Scandinavian Studies UW-Madison

10/10/2025

Looking for a fun Friday night activity? Come enjoy the Foot-Notes and the ScandAm Jam bands TONIGHT as they play you a lively mix of Scandinavian-American tunes for dance. Never danced to that type of music before? Fear not! There will be plenty of helpful dancers to get you in the groove. This event is held at an actual barn, so bring clothes that will keep you comfortable in the weather.
This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided!!!

10/08/2025

As part of our 150th anniversary year of celebration, we’re excited to welcome Dr. Natalie Van Deusen back to Madison! Dr. Van Deusen will be presenting “Reading Disability in Old Norse Literature” on Thursday, October 9, from 4:00pm–5:00pm in 1418 Van Hise. See you all there!!

09/04/2025

Your new fall reads? 👀
Congratulations to Dr. Liina-Ly Roos and Dr. Claus Elholm Andersen on the publication of their latest books (in English and Danish)! Their research would make perfect additions to your fall reading list—don’t miss them!

08/29/2025

Members of our unit were able to attend FinnFest 2025 this year in Duluth, MN! FinnFest is a unique international event, providing a meeting place for people of various backgrounds, intrigued by and connected to the Nordic cultures.

Pictured are various folk artists working in communities working throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota who our department partner with through the Sustaining Scandinavian Folk Arts in the Upper Midwest project.
Read the captions of each picture to see what types of activities happened this year :)

1: Taylor Johnson (Cashton, WI) (L) and Alan Anderson (Baraboo, WI) (R) talking about stropping tools at FinnFest 2025 booths.
2: Mary Erickson (Mt. Iron, MN) displays one of her himmeli works at FinnFest 2025 booths.
3: Karen Keenan (Duluth, MN) (R) discusses hair jewelry with FinnFest attendees at FinnFest 2025 booths.
4: Taylor Johnson carving acanthus carving on a kubbestol at FinnFest 2025 booth.
5: (L to R) Mary Erickson, Alan Anderson, Taylor Johnson, Karen Keenan pose in front of FinnFest banner.

📷: Jason Schroeder

06/27/2025

Last week members of our department attended and presented at the Crossings and Connections Conference in Northfield MN. This event commemorated the 200th anniversary of organized Norwegian migration to the US🇳🇴 Heia!

05/02/2025

Congratulations to our Spring 2025 graduates from the Nordic unit! You’ve worked hard and reached an incredible milestone. As you head into your next chapter, take your Nordic languages, cultures, and curiosity with you. Best wishes!

05/01/2025

As the semester wraps up, please join us for another event celebrating 150 years of Scandinavian Studies on campus. Professor Susan Brantly will be discussing her work helping navigate the literary and artistic connections between Denmark, the Netherlands, and France of a Van Gogh painting purchased for a dollar at a garage sale in Minnetonka, Minnesota! The event is free and open to the public and we hope to see you all there!

05/01/2025

Hej Facebook friends! The Nordic unit has started an instagram page where unit news, fun events, and other Nordic content will be posted on a regular basis. For those of you who don’t use instagram, don’t worry—we’ll continue to post here as well!

01/15/2024

"Every year since 1989, a hotel built out of snow and ice is constructed anew, and welcomes guests in the Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi. This year’s edition, Icehotel 34, recently opened, displaying new themes for its rooms and many new ice sculptures. Icehotel is both an art exhibition and a functional hotel—and this year features more than a dozen art suites, a main hall, and a ceremony hall. Gathered below are photographs of this year’s version, and of several incarnations from previous years."

Images of recent versions of Sweden’s annual Icehotel—part art exhibit, part hotel

08/28/2023

"You can still find traces of Nordic history in the trails and trees of tiny Washington Island, Wisconsin. And take a dip while you’re there — if you dare."

You can still find traces of Nordic history in the trails and trees of tiny Washington Island, Wis. And take a dip while you’re there — if you dare.