Currently I am mainly applying for comparative literature programs plus 2-3 English programs and 2 Scandinavian programs. As I found on the website,  UW requires an advanced degree of at least one Scandinavian language to be admitted for the doctoral program, so I'm afraid my Norwegian level (B2) is not sufficient... but is the professor you mentioned whose interest is in Ibsen Olivia Gunn?

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On 10/6/2016 at 0:37 PM, hmss9245 said:

Thanks for the info! Currently I am mainly applying for comparative literature programs plus 2-3 English programs and 2 Scandinavian programs. As I found on the website,  UW requires an advanced degree of at least one Scandinavian language to be admitted for the doctoral program, so I'm afraid my Norwegian level (B2) is not sufficient... but is the professor you mentioned whose interest is in Ibsen Olivia Gunn?

Yup, Olivia. She's also currently working on a new Ibsen research project. Also, if you feel the UW's program would fit with your research interests, I'd reach out to the program before completely deciding not to apply. The Director of Graduate Studies, Marianne Stecher, is quite helpful in answering specific questions regarding admissions and any concerns you might have about qualifying. I remember before I applied that I was concerned that my primary target language was Icelandic (you know, not a mainland Scandi language or one that the University currently teaches) and that my Danish competency wasn't as strong -- and it turned out ok. They seem to consider applicants holistically as opposed to against a specific checklist of qualifications.

@J.Conroy happy to help. Are you applying to Scandi programs as well?

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On 10/8/2016 at 6:38 AM, savay said:

Yup, Olivia. She's also currently working on a new Ibsen research project. Also, if you feel the UW's program would fit with your research interests, I'd reach out to the program before completely deciding not to apply. The Director of Graduate Studies, Marianne Stecher, is quite helpful in answering specific questions regarding admissions and any concerns you might have about qualifying. I remember before I applied that I was concerned that my primary target language was Icelandic (you know, not a mainland Scandi language or one that the University currently teaches) and that my Danish competency wasn't as strong -- and it turned out ok. They seem to consider applicants holistically as opposed to against a specific checklist of qualifications.

@J.Conroy happy to help. Are you applying to Scandi programs as well?

Thanks again! As I reached out to them and got positive answer from both Marianne and Olivia! And Olivia was suggesting we arrange a skype chat in two weeks' time... omg.. any suggestion for the preparation? She said it should to be a casual talk, and we can speak both Norwegian and English...

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@hmss9245 How exciting! I'm really glad it worked out! I would really prepare any questions you have about the program (from degree requirements, the University, the department, courses you may want to take, teaching expectations, etc.), any concerns you may have (about program requirements, if you can pursue your intended research, advantages/disadvantages to area studies programs, etc.), and discussions about the type of research you're interested in doing. I would keep in mind that Olivia is not the DGS, so she may not know all of the granular specifics of application deadlines, but she knows the department and the University. I had a similar discussion with faculty during my application process and it really is just a conversation for you to ask questions you have and to get a sense of fit, etc. The Campus Visits thread of the Lit/Rhet/Comp section has some really great questions to ask if you think you might be missing something (linked below). I used this mostly for visits, so some of the questions may not be entirely applicable to this stage of the application season -- but they'll get your wheels turning. And don't stress about language -- use what feels comfortable and don't worry about switching back and forth as needed. (For one of my application processes -- not for  UW -- I had to do a skype interview in Danish at 8am and I was dreading it, and while I definitely had moments of struggle, it ended up turning out ok.)

I hope it goes well!

 

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