In our department, you can take classes in the areas of German Studies, Scandinavian Studies, or both. In German classes, you’ll learn about the Northern and Central European cultures of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In Scandinavian courses, you’ll learn about Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. We study these places both today and in the near and distant past. We teach the German and Swedish languages, and support Yiddish as well. We explore all of these interrelated cultures holistically from social, political, environmental, literary, cinematic, mediatic, and artistic perspectives. In doing so, we consider formal and philosophical themes, as well as the histories of the ideologies of race, gender, class, and religion, always from an interpretively open-ended and dialogical point of view. Our faculty members, who specialize in modern culture, give our students personal attention, helping them to advance their intellectual and pre-career development.
Germany and Scandinavia on the Margins
For 2026-27 the range of courses we are offering covers German-speaking and Scandinavian literatures, media, and cultures in both historical depth and in close contact with contemporary culture.
We will be introducing new undergraduate courses this year, among them GER /SCAN150M (Who am I?: Modern Identities) [Spring] as an introduction to German and Scandinavian studies that explores questions of identity (including gender performance, sexuality, personhood, work, and immigration) in modern art and literature; this course will include guest lectures by a variety of department faculty. GER 350 (German Sports Culture) [Winter] will analyze sports in the context of German-language society, politics, culture, and history to better understand phenomena such as nationalism, aesthetics, mass culture, and the politics of representation. We are once again offering the course sequence that presents German social and cultural history from the 1930s to the present, ranging from the perpetration of genocide to countercultural movements and the development of a more inclusive society; the courses in this sequence include GER 221 (Postwar Germany: A Nation Divided) [Fall], GER 222 (Fascism and Culture) [Winter], and GER 223 (Germany: A Multicultural Society) [Spring]. GER 251 (Sexuality) [Winter] focuses on sexuality and gender discourses in German literature, while GER 356 (Fairy Tales) [Fall] is our popular course about fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm to the present. GER/SCAN220M (Existentialist Literature and Thought) [Winter] explores the existentialist tradition in German and Scandinavian literature, philosophy, film, and art, while SCAN 251 (Text and Interpretation) [Fall] introduces students to classic narratives in Swedish and Norwegian literature. SCAN 353 (Scandinavian Women Writers) [Winter] will focus on three authors of modern and contemporary speculative fiction (Karin Boye, Solveig Balle, and Olga Ravn). GER 407/507 upper-division and graduate courses include a seminar on German and American speculative fiction [Fall], one on the Frankfurt School and theories of domination [Winter], and one on Vienna, Munich, and Berlin as main centers of 20th-century modernism. Our film courses this year include SCAN 315 (Nordic Cinema) [Winter] that will focus on the cinematic representation of youth and the impact of rock ‘n roll since the 1960s; and GER 355 (German Cinema) [Spring]. Courses taught for the first time this year by German & Scandinavian faculty in other units include LAW 411 (Hard Cases: Nuremberg) on the prosecutions of Nazi perpetrators in 1945-46, while GSL 336 (Human and Machine Cultures) [Spring] will contextualize present approaches to the human/machine interface by situating them within the longer history of cultural practices and aesthetic representations of technological innovations.
A huge thank you to Portland real estate developer, philanthropist and UO alumnus Jordan Schnitzer and the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, for a landmark $25 million gift to CAS that will empower future global leaders and problem solvers! The School of Global Studies and Languages is now named the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages, and we are truly excited to be a part of it!
What You Can Do with a Degree in German and Scandinavian
What kind of career can you get with language skills? Studying German and Scandinavian can take you just about anywhere! Our alumni are traveling the world, making an impact in their communities, and building careers with a broad range of organizations such as:
- International companies
- Media and high-tech companies
- Nongovernmental organizations and agencies
- Public interest groups
- Museums and archives
- Social welfare organizations
- Colleges and universities
How German and Scandinavian Studies Broadens Your Career
“Learning another language was a paradigm shift that changed my way of viewing the world and my daily experience. It also opened me to opportunities to work with people from around the world, learning of other cultures and perspectives, in pretty much every job role or educational position since. Also, the graduate courses taught me critical theory and were my initial exposure to philosophy, which have dramatically impacted my life more than anything else I've learned.”
—Zachary Tigert, program manager, Microsoft
Our Degree Programs
We offer multiple majors and minors in German and Scandinavian studies. Our MA and PhD programs are rigorous, yet supportive. Our students dive into critical analysis of post-Enlightenment modernity and often pursue interdisciplinary research.
Learn from Experts in the Field
Our faculty comprises both German and Scandinavian specialists whose research interests range from folklore and fantasy to gender and film, and from psychoanalysis and Jewish studies to philosophy and critical thought. They are passionate scholars who inform and inspire and are dedicated mentors who help students build real-world skills and strong professional networks.
Get Real-World Experience
Studying language abroad accelerates the development of speaking and comprehension skills while giving students a real-world experience within the culture they’re studying. Our students have access to dozens of study abroad programs in Germany and Scandinavia, from our decades-long partnership with Heidelberg, Tübingen, and other universities in Baden-Württemberg to numerous specialized programs in Berlin, Copenhagen, Uppsala, and beyond.
Scholarships and Funding
The Department of German and Scandinavian awards multiple scholarships to current undergraduate students who are declared majors or minors within the department. Graduate students are typically compensated for teaching language classes to undergraduates and are eligible for additional fellowships and scholarships.
Academic Support
Our academic advisors can help students understand their major or minor requirements, plan their course of study, explore study abroad opportunities, and more.
