Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+

Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+ Official page for the Department of German, Nordic, & Slavic+ at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Did you miss the German 372: Das Leben ist Theater performance of Bertolt Brecht's play "Die unwürdige Greisin"? Click t...
05/06/2026

Did you miss the German 372: Das Leben ist Theater performance of Bertolt Brecht's play "Die unwürdige Greisin"? Click through for a few pictures from the April 24th performance!

04/29/2026

On April 29, European Studies is partnering with Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+ and UW-Madison Department of Anthropology to host
Niina Vuolajärvi for her talk, “Criminalizing the S*x Buying in the Name of Gender Equality: S*x Work, Migration and the Feminist Politics of Care.”
Link to more information in the comments.

This Friday, Berlin-based director Jürgen Kuttner, theater specialist Helga Angarano, and students in the German Theater...
04/22/2026

This Friday, Berlin-based director Jürgen Kuttner, theater specialist Helga Angarano, and students in the German Theater class will present a performance of Bertolt Brecht’s subversively funny short story “Die unwürdige Greisin” (“The Shameless Old Lady”). The performance will take place in German with explanations/subtitles in English. The event is free and open to the public, and students, staff, and friends are particularly welcome!

Play summary: When a widowed grandmother starts frequenting pubs, spending money on herself, and making new friends, her children are scandalized—and her grandchildren inspired. Written in exile in 1939, Brecht’s short piece, supposed by scholars to be his most autobiographical, is a provocative commentary on life and on living past one’s “usefulness.”

Sponsored by German, Nordic, and Slavic+ and the Glen W. Gadberry German Theatre Fund

We invite you to celebrate the University of Wisconsin’s annual philanthropic Day of the Badger by supporting the Nordic...
04/14/2026

We invite you to celebrate the University of Wisconsin’s annual philanthropic Day of the Badger by supporting the Nordic Unit of the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+. Donations can be made to the Scandinavian Studies Centennial Fund ( #132731590) at the UW Foundation. In all the Nordic languages - thank you!

Today's the day! The party to pay it forward starts now and runs through tomorrow! Donate to GNS+ at dayofthebadger.org!...
04/14/2026

Today's the day! The party to pay it forward starts now and runs through tomorrow! Donate to GNS+ at dayofthebadger.org!

The Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+ offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to learn about the cultures of speakers of more than a dozen modern languages, large and small, from Danish to Yiddish. The diversity of our department is complemented by the interdisciplinary interests of our faculty and students, which connect us to multiple humanities and social sciences departments and research centers. As a relatively young department that brought together three well-established older departments in 2016, we would benefit from funds that support activities across the entire department. Funding remains crucial to the growth of our undergraduate and graduate programs.

Gifts will be contributed to the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic Annual Fund.

Are you interested in learning the language of the happiest country in the world? If so, Scandinavian Studies 131 is the...
04/08/2026

Are you interested in learning the language of the happiest country in the world? If so, Scandinavian Studies 131 is the class for you! This fall course is for beginning learners of Finnish with an emphasis on proficiency through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and on communication in cultural context.

Considering taking a Folklore class in the Fall? Try Folklore 390 or Folklore 430! Folklore 490 is an immersive explorat...
03/30/2026

Considering taking a Folklore class in the Fall? Try Folklore 390 or Folklore 430!

Folklore 490 is an immersive exploration of public and applied folklore practice. Course material and activities will focus on the cultural, political, and ethical dimensions underlying the documentation and public presentation of folklore through festivals, exhibitions, publications, audio-visual productions, and digital archival collections. Students will conduct fieldwork, produce media, and develop programming meant for public engagement.

Folklore 430 examines post-civil rights era urban African American folklife from across the United States. Each week, we will explore spaces and places of African American folk production, focusing on multiple genres of expression. Class discussions will interrogate the ways in which these selected folk practices build upon earlier forms, their complex relationships with each other, and their function within the communities of origin. We will also critically examine how these practices intersect with important societal phenomenon- namely issues of race, class, gender, power, and migration. In addition, students will conduct ethnographic fieldwork project and produce media related to African American folklife in Wisconsin. The goal of this course is to use the lens of African American folklife to gain a better understanding of the dynamic and multi-faceted nature of contemporary African American life in general.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing.

Have you ever considered studying Old Norse, or wondered what that language entails? If so, then consider taking Scandin...
03/16/2026

Have you ever considered studying Old Norse, or wondered what that language entails? If so, then consider taking Scandinavian Studies 407 - Introductory Old Norse this fall! The course has a linguistic purpose and is designed to give students a reading knowledge of Old Norse through the study of Old Icelandic grammar and selections of Old Norse-Icelandic texts.

The course begins with with an introduction of Old Icelandic grammar through the study of Kenneth G. Chapman’s Graded Readings and Exercises in Old Icelandic. Next, students move to Michael Barnes’ A New Introduction to Old Norse. Part I: Grammer. At the same time, students read, translate, and analyze a selection of literary texts in Anthony Faulkes’ A New Introduction to Old Norse. Part II: Reader with the help of Part III: Glossary and Index of Names.

For more information on the course, visit https://gns.wisc.edu/scandinavian-studies-courses-fall-2026/

Are you interested in a course that introduces students to the reading, analysis, and appreciation of great poems from t...
03/13/2026

Are you interested in a course that introduces students to the reading, analysis, and appreciation of great poems from the German tradition and beyond (all in English translation)?If you answered yes, then LitTrans/German 276 is the course for you!

Discussions and assignments will enable students to read poems with more depth and precision and to articulate their significance and stakes. In this course, we will consider how poems address deeply personal as well as large-scale social problems and how they may astonish, inspire, disturb, awaken, shatter, console, and – in both subtle and fundamental ways – change us. No knowledge of German is required; students who are learning German will have the option to read select poems in the original as well.

To take this course, you need a satisfied Communications A requirement.

Address

818 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive
Madison, WI
53706

Telephone

+16082622192

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