The Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic is home to undergraduate and graduate programs in German, Scandinavian studies, Russian, and Polish, as well as certificates in the Folklore program and East Central European Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. The department offers courses in the languages, linguistics, literatures, and cultures of these three areas, both in the target languages and in translation. The department provides instruction in more than a dozen languages, including Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Icelandic, Kazakh, Norwegian, Old Norse, Polish, Russian, Sami, Serbo-Croatian, Swedish, Turkish, and Yiddish.
German Program
The German program affords students the opportunity to begin or to continue their study of German and/or Dutch.
Knowledge of German provides access to a culture that for more than a millennium has been central to the history, economy, arts, and sciences not just of Europe but of Western civilization as a whole. In the contemporary world, German-speaking countries have Europe's strongest economies and are playing an increasingly important role in world affairs. More Americans claim German ethnicity than any other, and German-speaking immigrants and their descendants have had an enduring impact on the history and culture of the United States. UW–Madison has been a leader in the field of German studies for more than a century. The university's libraries are remarkable for the depth and breadth of their German-language holdings.
Knowledge of Dutch provides access to a culture that has been an important force in world history since the Middle Ages. The language of more than 20 million inhabitants of the Netherlands and Flanders (Dutch-speaking Belgium), Dutch is also spoken in Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles. It is also an important second language in Indonesia. As major economic powers, Belgium and the Netherlands play a leading role in shaping the European Union. World-class research in the sciences and humanities is conducted at Dutch and Belgian universities, and both countries can boast of a cultural life in which art, music, and theater are all flourishing.
Opportunities for German and Dutch Students
In addition to choosing from courses in culture, literature, linguistics, and German-American studies, German students can practice the language in various settings on campus, including the Stockwerk Deutsch Language House, which is located in Adams Hall. Other opportunities include the German Club, Kaffeestunde, and Stammtisch. There is also a Dutch Table for students of Dutch. Many German and Dutch students participate on semester- or year-long study abroad programs in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands administered through International Academic Programs, the School of Business, the College of Engineering, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The International Internship Program also connects UW–Madison students to a wide range of internships in German- and Dutch-speaking Europe.
Scandinavian Studies (Nordic)
The Scandinavian Studies Program provides the opportunity to learn a Scandinavian language or Finnish (modern Icelandic only occasionally). The literature, folklore, and culture of the Nordic countries are taught both in the original languages and in English translation. Partly in cooperation with other departments, courses in Scandinavian area studies are offered (history, social institutions, geography, art, archaeology). Students who major in the field may continue graduate studies toward an M.A. in Scandinavian philology, literature, or area studies, and toward a Ph.D. in Scandinavian literature, philology, or folklore.
The program strongly encourages a junior-year abroad in a Nordic country; several exchange programs are available. Students who transfer to this university after a year abroad should contact the undergraduate advisor as early as possible to schedule a placement test.
Russian
Courses in Russian are designed to meet the needs of students who begin to study the language in college as well as those who began to study the language in high school. With a major in Russian you will be able to converse with ease in most common situations at work, school, social events, and everyday duties, as well as read and write at an advanced level.
Russian Flagship Program
The Russian Flagship Program offers students of any major the opportunity to achieve a professional level of competence in Russian. Students apply to the program directly. Residential and study abroad requirements, course options, and scholarship information are posted at Russian Flagship. To obtain more information about the Russian Flagship Program, students should make an appointment with a Russian Flagship advisor.
Polish
Polish is the most commonly spoken Slavic language of the European Union and the second largest Slavic language in the world, with over 50 million users across the globe. Polish culture has a remarkably rich tradition, shaped by a millennium of artistic and intellectual innovation as well as struggles for political, social, and cultural independence. Poland survived the two world wars and half a century of communist rule to emerge as a regional leader in East-Central Europe, the fastest-growing economy in the EU, and home to one of the most vibrant cultural scenes in the world. Polish diaspora counts among the largest in the world with major concentrations in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, and France.
ECELLC CERTIFICATE
Explore the crossroads of Europe with courses designed to give you the linguistic-cultural skills for successful academic, business, political, diplomatic, and analytical careers centered on the continent’s most economically dynamic, strategically important, and culturally rich region. Discover the world that has survived the horrors of two world wars, given birth to some of the most powerful dissident movements in modern history, and inspired the world with its art, film, literature, and political thought.
Folklore Program
The Folklore Studies Program provides a opportunities to explore the importance of everyday expressive culture – such as storytelling, sacred traditions, art, music, foodways, and festivals – to better appreciate human diversity, as well as understand the challenges of living together as local community members and citizens of the world. Students will gain fresh perspectives on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class. They will come to recognize the artfulness in everyday life and community-based creativity in a global economy. Students will learn to navigate cultural communication and conflict within and across religious, geographic, and ethnic divides.
Folklore courses are taught partly in cooperation with other departments and are cross-listed with classes in Gender and Women’s Studies, Anthropology Religious Studies, Art, Communications, Scandinavian Studies, and many others.
The program strongly encourages a junior-year abroad; several exchange programs are available.
Students who earn a certificate in the field may work in museums, the business sector, archives, or continue graduate studies toward an M.A. or Ph.D.
German
Professors
Monika Chavez, Sabine Gross, Mark Louden, B. Venkat Mani, Pamela Potter, Jolanda Vanderwal Taylor
Associate Professors
Salvatore Calomino, Sonja Klocke, Sabine Möedersheim
Assistant Professors
Hannah V. Eldridge, Weijia Li, Katerina Somers, Adam Stern, Sunny Yudkoff
Faculty Associate
Julie Larson-Guenette, Jeanne Schueller
Lecturer
Melissa Sheedy
Scandinavian Studies (Nordic)
Professor
Susan Brantly, Thomas DuBois, Kirsten Wolf*
Associate Professor
Dean Krouk
Assistant Professor
Claus Andersen, Benjamin Mier-Cruz, Liina-Ly Roos
Faculty Associate
Scott A. Mellor, Nete Schmidt
Lecturer
B. Marcus Cederström
Associate Lecturer
Todd Michelson-Ambelang
* unit head
Slavic Studies
Russian
Professors
David Danaher*
Karen Evans-Romaine
Irina Shevelenko
Associate Professors
Andrew Reynolds
Assistant Professors
Maksim Hanukai
Kirill Ospovat
Marina Zilbergerts
Faculty Associates
Jennifer Tishler
Anna Tumarkin
Lecturers
S.A. Karpukhin
Alexandra Walter
*unit head
Polish
Assistant Professor
Łukasz Wodzyński
Senior Lecturer
Ewa Miernowska
Lecturer
Krzysztof Borowski
Professor Emerita
Halina Filipowicz
Czech
Professor
David Danaher
Other Languages
NâlâN Erbil - Turkish, Faculty Associate
Gulnara Glowacki - Kazakh, Senior lecturer