Since its inception in 1972, the Scandinavian Section has been one of the premiere programs in the country for the study of Nordic languages and literatures on the undergraduate and graduate levels. Along with a sister department at UC Berkeley, the Scandinavian Section provides members of the University of California community, and the citizens of California, with up-to-date, scholarly information and instruction on topics concerning the Nordic countries with a particular emphasis on their cultures, their histories and their languages. The third floor suite includes faculty and teaching assistant offices, a small reading room, and a lounge. After the devastating Northridge earthquake in 1993, Royce Hall was restored to its former glory. The Scandinavian Section offers a BA in Scandinavian Languages and Cultures, a minor in Scandinavian Studies, and an MA in Scandinavian Languages and Literatures. The Section also offers a Ph.D. through the Department of Germanic Languages. The programs are described in detail in the degree programs section of this website. The Scandinavian Section also offers instruction in many of the Nordic languages. Some of these courses are offered by UCLA instructors, while others are offered through a partnership with UC Berkeley and makes use of Internet 2.0 video-conferencing technology. Instruction in the Scandinavian Section is marked by our personal attention to students, and our deep commitment to undergraduate education. Section faculty are among the leading innovators in instructional technology at UCLA. Section faculty are also recognized for their innovative research projects. These include the archaeological excavations at Mosfell in Iceland, investigations of the connections between Scandinavia and early Hollywood, the development of an automated morphological analysis tool for Old Icelandic, investigations of Henrik Ibsen's dramatic oeuvre, and a mapping project focusing on nineteenth century Danish folklore.
