Fall 1999
S99 | F 98 | S 98 | F 97
Official Organ of the Norwegian Teachers Association of North America
Torild Homstad, Editor
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Fall 1999 S99 | F 98 | S 98 | F 97 |
Official Organ of the Norwegian Teachers Association of North America Torild Homstad, Editor |
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President's Greeting Hilsen fra styrelederen! Welcome to another issue of the Norwegian Teachers Newsletter. Thanks to our intrepid editor, Torild Homstad, the newsletter continues to expand in both size and quality, and I'm sure you will find many items of interest. I would like to draw your attention to several things in particular: 1. The next Norway Seminar will be held at St. Olaf College. The year 2000 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the St. Olaf Norwegian Department, so it seems especially appropriate to celebrate during the seminar. Tentative dates are October 26-29, 2000. Please submit suggestions--both practical and academic--on the evaluation form in this newsletter. 2. There will be an extraordinary meeting of NorTANA at SASS in Madison, WI on Thursday afternoon, directly following the pre-conference workshop, on literature in the classroom, also sponsored by NorTANA. In addition there will be the usual NorTANA lunch during the conference. 3. One purpose for the extra meeting is to provide more time to discuss some substantive issues, including the proposal for a name change made by Terje Leiren (see below). 4. NorTANA will be sponsoring a workshop on Literature in the Classroom from June 15-16, 2000. While St. Olaf College has been suggested as a location, we are open to other invitations, as well as for volunteers to work on the planning committee. Contact Torild Homstad (homstad@stolaf.edu) if you would like to volunteer. Enjoy the rest of the newsletter. See you in Madison! Margaret Hayford O'Leary Back
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Proposal to change the name of "NORWEGIAN TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA," to "NORWEGIAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA." As a follow-up to the beginning of the discussion at the Norway Seminar in Bozeman, Montana, I would like to propose that the membership of NorTANA change the name of our organization to "Norwegian Studies Association of North America." I am making this proposal so that our organization's name fully reflects what we stand for and thereby also demonstrates our inclusion of ALL teachers and scholars and students of Norwegian studies whether they teach or not. Over the last several years, I, and several other dedicated members, have come to believe that by calling ourselves "teachers association," we have, inadvertently at best, signaled to those who do not teach the Norwegian languages that this professional organization is not for them. We have had difficulty recruiting members whose interests are in political science, sociology, history, etc. because they were not "teachers of Norwegian." Even though our by-laws state we are inclusive, the title says otherwise to many outsiders. I believe it is time to take a serious look at how we can make our organization stronger and better. This also includes how we can appeal to a larger and broader constituency. Norwegian Studies in North America will be facing serious challenges in the years ahead. Only by joining forces with all who are interested in the study of Norwegian language, literature, culture, history, and society can we hope to maintain viable programs in many colleges and universities. While language study should always remain at the core of Norwegian studies, our efforts can only benefit if we embrace a broad and interdisciplinary conception of our mission. Inclusiveness and cooperation may also help us appeal to broader constituencies of supporters both in North America and in Norway. Therefore, I am asking that a discussion of this proposal be placed on the agenda for the NorTANA meeting in Madison and that we change the name of our organization to the "Norwegian Studies Association of North America." (NorSANA or NSA, for short.) Sincerely, Terje Leiren Back
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Norwegian Travel Grants Priority for travel grants in 2000 will be given to applications for participation in the "Kurs i moderne nynorsk kulturkunnskap i Volda" and participation in selected seminars in Oslo and Bergen in August. Further information will be sent out to all NorTANA members in early January. Kjellaug Myhre and Lars Fure Haugen Scholarship One or more grants of not less than $3,000 having the title, 'The Einar and Eva Lund Haugen Dissertation Scholarship,' shall be awarded annually in the month of April to outstanding graduate students who have completed their course work and other preliminary requirements for a Doctoral degree. The dissertation shall treat a Scandinavian or Scandinavian-American topic. Otherwise, the award is open to a wide range of academic disciplines in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Barring future policy change, the scholarship is not renewable. Awards shall be based on an evaluation of the applicant's academic record, three references, the thesis proposal and the applicant's work plan and future professional goals. Awards shall normally be made to applicants who have completed their pre-dissertation requirements within the preceding year. Direct applications (no forms needed), together with the above described documents by March 1 to: Chairman, Haugen Scholarship Committee, c/o Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1510 St. Olaf Avenue, Northfield, MN 55057-1097. Sons of Norway Foundation The Sons of Norway Foundation has a number of scholarships and grants available for undergraduate and graduate study. Scholarships include: the King Olav V Norwegian-American Fund for individuals studying Norwegian-related topics (need not be Sons of Norway members to apply); the Astrid G. Cates Fund for Sons of Norway affiliates; and the Nancy Lorraine Jensen Memorial Fund for female Sons of Norway affiliates studying chemistry, physics, or chemical, electrical or mechanical engineering. There are also scholarship funds available for Sons of Norway members who are attending Camp Norway or the Oslo International Summer School. Please note that for each of the scholarships requiring Sons of Norway affiliation, the affiliation can be either self-memberships, or membership through the parents or grandparents of the applicants. The Sons of Norway Foundation is committed to promoting and preserving the best of Norwegian heritage and culture for all people. Scholarship deadlines are March 1 (the Camp Norway scholarship deadline is April 1). To receive an application form for any of the scholarships, contact: The Sons of Norway
Foundation Back
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Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor of Scandinavian Studies Anticipated August 28, 2000. Expertise in Scandinavian linguistics and/or strong background in Finnish or Old Norse is required. Fluency in a modern Scandinavian language is also required. The candidate will be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses on Scandinavian linguistics and/or either Old Norse or Finnish folklore/literature/language. Expertise in Germanic philology/linguistics, or language pedagogy is desirable. Qualifications: Ph.D. or equivalent from a Scandinavian Department, a Linguistics Department, or a comparable program. Teaching experience desired. Submit documented application to: Dick Ringler, Dept. of Scandinavian Studies, 1306 Van Hise Hall, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, by January 15, 2000. Equal Opportunity Employment/Affirmative Action. Women and minorities encouraged to apply. Unless confidentiality is requested in writing, information regarding the applicants must be released upon request. Finalists cannot be guaranteed confidentiality. Back
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Welcome to SASS 2000 SASS and the University of Wisconsin Department of Scandinavian Studies welcome you to Madison, Wisconsin for the 90th Annual SASS meeting. The conference will be held in conjunction with the department's 125th Anniversary Celebration, and will take place at the Monona Terrace Convention Center on beautiful Lake Monona in downtown Madison. We promise energizing speakers, stimulating discussions, excellent food and wine, and an opportunity to meet new and wonderful people. Members wishing to read papers are asked to submit abstracts of approximately 100 words in length by December 1, 1999. Please include your full mailing address, title, and e-mail address. Further information is available in SASS News and Notes, on the website, http://www.scandinavian.wisc.edu or at the department: 1306 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 (608) 262-2090 A NorTANA pre-workshop session has been scheduled for Thursday, May 4 from 1-4 p.m. The NorTANA meeting will then follow from 4:30 6:30. There will also be a NorTANA luncheon on Friday. Norgesseminar The 1999 Norgesseminar was held at Montana State University at Bozeman, September 30- October 2. The theme centered around nature and the environment, as befitted our beautiful setting. Jerry Coffey enthusiastically led participants on tours of the area both before and after the seminar. The Norgesseminar 2000 will be held at St. Olaf College when the St. Olaf Norwegian Department will be celebrating its centennial. The evaluation form contained in this issue of the NorTANA newsletter asks for your suggestions for the next and other Norway Seminars in the future. Please send your comments and suggestions to oleary@stolaf.edu. We are also asking for volunteers to help plan the next NorTANA workshop, on the use of literature in the teaching of Norwegian Studies in North America. This workshop is planned in two phases; an initial session at the SASS conference in Madison this spring, and a second phase to be held in June. Let us know how you would like to help. homstad@stolaf.edu Annual Midwestern Retreat Scheduled The Midwestern Scandinavian Retreat is scheduled for February 11-13, 2000.The retreat this year will be organized by the University of Minnesota. As tradition dictates, we will be meeting at the Beaver Creek Wisconsin Scout camp. This year we will feature both a group of Norwegian Young Cultural Ambassadors, coordinated through the University of Wisconsin, and we hope a visit from Leena Ahtola Moorhouse, Government of Finland/David and Nancy Speer Visiting Professor in Finnish Studies at the University of Minnesota. We are looking for papers, projects, and panels to present at the retreat and we welcome all good ideas. In addition to our plans, the Boy Scouts are organizing a midnight snowshoe walk on Friday or Saturday. We are welcome to participate, but we MUST know the number of participants by Dec.20, so that they can reserve enough snowshoes. This is estimated to cost about $5.00 One of the suggestions from last year was to have an alternative program for children on Saturday, something with a Scandinavian flavor that would be fun and enriching. Some possibilities are a nature walk, Nordic crafts, singing, films. We need volunteers to help coordinate this event, help gather materials, etc. Hopefully we can bring this off and help encourage entire families to join us. Contact Susan Larson at the Center for Scandinavian Studies for more information., or suggestions. (612) 625-3388 <slarson@umn.edu> Norwegian Children's Book Exhibit The University of Minnesota and the Royal Norwegian Consulate General, together with the Sons of Norway, will be sponsoring Trolls, Mrs. Pepperpot, and Beyond: Celebrating Norwegian Children's Books, a traveling exhibit by the Capitol Children's Museum-Washington, DC. This largest exhibition on Norwegian children's literature ever to tour North America interweaves the development of Norwegian children's literature with the history of Norway. It can be seen between November 19, 1999 and January 9, 2000 on the 4th floor of Wilson Library on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. The exhibition is free. The exhibit is open Weekdays from 10:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. and Weekends from Noon 5:00 p.m. Closed University holidays. As a special event while the display is here, Minnesota's Sons of Norway organization invited the public for a Family Day on Sunday, November 28, 1-4 p.m. in the exhibit area. Lodge members provided programming. Polar explorer Ann Bancroft will participate in a reading on Family Day. Author Eirik Newth and illustrator Malgorzata Pietrowska visited Minnesota in conjunction with the exhibit. For further information and group reservations for the exhibit, call the Center for Scandinavian Studies 612-625-3388 or the Kerlan Collection 612-624-4576. Scandinavian Film
Festival, The weekend of Scandinavian films began with a lecture on the state of contemporary film in the region. As a producer for Nimbus film in Denmark, our guest lecturer, Lars Bredo Rahbek, is uniquely positioned to give us his insights into the Dogme movement (Lars von Trier and Tomas Vinterberg) and other trends in Scandinavian film production. His lecture was held on Friday November 19th in Grainger Hall 1190, which is fully equipped to accommodate the video clips he showed. That same evening the Swedish film Fucking Amal was presented by Lars. Directly following the film, a reception was held in Grainger Hall. The following night the Danish film Festen was shown, once again presented by Lars. On Sunday Bare skyer beveger stjernene from Norway was on the program. This event was sponsored by the Scandinavian Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin and the Nordic Council. All events were held in collaboration with the Cinemateque series and information is available at www.wisc.edu/commarts.cinema.html or at the department's web-site. If anybody wishes to borrow these films on video, please contact Agnete Schmidt at aschmidt2@facstaff.wisc.edu. Author Tour Kristin Brudevoll, NORLA travelled with the author Per Petterson to visit University of Alberta and Augustana University College, 26.-27. October and go on to Washington D.C. where there was a reading and presentation in cooperation with the Library of Congress and the Norwegian Embassy, 29.October. Per Petterson's novel: To Sibiria, distributed by Farrar, Strauss & Giroux in the US, published by Harvill in London, was nominated to the Nordic Literary Prize in 1996 and has since then been published in translation with success in several countries. As a result, Petterson was to represent Norway at the Harbourfront Reading series in Toronto, 20-26. October, and go "on tour" afterwards. A Bengali Ibsen Production in Texas The Academy of Bangla Arts and Culture (ABAC), located in Irving, Texas, intends to stage multiple shows of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts in several cities in North America, starting February 26, 2000. A Bengali language adaptation of the 1881 play by Ibsen, translated by Professor Ahmed Reza of Jahangirnagar University in Bangladesh, Ghosts is being rehearsed now in ABAC's premises, supported by Irving Arts Center, a City of Irving project that has supported local cultural groups since the 80s. Bengalis hail from West Bengal, a state in India, and Bangladesh, which were partitioned in 1947, when India gained independence from the British, resulting in two nations: India and Pakistan. The Eastern wing of Pakistan fought a war of independence against West Pakistan in 1971, and formed the Republic of Bangladesh that exists today. To Bengalis, Ibsen is a familiar name since the 1960s. The legendary troupe "Bohurupee" in Calcutta, West Bengal, performed An Enemy of the People through the 60s and 80s, and Doll's House in the 70s. Internationally reputed film director Satyajit Ray filmed his own adaptation of An Enemy of the People in 1989. The relevance of these 19th century Norwegian plays is still high in the Bengali society, and people flock in hundreds when a show of Ibsen is staged in Bengal or among its diaspora. Mr. Quamruzaaman Choudhury, a graduate of the prestigious National School of Drama, New Delhi, India, is directing this play in Irving, after having successfully staged it with another group in Bangladesh. The adaptation has been well-received by the Bengali audience in the past, particularly due to the projection of such characters as Mrs. Alving, Engstrand, or Oswald to familiar stereotypes in the Bengali society. For a non-Bengali speaking audience, English super-titles will be projected during all shows. For further information, please contact: Dr. Tariq Yasin, (972) 252-2908 uzlmi@hotmail.com; or, Dr. Tathagata Dasgupta (972) 409-0282 shoumyo@yahoo.com. Back
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Web Sites of Interest The Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington has a new URL and a redesigned homepage: http://depts.washington.edu/scand/ Ready for some fun for you and your students? Try the Norwegian Statistikk sentralbyrå's game. You have to answer questions about facets of contemporary life in Norway (how many 'samboer' live in Norway now? How many tons of paper products were produced last year….?) It's at: http://www.ssb.no/www-open/spill/ Louis Janus Ellen Rees is going on-line
with her Norwegian classes and is currently developing
simple web activities for beginning Norwegian students.
These can be viewed at the class website. NorTANA members
are welcome to explore and critique them- any feedback would
be greatly appreciated. Ellen Rees There are now a variety of websites where one can purchases on-line. Share your favorite websites for obtaining information or supplies from Norway with other NorTANA members For music, and especially
videocassettes: http://www/sol.no/akersmic For CNN news from Norway: http://www.cnn.vg.no/ Update on the "Jens Bjørneboe in English" website I have almost finished revising the pages, and would (as always) be grateful to hear about any malfunctioning links. When finished there will be an extensive network of cross-references between related pages. The site is getting big enough that some kind of subject or theme index would be useful. The "Archive: Contents by monthly themes" now identifies themes for each month's issue, with a summary at the beginning. This will have to serve until I figure out something better. AT&T has just doubled our allotted space, so I can put up more graphics as I learn how. The home page now sports a portrait of JB very much state-of-my-art, which isn't very advanced. The September issue features Joe Martin's introduction to Semmelweis plus Scene 2, "Conference of Professors at Vienna General Hospital," with the kind permission of Joe Martin and Sun & Moon Press. The October issue will focus on Bjørneboe's attitude toward the United States, with excerpts from Bjørneboe's early essay, "The Fear of America Within Us." In addition, Øyvind Gulliksen, Professor of American Literature and Culture at Telemark College, not only allowed me to use his long article, "Bjørneboe and America," but has taken great care in overseeing my first attempt at translating New Norwegian! Jens Bjørneboe in English: http://home.att.net/~emurer Esther Murer The NorTANA website ….And don't forget to check out our own NorTANA website regularly! It is updated at least once a month with new materials and updated links. You will find it at: http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/norwegian/nortana/nortana.html ed. Sons of Norway's Map Services Sons of Norway, an official source for the Norwegian Map Authority, Norges Kartverk, offers a variety of maps of Norway, from road maps to topographic and antique maps. The Sons of Norway Map with Topographic Map Index is a great place to start when looking for the correct topographic map. There are 727 Topographic Maps to give a real close-up of the area to find your family's farm listed. The Road Maps, Veiatlas Norge (Road Atlas of Norway), and Hiking and Ski Touring Maps are terrific if you plan to travel independently in Norway. All are easy to use and the Key Guide is multilingual. Antique Maps of Norway reproduced to the printing standards of the 1700s depict Norway in that time period. For detailed information and a free brochure, write or call Sons of Norway's Map Services, 1455 West Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55408; 800-945-8851 or 612-827-3611 LCTL Workshop Report The Summer Institute on "Developing Classroom Materials for Less Commonly Taught Languages" was held this past June 21-25 at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis campus, hosted by CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition). The Workshop was attended by instructors of all language levels (elementary to college) and of a broad variety of languages including Finnish, Korean, Japanese, Norwegian, Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, and even Ojibwa. Based on the initial premise that teachers of less common languages have certain specific problems (such as limited teaching materials/resources) the workshop proceeded to offer suggestions on new pedagogical techniques and ways to use authentic materials to create classroom materials. Some of the topics discussed included internet exercise development, use of video in the classroom, and how to "revamp" old textbooks to create more productive teaching materials. As a new teaching assistant in Norwegian, I found this workshop both enjoyable and useful, and my own website is currently under development. I also plan to hold a presentation and assist other teaching assistants in my department on how to create their own internet based materials. (For some additional ideas on creating internet exercises look through CARLA's resource page at http://carla.acad.umn.edu/lctlsi99.html...) Thanks again to NorTANA for enabling me to participate in this workshop! Kassandra Cruit -
Salzbergz Of Gods and Heroes and
Modern Day Vikings It's an exciting moment for Leah, as she listens intently to the music played by the young girl in her beautiful bunad. The lilting tune has a distinct beat to it -- Leah taps her feet softly in tune with the music. She is a step closer to one of the goals she has set for her year in Norway -- the fiddler has offered to give her lessons on that special Norwegian instrument known as hardingfele. The class is discussing the Viking presence in Normandy when Gunnar asks permission to read what the Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson said about the "founder" of Normandy, the man known as Rollo. He has translated it into Norwegian from Old Icelandic. This is the kind of training he receives in his class in norrøn filologi. Leah and Gunnar are two of the bright young students attending the University of Oslo as participants in the Oslo Year Program. This is the thirteenth year of the program and their class is the last cohort of the millennium. The topic of the leader's course is Viking history, including the magic and somewhat morbid world of Norse mythology. Anything can happen this year with a topic like that! Will Odin make his presence known for these modern day Vikings and will the trickster, Loki, cause trouble for us? I admit being a little apprehensive as I welcomed the students in the Bjørn Jensen apartment on August 12th. (I say a little thank-you every day to the late Bjørn Jensen, who looks down on me from the wall, and also to Kjetil Flatin, for securing this apartment for OYP leaders and others as a home away from home. The housing situation in Oslo is critical, and prices are sky-high.) As it turned out, I had no reason to worry. I met a wonderful group of students, ready to face the challenge of studying in a foreign culture. We decided to expose ourselves to the "forces" right away, and already on our first excursion we approached the realm of the giants that Thor fought with in Jotunheimen. We visited Helvete (subterranean passages carved by a river thousands of years ago, located in Espedal) without losing a soul, presumably because we were blessed (with a wonderful meal) at the home of the pastor of Hamar Cathedral on the way. The trip ended on a triumphant, high note for everybody on the top of the 1500 meter peak called Gråhø. En route, we had lectures on Norwegian fornminner at Hamar, Lillehammer and Hundorp, and walked in the footsteps of Peer Gynt in the Vinstra area. The goal for the sojourn in Norway expressed by most of the students is to be able to understand people and converse with them on everyday subjects. Many of them have told me they feel they have reached that stage and are quite satisfied with their accomplishments. They have attended Norwegian classes (level three or four), have struggled through lectures in Norwegian by the course leader and guides at museums and collections, and have attended plays and concerts. Only the students can tell you what extra-curricular activities they have participated in while in Norway. Ask them when they get back to their respective institutions. I am sure they have stories to tell, and you will notice that they have grown and matured appreciably during their study abroad term. As far as I know, none of the students got much of a view of President Clinton or any of the other world leaders when they were gathered in Oslo this week -- security was just too tight -- but I dare say they have a better understanding of the world problems and the role that a small country like Norway can play. The fall term has gone very fast for me, and I am sure the students feel the same way. There has been very little talk about homesickness. On the contrary, several have indicated that they wish they could extend their stay. Soon the examinations will be upon us, and then it is time to return home. However, first we will celebrate a real American Thanksgiving dinner together, where I hope the students will give thanks for the opportunity to expand their horizons by studying abroad. Personally, I will give thanks for the privilege of working with these fine young men and women and wish them all the best in their future studies and careers. I will also send a thought of gratitude to Torild Homstad for giving me the opportunity to lead the OYP program this fall and to the staff at the International Summer School for making my stay in Oslo a most enjoyable experience. Audun Toven, Oslo Year Program Leader, Pacific Lutheran University New Certificate Program at ASU An Undergraduate Certificate in Scandinavian Studies has been implemented at Arizona State University and graduated its first two students in Spring Semester, 1999; one specializing in Norwegian and one in Swedish. This is a 21 semester-credit certificate of specialization in an interdisciplinary field (and the building block to an eventual major in Scandinavian Studies at ASU, which does not allow the creation of minors without a pre - existing major. Students complete requirements which include courses in second year Norwegian or Swedish, literature, culture, film and history, as well as an independent thesis. There are typically 40-50 students enrolled in Scandinavian courses any given semester, taught primarily by Ellen Rees and Monica von Eggers, Faculty Associate in Swedish. Associate Professor Wayne M. Senner also teaches occasional courses in Scandinavian Studies. On average there are about 40 natives of Norway and 40 natives of Sweden studying at ASU. Scandinavian Studies is housed in the Department of Languages and Literatures, where approximately 20 languages are taught by about 60 faculty members and 130 teaching assistants and other part-time faculty. Approximately half the staff teaches Spanish (Arizona is 20% Hispanic). The Scandinavian Studies program is supported by about eight different community organizations, including Sons of Norway lodges, Norsemen's Federation, Scandinavian clubs in retirement communities, SWEA, VASA-orden, and the Arizona honorary consuls for Norway and Sweden. Ellen Rees, ASU Distance Education Independent and Distance Education at the University of Minnesota is offering Beginning Norwegian (two 4-credit semester courses). William Solheim is the author/instructor; course materials are Ny i Norge (textbook, workbook, audiocassettes), and a study guide accompanies each course. For information call 1-800-234-6564, or 612-625-3333. Bill Solheim Study Abroad Opportunities Camp Norway, an innovative summer program sponsored by Sons of Norway combines an intensive language course with the direct experience of living in Norway. Camp Norway takes place in Skogn, about a one-hour drive north of Trondheim on the beautiful Trondheimsfjord, June 20 July 17, 2000, with an optional five-day, post-program tour through central and western Norway. Participants must be at least sixteen years old; adults of all ages are welcome. Scholarships are available, with a deadline of April 1, 2000. Language instructors and Academic and Administrative Directors for 2000 have yet to be hired. For information and employment applications, contact Liv Dahl or Karly Christensen at Sons of Norway; 1-800-945-8851. For Camp Norway brochures, applications and scholarship information, contact: Camp Norway, Sons of Norway, 1455 West Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55408. Tel: 10800-945-8851 or 612-827-3611; or e-mail fraternal@sofn.com. Bli med! Bergen 2000 Please tell your students about this rare opportunity to spend two quarters in Bergen. All levels of Norwegian are welcome. Courses available include: Norwegian Language, Norwegian Literature, Norwegian Politics, Norwegian Nation-building Seminar, Independent Studies in Literature and Politics, and all courses offered in English at the University of Bergen in any field. Katherine Hanson, Adjunct Associate Professor, Norwegian Language & Literature and Christine Ingebritsen, Associate Professor, Norwegian Politics, of the Dept. of Scandinavian Studies, University of Washington, will accompany 20 students to Bergen, Norway, Jan 15 to June 15. Deadline: Nov. 15, 1999. Total costs will be under $4000 for the semester. Applications and information are available on the Dept of Scandinavian Studies home page at the University of Washington. Please send application and $150 deposit to: Bergen 2000 Moss, Norway Summer 2000 Education in an
International Setting. Courses Offered:
For further information on
participation in the Moss program, please contact: Course in Volda for North
American Teachers of Norwegian, As many of you will know from the last two SASS-meetings, the Ivar Aasen Institute at Volda College in Sunnmøre is arranging a week-long course for teachers of Norwegian in North America in August 2000. The purpose of the course is to give a broad presentation of New Norwegian culture both in its local and national context. There will be an intensive programme of visits and guest-speakers as well as daily seminars. The participants on the course will stay in private homes in the Volda area. The costs of the course and accommodation will be covered, but where possible participants should try to secure funding for their travel to Volda. Note that the course will be running the week after the IASS meeting in Norwich, England. This should reduce the cost of travel in a number of cases. Below you will find a provisional outline programme and an application form. If you are interested, send the form to Professor Stephen J. Walton in Volda as soon as possible, but in any case before the deadline of 1 November 1999. We are looking forward to seeing you in Volda! Vel møtt! Stephen KURS FOR NORD-AMERIKANSKE
NORSKLÆRARAR Førebels plan søndag 13.8. måndag 14.8. tysdag 15.8. onsdag 16.8. torsdag 17.8. fredag 18.8. laurdag 19.8. søndag 20.8. arbeidsmåte Det vil også bli arrangert eit ope seminar på Høgskulen éin av kveldane der deltakarane får presentere sitt arbeid og sine faglege interesser for høgskulemiljøet og andre interesserte. What is happening at Universitetsforlaget? Elisabet Middelthon, Munin, reported on the status of Universitetsforlaget and the current state of academic publishing in Oslo at the Norway Seminar in Bozeman. We asked Elisabet to recap this information in the NorTANA Newsletter for all our NorTANA members. ed. Aschehoug og Gyldendal var aksjonærer i Universitetsforlaget med 25 prosent av aksjene hver - de eide altså allerede 50 prosent av U-forlaget. Studentsamskipnaden i Trondheim ønsket å selge sine 33 prosent - og Aschehoug og Gyldendal har kjøpt disse aksjene. Andre aksjonærer er universitetet og ansatte. Universitetsforlaget har bestått av tre store avdelinger, den tradisjonelle universitets- og høgskoleavdelingen, skolebokavdelingen med undervisningsmateriell til videregående skole inkludert yrkesfag, og tidsskriftavdelingen med norske, nordiske og engelskspråklige tidsskrifter Universitetsforlaget - den tradisjonelle universitets- og høgskoleavdelingen - går ubeskåret med fagområder, redaktører og andre ansatte over til Aschehoug. Tano Aschehoug har vært imprint for universitets- og høgskoleutgivelser i konsernet Aschehoug. Dette navnet forsvinner og alle utgivelser kommer fra nå av ut på Universitetsforlaget, helt eid av moderforlaget Aschehoug. Scandinavian University Press vil fortsette som en imprint under konsernet Aschehoug, og det vil kunne komme enkelte engelskspråklige bøker også i fremtiden. Serien er redusert og trappet ned, men ikke nedlagt. Universitetsforlaget har en formålsparagraf der det bl.a. står at forlaget er spesielt forpliktet til å utgi forskningslitteratur, og at navnet er på lisens fra Universitetet i Oslo. AdNotam Gyldendal har vært imprint for universitets- og høgskoleutgivelser i konsernet Gyldendal. Det navnet endres nå til Gyldendal Akademisk, og her innlemmes Universitetsforlagets bøker innen helse- og sosialfag, økonomi og administrasjon, pedagogikk og spykologi. 20 ansatte flytter fra Universitetsforlaget til Gyldendal Akademisk. Universitetsforlagets ordbøker Det Gyldendal/Aschehoug-eide Kunnskapsforlaget overtar alle ordbøker som er utgitt på Universitetsforlaget. Det Gyldendal/Aschehoug-eide Yrkesopplæring overtar alle tekniske fag for videregående skole og også høgere teknisk- og ingeniørutdanning. Undervisningsavdelingen i Gyldendal overtar alle bøker for grunnskolen, samt bøker innen helse- og sosialfag og idrett. Tidsskriftavdelingen Alle norske og nordiske tidsskrifter fortsetter i det Aschehoug-eide Universitetsforlaget. De engelske tidsskriftene - ca. 60 - fortsetter under imprint Scandinavian University Press og eies av Taylor & Francis. Hvor de rent fysisk vil befinne seg, er ikke avklart. Næringsdepartementet vurderer om dette er et oppkjøp som kan godkjennes. Det er imidlertid en alminnelig oppfatning at salget av Universitetsforlaget er en realitet, og at den fordelingen som er beskrevet over, blir resultatet. Blir det forandringer, skal jeg holde deg orientert. Beste hilsen, Elisabet Munin also announces the publication of two new catalogs; Henrik Ibsen - Knut Hamsun - Sigrid Undset, Literary Analyses and Biographies, Norwegian Literature and Edvard Munch - Edvard Grieg - Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian Painting, Music and Sculpture. Back
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Norsk grammatikk for andrespråkslærere. Jon Erik Hagen. Oslo: Ad Notam Gyldendal, 1998. 418 pages. 490 NOK ISBN: 82-417-1042-9. Reviewed by Louis Janus, University of Minnesota <janus005@umn.edu> This book should be on every Norwegian teachers' bookshelf -- or even closer -- the teachers' desks. It describes "norsk sett utenfra," differentiating it from several other recent grammar books about Norwegian, which give detailed analysis of the internal structures. In this book, teachers will find clear and concise explanations of how Norwegian works, and what non-Norwegians need to know to speak and understand modern Norwegian. It is a teacher's resource, giving comparative notes on how other languages (the ones the teachers' students might speak) differ from Norwegian. While there is (intentionally) little new theoretical ground broken in this book, the depth and breadth of its coverage, coupled with its elucidating descriptions, make it an invaluable resource. The layout and organization are clear and well presented. There are twenty main chapters (with letters A -- T), covering topics such as all parts of speech, sentence structure (setningstyper), special syntactic issues in Norwegian for example, "Avvik fra kononisk setningsleddfølge i indikative hovedsetninger(chapter M). The language covered by the grammar is bokmål and the spoken varieties of Norwegian that traditionally inspire and are inspired by bokmål. The final chapter covers nynorsk, with a summary of Norwegian language history and politics, and a description of the main grammatical and stylistic areas in which bokmål and nynorsk diverge. The first chapter (A - Noen lingvistiske grunnbegreper) defines and exemplifies the terms and concepts that arise later in the book. This chapter is the most lucid and to the point presentation of how a language works that I have ever read. (Actually the whole book is equally clear, practical, and worthwhile for Norwegian teachers.) Text boxes throughout the book give definitions of terms, for example "DEFINISJON av 'optativsetninger'. Optativsetninger dannes ved preteritum av modalverbet måtte, med invertert subjekt. Forfeltet er alltid tomt, og setningen uttrykker en optative talebehandling" p. 245. The author continues with several examples ("Måtte Fanden ta deg!, Måtte apoteket være åpent!). Scattered among the pages are comparative and pedagogical notes, pointing out likely problems for the teachers' students with various language backgrounds. One doesn't expect a grammar book to show a sense of humor, but, yes, this one does. Throughout the book, Norwegian language examples use Carlo, Betty, Indira, Hassan, and Tor, characters well-known to Norwegian teachers from Gerd Manne's Ny i Norge (for example "Betty kalte Carlo en idiot"). One of my favorite sections deals with a part of grammar that a teacher never finishes explaining (or maybe even understanding--I speak personally here). It accounts for the choice between the prepositions i and på in relation to geography. Several rules are presented ("Foran stedsnavn som viser til oppstikkende eller flate områder brukes på; Foran stedsnavn som viser til omsluttende eller nedsunkne områder brukes i"). (p. 159) Numerous examples follow, with appropriate (but never obtrusive) comments or observations. Next time a student asks "why is it 'i Bergen / på Voss" can you explain that if the place is conceptualized as a punktsted abroad or on the coast in Norway, you use i; if it is a punktsted inland, then you use på. The explanation makes sense in Hagen's larger conceptualization and presentation. (p. 160) A book this dense with helpful pointers and clarifications would be useless without good methods of zeroing in on them. In Norsk grammatikk for andrespråkslærere, the table of contents and index make the grammar descriptions easily accessible. This is not a book to read through casually, but for teachers of Norwegian, it will become an invaluable resource. (And it actually would make good casual reading in between chapters of Sult or Huset med...) Louis Janus, University of Minnesota På vei. Norsk med samfunnskunnskap for fremmedspråklige elever. Elisabeth Ellingsen and Kirsti MacDonald. J. W. Cappelens Forlag A/S. 1999. Textbook with CD. 167 pp. ISBN 82-02-17329-9. NOK 225. Workbook with diskette. 144 pp. ISBN 82-02-17330-2. NOK 210. Teacher's Guide. 212 pp. ISBN 82-02-17331-0. NOK 285. Norwegian/English wordlist. NOK. 90. 4 audio cassettes. NOK.950. This beginner text is intended for adult immigrants to Norway and focuses on providing the vocabulary and skills necessary for mastering practical everyday situations. The text is divided into 15 short chapters of three sections each, and the subject matter of each chapter includes the topics included in most beginner texts: greetings, asking questions, shopping, eating in restaurants, going to the dentist, weather and seasons, Norwegian geography, family, work, leisure activities, etc. Most of the texts are in the form of dialogue with a concluding summary. The authors explain that in this way, words are repeated but vocabulary is also expanded. For example, when a woman in chapter three asks "Is there a bank nearby?" this is summarized as "she was looking for a bank." In addition to the dialogues, there are some authentic texts, such as maps, tables, and a recipe. Texts that are included on the accompanying CD are marked with a symbol and track number for easy retrieval. Each section also includes grammatical concepts, which are demarcated by a yellow background. Each lesson in the textbook has corresponding workbook assignments, one page to be done in class, and one for homework. Grammatical exercises are included, as are oral activities and writing exercises. Accompanying the workbook is a diskette for PC Windows 95/98 which includes exercises from the workbook and additional practice exercises. The teacher's guide includes suggestions for activities in the classroom, detailed instructions on explaining grammatical concepts and extra exercises and texts. The teacher's guide also includes tests (after every three chapters) and the answers to workbook assignments. The cassettes include listening and pronunciation exercises for each lesson, listening segments for the tests, and audio of the extra texts in the teacher's guide. Included in the textbook are many photographs and drawings, most in full color, which are often used for conversation exercises. The textbook also provides aid to pronunciation by indicating stressed syllables in some cases and by differentiating between "we write" and "we say," as for example in "Vi skriver bildet" "Vi sier bilde." Although the text is clearly intended for adults in Norwegian society, the basic topics of self, family and everyday life make På vei suitable for American students as well. In fact, the division of 15 chapters into three sections seems tailor-made for the 15 week semester system with its common MWF class schedule, while the comprehensive and detailed teacher's guide, with its extra exercises, detailed suggestions for classroom activities, and tests would seem to make lesson planning and preparation much less taxing and time consuming for the instructor. Marte Hvam Hult, Florentine laughter in Moment of Freedom Moment of Freedom. Jens Bjørneboe, trans. Esther Greenleaf Mürer. Revised edition, with a new introduction by the translator. Chester Springs, PA: Dufour Editions, 1999. ISBN 0-8023-1328-0. 240 pp. $15.95 Like a well-aged wine, Esther Greenleaf Mürer's translation of Jens Bjørneboe's Frihetens Øyeblikk (1966), published by Dufour (1999), is ripe with the fruits of time. Mürer, who first translated Moment of Freedom in 1975 when Norton published it, is a long-time student of Bjørneboe's work. She met and worked with Bjørneboe himself and is, as she says in her excellent introduction added to her updated translation, a member of an ongoing community formed around the long struggle to get Bjørneboe recognized in the English-speaking world. She maintains a web-site on Bjørneboe in English that includes articles and reviews of Bjørneboe's work and her own translations, and she is currently working on translations of volumes two and three of Bjørneboe's acclaimed "History of Bestiality" trilogy of which Moment of Freedom is the first. A good translation needs to penetrate the original's skin and reach the pulse of the script. Mürer's translation does that while confronting us with Bjørneboe's piercing observations, unveiling the grotesque bestiality of a world masquerading as a just society. The narrator, a Servant of Justice, witnesses the cruel injustices of the court where he works, high in the Alps in a German principality called Heiligenberg. One day in the courtroom he notices that the judge is much too engrossed in looking at something concealed in his folder to pay attention to the proceedings. The something turns out to be some pornographic photographs showing various other pillars of the town engaged in a variety of sexual activities with minors. The incident propels the Servant of Justice on a mental journey back through his own life, recording a history of the bestiality he has witnessed and experienced. This brings up back to his time as a fugitive in Sweden during the earthly madhouse of the Teutonic occupation, as Bjørneboe describes World War II, to brothels and suicidal drinking binges on his wanderings in Germany and Italy. His is a story soaked in cruelty and perversity. However, while thus hammering the truth, he seeks freedom, for truth liberates, or so he insists. One must be grateful that Bjørneboe knows how to balance on a very fine rope that carries him over the jarring choir of bitter cries and self-absorbed pain. Wryly staging the events in a world-a Lemuria-of lemurs, or small bears, scholastics, and eschatology believers, the narrator's story elegantly maneuvers away from such pitfalls. Moreover, aware that he's on the fringe of madness himself, the narrator insists on laughter as both detachment and protection from insanity. It is to Mürer's full credit that her translation resounds with Bjørneboe's "Florentine laughter," maintaining a very fine line between madness and clarity, blind rebellion and pointed critique. Anne Sabo, St. Olaf College Weary Men. Arne
Garborg, trans. Sverre Lyngstad (1999): Perhaps the most amazing thing about Sverre Lyngstad's translation of Trætte Mænd is that it hasn't been done earlier. After all, Garborg's novel of disillusion and decadence marks not only a unique chapter in his work (among other things, it's his only novel written in Rigsmaal), but a point of peculiarity in Norwegian literature as a whole. Beginning with Joris-Karl Huysman's novel A Rebours (Against Nature , 1884), fin de siècle decadent literature flourished in Europe during the waning years of the 19th Century. Oscar Wilde and Herman Bang were merely two of a host of authors producing such highly aesthetic and anti-bourgeois texts. Yet in Norway the trend remained largely absent - with only a few exceptions, including Garborg's novel. Thus Weary Men is a novel of particular literary-historical significance, and Lyngstad's translation a welcome appearance. As to the translation itself, it is thoroughly adequate. While one occasionally wishes for a smoother turn of phrase (for example, "I alle tilfælde" is translated as "At all events" instead of the better-sounding "In any event"), the English rendition offers no significant stumbling blocks to the American student. (My own Masterpieces students have reacted quite positively to the text.) And the quality of translation improves significantly in the second half of the novel. It should also be mentioned that Lyngstad received the Inger Sjöberg Prize from the American-Scandinavian Foundation in 1996 for an excerpt of this translation. In addition to the actual text of the novel, Per Buvik's Afterward will be useful to students and teachers alike, particularly to those less familiar with the decadent movement in 19th Century European literature. Buvik places the novel in general European and Norwegian contexts, as well as in the context of Garborg's overall authorship. He also surveys some of the more prominent readings and criticisms of the text. All-in-all, this book is a success, and its publication is to be greeted warmly. Troy Storfjell, Augustana College, Sioux Falls Forthcoming Publications and Announcements Echo: Scandinavian Stories about Girls, edited by Ia Dubois and Katherine Hanson, is an anthology of fiction and memoir about growing up female in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden to be published in April 2000. It includes work by Lindgren, Sigrid Undset, Selma Lagerlof, Tove Ditlevsen, and Tove Jansson, with an introduction by the editors. If ordered before January 3, 2000 there will be a 10% discount off the $18.95 cover price, for NorTANA members. ($3.00 for postage, with .50 for each additional book) ISBN 1 879679 14 0. The book may be ordered from Women in Translation, 523 N. 84th St., Seattle WA 98103 or wit@scn.org. In Spring of 2000, Princeton University Press will publish Through Naked Branches: Selected Poems of Tarjei Vesaas translated, edited and introduced by Roger Greenwald. Forty-six poems, fully bilingual. The book also includes a collage of excerpts from Vesaas's articles and interviews (the collage is in English only). Both cloth and paper editions will be published; ISBN and price not available yet. Norwegian poetry in translation In 1997 Gyldendal Norsk Forlag published a handy selection of poems by Rolf Jacobsen, translated and edited by Roger Greenwald. Did I Know You? contains thirty-one poems. Ten of these are drawn from Greenwald's earlier selection of ninety-six poems by Jacobsen, The Silence Afterwards (Princeton University Press, 1985; still in print, but in cloth only). The other twenty-one poems include ten from Nattåpent, Jacobsen's best-selling final collection, and an uncollected poem, "Et dikt om elven Glåma." Fully bilingual edition. ISBN 82-05-24866-4. NOK 164. There is no distributor for this book outside Norway. There are three ways you can get hold of it. 1. If you are at a college or university where Norwegian and/or Scandinavian lang/lit/studies is taught and you want one copy for your university's library, ask UD. Kjellaug Myhre indicated a willingness to help out. 2. If you want one or two copies for yourself, you can order from Sun & Moon Bookstore, 6026 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. email: djmess@sunmoon.com (Douglas Messerli). The cost is USD 20 plus 1.25 postage. Messerli will ship to you with an invoice rather than require prepayment. He has a small number of copies; when he runs out, restocking will take time. 3. If you want to use the book in a course, ask your bookstore to order the requisite number from Gyldendal: per.wehus@gyldendal.no (Per Wehus). Gyldendal will give a North
American bookstore 50% off (rather than 40%) if the books
are ordered on a no-returns basis. The price per book to
your students will depend on how low a markup you can
persuade your bookstore to take. The surface postage from
Norway will cost between $1.50 and $2.00 per book.
30 April 1999 President Margaret Hayford O'Leary (St. Olaf College) called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. midway through an exotic, Hawaiian-style chicken salad. Election committee chair Torild Homstad introduced the newly elected NorTANA board: In addition to O'Leary, Vice President Louis Janus (U. of Minnesota-Twin Cities), Secretary Frankie Shackelford (Augsburg College), Treasurer Tanya Thresher (U. of Wisconsin-Madison, Katherine Hanson (at large), newsletter editor Torild Homstad (Oslo International Summer School). The new board's first action was to appoint Nancy Aarsvold (St. Olaf College) as NorTANA's first official webmaster. Minutes of the October 1998 meeting at Norgesseminar in Boulder were approved. Despite computer difficulties at St. Olaf, the treasurer reported a (probable) current balance of $10,078.11 up from $3,030.06 in September, an increase due largely to the Akademika Prize (NOK 50,000), which President O'Leary accepted on behalf of NorTANA in Oslo last fall. Torild Homstad called for submissions to the newsletter and solicited e-mail addresses from all present. Announcements included:
President O'Leary extended an invitation for ideas for NorTANA's next pedagogy project, and hearing none, adjourned the meeting at 1:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Frankie Shackelford, secretary NorTANA Minutes 1. Minutes of the May 1999 NorTANA meeting were approved with one spelling correction. 2. Treasurer Tanya Thresher reported a balance of $9,648.16 and a current membership of over 150. 3. Editor Torild Homstad encouraged submissions for the next newsletter projected for November. 4. Announcements included:
5. New business Louis Janus introduced the National Council of Organizations of LCTLs and the NorTANA board's decision to join and contribute $100. Akademikaprisen: How should the prize money be spent? The board proposed a summer workshop to focus on the teaching of literary texts in the language classroom. Terje Leiren suggested inclusion of texts in translation as well. After lengthy discussion of scheduling constraints, the date was set for June 15-17, 2000. A pre-workshop session will be held at the SASS meeting in Madison. Tanya Thresher will make arrangements. Future Norgesseminarer: Suggestions for topics included religions in Norway, intellectual history (Trond Berg Erikson), literature (Karsten Alnæs), Norway and the New Europe, womenís history, art, films, music and folklore, and the inclusion of performing artists. This discussion will be continued by e-mail. St. Olaf would like to host for 2000, if PLU can trade with them. PLU would then host in 2002 and Weber State in 2001. Tentative invitations also include ASU hosting in 2003, UND in 2004, and possibly UW-Madison in 2005. Evaluation of Norgesseminar 1999: Lars Fure asked for feedback on the presentations and constructive criticism of this year's speakers. The level of some presentations was thought to be too general and the tone occasionally condescending. Lars clarified that UD intends that all presentations should be at a high academic level and of an objective nature, that original manuscripts be drafted specifically for Norgesseminar, and that speakers observe a 45 minute timeframe to accommodate discussion. Participants pointed out the need for topics to be specifically about Norway and not merely of general subject matter (i.e. environmental ethics). It was decided that an evaluation form would be distributed as soon as possible. The name dilemma: Terje Leiren re-opened the issue of the name of our organization, which in its current configuration seems to exclude or discourage memberships from teachers of area studies. A suggestion of Norwegian Studies Association of North America (NorSANA) was made. The executive committee will continue this discussion and mail ballots on the name change to the membership. The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted || St. Olaf College | Norskavdelingen || Takk for
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