A. Purpose of the Activities Requirement:

At St. Olaf, your study of Norwegian includes three hours per week of class time, individual homework assignments, group homework assignments, language lab assignments, and co-curricular activities. The purpose of the activities requirement is to provide you with many opportunities to use your Norwegian outside class in more informal, real-world settings. These activities will help you to improve your speaking and listening skills, acquire a better understanding of modern Norwegian culture, and give you the chance to get to know the professors, the students and guests from Norway, and the American students studying Norwegian. Since there will be many co-curricular activities offered each semester, you may choose the types of events that are most interesting and helpful for you. Please see the list of activities below.

The co-curricular activities range from informal barbeques, coffee hours, and conversation tables to more formal lectures, concerts, and art exhibitions. Many of the activities are organized by the Norwegian professors, students from Norway, Norwegian majors, and students living in the Norwegian House. Typically, there are 10-15 students working on the Norwegian Major, 5-6 students working on Nordic Studies Concentration, 5-10 students from Norway, and 6-10 students living in the Norwegian House. In addition to these departmental activities, there are usually a variety of lecturers, artists, and musicians who visit St. Olaf each year.

2. Norwegian Homework Help
The Norwegian Homework Help/Open Houses are held on Wednesday evenings from 7:30-8:30 pm in the Norwegian House. The Norwegian House residents invite students to come to the Norwegian House to work on homework and practice speaking Norwegian.

3. Interview Sessions with Students from Norway
Pairs of students interview the Norwegian students on campus about life in modern Norway.

4. Language Learning via Activities
You will have a chance to speak Norwegian as you take part in an activity, such as singing, skiing, knitting, rosemaling, cooking, making Christmas ornaments, playing soccer or other sports, etc.

5. Presentations on Norwegian Culture

There will be short presentations in Norwegian on a variety of topics about modern Norway given by students from Norway, the residents in the Norwegian House, Norwegian majors, or Nordic Studies concentrators. Afterward, there will be time for questions and discussion in both Norwegian and English.

6. Film Series
There will be a monthly Norwegian Film Series in Old Main 15.

7. Lectures, Concerts, and Art Exhibitions
Each semester, there will be several designated lectures, concerts, and art exhibitions by guests from Norway.

8. Norwegian Christmas Chapel Service ( required for all students, fall semester only):
At the end of fall semester, the Norwegian Department sponsors a Norwegian Christmas Chapel Service with Norwegian Christmas carols, the Christmas Gospel read in Norwegian, and short descriptions of Christmas in Norway by Norwegian students. If you are interested in singing, you make join the Norwegian Choir, which usually performs two pieces during the service.

9. 17th of May Breakfast (required for all students, spring semester only):
At the end of spring semester, the Norwegian Department sponsors a 17th of May Breakfast to celebrate Norwegian Constitution Day. The breakfast features Norwegian meats and fish, bread and cheeses, and there is entertainment by students from Norway.

Students in Norwegian courses must attend eight co-curricular events, with no more than four of the same type of event (see list above and department calendar).

For each activity you attend, you need to sign your name on the attendance sheet, take notes at the event, and write a summary / response paper afterward. The summary / response papers should be in English (or Norwegian at the advanced levels), typed (12 pt font and 1 inch margins) and include 1/2 page of summary describing what occurred at the event and 1/2 page of your response to the event. To get credit, you need to turn in your summary / response papers within a week of attending the event.

You should attend half of the required events before mid-term and half afterwards. We recommend that you make a plan for completing this requirement at the beginning of the semester.

D. For an up-to-date list of co-curricular activities, check the list of current events on the Norwegian Department homepage as well as the Departmental Calendar.